Now we’ve all enjoyed our little taste of freedom over the past two weeks, we’re looking ahead to June when we’re finally released back into some form of normality.
And with the government’s roadmap out of lockdown in full swing now, we thought we’d put together another round-up of music events and gigs to book in Manchester right now – because there are just so many good ones to choose from.
Plus, we’ve got a lot of making up for lost time to do…
Left, Right & Centre, The Old Abbey Taphouse – 2 May
The Old Abbey Taphouse will play host to Manchester club night Left, Right & Centre on 2 May to celebrate their 3rd birthday.
Heading the lineup is Scapa, Jazz, Porter Brook and Hessle Audio’s Bruce from 4pm until 11pm.
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This one will still be seated and socially-distanced, but we’re still more than happy to have a dance at our tables at this point.
Longstanding Manchester drum and bass night Hit & Run continue their return on Friday 25 June with a massive lineup at Hidden. Kick off your first weekend of post-covid freedom with the bassy sounds of Fox, Chimpo, Truthos Mufasa, Slay, Sparkz, Metrodome plus head honcho Rich Reason.
Less than 1% of tickets remain for this one so we imagine they’ll be snapped up soon – get them on Skiddle here.
Libero, venue TBC – Friday 25 June
Libero’s Luke Welsh, Mike Morrisey and Dan Costello will be accompanied by special guests for a big event in June – but they’re keeping everything hush at the minute with no venue announcement.
Wherever it happens, we know these boys will pull it out the bag – they always do.
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Join them for a big night of house, minimal and techno on 25 June.
Skiptrace Day Party at The Old Abbey Taphouse – Saturday 26 June
Another one at The Old Abbey Taphouse – this time, for Manchester label Skiptrace’s all-dayer on 26 June.
A handful of Skiptrace alumni will be playing from 2pm until 11pm, which will feature housey vibes from Joe Roche, Althea and Ed Hodge, plus the bassier style of Walton, creating a proper mixed bag.
The Projekts Skatepark, located right under the Mancunian Way, will welcome some of Manchester’s best underground labels and promotors on a handful of dates from July through to September.
Kaluki, Mason Collective, Haus22 and Moxy Muzik will all takeover the skatepark, where we expect to hear plenty of house, minimal and techno vibes to get you in that post-covid summer party mood.
MrTraumatik & Friends, The Bread Shed – Saturday 24 July
To celebrate the release of his new track ‘Hallucinations’, MrTraumatik is setting out a series of UK tour dates which will include The Bread Shed on 24 July.
The grime MC and drum and bass producer is known for his chaotic tracks and explicit lyrics – and we can expect this kind of mayhem in July.
You&Me Music in the Trees, Venue TBA – Saturday 7 August
House and tech label You&Me have found a picturesque little spot just outside Manchester city centre to celebrate their sixth birthday on 7 August.
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It’ll take place from 2pm to 11pm in a brand-new unused space that organisers can only describe as “built for dancing”.
The lineup and venue haven’t been announced yet, but You&Me never disappoint so get your tickets here.
After party also pending.
Fields of Gold, Ashton Cricket Club – 3-4 September
Fields of Gold festival
Fields of Gold will take over Ashton Cricket Club on 3 and 4 September for two days of tribute bands.
Woasis, The Smiths Utd, The Ultimate Stone Roses, and Laid are all set to play your fave Manc songs in what will be the ultimate celebration of the city’s music.
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Plus, there’ll be DJ sets from Clint Boon and Happy Mondays’ Bez throughout the weekend.
Stay up-to-date with music, gigs and events around Manchester with The Manc Audio.
Music
Influential indie veterans The Wedding Present to embark on 40th anniversary tour
Danny Jones
Influential indie band The Wedding Present are about to begin a big live tour across the UK for their 40th anniversary, and one stop is right here in Manchester.
As boundary-pushing veterans of the genre for the best part of four decades, The Wedding Present have always been one of the most pioneering auteurs of the Northern music scene, and nothing has changed even after all this time.
The Leeds-formed icons are a favourite not only of ours but even more so among our friends over at The Hoot, and with an artistic legacy as strong as Yorkshire’s, that’s saying something.
David Lewis Gedge’s long-standing project rather quietly announced its major retrospective series of live shows back in June – so quiet, in fact, that we missed it until now – but as they gear up for a handful of very special dates, we’d urge Manc gig-goers to give themselves a Wedding Present.
Gedge and co. will be coming to the O2 Ritz in Manchester for just the second show of merely half a dozen confirmed for The Wedding Present 40th Anniversary Tour, having played the venue many times.
In fact, even after visits featuring live configurations over the years, the current lineup played the Ritz as recently as May 2023; the show was met with strong reviews pretty much across the board, and it seemed to signal somewhat of a falling back in love with the crowds of the North.
For anyone unaware of the self-styled ‘semi-legendary band’ (their PR’s words, not ours), The Wedding Present are probably in similar territory to fellow underdogs and Manc natives, James, when it comes to the amount of music they’ve put out over the years, inspiring generations of those who came after.
You might assume we’d name one of their most famous tracks, ‘George Best’, as our favourite, for rather obvious reasons – but you’d be wrong: it doesn’t get much better than ‘Dreamworld’, if you ask us.
Their rich back catalogue encompasses not only so many different eras but also sounds, styles and various other eccentricities; so much so that their multi-genre-spanning music has even produced its own musical.
But before we dive any deeper down into the rabbit hole, let’s get back on track.
Set to play Manchester on Friday, 10 October, The Wedding Present will be kicking off the tour in Bristol at the start of next month.
There are other dates in the likes of Sheffield, Liverpool, Chester, Holmfirth, Buxton, Newcastle and more, but only a few are officially part of the anniversary tour.
Tickets are live as we speak, so if you fancy going along to see them, you can grab yours HERE.
Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live Manchester – tickets, setlist, support and more
Daisy Jackson
Lewis Capaldi will be hitting the stage in Manchester this week for two huge sold-out gigs at the Co-op Live arena.
The Scottish singer-songwriter is currently on a sold-out 17-date UK arena tour after a two-year hiatus for his physical and mental health.
The much-loved performer took the decision to step out the limelight after his Glastonbury 2023 performance, where he struggled with his vocals, anxiety, and Tourette’s syndrome as the set went on – with the huge crowd stepping in to sing for him.
Lewis then made a triumphant return earlier this year with a surprise set at Glastonbury, proving he is once again back on top form.
He then released a new single, Survive, which stormed to the top of the UK singles chart, and an arena tour to go with it, adding a second Manchester date due to phenomenal demand.
His single Someone You Loved remains the most-streamed song in the UK, even seven years after its release. Us Brits love him.
Lewis Capaldi will be performing at Co-op Live on both Saturday and Sunday night this week, and we’ve rounded up all your essential info below.
And if you miss him this time, he’s just announced an outdoor summer show at Wythenshawe Park next year, tickets for which go on sale HERE on Friday 19 September.
Tickets for Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live
Lewis Capaldi. Credit: Alexandra Gavillet
Did we mention that people really love Lewis Capaldi? So yeah, the show is fully sold out on both Ticketmaster and See Tickets.
However, you can still get through the doors by booking a VIP or hospitality package with Seat Unique, which are on sale HERE.
Your best bet at getting your hands on a pair of general admission tickets now will be to keep an eye out for resale tickets, but make sure you’re using a reputable resale site.
Face value ticket prices ranged from £32.10 up to £113.25 for seats, with standing tickets also coming in at £113.25 with fees.
Support acts
Lewis Capaldi has lined up a pair of excellent supports for his tour, including his Co-op Live shows in Manchester.
His main support act will be Skye Newman, a rising star singer-songwriter from South East London, who you probably know from her hit debut single Hairdresser and its top-five follow-up single, Family Matters.
Also warming up the crowds will be Aaron Rowe, an Irish musician with a hell of a voice who’s inspired by American soul legends as well as British bands like The Stone Roses and Oasis.
What are the stage times for Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live?
Exact stage times haven’t been announced yet but we do know that general admission doors open at 6.30pm, and the show is set to start at 7.30pm.
That should mean Aaron Rowe will be on first, followed by Skye Newman around 8.15pm, and Lewis likely to start his show around 9pm.
If any official stage times get announced, we’ll update this article.
Lewis Capaldi setlist
The below is the setlist Lewis has been using for most of his shows so far.
Survive
Grace
Heavenly Kind of State of Mind
Forever
Wish You the Best
Love the Hell Out of You
Almost
Bruises
Pointless
Something in the Heavens
Leave Me Slowly
Forget Me
The Pretender
The Day That I Die
Before You Go
Encore
How I’m Feeling Now
Hold Me While You Wait
Someone You Loved
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 until 01:00 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,e 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 come event day – though estimates will vary, obviously:
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 via 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.
Hannah Starkie -
22nd April 2021 
