In case you missed it, JLS are getting band back together and heading out on a massive UK tour later this year.
And of course, they’re paying a trip to visit us here in Manchester.
After finishing runners-up on ITV reality singing competition X Factor, JLS broke through in 2009 when their debut single ‘Beat Again’ shot straight tonumber one on the UK Top 40, before their follow-up singles ‘Everybody In Love’, ‘The Club Is Alive’, ‘Love You More’, and ‘She Makes Me Wanna’ also enjoyed chart success.
Another five top 10 hits, a self-titled number-one debut album, three more top-three records, two BRIT Awards, and five MOBO Awards then followed, all before they said goodbye with their ‘Greatest Hits’ album in 2013.
But after the lads made their first comeback in 2021 and it was a huge success, the hugely-popular boyband is going back out on the road on a massive UK and Ireland arena tour later this year.
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Here’s everything you need to know about the EVERYBODY SAY JLS: The Hits Tour.
The suspense is over… 😂 We couldn't be more excited to announce another UK and Ireland arena tour later this year🙌🏾🙌🏾 Last time out was totally surreal and we’ve been eagerly awaiting the right time to do it all over again!! https://t.co/uJhlPb03Ytpic.twitter.com/6VlGaIxTdf
When does the tour start? And what cities are they heading to?
Kicking off in Dublin on 20 October, Aston, Marvin, Oritsé, and JB will take to the stage in several major UK cities such as Cardiff, Belfast, Birmingham, and Liverpool, before they make their way over to see us in Manchester.
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Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield, and Nottingham are some of the other cities on the list, as well as two nights in London at the O2 Arena.
The tour is set to run from Friday 20 October – Sunday 11 November 2023.
When are JLS playing in Manchester?
After playing to roaring crowds at some of the UK and Ireland’s biggest arenas for the last couple of weeks of October, JLS will be arriving in Manchester to play to tens of thousands of adoring fans inside the AO Arena in early November.
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They’ll be taking to the stage in our city on Thursday 2 November 2023.
JLS will take to the stage at the AO Arena in Manchester later this year / Credit: AO Arena
How much will tickets cost?
It’s expected that there’ll be three different price brackets of general admission tickets, so you can pick from seats or standing costing either £39.25, £53, or £75, depending on your budget.
If you’re a super fan looking to splash the cash though, there’s also the JLS Best Seat VIP Package for £141 per ticket.
This package includes a top-price seated ticket to see JLS at the AO Arena, as well as a limited-edition A4 tour print that’s pre-signed by all four members, and an exclusive VIP gift chosen by the band.
When do tickets go on sale? And where can you buy them?
The question you’ve presumably all been looking for the answer to, tickets for EVERYBODY SAY JLS: The Hits Tour go on general sale this Friday 3 March at 9am.
“We couldn’t be more excited to announce another UK and Ireland arena tour,” the boyband said in a statement ahead of the tour.
“Last time out was totally surreal, and we’ve been eagerly awaiting the right time to do it all over again, as playing live and seeing our amazing fans is definitely the best part of being JLS.”
Featured Image – Mark Hayman
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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.
The K’s book Castlefield Bowl for their biggest ever headline show
Danny Jones
High-flying indie rock outfit, The K’s, are set to play a landmark headline show right here in Manchester, as the local lads have been confirmed as the first act for Sounds of the City 2026.
The cult favourite working class heroes from down the road in Newton-le-Willows have had an incredible couple of years, climbing their way up the ranks around the North, playing bigger venues and festivals up and down the country, and now they’re on a fully-fledged European tour.
It’s been brilliant to watch their rise thus far, and we couldn’t be more buzzing to hear that they’ve booked none other than Castlefield Bowl for the single largest standalone gig of their careers to date, and you can bet The K‘s army will be out in full force.
Announced alongside another massive outdoor venue this week, the toast of Earlestown will be one of several artists set to play the Sounds of City (SOTC) concert series next year.
We are absolutely BUZZING to announce our biggest ever headline show to date at Castlefield Bowl, Manchester on 03.07.26 as well as a huge headline show @ThePieceHall , Halifax on 08.08.26!Tickets for both shows will be on general sale this Friday 19th September 2025 at 9.30am 🩷 pic.twitter.com/lft55eeEbG
Confirming Castlefield Bowl alongside the magnificent Piece Hall in Halifax for summer 2026, the four-piece will make their way from Merseyside, not only down the M62 to Manchester but over to Yorkshire for what is one of the most stunning outdoor venues in the country.
These two incredible atmospheric amphitheatres are not only incredible spaces for live music, but in the case of our very own city centre stunner, Castlefield Bowl boasts a capacity of approximately 8,450 – making it comfortably The K’s biggest show yet.
Speaking of Kendal, we were in the field ourselves when the group got to revel in the moment of announcing their second album, Pretty On The Internet, had reached number one just in time for their main stage set.
Official artist presale access will be available this Wednesday, 17 September from 9:30am by signing up to their mailing list, but general admission tickets for both dates will go live at 9am the following Friday (19 Sep).
Once again, we can only say well done on the number one; having been there to discuss their debut record’s release while they threw plastic balls around a room, we couldn’t be more gassed to see how far they’ve come.
Emily Sergeant -
27th February 2023 
