Feature

Courteeners at Heaton Park – setlist, support, stage times and tickets

It's time to wish St Jude a big happy birthday.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 8th June 2023

The time has finally come for Courteeners to take to the stage for their massive summer homecoming gig, back in the fields of Heaton Park.

The Middleton rockers will be taking up the Friday night slot before Parklife kicks off, performing on the festival’s main stage.

The concert will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the band’s seminal debut album St Jude, back in the city where it all began.

Courteeners will be playing through that iconic debut in full, alongside all their biggest hits from their six studio albums.

It’s not the first time Courteeners – fronted by Liam Fray – have performed in Heaton Park. In fact, this is the third time they’ve gigged on this patch of home turf.

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St Jude was produced by Stephen Street and spawned anthems including Not Nineteen Forever, What Took You So Long?, and No You Didn’t, No You Don’t.

It recently broke records by reaching number one upon its release, becoming the album with the longest time between release and charting at number one in history – hitting the top spot a staggering 14 years, 9 months and 14 days later.

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Speaking about the special St Jude Heaton Park show, Liam Fray said: “They grow up so fast. Can’t believe our darling St. Jude is 15 next year.

Courteeners celebrating their number one album in Mr Thomas's Chop House
Courteeners celebrating their number one album in Mr Thomas’s Chop House. Credit: Instagram @what_liam_saw

“Think it’s time for a celebration and we all know that great things come in threes….The Star Wars Trilogy, Sooty, Sweep & Soo and now, here we are, with the third instalment of ‘Courteeners at Heaton Park’. June 2015. June 2019 and now June 2023 …

“This time, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of its release we’ll be playing ST. JUDE (in full) PLUS (of course) THE HITS.

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“I can’t think of any better way to celebrate than to make the pilgrimage to Heaton Park with like-minded souls and lose ourselves like it’s 2008. And, because we’re good like that, we’ve remastered the original album.

“GOD BLESS THE BAND. GOD BLESS THE FANS. OMNE TRIUM PERFECTUM.”

Here’s everything you need to know if you’re heading to see Courteeners at Heaton Park.

Who’s supporting Courteeners at Heaton Park?

DMA's
DMA’s. Credit: Publicity picture

This is massive – there are FOUR acts taking to the Parklife main stage at Heaton Park before Courteeners pop up, creating what’s essentially a mini Manc festival.

First up will be a DJ set from Katie Owen, who’ll get the vibes going from the second the doors open.

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Then you can sink your teeth into this lot…

Brooke Combe

Scottish singer-songwriter Brooke Combe will be the first live singer to hit the stage this Friday.

She’s a multi-instrumentalist with a seriously powerful voice, and is tipped for very big things indeed.

The Snuts

Indie rockers and festival favourites The Snuts are next up, showcasing songs from their two studio albums, including their debut W.L. which shot straight to the top of the UK Albums Chart.

They’ve supported huge names over the years, including Kings of Leon, The Kooks, and Louis Tomlinson.

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DMA’s

This Aussie three-piece will be back in town this week, showing off music from their latest album How Many Dreams? as well as their three previous records.

Their gigs in Manchester always have an air of a homecoming show about them. It doesn’t really make sense – they’re half-a-globe away from their actual home – but this bunch of Aussies have adopted that very distinctive Manc swagger, down to the waterproof parkas they all wear on stage.

Read more: DMA’s at O2 Apollo Manchester – a band on the right side of riotous

Are there still tickets?

It’s not looking good if you’ve not managed to get tickets so far – Courteeners looks to be completely sold out.

There are a few tickets floating around on resale sites, but make sure you’re buying from a reputable site and not about to get ripped off.

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What are the stage times for Courteeners and support acts?

Stage times are always subject to change, but this should be the rough times that you can stick to on Friday night.

  • Doors open 4pm
  • DJ Katie Owen – 4pm – 5.30pm
  • Brooke Combe – 5.30pm – 6pm
  • The Snuts – 6.20pm – 7pm
  • DMA’s – 7.30pm – 8.20pm
  • Courteeners – 9pm – 10.45pm

How do I get to Heaton Park?

Courteeners. Credit: Michael Clement

The area around Heaton Park is expected to be extremely busy for Courteeners, with around 40,000 people descending on the park for the gig.

This is TfGM’s advice if you’re one of them.

Metrolink

  • A six-minute service will operate pre and post-event to stops near the venue on the Bury line.
  • Please use Heaton Park for travel to the gig and Bowker Vale for travel post-event.
  • The last tram to the city centre from Bowker Vale will depart at 1.07am. While, the last tram to Bury from Bowker Vale will depart at 00.21am.
  • For the safe management of crowds exiting the concert, Heaton Park will close at 9pm on the Friday.

Buses and bus diversions

  • Due to the road closures and traffic around the site, a number of bus services will be diverted on Friday. Services 66, 90 and 94 will be on diversion all day on Friday, whilst diversions for services 41, 59, 135 and 156 will be implemented from 6pm until 2am.
  • If you plan on taking the bus, don’t forget that you can search your service and plan your journey on our bus webpage.
  • For more information about fares on buses in Greater Manchester, visit our Get On Board webpage.

Driving

  • There is a strictly-enforced residents parking only zone around the Heaton Park area.
  • All drop-offs and pick-ups will be directed to the Sainsburys car park on Heaton Park Road (postcode for sat navs M9 0QS).
  • If you have no alternative but to drive to the event, use one of 24 Park and Ride sites on the network and complete your journey by tram to Heaton Park or Bowker Vale.

What’s the expected setlist?

Courteeners have done a couple of warm-up shows before their Heaton Park gig, so we’ve got a bit of an idea of what to expect.

And yes, as mentioned already, you’ll get to hear all of that brilliant St Jude…

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Aftershow
Kimberley
Cavorting
Acrylic
Kings of the New Road
Please Don’t
No You Didn’t, No You Don’t
Bide Your Time
Fallowfield Hillbilly
That Kiss
Yesterday, Today & Probably Tomorrow
How Come
Smiths Disco
It Must Be Love
Are You in Love With a Notion?
The 17th
Hanging Off Your Cloud
Modern Love
Not Nineteen Forever
What Took You So Long?

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Featured image: Credit: Publicity picture

Feature

The best, biggest and bouijiest hotels to stay at in Manchester city centre

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson The best hotels to stay at in Manchester city centre

Hotels are opening in Manchester city centre at a rate that’s hard to keep up with, diversifying the overnight offering with every passing minute, and they’re also some of the very best in the UK.

We’ve got plenty of familiar boltholes if you can’t tear yourself away from the familiarity of a Premier Inn purple bedroom, or the reliable comforts of a Hilton, but also plenty of smaller names offering a stylish place to rest your head.

We’ve rounded up a dozen of the very best that Manchester has to offer – expect rooftop pools, riverside terraces, grand architecture and celebrity chefs.

And not all of them come with an eye-watering price tag…

The top 10 hotels in central Manchester

1. Dakota

If you want a hotel with loads of atmosphere as well as a grown-up space with a dark, moody interior, then Dakota is absolutely the one for you.

This beautiful hotel opened back in 2019; a huge £30m black box on the outskirts of the Northern Quarter that has seen celebrity guests such as Hugh Jackman, Molly Mae-Hague, Mel B and many more.

The deluxe suites here will set you back around £765 a night, and come with their own living room and loads of luxuries. No wonder it was voted ‘one of the best places to stay in the world’.

Even if you’re not stopping the night, the riverside terrace is an absolute gem for a civilised drink, filled with plants and natural light.

29 Ducie Street, M1 2JL | dakotahotels.co.uk

2. voco Manchester

voco hotel mcr
what happened to hotel brooklyn manchester?
Credit: voco Manchester

Formerly Hotel Brooklyn – we all know Manchester has a habit of drawing comparisons to New York, albeit a smaller, soggier version, – voco Manchester still has all the glamour as was originally intended.

The hotel first opened at the worst possible time, being thrust in and out of lockdowns within weeks of opening, but since then it’s attracted rave reviews and been named among the top 20 ‘hottest new hotels’ by Traveller’s Choice among many glowing reviews.

Even after being over by IHG (InterContinental Hotels Group) in December 2023, the 189-room hotel has taken on a new life, boasting the in-house Runyons Restaurant which still keeps those US connections, as well as an open-plan lobby lounge featuring a big screen for live sport and entertainment.

It may be different from what it was but there’s still plenty of style to be seen here.

59 Portland Street, M1 3HP | ihg.com

3. The Lowry Hotel

Just across the border into Salford is The Lowry Hotel, and a big, sweeping curve of pure class sticking out above the river. It’s got a global reputation and it’s no surprise when its guestbook features some of the biggest celebrities of all time.

Remember when Taylor Swift rented out the entire place, or Jose Mourinho decided to just live there, rather than find an apartment, during his time as Manchester United manager? Not to mention Britney Spears, David Beckham, Rihanna, Take That, Lady Gaga, Kylie Minogue and countless others.

Having undergone a £5m bedroom refurb, The Lowry has one of the smartest and brightest interiors in the north of England, one of the region’s most expensive hotel rooms (a casual £4,500 a night for the presidential suite), as well as a super high-tech spa. We also enjoy just heading there for the Lowry bottomless brunch, to be honest.

50 Dearmans Place, M3 5LH | thelowryhotel.com

4. Kimpton Clocktower

The Kimpton Clocktower – previously known as the Palace and Principal Hotel, among multiple other monikers – oozes timeless sophistication, a relic of Victorian grandeur but with a boutique hotel feel to it.

The lobby is one of the most impressive spaces in Greater Manchester, all polished tile and marble beneath a glass-domed ceiling, setting the scene for the rooms themselves (high ceilings, big windows, and plenty of historical details).

Another big plus when it comes to the Kimpton is its in-house bar and restaurant: The Refuge, which is a cut above the average hotel offering and is very much its own entity with a reputation for fabulous late-night and seasonal events, a divine bottomless brunch and plenty of other distinct draws.

Oxford Street, M60 7HA | kimptonclocktowerhotel.com

palace hotel manchester
The lobby at Kimpton Clocktower
kimpton clocktower hotel room prices
One of their many stylish rooms
Credit: Kimpton/The Manc Group

5. The Midland

If only walls could talk, The Midland Hotel would have some of the best stories on Earth.

The landmark hotel has been part of the fabric of Manchester for more than 100 years, with 312 luxurious rooms, and it’s storied that it’s where Charles Rolls and Henry Royce (of Rolls Royce fame) were introduced.

Then there are the communal spaces, even fancier now after their £14m refurbishment, including restaurants Adam Reid at The French and Mount Street Dining Room, and the incredible circular champagne bar in the middle of the lobby.

It’s also the place to come for a traditional afternoon tea and has a truly cracking spa. This place doesn’t need any kind of sale pitch: it’s unquestionably one of the best hotels in Manchester – if not the best.

16 Peter Street, M60 2DS | themidlandhotel.co.uk

midland hotel review
Credit: Tecmark Ltd (via Flickr)

6. Whitworth Locke

The curb appeal of Whitworth Locke is something else, from its decadent bar housed in a Parisian-style conservatory and fine culinary offerings (Peru Perdu and a Foundation Coffee House are both in here), to its incredible location right on the edge of the Gay Village.

Each of the rooms is a self-contained haven, from studio apartments all the way up to two-bedroom duplex suites, decorated in a Pinterest-worthy palette of greens and pinks (a muted sample of the terracotta bricks outside).

There’s a free workspace area that spills into a truly stunning conservatory bar, as well as a packed calendar of events too, so whether you’re an out-of-town guest or a local Manc looking to fill a few hours, you’ll be kept busy enough.

74 Princess Street, M1 6JD | lockeliving.com

Whitworth Locke hotel review: This historic Manchester building is home to one of the city’s most beautiful hotels
Safe to say we’re big fans of this much-loved Manchester hotel.

7. King Street Townhouse

You have, almost without a doubt, seen photos of the King Street Townhouse before – this is the hotel that introduced the infinity pool to the city centre, with views of the Town Hall (well, currently of scaffolding).

The hotel has its own cinema room, a rooftop terrace bar, a new gym, and incredible afternoon teas.

The smart rooms range in size from ‘snug’ to ‘cosy’ to ‘comfy’ to suites, with suites priced at around £430 a night.

From afternoon tea and lunch deals to spa offers, big group events, private screening and so much more, King St Townhouse isn’t just one of the best hotels in Manchester, it’s also one of the most well-rounded in terms of its overall hospitality.

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10 Booth St, Manchester M2 4AW | kingstreettownhouse.co.uk

8. The Alan

One of the newest hotels to open in Manchester (and they are popping up like daisies) is The Alan, which has stripped the old Princess Street Hotel back to expose and celebrate its original features.

There are 137 bedrooms, each with high ceilings and warm textures, an open-plan kitchen, a restaurant and bar, as well as event spaces.

The devil is in the detail here and the design has been carefully thought-out. The floor is made from a collage of discarded marble, and the dried flowers illuminated beneath the bar were actually foraged by the hotel’s owners at the time they secured plans for The Alan… while they were broken down on the side of the motorway.

18 Princess St, Manchester M1 4LG | thealanhotel.com

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There’s another new hotel in Manchester – and The Alan is a beauty
It’s gone on to become comfortably one of the best luxury hotels in Manchester since it opened in 2022.

9. Stock Exchange Hotel

Famous names absolutely litter Stock Exchange Hotel, which is easily one of the grandest spaces in all of Greater Manchester.

Not only does it come from Gary Neville’s rapidly-booking hospitality empire, but it’s also backed by world-famous hotelier Winston Zahra, not to mention high-profile chefs and hospitality figures like Tom Kerridge and The Schofield Brothers having run the kitchen.

You could be looking at as much as £1500 for a night in the suites, but the rooms start at a much lower rate – and then there’s ‘The House’, an enormous fully serviced, ultra-exclusive penthouse apartment with its own roof terrace.

4 Norfolk St, Manchester M2 1DW | stockexchangehotel.co.uk

10. The Reach

The newest addition to Manchester’s ever-growing hotel and resort sector, The Reach has landed just a short walk from Piccadilly Station and is only a few minutes away from the bustling Northern Quarter, meaning that like Dakota, it’s picked a prime logistical and cultural location.

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But enough about topographical perks, this place is simply sublime, serving exquisite food and drink from its Lock 84 restaurant overlooking the Rochdale Canal, with rooms that are just as spacious as they are luxurious.

Perfect for business or pleasure, The Reach is already becoming a popular choice for those visiting Manchester and has comfortably landed itself on the list of the very best hotels we have to offer here in the city centre.

7 Ducie St, Manchester M1 2JB | thereachmcr.com

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group

Feature

Circa Waves on their new album, unreal tour lineup, a big health scare and ‘the best band’ around right now

Danny Jones Danny Jones Circa Waves interview on new album and 2025 tour lineup

With Circa Waves announcing a new album and a brand new UK tour early next year, we were very kindly given the privilege to chat with one of the most consistent indie bands of the past decade.

Sitting down with lead singer and rhythm guitarist Kieran Shudall, we were buzzing with questions about their upcoming record, what we’re dubbing as one of the best indie tour lineups in years, what they’re making of the UK music scene right now and, of course, why the North West is the best.

For anyone unaware, it’s been a pretty intense period for the Liverpool lads and their frontman, especially, after a health scare early last year, so we’re more grateful than ever that they’re back and looking in true fighting form ahead of their shows come February 2025.

You can read our full interview with Circa Waves down below.

Audio North interviews Kieran from Circa Waves

Circa Waves live in Kobetamendi, Bilbao at BBK Live 2017.
Kieran gave us a really great, in-depth chat.
Credit: Dena Flows/The Manc Group

Right off the bat, the sixth studio album is coming out, Death & Love Pt. 1. It’s a big, bold title – what can you tell us about it without giving too much away?

Well, ‘Death and Love’ was basically the first song I ever wrote for Circa. It was back in 2012 or something, but it never got released and it was just a title that was always lying around.

We were trying to think of a title for this record and with what I went through – like a big sort of health scare and then came out the other side and feeling very grateful for life – that seemed like a really appropriate title and I feel like it grabs your attention a little bit.

Feel free to move on if it’s too personal but if you would you mind telling us about the health scare?

Yeah, well, about a year and a half ago now I found out that one of my arteries in my heart was fully blocked and, basically, within like two days was on the operating table with them sticking a thing [stent] up my arm into my heart. Yeah, it was mad.

We had to cancel a bunch of tours; I got told you have to sign this form that says you have a 100% chance of dying on the operating table, so that’s not cool. It was just mad and I kind of came through the other side feeling super grateful and happy to be alive and in a band, you know

I feel more fortunate now that I’ve got through it all, so a lot of the record is about getting through that and the fears that came along with it. It gave me some good material haha.

For sure, that trauma always serves great art at least. There’s obviously a part one in there too, so is the second done and was this a double album experience in the recording process?

I’m still doing it – finishing it right now actually. We kind of just had too many songs and thought let’s just split it into two. I guess back in the day it’d be like a double album but yeah, the first one is nine songs and this one I’m still deciding. Maybe 10?

There’s just had a lot of ideas and we thought, well, why not? In this day and age, it’s so easy to kind of put music out and people consume music so fast that it felt like we just may as well.

Absolutely. So where do you think you’ve pushed things sonically this time – is it more of an evolution or a continuation?

I feel like we’ve landed on our feet in what we’re about now, certainly what I think Circa Waves should sound like, so it’s kind of similar to the early records, I guess.

A lot more guitars, sort of raw, scrappy drums, and they feel like festival songs to me but obviously the subject matter is like 10 years on from the first record, so your life experience makes the lyrics different, but I hope that it sort of feels like a refinement of sorts.

And have you guys got a favourite track that you’re particularly excited for people to hear or a personal favourite?

The thing about band members is everyone just likes it when their instrument’s the loudest. I don’t know, there’s a track called ‘Hold It Steady’ which is quite different to anything we’ve done before; I’m excited for that one to be heard but I think they’re all bangers.

We’ll absolutely take that haha. For the tour, you’ve got an unreal lineup of support acts with Peace and our fellow Mancs, Corella – we’ve seen both of them this year and they were great – how did you go around picking your warm-ups?

Peace was a funny one, I sort of have liked them for a long time and I went to the old NME Tour that they were on in probably 2011 or something but I remember watching them being like, ‘Oh wow and man I’d love to do the NME Tour.

Circa Waves didn’t exist at the time and then a few years later we did it ourselves, so they were sort of a big inspiration for me to play indie music, so it was cool to have them on. And then Corella are just ones that have been cropping up every two minutes on my Instagram feed and they’re just like a really good indie band right now.

Who is supporting Circa Waves in Manchester?
Peace at Kendal Calling 2024
circa waves tour support acts
Corella had a pretty iconic moment on the main stage too…

So it all felt like a good fit and we kind of want to just make the night feel like a big festival of music that people will love that type of music really. It’s just a proper guitary indie night, you know?

Lovely, can’t complain about that. In terms of venues, you’ve got some great Northern institutions on there: The Academy in Leeds, Victoria Warehouse here in Manchester and your massive hometown show. How much do you love those dates as North West locals?

Yeah, I love it, man. I mean, there’s nothing better than playing up North and I know that sounds like something that people say to just please people from there but it really is the best.

Liverpool, obviously, for me is such a big one and my family all go to those ones, so it’s cool for that reason but Manchester’s always been an amazing crowd. I don’t know what it is about Manchester – Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Liverpool are always just amazing.

Bang on, and as for that hometown gig, how special is that Olympia show gonna be and do you have any special treatment up your sleeve?

You know what? I haven’t thought about it. There’s always the temptation of asking someone to get up with you. [Yeah, maybe get Jamie Webster on the go?] Yeah, I’ve been writing with Jamie and Miles [Kane] quite a bit but I don’t know. We’ll keep it all secret anyway.

Yeah let’s not spoil anything. Another one we’re always curious of is how much you consider that famous Manc vs Scouse rivalry in music. Do you buy into it at all?

I don’t know, I think in my life when you have like really p***ed up conversations with someone who’s more into the Manc scene than the Liverpool scene I just think we’ve got The Beatles, so we always win.

I do think, you know, you’ve got your Joy Divisions and your Smiths and your Oasis and all this – they’re amazing bands, but we’ve got The Beatles. So it’s just you can’t like. [Like the ultimate Top Trumps card] Yeah, in Pokemon, it’d be shiny Charizard.

Fair enough. What about other Northern acts you’re particularly excited by at the minute?

I mean, there’s so many but it’s too hard but the band I think are the best at the moment is Wunderhorse. I met Jacob [Slater] a while ago when he was doing Dead Pretties and I was like obsessed with his writing and he sent me a bunch of acoustic stuff and I was just like man, “You are f***ing annoyingly talented.”

Then when Wunderhorse came out and I was just blown away. It’s amazing to watch it just become this big thing now. It’s cool to see people on TikTok sharing clips of ‘Teal’ and just seeing kids getting into proper music. So yeah, love them, man – I’m so excited to see where they end up.

He’s not wrong, by the way. Their Manchester Academy gig in October was one the best of our lives and not to sound like needy cool kids but we’ve very much backed them from day one.

Wunderhorse’s Jacob Slater on the band’s rise, second album, raw energy on stage and more
You can read our full interview with Jacob himself here.

Preaching to the choir here, mate. And finally, if Death and Love are two of the words, what’s the third?

Hmmm… Fortitude. That’s me trying to be really clever there – I’m not but that’s my answer.

Read more:

We really appreciate Kieran taking the time to chat with us and are so glad that he’s now fully recovered and raring to go.

Death & Love Pt. 1 is scheduled to release on Friday, 31 January and Circa Waves will bring their new music to the stage the following month.

You can grab your tickets to their Manchester show HERE.

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

Featured Images — Dena Flows/The Manc Group

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