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Take That announce FOUR massive gigs at Manchester’s Co-op Live arena

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Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 22nd September 2023

Take That are back and they’re heading out on a massive UK tour next year, with not one but FOUR Manchester dates on the lineup.

The beloved Manchester boyband are absolutely no strangers to some of our city’s biggest stages, with several record-breaking tours having taken place within the past few decades – but now, the lads are back at it again and have just been revealed as the latest headliners in the Co-op Live’s massive opening season next year.

Eagle-eyed fans will know the band have been teasing their return for a little while now, and just yesterday, light projections of their iconic logo was beamed onto venues all around the UK to signal an announcement was imminent.

The Co-op Live was one of the venues to get itself a new Take That-themed accessory, so it wasn’t exactly hard to guess what was coming.

But what we didn’t know was that it wouldn’t just be one, but four massive Manchester dates.

Take That’s 2024 ‘This Life On Tour’ tour has just been exclusively announced in the old-school way of live on BBC Radio 2 this morning – with Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald all appearing on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show to confirm their long-awaited return.

It’s not just a tour the trio’s announced either, as they’ve also just put out a brand-new single today too, titled ‘Windows’.

The track sees them reunite for their first original composition in over five years, and is said to tell the story of “emerging from the darkness into the light”, as it signals a new chapter for one of Britain’s best-selling bands.

The lads say their new music is ushering-in a new Take That era brimming with “energy, creativity, and a continued desire to challenge and surprise”.

As Manchester‘s newest – and soon-to-be the UK’s largest – live entertainment arena nears closer to officially opening its doors and welcoming visitors, Co-op Live has been slowly revealing the music acts set to grace the stage as part of its huge launch season jam-packed full of events – with beloved US boyband Jonas Brothers announced as the first headlining act back in July, and Eric Clapton later confirmed for his first Manchester gig in a decade.

Current US megastar Olivia Rodrigo also has two nights booked in, Irishman and former One Directioner Niall Horan will be taking to the stage, and fellow Mancs Simply Red are also making a special 40th anniversary return.

And now, it’s Take That’s turn.

Take That will be taking to the stage at Co-op Live on 7, 8, 10 and 11 May 2024 as part of the ‘This Life On Tour’ tour.

The trio will be joined by Olly Murs as the support act in Manchester.

Once again, as part of the highly-anticipated £365 million venue’s “pioneering” partnership, Co-op members will get the chance to gain early access to tickets through a designated presale on Wednesday 27 September at 9:30am, all before the general sale takes place.

General sale tickets are available through Co-op Live from 9:30am on Friday 29 September, and you can grab them here.

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Co-op Live is officially set to open its doors in April 2024.

Featured Image – Supplied

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Smash-hit musical Mean Girls to open in Manchester at start of its first UK tour

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Mean Girls The Musical

One of the most popular new musicals of the last decade is set to head out on its first-ever UK tour early next year.

And it’ll be kicking things off here in Manchester.

Based on the iconic 2004 movie of the same name, which is known and loved right across the globe, Mean Girls The Musical debuted at to huge success at the National Theatre in Washington D.C in 2017, before transferring to Broadway in April 2018, again to ecstatic responses where it played to sold-out theatres most nights.

The show then went on a hugely-successful US tour in 2019 and recently completed a second US tour.

Continuing on its run, the production then opened in the West End in 2025, where it was seen by more than 330,000 people over its run and recently took home the coveted ‘Best New Musical’ award at the 2025 WhatsOnStage Awards.

Mean Girls The Musical
Mean Girls The Musical
Mean Girls The Musical is opening its first-ever UK tour in Manchester next year / Credit: Brinkhoff Mögenburg

Not only that, but in 2024, you may remember that the new musical twist on the fan-favourite from the comedic mind of Tina Fey was released as a new feature film with sensational musical performances.

But for the first time ever, the rest of the UK is about to get a slice of the action.

Mean Girls The Musical will be heading out on tour early next year, and it’s us lucky musical lovers of Manchester that’ll get to see it before anyone else, as it’s landing on the legendary Manchester Opera House stage in February 2026.

Unfamiliar with the plot of Mean Girls The Musical? Just like the film, the musical follows Regina, Gretchen, and Karen, otherwise known as ‘The Plastics’ of North Shore High, as they meet homeschooled new girl, Cady Heron, as finds out that high school is a whole new level of savage.

Mean Girls The Musical
Tickets go on sale this week / Credit: Brinkhoff Mögenburg

When Cady devises a plan to end Regina’s reign, she learns the hard way that you can’t cross a queen bee without getting stung.

Expect iconic characters, razor-sharp wit, and killer songs.

Mean Girls The Musical has a book by Tina Fey, music and vocal arrangements by Jeff Richmond, lyrics, and direction and choreography by Casey Nicholaw, among many other big names of the theatre world involved.

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The tour will open at Manchester Opera House on 23 February 2026, before touring to venues across the UK and Ireland until the end of January 2027.

Tickets will go on general sale tomorrow (Thursday 3 July) at 10am here.

Featured Image – Brinkhoff Mögenburg

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Olivia Rodrigo at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for GUTS: Spilled tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

The wait is finally over, as everyone’s favourite teen-pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo is bringing her GUTS: Spilled tour to Manchester, playing two nights at Co-op Live more than a year after the high-profile postponement.

Poor Olivia Rodrigo found herself caught up in the delayed Co-op Live opening last year, with the popstar postponing her two gigs just days before they were meant to take place.

Fans then went into a meltdown waiting for new dates, which got announced months later – but it’s finally time.

‘Deja vu’, ‘traitor’, ‘All I Want’ singer-songwriter Olivia Rodrigo is making her long-awaited debut at Co-op Live Manchester for two nights of heartbreak, angst and back to back hits.

Rodrigo may be an ‘All-American B*tch’ but she sure knows a thing or two about our city centre. So much so, she even paid a visit to Manchester dive bar, Bunny Jackson’s, for an impromtu performance.

Now, this 22 year old super star is wearing her heart on her sleeve or as Rodrigo phrases it, spilling her guts, playing songs from her impressive discography right here at Co-op Live.

Olivia Rodrigo gig guide

Olivia Rodrigo last visited Manchester in 2022, when she played O2 Apollo.
Olivia Rodrigo last visited Manchester in 2022, when she played O2 Apollo.

Olivia Rodrigo UK tour dates

  • Fri 27 June – London, UK – Hyde Park
  • Sun 29 June – Glastonbury, UK – Glastonbury Festival
  • Mon 30 June – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Tue 1 July – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live

Olivia Rodrigo tickets for Co-op Live gig

If you’re after a way to ‘get him (or anyone) back!’ getting your hands on Olivia Rodrigo tickets might just be the way to do it, and luckily for you there’s a small selection left.

Anyone looking to attend Rodrigo’s 30 June show have a few options, just make sure you don’t get bled dry like a ‘vampire’ trying to buy these prized possessions with exclusive tickets HERE.

For those after tickets to ‘GUTS: Spilled’ night two on 1 July can live out their ‘teenage dream’ in style with a handful of hospitality packages up for grabs HERE.

Olivia Rodrigo setlist

  • obsessed
  • ballad of a homeschooled girl
  • vampire
  • driver’s license
  • traitor
  • bad idea right?
  • love is embarassing
  • pretty isn’t petty
  • happier
  • enough for you
  • so american
  • jealousy, jealousy
  • favourite crime
  • deja vu
  • brutal
  • all-american b*tch
  • good 4 u
  • get him back!

What are the stage times for Olivia Rodrigo in Manchester?

Olivia Rodrigo is visiting Co-op Live in Manchester on 30 June and 1 July.
Olivia Rodrigo is visiting Co-op Live in Manchester on 30 June and 1 July.

Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm so rest assured you’ll be tucked up in bed before the early hours and you’ll be asleep faster than you can say ‘ballad of a homeschooled girl’.

Doors to open at 6pm with no confirmed kick off time or support act yet but there is an offical afterparty happening at Co-op Live’s new Backstage Club from 10pm onwards for both dates with tickets HERE.

Are there any exclusive events for Olivia Rodrigo in Manchester?

With Manchester being the unofficial-official music capital of the North, it makes sense that Manc Olivia Rodrigo fans or ‘Livies’ are in for a treat.

Many eager-eyed fans might’ve noticed an unfamiliar purple-coloured bus which has made an appearance at Co-op Live and this is none other than the iconic ‘GUTS Bus’.

Fans can expect to hop on and experience some Rodrigo artefacts like never before, including tour outfit replicas, a vanity station and even exclusive merchandise.

This big purple 'GUTS Bus' will be waiting outside Co-op Live throughout Olivia's Manchester shows.
This big purple ‘GUTS Bus’ will be waiting outside Co-op Live throughout Olivia’s Manchester shows.

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.

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 Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces
  • 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, 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.

'GUTS; Spilled' has seen this American super star jet-setting across the globe.
‘GUTS; Spilled’ has seen this American super star jet-setting across the globe.

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images – Supplied via Larissa Hoffman / Nick Walker

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