Manchester’s annual Parklife Festival has announced its biggest lineup to date ahead of the event’s return to Heaton Park on 11-12 September.
Across the two days, there’s a jaw-dropping selection of artists set to play, featuring some familiar faces back to finish what they started after being booked to play the cancelled 2020 edition last June.
Headlining the bill on Saturday 11 September is Brit Award-winning rapper Dave, in an exclusive UK festival appearance for 2021.
Meanwhile, “WAP” star Megan Thee Stallion will make her Parklife debut and will be joined by some of the finest grime, rap and hip-hop artists including Skepta, AJ Tracey, slowthai, Burna Boy, Mist and DaBaby.
In true Parklife style, we also have a stellar selection of world-class DJs providing the dance soundtrack this year. Over the weekend, Jamie XX, Disclosure, Four Tet, Carl Cox, The Blessed Madonna, Annie Mac, Jamie Jones, Skream and Solardo are all confirmed to play, plus Bicep will spin a special live set.
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For the bass heads among you, Andy C will be joined by Wilkinson, Sub Focus, Dimension, Friction, My Nu Leng, along with the CruCast lads for one massive reunion.
Presale begins at 10am on Wednesday 24 March. Only those who have signed up in advance will be able to access presale tickets – the link should land in your emails soon.
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Organisers have warned that the presale list is massively oversubscribed, with more 250,000 people signed up to it. So, tickets are in extremely high demand.
General Sale will begin at 10am the following day (Thursday 25 March) for everyone else.
Back in December, organisers announced that the long-awaited return to Heaton Park would take place on 11-12 September, instead of their usual June dates, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
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Up to 80,000 festival-goers are expected to descend on Heaton Park each day, making it one of the UK’s biggest metropolitan festivals.
This year’s much-anticipated edition has been two years in the making and with a lineup like this, we know the organisers will make sure it’s one to remember.
Now, all you need to do is set your alarms!
Stay up to date with Parklife on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for full lineup details, further announcements and festival info.
Music
Example announces new headline tour with just a handful of UK shows
Danny Jones
British rapper Example is back for another headline tour and just a handful of UK dates, including what is sure to be a bouncing gig right here in Manchester.
We’re going to say it: it’s the perfect venue for him, too.
The UK rap, dance and pop musician (real name Elliot John Gleave) was a regular chart-topper throughout the 2010s and has still been plenty busy in the time since then.
Although he has gradually pivoted more towards the production side of the music industry in recent years, he’s not lost any energy when it comes to performing – as seen by his most recent run of festival appearances. With that in mind, we can’t wait to see Example back playing live in Manchester.
The 43-year-old is known for his high-octane live shows, and has always had a particular flair for anything EDM-related, smashing sets at pretty much every major music event in Europe, from Glastonbury, Reading and Leeds, Creamfields, Bestival, Latitude, Benicassim, TRNSMT and many more.
Announcing his aptly-titled ‘Hits & Bits’ tour for 2026, Example wrote on Instagram: “If the last tour is anything to go by, these shows will sell out.
“I’m playing every single one of my songs that charted in the Top 20 (that’s 14 hits), plus some album favourites and a few new bits; plus huge unique visuals, laser and FX show, which will level up once again, as we always do. Things are about to get very ravey. Don’t sleep on this. El x”
In terms of the ‘bits’ side of things, we reckon he’ll include a little more of his newer material, the most recent of which is his collab with Local, having also worked with the likes of YouTube cult favourite Elro and fellow digital garage, grime, bassline artist, as well as TikTok personality, Window Kid, of late.
You can hear his newest crossover, ‘Head’s Gone’, in full down below.
Bit of a banger, to be fair; hope it’s on the selist.
Here are all the shows he has confirmed for next year, including that sure-to-be-electric gig at Victoria Warehouse in Manchester next spring:
Example UK tour dates 2026
Wed 13 May 2026 – Newcastle NX
Fri 15 May 2026 – Birmingham O2 Academy
Sat 16 May 2026 – London O2 Academy Brixton
Fri 22 May 2026 – Nottingham Rock City
Sun 24 May 2026 – Manchester O2 Victoria Warehouse
Pre-sale is set to go live this Wednesday, 12 November, and general admission for the Example Hits & Bits UK Tour will be available on the following Friday (14 Nov) at 10am; you can get ready to grab your tickets for his Manchester gig right HERE.
Featured Images — MRCZMT/Press shot (supplied via SJM Concerts)
Music
Role Model at O2 Apollo, Manchester – a night where everyone wanted to be Sally | Review
Clementine Hall
The O2 Apollo was a sea of cowboy hats and gingham for Role Model’s return to Manchesteron his No Place Like Tour.
If you don’t know who Role Model is, then you’re probably not a 20-something year old girl addicted to TikTok and strawberry matcha like me – and that’s absolutely fine, but Role Model, aka Tucker Pillsbury, is more than just a social star with a couple of viral hits.
His steep incline to stardom, especially through his latest album Kansas Anymore released last summer, and the follow-up deluxe Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), earlier this year, has recently seen him perform on SNL with Charli XCX, as well as this week featuring in People’s Magazine Sexiest Man Alive 2025 edition in the centrefold spot, no less.
So it’s safe to say, he really is the man of the moment.
Role Model on stage at O2 Apollo Manchester in November 2025 / Image: The Manc Group
The all-American heartthrob wasted no time getting into his catalogue of hits, kicking things off with ‘Writing’s On The Wall’, before transitioning smoothly into ‘Look At That Woman’ and ‘Scumbag’, all taken from his 2024 album.
Guitar firmly in hand, Role Model shimmied across the stage effortlessly as a sea of adoring fans sang every single word back without fail.
The highlights from the show are never-ending, like taking a seat and singing the beautiful ‘Something, Somehow, Someday’ from a leather notebook – which he tells us is “my favourite song I’ve ever written, and I’m going to read it to you like a story”.
His vocals are identical to the studio recordings, and the energy in the room was just how you wanted it to be, especially during the iconic bridge in ‘Some Protector’.
Presuming you’re not familiar with the Role Model lore? Well, allow me to fill you in.
Each night during the undeniable smash-hit, ‘Sally, When the Wine Runs Out’, Tucker brings out a special guest to be that night’s so-called ‘Sally’ and dance on stage with him.
On the European tour so far, London were treated to Lewis Capaldi and Niall Horan back to back, so it’s safe to say we were waiting with baited breath to be introduced to our very-own Sally.
Although we didn’t get anyone famous (we were hoping he’d go super meta and get Sally from Corrie, but alas), what did get was arguably better. A lovely, smiling fan who held Tucker’s hand and had the absolute time of her life for that one-minute where all eyes were on her – this is what it’s truly all about, at the end of the day.
If anyone in that crowd went home without feeling a bit in love with Role Model, then I’d be very surprised.
Hannah Starkie -
23rd March 2021 
