Mr ‘Lucky Man’ himself, Richard Ashcroft, is bringing his long-awaited Wigan homecoming to Robin Park this weekend in what is set to be one of the biggest music moments the town has ever seen.
With the likes of Noel Gallagher and The Lathums kicking off the brand-new music series at the arena this week, Wigan natives are being treated to a total of five jam-packed nights (quite literally), but none bigger than their local hero and former Verve frontman, Richard Ashcroft.
The man behind ‘Bittersweet Symphony’ and arguably the best example of the ‘Manc Walk’ ever caught on film thanks to that iconic music video, he’s one of Greater Manchester’s most legendary musicians and with a double bill of shows at the Robin Park Arena, roughly 12,000 are expected to turn up.
So, whether you’re a Wiganer merely strutting down the road for it or heading into the home of pie barms and the almighty Ashcroft for the gig from elsewhere, we’ve put together a quick guide or all the important stuff you need to know.
Richard Ashcroft Robin Park tickets – are there any left?
If you’re looking to head to either of Richard Ashcroft’s two Wigan shows this weekend, there are still a decent amount of tickets left for both days.
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General admission standing tickets will set you back £66.45 each and you can buy in groups of six maximum. VIP, meanwhile, cost £122 and includes an exclusive area, seating section, a VIP bar; unique food vendors and premium toilet facilities.
Whatever kind of experience you want, you can grab yours HERE.
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Who are the special guests supporting Richard Ashcroft in Wigan?
Without a doubt, one of the best parts about the two Richard Ashcroft hometown shows is that you’ll be getting an entirely different set of support acts depending on which day you’re heading to Robin Park.
With three different warm-up acts before each headline gig, from artists all at different stages in their careers, you’re basically getting a mini-festival with each date.
Saturday’s support will come not only from rising local solo artist Maxwell Varey but two Scouse icons in long-standing veterans Cast – who supported Liam Gallagher on his Definitely Maybe tour – and Liverpool’s increasingly popular indie stars, Red Rum Club, who we interviewed not too long ago.
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As for those closing out the week, you’ll be treated to another blossoming Wigan outfit in the Stanleys, who we recently named on our list of new Manchester bands to watch out for, Welsh four-piece The Royston Club and more Liverpudlian royalty in The Zutons. Talk about getting your money’s worth.
Red Rum ClubCast supporting Liam GallagherThe ZutonsCredit: Press Image/Audio North/LouieTwnsnd (via Wikimedia Commons)
What are the stage times for the Robin Park music series?
Set times are always subject to change, of course, but one thing we can guarantee is that doors will open from 4:30pm and the curfew for the venue is 10:30pm.
That being said, judging by the previous Robin Park live gigs, you can do some pretty decent guesswork around when the supports will start.
Second support act Red Rum Club didn’t kick off until 6:20pm on Saturday, with main warm-ups Cast playing from 7:30pm onwards and Ashcroft taking to at 9pm on night one. You expect similar timings for night two.
Keep your eyes on the bands’ socials to find out more closer to the time.
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Predicted setlist
As for what you can expect the 52-year-old to play for his highly-anticipated Wigan homecoming, Ashcroft’s most recent shows have been pretty short shrift on the festival circuit and so on, but his equally huge show at Kew the Music 2024 in London gives a bit more of indication of the possible setlist.
Combining that show with the songs played during his last visit to Manchester’s AO Arena in 2022, we think this is a pretty good average setlist – even if the exact running order looks a bit different.
Space and Time (The Verve)
Sonnet (The Verve)
Surprised by the Joy
A Song for the Lovers
Break the Night With Colour
Velvet Morning (The Verve)
Music Is Power
Are You Ready?
Life’s an Ocean (The Verve)
Weeping Willow (The Verve)
The Drugs Don’t Work (The Verve)
Hold On
Lucky Man (The Verve)
Encore:
C’mon People (We’re Making It Now)
Money (That’s What I Want) (Barrett Strong cover)
Bitter Sweet Symphony (The Verve)
On a personal note, we’re also praying we get to hear ‘All My Dreams’ and it’s a severely underrated banger, in our opinion.
Wigan Wallgate and Wigan North Western are your two main train stations and can be easily accessed from Manchester Victoria, Oxford Road and Manchester Piccadilly, with journeys taking approximately 30-45 minutes total.
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Both stations are roughly a 23-minute walk to the venue via a well-lit road.
By bus
Thanks to the recently revamped Bee Network, it’s also super easy to get to Robin Park Arena via bus too – you can plan your full journey HERE.
Bus stops on the nearby Thomas Moore Road and Seven Stars Road are within just 10 mins away from the venue on foot and you can board any of the following routes to get there: 352, 375, 385, 601, 602, 603, 604, 610, 611, 640.
By car
If you’re driving, you can find a full list of directions depending on whereabouts you’re heading to the arena from on the Wigan Warriors website. You can drop people off around the front of the stadium by entering WN5 0UZ into your sat nav.
As for parking, there are spaces available in the Brick Community Stadium (WN5 0UN) car parks, which are located within a 14-minute walk away from the Arena.
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Car parks 1-4 will all be open for this event and should be accessed via Stadium Way. Stewards will be on hand to direct you on approach; accessible parking will also be available in car park three and all spaces are subject to a £15 charge per vehicle (pay by card only).
However, if you’re looking to park elsewhere, Wigan town centre has plenty of other designated parking that you can pre-book in advance in order to ensure a spot. There’s also free parking at any council-owned car parks on weekends – excluding Loire Drive (Robin Park Arena) car park and roadside parking.
And that should be just about everything for this gig guide and all the important bits you need to know ahead of Richard Ashcroft’s two massive shows at Robin Park and what a weekend it’s going to be for Wigan — what a few days it’s already been, even!
For those of you heading to the arena this weekend on either Saturday or Sunday, have the best time and make sure you soak in the memories of what will be a landmark moment in music history for the town.
Last but not least, for all other info on the biggest gigs, music news, venue info, interviews and more happening around the best region in the UK, make sure to keep tuned into Audio North.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/Wigan Warriors
Audio
Review | What we made of Country 2 Country 2026, and why Manchester should be very excited
Danny Jones
Excuse me, but it looks like we might have a new favourite festival on the cards: Country 2 Country – and it’s very rare we gig in London and enjoy ourselves anyway near as much as we do up North, but now we’re already dreaming of just how good C2C Manchester could be.
In fact, scratch that, we know it is.
Billed as Europe’s biggest country music festival, there really isn’t anything quite like it here. Yes, there’s Buckle & Boots Festival closer to home, but there’s nothing in the folk and country world on this kind of massive scale, unless you go all the way to see the actual CMA Fest over in the US.
London’s also been lucky enough to host some very big names at BST Hyde Park too, but this fully-fledged arena weekender, complete with an outdoor festival hub, town square, trading post, a barn full of line-dancers, and SO much more, celebrates every single part of that culture.
By day, the aim is to make a little country town, complete with shops, food, drink and music aplenty. (Credit: Audio North)
But… We think the North can do it better.
So too did some of the acts and punters as well, by the way; we spoke to several people on-site who’d made the trip from all over because it was closer than Glasgow, Belfast or Berlin.
Up-and-coming British country rock artist, Bronnie – who was literally hours away from a move across the pond to pursue her dreams of living the cowgirl turned music artist experience down in the Southern states – said simply: “There’s always this feeling like there’s more fun to be had up North”
Moreover, the friends she’s already made over in America’s ‘Music City’, she says, have claimed that “the vibes are just better”, apparently. Not to sound too biased, but we obviously couldn’t agree more.
However, with the news that C2C is coming to Manchester city centre and Northern England for the very first time, people are already hopping mad at the idea of a Manc debut.
That’s to say that what The O2 in London isn’t special and will always be to most punters, we just know full well that our particular region is going to take to this new annual event like a duck to water.
A lot of the people we spoke to kept repeating the same: that working class connection, simple but relatable imagery, the pure poetry you’ll find not only in Nashville but creative cousins like Manchester.
The Broadway strip in Austin may be the spiritual home of this kind of music, but we Greater Mancunians lay claim to plenty of genres and some of the biggest artistic traditions ourselves.
With that in mind, we are convinced we’re going to leave a lasting impression when our inaugural Country 2 Country Festival comes to the AO Arena next year.
Our line dancing might leave a little to be desired, but we’ve got a whole year to work on it, not to mention plenty of time to dive even further into the UK’s growing country music obsession.
You can see more pictures from our 2026 C2C gallery down below.
Country fashion was everywhereThe official CMA Spotlight Stage was one of the bestNo one shyed away from a partyKruse Brothers were one of our favourite from the weekendAlana Springsteen was incredibleAnd by the evening, it’s a proper hedonist hoedown… (Credit: The Manc)
Dave at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
Highly-acclaimed rapper-songwriter Dave is heading to Co-op Live for two nights, in support of his recent release The Boy Who Played The Harp.
Manchester is gearing up for two nights of high-energy rap with a sprinkle of prose courtesy of rapper and songwriter Dave, taking place at Co-op Live.
The rapper has been cultivating an audience of dedicated fans through his impressive solo work and some pretty huge collaborations with acts like Central Cee, AJ Tracey, Fredo and more.
The Brit-Nigerian star has three albums to his name and an even bigger number of chart-toppers, recently earning his fourth, a collaboration with Afrobeats artist Tems titled ‘Raindance’.
Now, Dave is compiling a 10-year discography, creating a setlist perfect to be played at 23,500 seater venue Co-op Live right here in Manchester.
Gig guide | Dave at Co-op Live, Manchester – all you need to know
Dave is playing two shows at Co-op Live Manchester in March as part of his UK tour / Credit: supplied via Wikimedia Commons
Dave UK tour dates
Fri 13 March – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Mon 16 March – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Tue 17 March – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Sat 29 August – Little John’s Farm – Reading, UK
Sun 30 August – Bramham Park – Leeds, UK
Are there tickets left for Dave at Co-op Live?
You ‘Wanna Know’ if there’s any Dave tickets going spare? Well guess what, you’re in luck as you can still find a handful of tickets to both dates.
It might not be a ‘Funky Friday’, but Dave is coming to Co-op Live in Manchester on Monday 16 March with tickets HERE.
There’s two chances to witness some of the best ‘UK Rap’ so grab your ‘Trojan Horse’ and get ready to watch him live on Tuesday 17 March – tickets HERE.
Dave setlist for 2026 tour
History
No Weapons
Verdansk
Clash
System
Both Sides of a Smile
Screwface Capital
Location
Thiago Silva
No Words
Professor X
Funky Friday
Kat Slater
Titanium
Victory Lap Freestyle
Trojan Horse
UK Rap
Selfish
Chapter 16
The Boy Who Played the Harp
Sprinter
Starlight
Stage times for Dave and support act at Co-op Live, Manchester
Doors for the ‘Money Talks’ hitmaker are set to open from 6.30pm with no official starting time listed although the rapper has taken to the stage around 9pm at previous dates.
The show officially begins at 7.30pm, with Lost Boys performing as support.
You’re guaranteed to get swept away by Dave’s songs and the storytelling weaved throughout his lyrics.
How to get to Co-op Live
Tram
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide on event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes on the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Danny Jones -
20th July 2024 
