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
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Legendary Hulme community pub The Old Abbey Taphouse to reopen
Daisy Jackson
The closure of The Old Abbey Taphouse was a real blow for Hulme – the community pub was a bit of a local institution thanks to its grassroots music and inclusive atmosphere.
But now it appears that the spirit of the venue will live on, under the new name of The Abbey.
Some of the city’s most experienced independent operators – who have been behind venues like YES and The Deaf Institute, and music promoters Now Wave – will be the new custodians of this beloved local landmark.
The pub, which closed early last year, is currently being carefully restored ahead of its big relaunch just next week.
The vision for its new chapter will be ‘Old Pub, New Music’, creating a new home for grassroots live music and emerging artists.
There’ll also be affordable, hearty pub grub including Pieminister pies, and a huge range of beers from local breweries and beyond.
The team bringing The Abbey to life are Ruth Hemmingfield, Wesley Jones, Jonathan Wickstead and Gareth Butterworth – Ruth, Jon and Wesley are co-owners of YES; Ruth previously launched and programmed landmark Manchester venues including The Deaf Institute, Gorilla and Albert Hall; while Wesley and Jonathan, through Now Wave, promote hundreds of independent gigs and live events each year; and Gareth is the founder of multi-venue festival Manchester Psych Fest.
The team behind The Abbey pub. Credit: Piran Aston
The rear of the site of The Old Abbey Taphouse will be extended to create a new dedicated live music and events venue, while the cherished beer garden is given a facelift with new decking and its own bar.
The Abbey has stood in Hulme since the 1890s, playing an important role in the area’s heritage – this is where activist Len Johnson managed to overturn the shameful ‘colour bar’ policies of the 1940s.
Its restoration and relaunch is part of the flourishing Manchester Science Park development.
Matthew Pazos, Senior Retail Commercial Manager at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Ruth, Wesley and Jonathan are the perfect custodians to breathe new life into The Abbey.
“Their reputation for running independent spaces in Manchester, alongside their live music expertise, will ensure this much-valued pub once again becomes a beating heart for Hulme and the wider neighbourhood.
Glimpses of The Abbey’s refurb. Credit: The Manc Group
“The reopening of The Abbey will create an inclusive new hub that welcomes everyone – from the Hulme locals who have looked after the pub over the years, to the Manchester Science Park community, university students, and the many residents and workers across the Oxford Road Corridor.
“We are delighted that such a culturally significant and important pub is set to open its doors once again.”
Ruth Hemmingfield from The Abbey commented: “We love a good pub. With The Abbey, we’re excited about bringing a brilliant old pub back to life, protecting what people loved about it, and creating something special: a great local, alongside a vital grassroots music venue for the area. Honouring the pub’s history while building its future.”
Review | Some of the most fun you can have at a theatre – Jeff Goldblum and The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra
Danny Jones
On Wednesday night, we did something we hadn’t done in a long time: we went to a concert almost completely blind and walked in without having heard a single second – because how many times in life are you going to get the chance to say you’ve seen Jeff Goldblum music live in Manchester?
We can comfortably say it wasn’t just one of our favourite shows of the year so far, but it might be one of the best decisions we’ve made, maybe ever…
Honestly, there’s not even a whiff of exaggeration in that statement; within minutes of the headline date starting, a long, hard day suddenly melted away in the smooth, sultry, stylish and unapologetically silly atmosphere created by Jeff Goldblum and the truly wonderful Mildred Snitzer Orchestra.
For starters, we were pleasantly surprised to see ‘Bonnie Scotland’s very own Liverpool-based singer-songwriter, Brooke Combe, opening up for the man himself, whose soulful, 1960s, 70s and Motown influences made for a perfect fit to warm up the crowd.
With the North West favourite – who we recently caught once again at NBHD Weekender late last month – even getting a perhaps initially hesitant and very possibly more Theatre-leaning audience inside the Palace to relax with some fun vocal exercises and Scottish banter, we were off to the races.
But in truth, this show turned out to be so much more than we were expecting – and by that we don’t mean when Brooke joined him on stage for a spell and had him try his first Irn-Bru…
In our heads, we were kind of expecting to see Goldblum, 73, playing his beloved piano as other members of the jazz band got to enjoy a few moments centre-stage as those who sat watching admired their sheer technical ability.
Where we actually landed was somewhere between a live and just the right amount of chaotic stream-of-consciousness stand-up show, interlaced with a series of effortlessly charming and loose bits of crowdwork as if he were compèring, and, of course, the incredibly cool musical arrangements.
It may not have been entirely free-form (it’s clear that a lot of time, effort and tireless rehearsal go into this shindig), but it did have the feeling that things were unfolding organically as the night went on, the perfect example being specifically for Manchester, with each local reference getting a rousing reception.
His latest LP is going down a treat with the critics in the early reviews, too, and having now heard a few samples, we’re not surprised.
As Jeff said at the top of the show, the best bit about this music is watching these marvellous musicians effectively jamming and playing call and response, not only with each other but you down below – not to mention with the man himself vamping over the top and enjoying plenty of solos on the keys.
Aside from crowd-pleasing arrangements of contemporary and well-known tracks like ‘Lover’ by Taylor Swift and even his own bittersweet and oh-so-gentle take on ‘Over The Rainbow’, it felt not just like an intro to some cult favourites from within the genre, but a serviceable broad-strokes education at times.
Personally, we’ve always liked to think of ourselves as open to anything, sonically, albeit fairly limited when it comes to jazz, but we left feeling like we knew more about the mechanics and flow of a jazz gig than ever; we’re now eager to learn more and dive deeper into the syllabus curated by this superfan.
One very special mention also has to go to session singer Khailah Johnson, who recently shone in the & Juliet production on Broadway and is now currently on tour with Jeff on his Night Blooms run.
Believe us, she’s not merely performing ‘beside’ anyone; when you have a voice and presence that’s so big and has such range that you generate enough star-power for people to genuinely forget that a Hollywood actor is there right next to you, you KNOW you’re beyond talented. Simply spellbinding.
The whole crew had a lovely, laid-back quality that was just infectious. (Credit: Lucy Elson-Whittaker)
And then we have the A-lister himself, who clearly doesn’t only have the gift of the jab and a natural penchant for pageantry, but looks so at home up there that we would happily trade ever seeing him in a film again if it meant we could have the next few decades watching him be the live showman that he is.
For anyone who feared Jeff Goldblum’s music career might just be a famous bloke indulging himself in a side project and cashing in on fandom simply because he can, fret not: this man has as much passion, love and aptitude for jazz and this particular side of showbiz as any role we’ve seen him play, if not more.
Whether it be playing movie trivia games with those in the stalls, thanking fans he bumped into at his hotel, or inviting people there for a special occasion backstage, he ticked almost every box you could have asked for, from the cabaret vibes and Jurassic Park puns to simply playing his socks off.
The new album that gives its name to this current slate of live shows is much more than a play on words. Be it the soft and warm hues of the coloured spotlights, the off-the-cuff comedy interludes, or even the pure giggle-fits in the audience, the Palace Theatre was bursting with joy, life and vibrancy.
We sincerely hope Jeff Goldblum has grown as fond of the city as he claims, and that we get to watch him play a Manchester venue every year.
Danny Jones -
20th July 2024 
