When somebody mentions country music, you might think towards the honky tonks of downtown Nashville or the dusty saloon bars along Austin’s famous sixth street. What you wouldn’t normally think of, are the grey skies of North-West England…
Well, some 4300 miles from Tulsa, Zach Bryan and his band rolled up to Manchester Cathedral for one night only as part of the sold-out Burn, Burn, Burn tour.
As the sun sets over Manchester, the Grammy nominee emerges from the smoke with his trusty guitar and a can of lager and sets the tone for the rest of the evening – raised limbs and sing alongs.
Switching certain lyrics to suit the occasion, Zach makes references to the host city in some of his biggest hits – “Highway boys on the road tonight, got a gig out in Manchester” – much to the delight of the capacity crowd.
Taking onlookers through a rollercoaster of emotions in true Zach Bryan style, he cycles through the best songs in his catalogue while his fellow band members show off their talents.
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The ‘Something in the Orange’ singer takes a humble back seat while his fellow guitarist Lucas Ruge-Jones switches to the trumpet, and later the fiddle – giving incredible solo performances within an already incredible gig.
As chants for ‘one more song’ echo through the gothic architecture, Zach emerges for an encore, with a riveting performance of his hit song ‘Revival’.
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The crowd gives as good as they get until the instruments fade and all that’s left is an a-cappella version featuring 1100 Brits and one musician from Oklahoma.
The merch queue grows larger than the beer queue and it hits home that maybe this is the final time you’ll witness Zach Bryan’s talent in such an intimate venue – it seems like it’s arenas from here on out.
Stereophonics at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
It might not be an ‘Indian Summer’, but it’s definitely a Stereophonics winter as they’re playing out in UK venues including Co-op Live, Manchester.
Beloved 90’s Welsh rockers Stereophonics are returning to Manchester for the winter season, and if you ask us, it feels like Christmas has come early.
Known for their massive tracks like ‘Dakota’, ‘Have A Nice Day’, ‘Handbags And Gladrags’ and more, this four-piece has been powering us through life for the past three decades.
Their latest album Make ‘Em Laugh Make ‘Em Cry Make ‘Em Wait dropped back in April, and fans will be eager to hear singles from this LP like ‘There’s Always Gonna Be Something’ and ‘Seems Like You Don’t Know Me’.
Stereophonics come to Co-op Live, Manchester on 12 December (Credit: James D Kelly)
Now, Kelly, Richard, Adam and Jamie are playing a string of arena shows across the UK, and they’ve decided to stop off at Manchester’s largest indoor entertainment venue, Co-op Live, too.
Gig guide | Stereophonics Co-op Live
Stereophonics UK tour dates
We’ve highlighted all the Northern dates for you.
Sat 6 December – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK – Utilita Arena
Sun 7 December – Sheffield, UK – Utilita Arena
Tue 9 December – Aberdeen, UK – P&J Live
Wed 10 December – Glasgow, UK -OVO Hydro
Fri 12 December – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
Sat 13 December – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
Tue 16 December – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
Thu 18 December – London, UK – The O2
We were lucky enough to catch them in Yorkshire earlier this month, and they did not disappoint. You can read our full review HERE.
Are there tickets left for Stereophonics in Manchester?
The staple rock band are visiting every stretch of the UK, stopping off for one night only in Manchester on 12 December before they close out in London and the ever-impressive The O2.
Well, we hope you ‘Have a Nice Day’ and an even better one after we tell you that tickets to Stereophonics’ upcoming arena date in Manchester are still available HERE.
Stereophonics setlist
Vegas Two Times
I Wanna Get Lost With You
Have a Nice Day
There’s Always Gonna Be Something
Do Ya Feel My Love
Pick a Part That’s New
Hurry Up and Wait
Superman
Geronimo
Maybe Tomorrow
Colours of October
Local Boy in the Photograph
I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio
Rewind
Mr. Writer
Seems Like You Don’t Know Me
Mr and Mrs Smith
Fly Like an Eagle
The Bartender and the Thief
100MPH
Traffic
C’est La Vie
Dakota
What are the stage times for Stereophonics in Manchester?
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can rock out all night long to these Welsh lads without wondering if it ’Maybe Tomorrow′ or not.
There’s no official support act listed, but when this current run of UK shows is labelled the No Hit Left BehindTour, Stereophonics will more than likely be rocking out on the stage for a pretty lengthy amount of time, as you can see by the setlist.
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 ticket.
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.
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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 come 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 through 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.
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For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
There are pairs of tickets to a load of events up for grabs as part of ‘The Great Christmas Giveaway’
Danny Jones
International ticketing platform See Tickets is gifting selected pairs of tickets to a lucky bunch this winter as part of ‘The Great Christmas Giveaway’.
After all, they do call it the ‘season of giving’.
Teaming up with promotion partners, music artists and other organisers, See Tickets has decided to give out a bunch of passes, ranging from gigs and sporting events to theatre and comedy.
We wouldn’t be doing our jobs properly if we didn’t at least try to let you in on the possibility of winning some live entertainment freebies.
Thankfully, there are plenty of them; there are over a dozen tickets up for grabs in total, split across the six different dates running into next year.
Here’s a quick rundown of what’s on offer:
See Tickets Great Christmas Giveaway – the full list of events
Fancy seeing a Disney classic brought to life on stage? There are a possible four tickets to see Herclues: The Musical to be won, not to mention drinks vouchers and a bonus goodie bag.
All you need to do is follow @seetickets and @eventimuk on Instagram, like and share the post below to your story; tag a friend and tell your best Christmas joke by 00:01am this Monday, 8 December 2025. You can see a trailer from the highly praised performances down in the capital down below.
Two tickets to see Greg Davies
Yes, the second event revealed by See Tickets as part of this year’s Great Christmas Giveaway is the latest live stand-up tour show by the quite literally massive funny man, Greg Davies.
Playing at the Hammersmith Apollo down in London, this time you need to like, follow, share and tag a friend naming your favourite character by Tuesday, 9 December 2025 – again, before 00:01.
In case you somehow missed it, Take That are heading back out on the road for the 10th anniversary of The Circus album and tour – this time, you can pick the show of your choosing.
Same idea again: follow both pages, like and share, tag a friend, and this time, tell them your favourite album by the band. You enter by 00:01 this Thursday, 11 December.
This one is for all the rock fans. Slam Dunk Festival celebrates 20 years next summer, and what better way to toast the milestone than to be there not only in the flesh but in VIP?
You can pick either North or South, but let’s be honest – Leeds is the only place to be. Follow the same terms as above, and then just tell the comments which artist you’re most excited to see. Again, entry closes at 00:01 on Thursday (11 Dec).
Never giving up on a Rick Astley gig
Up next, how about seeing a living music legend of the North West on his upcoming arena tour? The one and only Rick Astley isn’t just back on the up, but if confirmed as the winner, you can select the date of your choice.
Once again, meet the usual requirements listed previously, plus leave your favourite Rick Astley song in the comments. Yes, you can pick that one – just make sure you do it by a minute after midnight on Wednesday, 10 December…
Last but not least, if you’re partial to a bit of pugilism and/or bloodsport, you can watch cult favourite combat sport Cage Warriors at your preferred venue AND win a signed pair of official Cage Warrior gloves too.
With the winner due to be announced just after midnight on Friday, 12 December, make sure you’ve met all the standard entry requirements and let other fans know which fighter you’re most looking forward to seeing. Simple as that!
Best of luck to everyone throwing names into the hat for their event of choice, and let us know in the comments if any of you win!
We’re not done there either; there are plenty of other free tickets coming up in Greater Manchester ahead of the new year, too.
The Manc -
2nd May 2023 
