Florence + The Machine will play a massive gig in Manchester this autumn as part of a nationwide arena tour.
The group, fronted by Florence Welch, have announced details of a new tour in support of her upcoming album Dance Party.
A short run of intimate UK shows sold out in mere minutes earlier this week.
The larger arena tour will visit the UK, Ireland and France, including a date at the AO Arena Manchester.
Florence + The Machine. Credit: Publicity picture
£1 from every ticket sold will be donated to the charity Choose Love, which helps refugees and displaced people with everything from transport to legal advice.
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Florence + The Machine has been behind some of the biggest songs of the last decade, including You Got The Love (and You Got The Dirtee Love, in collaboration with Dizzee Rascal), Spectrum (Say My Name), and Shake It Out.
Dance Party will be her fifth studio album, and is due for release on 13 May.
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The tour of the same name will kick off in Paris on 14 November and will go on to include two nights at The O2 in London.
She will perform at the AO Arena Manchester on 22 November.
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You can pre-order the album here before 5pm on Tuesday 22 March to gain access to an album pre-sale, with pre-sale tickets available from 9am on Wednesday 23 March.
The general sale will be on Friday 25 March at Gigs and Tours.
Florence + The Machine, Dance Fever 2022 tour dates in full
14 Nov – Accor Hotels Arena, Paris 16 Nov – Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff 18 Nov – The O2, London 19 Nov – The O2, London 21 Nov – Bournemouth International Centre, Bournemouth 22 Nov – AO Arena, Manchester 24 Nov – Utilita Arena, Birmingham 25 Nov – First Direct Arena, Leeds 27 Nov – OVO Hydro, Glasgow 28 Nov – Motorpoint Arena, Nottingham 30 Nov – 3 Arena, Dublin
Featured image: Publicity picture
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James Blunt announces huge Manchester gig on new European arena tour
Daisy Jackson
Singer-songwriter James Blunt is heading back out on tour next year, and has announced a massive Manchester gig as part of his run of arena shows.
The singer, perhaps best-known for his iconic 2005 pop ballad ‘You’re Beautiful’, is hitting the road again in 2027.
The newly-announced European tour is in celebration of his new album Airplane Mode, which is set for release this autumn.
James Blunt will kick off his tour in Leeds next spring, before heading over for a night at the almighty Co-op Live in Manchester.
Then he’ll head to more cities including Newcastle, Birmingham and London.
His new album, Airplane Mode, is being released on 6 November and will, according to his press release, be ‘exhilarating’.
James has already released the first single, ‘Tastes Like Summer’, and ‘Weight Of It All’, with 10 more songs to come on the record.
Airplane Mode was recorded with James’ brilliant long-standing live band, who’ll be back on tour with him next year.
Speaking of the new album, and recording in Pig Music Studios, he said: “Somewhere back there, I lost my way, but found it again in a studio in Banbury.”
James Blunt will be at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on 3 April, 2027. Tickets go on sale from 10am on 9 September.
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
Daisy Jackson -
18th March 2022 
