Jungle will be performing a huge, sold-out show in Manchester this week as part of the Sounds of the City summer gig series.
The British electronic masters will be taking to the stage at Castlefield Bowl on Thursday, stepping in the footsteps of huge gigs that have already happened like Avril Lavigne and Fatboy Slim.
Fresh from their jaw-dropping Glastonbury set, the tour follows the release of their fourth studio album, Volcano.
Founded by childhood best friends Josh Lloyd-Watson and Tom McFarland more than a decade ago, Jungle have now grown into a music collective often celebrated for being one of the best live acts in the world.
Jungle will be at Castlefield Bowl in Manchester on Thursday 11 July, and if you’re one of the lucky ones who managed to grab tickets, we’ve rounded up everything you need to know.
ADVERTISEMENT
Tickets for Jungle at Castlefield Bowl, Manchester
Castlefield Bowl in Manchester last week when Avril Lavigne opened Sounds of the City – now it’s time for Jungle
Tickets for Jungle were in huge demand, helped along by their hit single Back on 74 going completely viral last year.
It’s currently completely sold out, though there’s always a chance of a last-minute release of extra tickets – keep checking See Tickets for the latest availability.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can also try and nab some through resale sites, but always use trusted fan-to-fan platforms for these.
Who’s supporting Jungle for their Manchester gig?
Writer and producer Mood Talk, aka Jamie Lloyd Taylor, will be warming up the Castlefield Bowl crowds for Jungle.
The dance floor favourite has worked closely with the Jungle duo over the years, including on Don’t Play from their latest album.
ADVERTISEMENT
His latest single Girl was released on Grammy nominated ODESZA’s label ‘Foreign Family Collective’, receiving high praise by the likes of Annie Mac, The Blessed Madonna, Honey Dijon and Todd Edwards.
Castlefield Bowl hasn’t been particularly on it with sharing stage times for any of the Sounds of the City gigs so far.
All we know is that doors open at 5.30pm and curfew is 11pm.
But based on previous events, Jungle should be on stage somewhere between 8.45pm and 9pm.
Expected setlist
Jungle have been very busy on the festival circuit lately, so their setlists have been changing around a bit.
ADVERTISEMENT
The one we get at Castlefield Bowl may look a little different – and a little longer – than this, but it gives you a good idea of what to expect.
Busy Earnin’ Candle Flame Dominoes The Heat Heavy, California Beat 54 (All Good Now) Problemz I’ve Been in Love Back on 74 Casio Us Against the World Fire What D’You Know About Me Time Truth You Ain’t No Celebrity Coming Back Don’t Play All of the Time Holding On GOOD TIMES Encore Keep Moving
How to get there
Castlefield Bowl (M3 4JR) is on Rice Street just down Liverpool Road which cuts off the main Deansgate strip in the city centre and you can enter Manchester’s much-loved outdoor amphitheatre via Duke or Castle Street.
It’s just a short walk from Deansgate train station or the Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop, where you’ll find regular trams running all over Greater Manchester.
If you’re driving there, Great Northern Warehouse’s (M3 4EE) car park, as well as two other NCPs near Bridgewater Hall and on Quay Street in Spinningfields.
ADVERTISEMENT
Weather forecast in Manchester for Jungle’s gig
The weather out there isn’t exactly giving *summer*, is it – and sadly it’s not about to improve much for the rest of the Sounds of the City gig series.
At the time of writing, the Met Office is predicting highs of 16 degrees, with light rain.
It is meant to dry up by the time doors to Castlefield Bowl open though. Keep those fingers crossed.
Jungle after-party and DJ set in Manchester
Not ready to stop the Jungle party at Castlefield Bowl? Yeah, us neither.
They’ll be carrying on your Thursday night knees-up with a DJ set at New Century, running between 11pm and 4am.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can book your tickets for the Jungle DJ set here.
Boyzone to reunite for exclusive New Year’s Eve special on the BBC
Danny Jones
2025 has very much been the year of the comeback – be it Oasis, Britpop fashion in general, or short bobs and pixie cuts – so it’s only fitting that we round off the calendar with one last reunion, as throwback boyband Boyzone are set to feature on a TV special on the BBC this New Year’s Eve.
Turns out ‘All That I Need’ to make a year memorable is a load of 1990s nostalgia.
Now, obviously, despite plenty of other music names enjoying a second renaissance over the past 12 months or so, nothing is ever going to be quite as big as the Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour.
However, if you asked us to guess which group from the era were also going to reunite this year back in January, there’s not a chance we would’ve said Boyzone.
Boyzone are telling us about coming back together for one final run in their most unforgettable concerts yet 🎤
After news first began circulating earlier this week, it has now been confirmed that musician turned presenter Ronan Keating will be getting back together with two of his former bandmates.
Joining the 48-year-old for ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’, ex-Boyzone members Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch are part of an exciting live music lineup.
Other names include actor and singer, Shona McGarty, who recently starred on season 25 of I’m A Celeb, as well as fellow 90s pop artist Louise Redknapp and singer-songwriter Calum Scott.
The exclusive reunion comes after the success of the recently aired Boyzone: No Matter What documentary show.
Spread across three parts on Sky, the docuseries (named after their hit song from 1998) looks back on the career and journey up the charts back in their heyday, all the way up to the present. After seemingly striking a chord with fans and the lads themselves, it looks like they’re not done after all…
Yes, not only is the festive TV special going to see three of the original members performing alongside each other again, but
Here’s hoping that turns into a springboard for something even bigger, and we get a Manchester arena show sometime soon.
As for the programme itself, ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’ will be broadcast on BBC One and made available on BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
A candlelit Queen tribute concert is returning to Manchester
Danny Jones
Yes, you read that right: a candlelit concert dedicated to the one and only Queen, with a spectacular West End Cast and a talented live rock band, is coming to Manchester city centre in January.
In fact, it’s coming home, as this wonderful event started right here in 0161 back in 2021.
Concerts by Candlelight themselves host concerts up and down the country at various points throughout the year, but their much-loved ‘Queen by Candlelight‘ special knows all about lighting up Manc venues.
Having since gone on to become an internationally acclaimed live concert experience, we’re glad we still get to see the ‘Princes of the Universe’ on our doorstep.
Credit: Concerts by Candlelight (supplied)
With the likes of Bridgewater Hall and the magical Manchester Monastery all having played host to the promotion on many ocassions, this time Queen by Candlelight is coming to the legendary Manchester Opera House in the new year.
One of our most historic and legendary theatres, it’s only fitting, really, that they be chosen to welcome a night of equally iconic tunes.
But it’s worth reminding more casual fans that these aren’t just British rock and pop anthems; Queen‘s discography is one that still has global recognition to this day.
That’s why this specific show has been taken to virtually every corner of the world, with the incredibly talented cast of singers and musicians delighting audiences in Dubai, Australia, New Zealand and New York, to domestic crowds here in town and down in London’s West End.
‘Queenies’ or ‘Darlings’, as Freddie Mercury used to call them, can expect all the big hits, from ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ and ‘We Are The Champions’, to ‘It’s a Kind of Magic’ and ‘Who Wants to Live Forever’ and plenty more from the back catalogue.
Here’s a glimpse of what’s in store this coming January:
With tickets already flying out fast, we really would recommend securing your seats early before they inevitably sell out.
To quote the promoters themselves, “this spectacular celebration of Queen’s biggest hits is guaranteed to rock you.”
Coming to the Manchester Opera House on Tuesday, 6 January, you can book your tickets for Queen by Candlelight right HERE.
And if you’ve never been to one of their candlelit events before, you only need to see how much of a ball we had at their country event earlier this year to find out how much fun they are…
Daisy Jackson -
9th July 2024 
