Everyone and their nan has been trying to get tickets to see Coldplay across one of their twelve UK dates next summer.
The nine-time BRIT award winners have continued to see immense success ever since their debut album in the millennium.
Their most recent achievement is one many artists can only dream of: selling out Wembley Stadium for a whopping 10 whole dates across August and September next year.
Unfortunately, fans of the world-renowned band have been left frustrated after tickets to the upcoming events followed the same fate of Taylor Swift and Oasis.
Coldplay announced their tour this month.Crowds are always special at Coldplay gigs.Credit: Stevie Rae Gibbs/Supplied
Coldplay seem to be skipping over Manchester this time round, they’re playing two nights at Craven Park in Hull and ten almost back-to-back dates at Wembley Stadium in London.
But ear not, us Mancs act fast – here is a rundown of plenty of Coldplay-inspired events happening soon to get your ‘Viva La Vida’ fix.
ADVERTISEMENT
Coldplay-inspired events this year
The Music of Coldplay By Candlelight – The Monastery, Openshaw
The first event eases you into the hits of one of the best-selling music acts of all time. Instead of the usual guitars and drums that are heard in their most famous songs, an orchestra takes the lead.
Originally there was one date available on Friday, 15 November but due to the event selling out unexpectedly, an additional concert has been added on Friday 25 October which still has tickets left.
Prices start at £30 for Band B, £35 for Band A, £40 for Premium and £45 for VIP tickets. Access tickets are also £30 with a free companion too with proof of ID. You can grab tickets HERE.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are Coldplay tribute acts galore, as it turns out. (Credit: Facebook)
Ultimate Coldplay – Manchester Academy, City Centre
Is that Chris Martin? No, it’s Ultimate Coldplay, who have an uncanny lookalike taking on the role of the famous frontman and live band.
For £18.15 you and over 2,000 fans can be transported through Coldplay’s musical timeline as this tribute act makes your night one to remember, at a fraction of the price.
Playing at Manchester Academy on Saturday 7 December, doors will open from 7:15pm and there’s a curfew of 11pm meaning attendees can get home in time to ‘dream of para-para paradise’. Tickets HERE.
Coldplay-inspired events in 2025
A Head Full Of Coldplay – The Witchwood, Ashton-under-Lyne
The UK’s self-proclaimed ‘number one Coldplay tribute act’ are setting their sites on one of Manchester’s many boroughs, choosing Ashton-under-Lyne to show off their talents.
On Saturday 1 March, audiences are treated to ‘A Sky Full of Stars’ when they leave the venue as this event doesn’t finish until the early hours, with a curfew of 1am.
ADVERTISEMENT
They double down on the statement before saying they’re ‘The number one Coldplay tribute act in the world – fact’, so if you fancy hearing them live catch them while you can. Sort your tickets for the tribute night HERE.
Whether this is your closest stop on the tribute acts tour or you’ll be following them all around the North-West, these boys are making sure everyone gets a chance to have an ‘Adventure of a Lifetime’.
This time Ultimate Coldplay are painting the town ‘Yellow’ as they travel across Manchester, reaching The Met in Bury on Saturday 29 March.
Tickets are categorised by two prices, £24 for seats and £22 if you’re up for standing with the other 400 people in this more intimate and up-close performance space.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ultimate Coldplay – Irlam Live 2025, Manchester
If you haven’t had enough of these cheeky chaps yet, they’re back but this time at a festival with a wide range of other tribute acts.
‘Harry Styled’, ‘Bootleg Blondie’ and ‘VengaLive’ are just a few of the acts listed on the lineup for the Manchester festival which is taking place at the start of summer next year.
With this being a festival ticket prices are dependent on how long you’re planning on attending. ‘Ultimate Coldplay’ and the acts listed above are all gracing the stage on Friday 30 May.
Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
Audio
Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Thomas Melia -
6th October 2024 
