Olly Murs has made his big return to the stage, taking his new album Marry Me out on a tour of the same name – and he’s about to touch down in Manchester.
The 38-year-old star is going to be taking to the stage at the AO Arena in just a few short hours.
A former X Factor alumni, Olly burst onto the scene with a self-titled debut back in 2010, which went double-platinum, and went on to have four number one singles and four number one albums in near back-to-back succession.
But after four years away from the music industry, he’s back out performing and nearing the end of his Marry Me Tour.
He is promising to have people ‘dancing – if not proposing – in the aisles’ when he hits the AO Arena on Friday 5 May.
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Here’s everything you need need to know about Olly Murs at the AO Arena Manchester.
Are there still tickets for Olly Murs?
Yep, there are still tickets on sale for tonight’s gig.
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Seated tickets – which are mostly in the upper level – are priced from £39.50.
For seats a bit closer to the action, you’ll be looking at £59.50, or £69.95, per ticket.
You can browse the latest ticket availability for Olly Murs and buy yours through See Tickets here.
Yep, if you can’t be there in person, you can sign up to watch a live-streamed version of the concert from the comfort of your own home.
Olly’s global live stream costs £13 – you can sign up here.
Who is supporting Olly Murs at the AO Arena Manchester?
The ‘Heart Skips A Beat’ singer is being supported by Scouting For Girls throughout his Marry Me tour.
The British pop-rockers have been on the scene since 2015 and are famed for their hit songs like ‘She’s So Lovely’, ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, and ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’.
Their next studio album, The Place We Used To Meet, will be released this autumn.
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What are the expected stage times?
Stage times are always subject to change, but the working timings suggest that the doors to the AO Arena will open at 6pm on Friday night.
Then Scouting For Girls are due on stage at about 7.35pm, with Olly himself due to perform around 8.45pm.
What songs will Olly Murs play?
Based on his recent show at the O2 in London, this is the setlist you can expect to be hearing.
Marry Me / I’m Still Standing Best Night of Your Life You Don’t Know Love Kiss Me / Watermelon Sugar Right Place Right Time I Found Her Thinking of Me (with Professor Green) Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond cover) Dear Darlin’ I Hate You When You’re Drunk Heart Skips a Beat We Found Love (Rihanna cover) Wrapped Up Dancing on Cars Celebration / YMCA / Blame it on the Boogie / Don’t Stop Believing / Sex On Fire / I Want It That Way / Dancing On The Ceiling Dance With Me Tonight Encore Troublemaker
About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
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For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
Featured image: Publicity picture
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Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
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Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Daisy Jackson -
4th May 2023 
