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Pixies to play ultra-intimate show at Band on the Wall this week

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 18th July 2022

Pixies have announced a surprise intimate gig at one of Manchester’s best grassroots venues this week.

The rock group, who played at the enormous Castlefield Bowl just two weeks ago, are back in the city to play for a much smaller audience on Tuesday 19 July.

They’ll be taking to the stage at Band on the Wall, which reopened after a major refurb earlier this year.

It will be their smallest UK show since they reunited in 2004, with an audience of just 500 people.

  • Band on the Wall reopened after a refurb this year. Credit: The Manc Group
  • Inside the new Band on the Wall. Credit: Jody Hartley

That’s quite a contrast to Pixies’ more recent gigs, which have included a massive show at Hyde Park this summer supporting Pearl Jam.

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The last-minute Manchester show has been met with massive demand, with tickets selling out in minutes.

Band on the Wall. Credit: Jody Hartley

The group are expected to debut some new material from upcoming album Doggerel, alongside fan favourites and all-time classics.

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Their eighth studio album is pitched as a ‘mature yet visceral record of gruesome folk, ballroom pop and brutal rock, haunted by the ghosts of affairs and indulgences, driven wild by cosmic forces and envisioning digital afterlives where no God has provided one’.

Read more: Manchester restaurants close their doors as temperatures soar above 30C

The tracklist includes songs Haunted House, Pagan Man, Vault of Heaven, and Dregs of the Wine.

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Doggerel is set for release on 30 September and is available to pre-order here.

Pixies are due on stage at 8pm on Tuesday 19 July, with no support act, and all proceeds from ticket sales will go to Band on the Wall’s The World of Music learning programme.

Featured image: Publicity picture / Tom Oxley

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Jane McDonald announces huge new arena tour, with gig in Manchester

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Jane McDonald announces huge new arena tour, with gig in Manchester. Credit: Matt Crockett

National treasure Jane McDonald has just announced a brand-new arena tour, including a show here in Manchester.

The singing sensation has shared details of a new UK tour and album for 2026, with the Living The Dream tour hitting 19 stages.

Jane McDonald, star of stage and screen, will be performing at the AO Arena in Manchester next September, following the release of her new album in the spring.

Living The Dream is her 11th studio album, and boasts nine original songs plus four re-workings of country classics.

Jane has been a British icon ever since she appeared in the BBC docusoap The Cruise back in 1998.

Since then she’s sold out some of the world’s most iconic venues, including the Royal Albert Hall and the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.

As well as her singing and stage career, she’s known for her TV work including the BAFTA Award-winning Channel 5 series Cruising with Jane McDonald, Celebrity Gogglebox with best friend Sue Ravey on Celebrity Gogglebox, and her starring position on Loose Women.

She’s also recently launched her sold-out cruise charter, Cruise with Jane McDonald, with a seven-night round-trip for 1,400 fans planned for next October.

Before heading out on tour, TV audiences will also see Jane undertaking an ocean expedition for Jane McDonald: From Pole to Pole, where she’ll be travelling from the Antarctic to the Arctic.

In May 2026 Jane will headline the main stage at Mighty Hoopla festival in London in her first ever festival headline appearance.

Making the announcement, Jane said: “It’s true, I am officially Living The Dream so what better way to celebrate that than with a new album and a new tour.

“I love Country music and I love partying with you so I want to bring that together by bringing you some exciting new music along with the songs you know and love.

“We had brilliant fun on the last tour and we’re stepping it up a notch this time to visit even bigger venues so buckle up and let’s make even more memories together.”

Jane McDonald will play the AO Arena in Manchester on Thursday 10 September.

Tickets will go on sale at 10am on Friday 28 November HERE, but you can pre-order Jane’s album HERE for access to the pre-sale.

  • 28 Aug DERBY, Vaillant Live
  • 29 Aug BLACKPOOL, Opera House
  • 30 Aug BLACKPOOL, Opera House
  • 1 Sep NEWCASTLE, O2 City Hall
  • 2 Sep ABERDEEN, P&J Live
  • 4 Sep GLASGOW, SEC Armadillo
  • 5 Sep EDINBURGH, Usher Hall
  • 7 Sep BRIGHTON, Brighton Centre
  • 8 Sep NOTTINGHAM, Motorpoint Arena
  • 10 Sep MANCHESTER, AO Arena
  • 11 Sep LIVERPOOL, M&S Bank Arena
  • 12 Sep BIRMINGHAM, Utilita Arena
  • 15 Sep LONDON, The London Palladium
  • 16 Sep LONDON, The London Palladium
  • 20 Sep BELFAST, Waterfront Hall
  • 23 Sep SHEFFIELD, Utilita Arena
  • 24 Sep BOURNEMOUTH, BIC
  • 25 Sep CARDIFF, Utilita Arena
  • 25 Sep LEEDS, First Direct Arena

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Featured image: Matt Crockett

Audio

Bastille at AO Arena – A night of nostalgic throwbacks

Dec Kelly Dec Kelly Bastille at the AO Arena in Manchester

A night like this – when Bastille took to the stage at the AO Arena – reminds you exactly why live music matters.

It felt like travelling back to our early teens – windows down, speakers up, yelling Bastille lyrics like our lives depended on it. That familiar rush came flooding back the moment we stepped into the legendary AO Arena.

And honestly, the whole experience, from securing tickets through AXS to walking into one of Manchester’s best venues, was seamless and stress-free, setting the tone perfectly for the night.

The band opened with a classic from their debut album Bad Blood. A single orange beam flickered across the stage, almost like a fire dancing in the dark, creating an intimate calm before the storm. Dan Smith’s slow, acoustic rendition of ‘Things We Lost in the Fire’ pulled the entire crowd into silence. It was raw, emotional, and the perfect way to kick off a night dedicated to the anthems that shaped a decade.

From there, the pace picked up. The show unfolded like a living scrapbook of Bastille’s 15 years of music, skipping through albums and eras with effortless precision. Every transition felt like rediscovering a memory of songs we’d forgotten we loved, songs we never stopped playing, and songs that hit harder live than they ever could through headphones. It was a rollercoaster of indie brilliance, nostalgia, and the kind of energy only Bastille can create.

Bastille at the AO Arena in Manchester
Bastille at the AO Arena in Manchester
Credit: Bastille at the AO Arena in Manchester

One of the biggest highlights of the night was the VS. (Other People’s Heartache) segment. We genuinely don’t talk enough about what a masterpiece that project is. The band stripped back their setup as two DJ decks rolled out centre stage, transforming the arena into a full-blown Bastille club experience. It was unexpected, refreshing, and showed off the band’s ability to bend genres without ever losing their identity. The lighting, the bass, the crowd reaction everything came together to create a completely different vibe, proving just how dynamic and experimental Bastille can be.

And then came ‘Pompeii’ and ‘Happier’ , two songs that feel almost woven into modern music culture at this point. Hearing thousands of voices echo those choruses back at Dan Smith was genuinely spine-tingling. It’s moments like that when you realise how much Bastille’s music has grown, evolved, and connected with fans over the years. Their audience now spans generations, and you could feel that unity in the room of parents with teens, old fans, new fans, and everyone in between, all sharing the same unforgettable moment.

What also stood out was the atmosphere. There’s something special about AO Arena: the acoustics, the crowd energy, the lights that sweep across the entire venue. Every detail enhances the performance, making even the quietest moments feel grand and the biggest hits feel monumental.

And honestly, the whole experience was made so much easier by AXS. Keeping track of gigs, managing tickets, and discovering upcoming shows is all right there in the app. No stress, no scrambling, just tap, book, go. It’s the perfect way to make sure you’re always one step ahead and never miss out on seeing your favourite artists live.

Last night wasn’t just a concert, it was a reminder of why we fell in love with Bastille in the first place. A celebration of their past, a showcase of their growth, and a promise that they’re not done surprising us yet.

And if this tour is anything to go by, your next best memory might be only one AXS tap away.

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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