World-renowned disco party Brutus Gold’s Love Train is returning to Manchester this weekend for a special show at the O2 Ritz.
Firmly rooted in the 1970s, The Love Train has spent decades throwing parties soundtracked by the all-time classic funk, soul and disco anthems.
Backed by professional dancers and performers, frontman Bruno Gold’s show features loud music, jazzy costumes, dance-offs and a cast of eccentric characters including Disco kid Alberto Balsam, Berni Inns, Ana Glypta, Chad Valley and Disco Dick.
Manchester has been a mainstay on The Love Train’s international tours since its inception – and the promotion is back in town again on Saturday 14 August.
The O2 Ritz will host The Love Train this weekend / Image: Brutus Gold’s Love Train
Gold commented:“Manchester has been a mainstay on The Love Train tours for the past three decades and every show we’ve played there has been truly awesome with everyone gettin’ down to the funky disco beats. The warmth from the Mancunian crowd is always uplifting.
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“The O2 Ritz is one of our favourite venues – it has such an incredible vibe and is the perfect spot to really give the people the ultimate party. I want all my Mancunian brothers and sisters to be prepared for a night to remember.
“You’ll be doin’ the ‘hustle’ in one great line dance. Get ready to dance until your feet are sore and your hearts are full.”
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Brutus Gold’s Love Train is returning to Manchester on August 14 / Image: Brutus Gold’s Love Train
The Love Train originally launched in 1989 and quickly rose to prominence as one of the best club nights of its kind.
The promotion has spent decades touring around the world – with performances ranging from MTV appearances to private parties for the likes Owen Wilson and “Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll” Tina Turner.
Now, after almsot devoid of live music, Gold and his team said they are “determined to pull out all the stops” for the show’s highly-anticipated return to the stage.
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Tickets for Brutus Gold’s Love Train are priced at £20.25 (+ booking fee)
Tom Grennan announces his biggest-ever Manchester date ahead of new album
Danny Jones
With a brand-new album on the way, Tom Grennan is coming back to Manchester for his most ambitious gig here yet, not to mention his biggest run of UK shows ever.
You may know him from his chart-topping singles or you may even know him from reimagining the iconic Gillette advert – either way, you’re not going to want to miss his upcoming arena tour.
Coming alongside Tom‘s fourth album, Everywhere I Went Led Me To Where I Didn’t Want To Be, and the unveiling of his new single ‘Shadowboxing’, the multi-platinum-selling artist has today announced the simply named GRENNAN ’25 tour.
Bringing his largest-ever headline shows to fans up and down the country, Tom Grennan will be making his Co-op Live debut this September.
To date, Tom has seen over 1.3 billion streams and holds a whopping nine million monthly Spotify listeners to date, already boasting a reputation as a multi-platinum-selling artist at just 29.
He was recently nominated at the BRITs for the Best Alternative/Rock Act, marking his third consecutive nod at the annual award ceremony, following Song of the Year for his international smash ‘Little Bit Of Love’ and Alternative/Rock Act in 2022.
With two number-one albums under his belt alongside sold-out arena tours and an MTV Award for Best UK Act, Grennan has made a name for himself as one of the country’s biggest artists.
‘Shadowboxing’ is the second single to be unveiled from Tom’s fourth-coming studio album (which drops on 15 August) following the release of ‘Higher’ back in September, and is the first song he and Justin Tranter wrote together.
“It represents what the whole album is about,” Tom said: “It’s about my fight with a side of me I have a lot of trouble with. It’s still a daily battle. But I’ve learned how to fight all these demons and I’m mentally and physically prepared now. I’m in athlete mode.”
You can listen to the track down below:
The ever-rising solo artist will be playing a total of 11 dates on his upcoming UK tour this autumn including a huge date at Leeds’ First Direct Arena before arriving here in Manchester on Friday, 19 September.
He was last here during the summer for the most recent Sound of the City shows at Castlefield Bowl, playing a sell-out date to well over 8,000 fans.
General admission for Tom Grennan in Manchester will be available from 10am next Friday, 7 February but official Co-op Members can access pre-sale from the same time on Wednesday (5 Feb).
‘The world’s biggest Eurovision festival’ and celebration is coming to Manchester
Danny Jones
An absolutely massive Eurovision festival and all-around celebration is coming to Manchester this year ahead of the Finals in Switzerland this May – in fact, it claiming to be the biggest in the world.
Taking place in our city for the first time ever, the official ‘MancHagen Eurovision Party’ is heading to 0161 for the annual festival’s 20th anniversary and it’s promising a huge programme of events, live music, entertainment and, most importantly, it’s all for a good cause.
Kicking off one of the best weekends of the year on Thursday, 10 April, MancHagen has partnered with the Gay Village district and some Canal Street favourites to offer a safe and exciting destination for all eventgoers to meet up.
You can expect live cabaret and singing, drag performers and DJ sets, as well as non-stop partying until the early hours. We cannot wait.
Credit: Silvester Belt via AP Media (supplied)/The Manc Group
The Canal St venues making up ‘Eurovision Village’ include EVA, Iconic Bar, New York New York, The Eagle and Cruz 101, all of which host an exclusive series of Eurovision programming and parties.
For instance, MancHagen’s Official Festival Euroclub opening party will be housed at Cruz 101, with eclectic sets from veteran Eurovision DJ David Horton and friends, followed by a weekend of performances from the likes of Choriza May (RuPaul’s Drag Race) in collaboration with Lady Olé.
Then, on the following Friday (11 April), the first half of the two-day All Stars Concertwill take place at Manchester Arcade Arena, our premier immersive augmented reality venue, from 6pm onwards.
Hosted by the UK’s 2001 Eurovision entrant Lindsay Dracassand Leeds‘ very own ‘Quality Street Queen’, Mamma Bear,the night will showcase Manchester’s leading cultural icons and look back at the thrilling history of the iconic song contest.
With show-stopping performances from the 2025 cohort, previous contestants and more, such as Eurovision 1993 winner, Niamh Kavanagh, Canal St queen Tonya Kneez; Beverly Tight-Lipps, Hera Björk and others, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about MancHagen.
Our interview with Danny BeardCanal Street in full swing during Pride 2024There’ll be plenty of watch parties around Greater Manchester, but a Eurovision Festival warm-up is even better (The Manc Group)
The celebration continues into Saturday (12 April), with an all-day programme at Depot Mayfield, a much-loved multiuse venue and home to The Warehouse Project as well as Europe’s largest indoor LGBTQIA+ celebration, Homobloc.
An exclusiveArtist Yellow Carpet Parade will then spotlight some of the UK’s leading Queer and creative pioneers, including appearances from Manchester’s own Drag icon and MancHagen ambassador Banksie, North West drag icon Danny Beard and more.
And that’s just the day-time: come nightfall, The Depot will transform into a wonderland of fashion, music and performance as the cast of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK will take over the room for a never-before-seen competition dubbed ‘Drag-A-Vision 2025’, with the likes of Marmalade, Rilesea Slaves, Alexis Saint-Pete; Charra Tea, Actavia and Chanel O Connor taking to the stage.
Oh, and of course there’s all the after-party action that Gay Village does so well – it is the part of the city that never sleeps, after all…
Besides the obvious excitement and fanfare surrounding this huge Eurovision festival, it is not only a welcome space for people from all walks of life but, above all else, being held for some vital charities.
Working alongside the Ukrainian Cultural Organization and United For You to host this year’s event, donations from each ticket sold will go towards Ukrainian Children and the George House Trust, as well as LGBTQIA+ groups like Sahir House, Manchester Pride and FSTB Danish Children.
The MancHagen co-founders say: “Our team is proud to announce the biggest celebration of Eurovision countries, cultures, fashion, music, dance and the diverse communities together in joy through music…
“There is nowhere more suited to host such an event than the UK’s inclusive capital of Manchester and capital of the North.” Dubbing itself the biggest party celebrating the annual event aside from the competition itself, if you’re a fan of the famous song contest, you don’t want to miss this.
Packages start at just £45, with VIP add-ons, affordable family tickets and VIP Backstage also available. Find out more about the ground-breaking Eurovision Festival and grab tickets for the Manchester celebration right HERE.
The Manc -
11th August 2021 
