The Hundred 2024 is nearly here and while we’re obviously very excited about watching our favourite cricket format, we’re also pretty buzzing for another year of live music now the lineup has officially dropped.
One of the best parts about The Hundred is its well-rounded approach to overall entertainment, ensuring that there’s just as much action off the pitch as on it, with live bands, DJs and other musicians present at every single round of fixtures.
Teaming up with BBC Music Introducing for the fourth year in a row, the tournament is also a chance to see the best up-and-coming artists from all over the country, having hosted the likes of Rudimental, Raye and Bastille, as well as locals like Everything Everything, The Lottery Winners and more in the past.
As for here in Manchester, they’ve nailed it again this year too.
With 2023 having been another great year for entertainment at The Hundred, the organisers are making sure to deliver just as good a follow-up, if not even better.
Promising a different live act each day as well as DJ sets throughout courtesy of BBC, the fun doesn’t stop when there’s a break in play.
Set to take the home stage at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground here in Manchester, you’ve got Egyptian-born adopted Manc and alt-pop star, Nxdia, Stoke-on-Trent’s rising star, Darla Jade; fast-growing local indie rockers, Corella, as well as songwriting and TikTok sensation Michael Aldag.
Not a bad little lineup at all, we’re sure you’ll agree.
It’s great to see so many new and native names being given the platform to get their name out there even more and to perform on such big stages as the Emirates Old Trafford.
As for the Final at Lord’s in London, securing the services of global pop star Zara Larsson is quite the get. You can find The Hundred’s live music lineup in full and find who else is playing where HERE.
Better still, as if a ticket to cricket’s newest craze wasn’t already one of the best value-for-money ways to enjoy live sport and entertainment this summer, you still have plenty of time to grab the best price possible through the early bird window that runs until 27 June.
You can find out more about the best deals on tickets and everything else you need to know about The Hundred down below.
Aspiring artists can get their work displayed on one of the biggest digital screens in Manchester
Danny Jones
Are you a budding artist looking to get your work seen or know some who is? Well, you might want to pay attention because there’s an opportunity to have your creation seen by countless passers-by and on one of the biggest displays in the entire UK over at the Printworks.
If you’ve passed through the much-loved hospitality and leisure complex over the past year or so, you’ll have noticed their roof is now no longer a roof at all, really; the striking ceiling is now a constantly moving image and the largest of its kind in all of Europe.
Meaning that anyone who got their artworks on there would effectively be securing one of the biggest displays and public installations on the continent.
As Printworks themselves put it: “This isn’t just a screen; it’s an artistic stage viewed by millions of visitors every year, with the power to turn a single artwork into a 360-degree sensory experience.”
With that in mind, they’re giving one lucky individual the chance to grab the spotlight and see their creative expression plastered on the 1,000m² wraparound LED canvas.
“Supporting emerging talent and seeing fresh, creative perspectives is always inspiring, and I can’t wait to see what these young artists bring to the table! It was so surreal seeing my artwork on the digital.”
Past installations have included the ‘Spaces Up-Above’ exhibition by world-renowned light artist, Rupert Newman, as well as an International Women’s Day showcase by Heitzman herself, as a fellow Manchester-based creative.
In case you need a better idea of the sheer scale of this screen and why this is such an exciting opportunity for up-and-coming local artists, here’s how they celebrated Oasis returning to Manchester for their Heaton Park reunion gigs this week:
Synchronised with sound and added motion effects, the competition is now open to students who are currently enrolled in college, university or art school.
Better still, you don’t even have to be from or based in the area to take part – this is a nationwide competition hoping to spotlight the best talents in the UK.
All you have to do to enter this exciting competition in Manchester is simply provide Printworks your details and upload your artwork of choice HERE by Sunday, 3 August.
Nostalgic ready-to-drink Breezer makes UK return after a decade
Daisy Jackson
An iconic ready-to-drink favourite has launched back into the UK – oh yes, Breezer is back.
First launched in the 1990s, Breezers – then pitched as an ‘alcopop’ – were a staple on dancefloors and at barbecues right across the UK.
And now Bacardi has decided to bring these delicious, fruity, easy-drinking bottles back to British shores.
There are three new flavours to try as Breezers return to your fridges – Zesty Orange, Zingy Lime, and Crisp Watermelon.
And Breezer launched back into Manchester last night with a suitably memorable party, turning a spot in the Northern Quarter into a corner shop.
The ‘local Cornerbop’ was stacked with your usual essentials, plus shelf after shelf of these colourful glass ready-to-drink bottles.
Inside the Breezer ‘Cornerbop’ corner shop in ManchesterBreezer is back, in three new flavours
The Breezer relaunch party saw Tarsza and Rennie Peters spinning nostalgic anthems with a modern twist at a pop-up party in a corner shop.
Steve Young, business unit director for Bacardi in the UK & Ireland, said: “We know there is a lot of love for Breezer in the UK, and we are confident a new generation of consumers will fall in love with the new Breezer.
“RTDs are booming, however, the Flavoured Alcoholic Beverages category could do with a bit more excitement. By bringing back Breezer we’re definitely putting the fruity taste into FAB.”
The iconic ready-to-drink classic is back – and better than ever.
Danny Jones -
11th June 2024 
