Nicki Minaj was back at the Co-op Live last night, this time joined by Manchester rapper Aitch.
The Queen of Rap stunned fans when she announced the surprise special guest, with the sold-out crowd at the huge new arena issuing the loudest scream heard in M11 in years (no offence, Man City).
After bringing out Central Cee for her first night in the city, Nicki turned way more local for her second, rescheduled show.
The star had been promising an extra treat to apologise for the delays (… she got arrested in Amsterdam) and she definitely gave the Barbz what they were after.
Aitch performed his massive single Baby in front of the adoring crowd.
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He dressed up for the occasion too – Nicki Minaj gigs practically have a pink dress code requirement at this point and Aitch arrived in a top-to-toe pink tracksuit.
Watch the moment Aitch comes out as a surprise guest for Nicki Minaj here:
Clubland at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more
Thomas Melia
Clubland is returning to Manchester this weekend, and we’ve got you sorted with all you need to know so you can let your hair down.
Whether you’re ready to jump up and down for a bit of ‘Everytime We Touch’ or lose it all and go crazy over ‘Now You’re Gone’, you can do both as Clubland is in town.
Instead of waiting months between seeing your favourite artists live, this night brings them all together and pops them on one big stage for a three-hour-long festival, isn’t that handy?
Get ready to live out your Europop dreams, dance the night away and enjoy some feel-good, care-free tunes.
Clubland has toured the UK numerous times and has become a firm staple in some people’s concert calendar every year.
However, fans are in luck as there are just a handful of tickets left to choose from HERE.
Clubland setlist
Basshunter and Cascada are two of the guests lined up for Clubland at AO Arena, Manchester.Credit: Remigiusz Józefowicz via Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons
The gig at AO Arena in Manchester will be the closing night of the 2025 UK tour, meaning fans will be dancing like nobodies watching and soaking up all those seriously good vibes.
On AO Arena’s website, the concert is set to feature various artists, including Basshunter, Billy Gillies feat. Hannah Boleyn, Cascada; Darren Styles, Flip n Fill feat. Karen Parry, Kelly Llorenna and Ultrabeat.
Although no setlist is confirmed, based on that lineup alone, anyone attending is in for a treat.
What are the stage times for Clubland in Manchester?
AO Arena has a curfew of 11pm meaning concertgoers can ‘Evacuate The Dancefloor’ before the clock strikes twelve, but we’re sure if you want to continue the party Manchester is always ready for a party and with an array of bars and clubs nearby, our city centre will be waiting with open arms.
Doors for Clubland are scheduled for 6pm with a start time of 7:30pm. The lineup looks to be complete and intact for now; regardless of any drop-outs/latecomers, we’re sure some of your favourite dance tunes will be pumping out through the arena’s speakers.
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
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Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena andVictoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
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Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
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.
About the AO Arena
The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.
For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.
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All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.
💥 Following the huge success of last year’s tour, Clubland have announced their live return to UK arenas in May 2025!
Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | April 2025
Danny Jones
Fashionably late to the party this month, but we’re sure you’ll forgive us because we’re back with yet another stellar lineup of Manchester bands and artists for you to get your teeth into – some new, others criminally unsung, and all equally brilliant.
Your playlists are about to get a good old refresh.
In case you’re new around here, we here at The Manc and Audio North set aside some time every month to look back on the local musicians we’ve been listening to over the last few weeks.
Whether they are Greater Mancunians born and bred or they’re adoptees who have made Manchester their musical home, anything goes and there’s always something for everyone. Let’s get stuck in.
New Manchester bands and artists we’ve been listening to lately
1. Strawberry Lemonade
First up is the delightfully dubbed Strawberry Lemonade, who sound even sweeter than their name, not in a sugary pop music way, but in the sense that sliding guitar riffs as well as plenty of fast-paced strumming and drumming feel like you’ve just necked a glass of, well…
There’s a classic rock and roll swagger to their music, and while many might argue that a lot of new Manchester bands are trying to nail this kind of sound – already a challenge in a city so oversaturated within this genre – they’ve managed to catch our eye.
Having recently headlined a sold-out show at the iconic Deaf Institute, one thing we know for sure is that they’ll be moving on to even bigger venues sooner rather than later. In terms of standout tracks, we rate ‘Nightime’ and ‘Control’; plus, you’d be a fool not to give their latest single ‘Bother At All’ a go.
Next up is the alliterative Danny Darlington, who seems to have emerged out of nowhere to pique our curiosity with some of the most sprawling and varied songs in less than 12 months. He quietly released his first song back in March 2021 but we’re definitely paying attention to his most recent work.
To call it indie would be a major oversimplification; alt-pop doesn’t quite fit either – all we can tell you is that the solo artist from Bury seems to be more than happy pushing in different directions and experimenting with different sonics, with more effects, pedals and electronics being thrown into the mix.
‘Freya’ is a fantastically chill tune, ‘How To Feel’ ends with a really pleasant and punchy surprise, and we’re big fans and one of his older tunes, ‘Parma Violets’, which has a recognisable contemporary indie vibe with some great production for someone who was still just starting out.
3. Nightbus
Fittingly for number three, we’ve got a trio and a band that feels like one of the Manchester music scene’s best-kept secrets somehow. Seriously, we’re genuinely kind of annoyed that more people don’t know about Nightbus because they’re absolutely brilliant.
The xx, New Order and Cocteau Twins are some of the names that come to mind when making our way through their still limited discography, though there is a very fun collection of remixes of their work so far, which genuinely rival some of the original versions.
Also, it might only be a little thing, but we really like the very uniform aesthetic and visual style too; the album artwork typeface almost hints at limited gig poster prints with that self-contained theme per album cycle, a la The 1975. ‘Way Past Three’, ‘Average Boy’, and the E24 mix of ‘Mirrors’ are our three.
Such a jam.
4. Conor & The GreensKeepers
The penultimate name on our list is a collective that has actually been around for a while now and is steadily starting to earn some of the profile they’ve been long overdue in our opinion, but we’ll never tooting our horns about these lot. They’re also utterly incredible live.
Fronted by lead singer and charismatic performer Conor Michael, The GreensKeepers are some of the most underappreciated artists anywhere in Greater Manchester right now, and no matter how many new bands come along, we firmly believe these 13 unbelievable musicians deserve your attention.
As for picks, recent release ‘Roundabouts’ has that UKG and rap flavour they enjoy; ‘U + I’ is now a go-to lo-fi work soundtrack, and ‘Sip from a Rose’ is their spin on jazz and neo-soul in a nutshell. Put simply, it’s music that makes you feel something from the first note and almost never fails to inject a bit of joy.
Arriving by way of Birmingham, the Manchester-based group will be returning for MJF 2025 as well as Green Island Festival.
5. Slap Rash
Last but not least, we’re finishing the loudest, most raw, raucous and in-your-face artists we’ve probably ever put on one of these lists, and it comes in the form of the ferocious duo known as Slap Rash. Great name, even better ragers.
This absolutely riotous project is the brainchild of locally-based brother-and-sister partnership, Amelia and Huw Lloyd, who might just have knocked the likes of Royal Blood off the top spot for making the most noise that is physically possible for two humans to make.
We honestly love this pair. It’s the epitome of thrashy hardcore with an unhealthy dose of distortion, boasting hints of Drenge, early IDLES, Demob Happy and more. We genuinely don’t know where to best to start, but ‘Holy Smoke’ puts hairs on your chest, ‘Griefcase’ is class, and so is ‘Histrionic’.
PROTECTIVE PAINTS | OUT NOW
Our new tune, brought to life by Samuel Jones at Low Four Studios + Norman Nitzsche at Calyx Mastering
Daisy Jackson -
4th June 2024 
