Coldplay fans have shared their shock at being in queues of more than 400,000 people for tickets to the bands’ upcoming Manchester shows.
Fresh off the back of completing six sold-out shows at Wembley Stadium this month, the chart-topping band announced to their legion of loyal fans earlier this week that they would be heading out across the UK and Europe for a handful of new stadium gigs next summer.
The British rockers teased that they would visit the city in their recent music video for Humankind, with a cryptic message that many eagle-eyed fans managed to crack the code for, but it wasn’t until a couple of days ago that they actually confirmed they would be visiting Manchester.
They confirmed that the new UK leg of their Music of the Spheres World Tour will include two shows at the Etihad Stadium on 31 May and 1 June 2023.
Cardiff was the only other UK city forming part of the tour lineup, with the band also set to head out to several other capital and major cities across Europe – including Portugal, Spain, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands.
And tickets to next summer’s shows officially went on general sale this morning from 10am.
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But just as is often the case when it comes to shows as popular as this, those hopeful of securing tickets found themselves in some hefty online queues – with some fans admitting there were anywhere between over 200,000 to 400,000 people in front of them.
236,000 people in front of me for coldplay Manchester tickets hahahaha looks like I’m not going
After what was described as “phenomenal demand” for tickets, Coldplay announced another two Manchester dates, and added 3 and 4 June 2022 onto the lineup – but that didn’t necessarily make it any easier for fans to secure them.
The concert capacity of the Etihad Stadium is 60,000 people.
News of hundreds of thousands waiting in the queues for tickets come after the band’s most-recent tour had already sold more than four million tickets since it began in March 2022, and has received rave reviews across the board.
Coldplay have also made this tour as sustainable as possible, including kinetic dancefloors and power bikes that allow fans to literally charge the show.
First look images released of new BBC drama series from Happy Valley creator filmed in Yorkshire
Emily Sergeant
A new BBC series telling the story of five women who come together to create a makeshift punk-rock band is set to air later this year.
Riot Women, the brand-new drama from the multi-BAFTA award-winning writer Sally Wainwright – best known for being the creator of Happy Valley – is a six-part series set and filmed in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire.
First look pictures of the new show have now been released.
Starring Joanna Scanlan, Rosalie Craig, Tamsin Greig, Lorraine Ashbourne, and Amelia Bullmore as band members, alongside a talented supporting cast consisting of Taj Atwal, Chandeep Uppal, and Macy-Jacob Seelochan as the band’s riotous backing singers, the newly-released pictures show the women in action.
First look images have been released of a new BBC drama series filmed in Yorkshire / Credit: BBC
According to a synopsis on the BBC website, Riot Women dives headfirst into the world of five women who come together to create a makeshift punk-rock band in order to enter a local talent contest.
But, in writing their first original song, they soon discover that they have a lot more to say than planned – and this is their way to say it.
As they juggle demanding jobs, grown-up children, complicated parents, husbands who’ve buggered off, and disastrous dates, and relationships, the band becomes a catalyst for change in their lives, and it’s going to make them question everything.
📸 Here's your first look at Riot Women – the new drama from Sally Wainwright coming to @BBCiPlayer and @BBCOne in 2025
New pictures feature Joanna Scanlan, Rosalie Craig, Tamsin Greig, Lorraine Ashbourne, Amelia Bullmore, and more
Creators and producers say the show is a testament to the power of friendship, music, and the resilience of women who “refuse to be silenced by age or expectation”.
Speaking ahead of the show airing later this year, Riot Women creator, Sally Wainwright, commented: “I’m having a whole new buzz of excitement about the show as we bring it together in the edit, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone.”
Riot Women will premiere on BBC One and iPlayer in the UK later this year.
Featured Image – BBC
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A Manchester barbershop is offering a ‘pay what you can’ service this month
Danny Jones
Amidst the tidal wave of January deals on food and drink in Manchester, a local barbers is championing their own ‘pay what you can’ offer to help people along this month.
Jefe’s Barbershop, located in the heart of Manchester’s Northern Quarter, is one of the best barbers in the city centre, offering a wide variety of cuts and facial hair grooming services – they even offer a subscription service that helps people save money on regular trims.
That being said, they are well aware of those January blues and the mounting obstacles and anxieties that come with weeks of penny-pinching to make it to month’s end, as well as the general toll it can take on people’s mental health.
So this January, Jefe and his team are doing something different – as he puts it, “something special”: the barbershop is allowing customers to simply pay what they feel comfortable handing over and, in the case of those struggling, whatever they can afford.
It’s a simple gesture with a big purpose which helps ensure no one has to miss out on a feel-good moment or the confidence that comes from a fresh trim.
“All we do is laugh and joke about life—that’s why people come here,” Jefe explains. “I don’t want anyone to lose the chance to be present, to feel good, and to laugh with us.
“Men often need more help than they’re willing to let on and we want to be a helping hand they can rely on.” Now that’s a cause all of us can and should get behind.
Community support has remained at the core of Jefe’s Barbershop since the beginning when he swapped a basketball career for providing a much-needed service to Mancunian men.
From partnering with Manc sandwich shops and offering free haircuts for the homeless, to hosting street parties with local events companies and providing £5 trims to promote men’s mental health in 2023 when the cost of living crisis really kicked in – Jefe’s is always trying to make a difference in the area.
You’ve got to love businesses that go the extra mile.
If you want to make the most of this wholesome deal or just feel like you’re in need of a trim, you can book HERE or call them directly on 0161 818 7659.
The ‘pay what you can’ offer runs Monday to Thursday, 9am-7pm, subject to availability. You’ll find Jefe’s Barbershop on Stevenson Square
Because as the man himself puts it, “Everyone deserves to feel their best”.
Emily Sergeant -
25th August 2022 
