If you’re a kid born in the 90s or noughties, get your classic Converse on, an old-school tie out of the cupboard and oversized camo pants with an unnecessary amount of zips at the ready, because pop-rock queen Avril Lavigne is coming to Manchester’s Castlefield Bowl this week.
We hope you still have some kind of emo fringe going on and a spare spiked bracelet or two lying around somewhere, but don’t worry if not – even if Avril seemingly hasn’t aged, the rest of us have.
That’s right, the 39-year-old singer-songwriter who soundtracked the youth of so many Mancs, let alone millions of others around the world, is the very first act of Sounds of the City 2024 lineup and what a way to kick things off.
On the scene since 1999, the iconic ‘Sk8er Boi’, ‘Complicated’ and ‘Girlfriend’ singer is still up there with one of the most iconic voices on the planet and getting her to play her first-ever gig at Castlefield Bowl is some coup for the festival if you ask us. Here’s everything you need to know.
Are there tickets left for Avril Lavigne at Castlefield Bowl?
Now, we’re sorry to break the news to you but Avril Lavigne‘s Greatest Hits show at this year’s Sound of the City is a sold-out event. No surprises there, really.
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However, when it comes to big gigs like these, there’s still the chance that you might find a few spares popping up here and there on legitimate resale sites like Twickets, Viagogo, TicketSwap etc.
That being said, we always advise due diligence when it comes to picking up second-hand tickets and we urge you to avoid ticket touts by all means necessary – they’re illegal and the only way to get rid of them as a problem in the gig industry is to ignore them altogether.
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Who’s supporting Avril Lavigne in Manchester?
For those of you who are going along to the show, you’re in for another early to mid-2000s treat as the Canadian pop-rock princess is joined by her fellow compatriots Simple Plan as the main support act on this tour.
Made famous by tracks like ‘I’m Just A Kid’, ‘Perfect’, ‘Welcome To My Life’ and a version of the Scooby-Doo theme (oh yeah, that one), they’ve been going almost just as long as Avril and are still releasing new music all these years later, with their last album dropping in 2022.
They even did a collab with Natasha Bedingfield over a decade ago and if you’re wondering whether you’ve heard them before, you most definitely have but, like the Lavigne, it’ll be their first time at the Bowl so you best make it a special one.
Judging simply from last year’s times, doors to Sounds of the City typically open from 5:30pm onwards and the main event headliners don’t usually start until somewhere between 8:30-9pm.
We’ll confess there’s still a bit of guesswork since details are yet to be confirmed, but you can probably expect Simple Plan to take the stage from roughly 7-7:30pm – but once again, these are always subject to change.
Don’t worry either way, we’ll update you with the final stage times as and when we get them.
The Greatest Hits setlist
As for what the timeless singer-songwriter will be playing on the night, we have the good fortune of this being a tour in support of her recently released Greatest Hits album and having just watched her smash Glastonbury set this past weekend, so we think we have a pretty good idea of the running order.
The order might be tweaked slightly but here’s a guess and what she is likely to play based on the performance at Worthy Farm:
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Girlfriend
What the Hell
Complicated
Here’s to Never Growing Up
My Happy Ending
He Wasn’t
Don’t Tell Me
Losing Grip
I’m With You
Bite Me
Love It When You Hate Me
Sk8er Boi
That being said, other favourite tracks like ‘He Wasn’t’, ‘Head Above Water’, ‘Rock N Roll’; ‘Keep Holding On’, ‘Smile’, ‘Bois Lie’; ‘When You’re Gone’ and ‘Nobody’s Home’ could be part of a full 20 track setlist.
Imagine how much a Yungblud guest appearance for ‘I’m A Mess’ and this version of her ultimate ballad (don’t even try to argue) would go off…
Someone get a Yungblud’s flight-tracker going right now and find out if he’s heading to Manchester.
How to get there
Castlefield Bowl (M3 4JR) is on Rice Street just down Liverpool Road which cuts off the main Deansgate strip in the city centre and you can enter Manchester’s much-loved outdoor amphitheatre via Duke or Castle Street.
It’s just a short walk from Deansgate train station or the Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop, where you’ll find regular trams running all over Greater Manchester.
If you’re driving there, Great Northern Warehouse’s (M3 4EE) car park, as well as two other NCPs near Bridgewater Hall and on Quay Street in Spinningfields.
Sounds as good as she ever has.We had a blast watching Blossoms at the bowl in 2023. Credit: Justin Higuchi (via Flickr)/The Manc Audio
Avril Lavigne rocks up to Castlefield Bowl on Wednesday, 3 July to kick off a great summer of music at Sounds of the City 2024, with the likes of Jungle, The National, Tom Grennan and more.
Aren’t we lucky to get such amazing names filing into the city for such massive shows every year?
As for Avril, we’ll see you there skater boys and girls!
Featured Images — Press Images/The Manc Group/Justin Higuchi (via Flickr)
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Jewish leaders call for cancellation of huge Fontaines D.C. gigs in Heaton Park
Daisy Jackson
Jewish leaders have expressed ‘profound concerns’ regarding the two enormous Fontaines D.C. gigs taking place in Heaton Park next summer.
The Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region has called for the shows to cancelled.
They said that ‘the safety of our community must be paramount’.
Irish rockers Fontaines D.C. have been outspoken at their concerts in the past in their support for Palestine, displaying ‘Free Palestine’ messaging on huge screens across the globe.
Now, the JRC has publicly expressed concerns about ‘the potential consequences of inflammatory rhetoric from the band’.
They added: “At a time of heightened antisemitism, the comments and chants associated with the band risks importing tensions from the Middle East into the UK, with Jewish people here becoming the targets.”
Fontaines D.C. are set to play two massive shows at Heaton Park next summer, on 3 and 4 July.
Manchester City Council has stressed that they will be working closely with members of the Jewish Representative Council as event management plans are developed, and added that ‘partners from the Council, emergency services including Greater Manchester Police (GMP), and event organisers, will comprehensively review the plans in place ahead the concerts’.
In a statement, the JRC said: “The JRC has registered our profound concerns with Manchester Council regarding Fontaines D.C.’s forthcoming concert at Heaton Park and has called for it to be cancelled.
“Despite our representations, it appears the concert will be going ahead. We expect and will be working with the council to ensure robust and adequate safeguards are in place to protect the Jewish community.
“We have no objection to Heaton Park hosting concerts.
“Our concerns are not about legitimate political expression but the potential consequences of inflammatory rhetoric from the band.
“At a time of heightened antisemitism, the comments and chants associated with the band risks importing tensions from the Middle East into the UK, with Jewish people here becoming the targets. The safety of our community must be paramount.”
A Manchester council spokesperson said: “We understand the very real concerns that members of our Jewish community have in the wake of the horrific antisemitic terrorist attack at Heaton Park Synagogue last year and a wider rise in antisemitism. Our thoughts remain not just with those who lost their lives and their loved ones but with the whole Jewish community.
“We stand shoulder to shoulder with them in saying there is no place for antisemitism or discrimination of any form in Manchester and continue to work with the police, communities and other partners to provide reassurance and support.
“On the specific concerns expressed by some members of the Jewish community in relation to the two Heaton Park concerts in summer 2027, addressing these concerns will be front and centre in preparations for these events. We have met recently with members of the Jewish Representative Council and will continue to work closely with them as we develop event management plans.
“Partners from the Council, emergency services including Greater Manchester Police (GMP), and event organisers, will comprehensively review the plans in place ahead the concerts. This is standard practice for all major events in the city and is there to ensure events take place safely and successfully.
“In advance of the concerts, as with any other large-scale events, a thorough risk assessment of every aspect of the event will be carried out, focused on ensuring the safety and security of the event, its attendees and the wider community.
“The organisers, City Council and GMP will put in place suitable and proportionate mitigations and assurances to make sure that the concerts are delivered in full compliance with the licensing conditions. Organisers would also be happy to meet with concerned parties to help address any concerns. They are clear that discrimination or intimidation, including antisemitism, have no place at their events.”
Manchester’s beautiful winter Teepee is back, with free pints this weekend and live music every day
Daisy Jackson
Nothing heralds the arrival of the autumn/winter seasons quite like the appearance of The Oast House’s beautiful winter Teepee.
The popular seasonal space is officially reopening its doors this weekend, and inside you’ll find roaring fires, a giant disco ball, live music, and plenty of pints to keep the colder months feeling a little less grim.
After giving its beer garden a major glow-up this spring and hosting a summer packed with live music, The Oast House is bringing back one of Manchester’s favourite winter hangouts – and it’s kicking things off with a proper belter of an opening weekend.
We’re talking twinkling fairy lights, faux fur throws, and a dedicated bar pouring Staropramen fresh from the tank, all inside its massive winter Teepee.
And there’s even better news for the first few through the door.
To celebrate the Teepee’s return, The Oast House team will be cracking open a full tank of fresh Staropramen on Saturday 10 October, with free pints up for grabs for the first 440 guests.
There’ll be live music every night in the winter TeepeeManchester’s cosiest venue is back
The Teepee will be keeping things lively seven nights a week throughout autumn and winter, with The Oast House’s much-loved Open House programme moving indoors for the season.
Expect everything from Bandeoke and Musical Bingo to Retro Sounds and Oast Acoustic sessions, meaning there’ll be something different on the cards every night of the week.
The venue’s free monthly live music festival, Oast House Live, isn’t going anywhere either. It’ll continue inside the Teepee on the last Saturday of every month, bringing even more live music to the heart of Spinningfields.
Of course, it wouldn’t be The Oast House without a menu worth getting stuck into.
The kitchen will be serving up its 12-hour-brined rotisserie chicken, alongside a line-up of tempting sides like Ziggy Fries tossed in chicken salt and chicken butter, cheddar and onion slaw, and charred corn on the cob drenched in house-made Scotch bonnet butter.
Food in The Oast House Winter TeepeeThere’ll be 450 free pints given away on SaturdayRotisserie chicken
And if you’re after something a bit different, the house-special ‘addictive’ Chicken (T)oastie is one you won’t want to miss.
Sundays are all about the roast, too, with the kitchen dishing up its signature rotisserie chicken alongside chicken-butter roasties tossed in chicken salt, all the trimmings and bottomless house chicken gravy.
Basically, if you’re after somewhere to escape the cold without sacrificing a good night out, you know where to head.
The Oast House and its Winter Teepee are open daily from 11am until late throughout the season.
The Oast House Winter Teepee opens Saturday 10 October, with free Staropramen pints for the first 440 guests.
For more information and to book your table, head HERE.
Danny Jones -
2nd July 2024 
