Peter Kay has issued a statement after his two gigs at Co-op Live were rescheduled – again.
The Bolton-born comedian was supposed to officially open the huge new Manchester venue last week, but ‘power supply issues’ forced it to be rescheduled.
He was then supposed to perform on Monday and Tuesday of next week instead, but these two shows have been pushed back even further.
Peter Kay has now issued a statement addressing the postponement, saying it’s ‘very disappointing’.
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He also said: “I know, I can’t believe it either.”
He’s even amended his own tour poster to add the disclaimer: “(If they actually open the place).”
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The star joked that he was now the ‘ninth artist in the world’ to play there.
Can always count on a comic to make the joke everyone else is thinking.
The legendary comic wrote: “To everybody with tickets, my apologies once again but unfortunately the Co-op Live still isn’t ready and so, as yet, remains untested for a large-scale audience.
“Consequently, they are having to reschedule my two shows yet again (I know I can’t believe it either).
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“The first available dates the shows can reschedule to are as follows: Mon 29th April to Thurs 23rd May, Tues 30th April to Frid 24th May.
“Tickets will be transferred, or refunds given if the new dates aren’t suitable.
“It’s very disappointing but your safety is important, and I won’t compromise that.”
Co-op Live said in a statement: “Since making the difficult decision to postpone the live shows at Co-op Live due to take place this week, we have been undertaking an extensive protocol of testing critical procedures to ensure all areas are ready for fans.”
They’ve also made the rather bold decision to once again assure fans that the next raft of shows now set to be their opening gigs – big dates from Boogie Wit Da Hoodie and Olivia Rodrigo – are still set to go ahead as scheduled.
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Touch wood.
Today's announcement comes with reassurance that we welcome fans to Co-op Live from Boogie Wit Da Hoodie on 1 May and into Olivia Rodrigo from 3 May 2024.
This could back to bite them. It already has once before.
“To ensure that we can run all shows safely, regretfully we have now had to take the decision to reschedule the planned The Black Keys and Peter Kay shows.
“Both The Black Keys and Peter Kay have graciously agreed to reschedule their shows. The Black Keys will now perform on 15 May 2024, and Peter Kay will now perform on 23 and 24 May 2024.
“All tickets remain valid and ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase. Refunds will be available for those who can no longer attend.
“We deeply appreciate the impact this will have on excited fans, and sincerely apologise for the inconvenience that this change will undoubtedly cause. Rescheduling Peter Kay and The Black Keys will give us the extra time we need to continue testing enhanced emergency communications thoroughly.
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“This is vital to satisfy the rigorous set of guidelines and protocols that are necessary for a venue of this size to ensure that our fans, artists and staff have the safest experience possible.”
Council prioritises support for those ‘most in need’ in Manchester’s budget for the year
Emily Sergeant
Support for those ‘most in need’ has been prioritised in Manchester’s budget for the year.
Manchester City Council outlined its spending plans to deliver services, make lives better, and ultimately ‘improve the city’ throughout this year and into the next, with the allocation of the £894 million revenue budget highlighting the main priorities, as well as the demands on services that councils are seeing nationwide.
Councils in Greater Manchester remain under ‘significant financial pressure’ as they grapple with the difficult legacy of 14 years of national Government cuts to budgets, with Manchester itself being one of the areas hardest hit.
However, there has been improved funding for 2025/26 under the new Government, and Manchester has actually received one of the biggest increases in the country.
We’ve set our budget for 2025 to 26.
It’s good news for high streets city-wide.
From transforming Wythenshawe Civic Centre to brilliant new opportunities north of the city from Victoria to Holt Town, Manchester’s neighbourhoods are on the up.
— Manchester City Council (@ManCityCouncil) March 3, 2025
According to the Council, the 2025/26 budget prioritises ‘supporting those most in need’ with a significant spend on children and adults social services, helping residents out of poverty, and helping with the cost of living crisis.
Other plans forming part of this year’s local budget includes reducing homelessness and building new homes that are ‘genuinely affordable’.
Protecting Manchester’s libraries and leisure centres, investing in the borough’s 148 parks and green spaces, and restoring local neighbourhoods and high streets are also included.
This morning, we set our budget for 2025 to 26.
Every pound goes into making residents’ lives better.
To round it off, the Council is allocating an extra £5 million to tackle fly tipping, clean up the streets, and make sure the city is ‘clean, green, and tidy’.
“Our top priority is making sure that everything we do works towards making our city, and the lives of our residents, better,” commented Cllr Bev Craig, who is the leader of Manchester City Council, as the budget was announced last week.
“We’re pleased to be able to set a budget which continues to work hard for the people of Manchester -not just delivering the essential functions which they expect but also investing in making lives better and improving the city.”
Featured Image – Manchester City Council
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One of the 2025 Oscar winners was a favourite at a recent film festival in Manchester
Danny Jones
It’s not often we get to say that Greater Manchester can lay any sort of claim to Oscars fame, but once in a while it happens and in this case, we’re only a few degrees of separation away from the latest Academy Award-winning film thanks to a recent film festival.
Being most recently hosted in Manchester once again, the 2024 edition of the UK Jewish Film Festival saw a number of shorts, student films and indie projects associated with the religion spotlighted – one of which just won not one but two bits of bronze.
Picking up not only the award for this year’s award for ‘Best Original Screenplay’ for the film itself but with Succession favourite and Home Alone child star, Kieran Culkin’s role winning him ‘Best Supporting Actor’, the much-celebrated A Real Pain has now won an Oscar.
But the part of all this that we’re especially happy about is that one of the first times it was seen in the UK happened right here in Manchester city centre late last year.
This year’s ‘Best Original Screenplay’ award winner at the Oscars, just a few months after screening in Manchester. Have you seen it yet?
The now Oscar-winning picture, which just so happens to be the second original feature film from Jesse Eisenberg (Social Network, Zombieland, Justice League), has been delighting audiences ever since its debut at Sundance in January 2024 and went on to premiere at several international film festivals.
However, the second time it was screened here in Britain prior to its official UK release nearly a full 12 months later (8 Jan 2025) at the UK Jewish Film Festival, was in 0161, returning for another consecutive year across multiple Greater Manchester venues.
Without giving away too much about the plot itself, the synopsis of the film reads as follows: “Mismatched cousins reunite for a tour through Poland to honour their beloved grandmother, but their old tensions resurface against the backdrop of their family history.”
Shown to us Mancs for the first time at Cineworld Didsbury on Thursday, 17 November last year, you won’t be surprised to hear it was one of the most popular picks of this festival too.
UK Jewish Film Festival is coming to Manchester! 🤩
Check out some of the amazing films that we'll be screening in Manchester.
1. A Real Pain 🚆 2. The Performance 🕺 3. British-Jewish Life On Film: Manchester ✡️ 4. Golda's War Diaries 🇮🇱
A Real Pain has been largely described as a buddy comedy and a road trip movie by lots of critics but there’s also tonnes of drama and serious subject matter that it gets stuck into.
Touching not only the obvious themes of Judaism and Zionism but also family, the Holocaust specifically and theology in general, the film has gone down as a deeply important piece of cinema for a whole community and plenty of people beyond it.
Admittedly, the Greater Manchester connection to the film might only be a slight one but given its new Oscars fame and how well-reviewed the film has been ever since we saw it at the UK Jewish Film (UJFF) Festival, we’re absolutely jumping on the bandwagon and we’re glad to keep supporting events like this.
Make sure you check out the UJFF the next time it comes to our neck of the woods. Applications to enter a film into the 2025 festival are now open.
Side note: it also led to arguably one of the best acceptance speeches in years:
Kieran Culkin’s acceptance speech for his first-ever #Oscar
“[My wife] said we can have 4 children when I win an Oscar… let’s get cracking with these kids!”
Daisy Jackson -
26th April 2024 
