Glass Animals have announced details of their long-awaited global tour, including a gig here in Manchester.
The Grammy and BRIT-nominated British band will be performing at the Co-op Live arena in November.
The announcement comes just a day after they dropped their first single from their upcoming album ‘I Love You So F***ing Much’.
Glass Animals released Creatures in Heaven yesterday, then delighted fans with details of a huge global arena tour.
There’ll be 44 tour dates across the US, Europe and the UK for Glass Animals this year, including their Manchester gig.
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The four-piece already have three studio albums to their names and smashed into the UK Singles Chart with their biggest hit, the four-times Platinum certified Heat Waves.
That song? Oh yeah, it’s just the biggest international hit from a British band in almost 30 years. It’s also the first song with a single writer and producer to hit the top of the charts since Pharrell’s Happy.
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Their upcoming fifth album will be the follow-up to their 2020 release Dreamland, which sold more than 12 million copies globally.
Lead singer Dave Bayley said the album was born in the midst of an existential crisis, with the band finding global stardom during lockdown.
He said: “Life can change dramatically, but sometimes you aren’t able to change as quickly on a personal level. You end up feeling like a spectator.
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“And then you are asked and expected to be a certain type of person, a different person. But…I wasn’t sure how. It confused me to the point of not knowing who I was or if anything was real.”
Glass Animals announce Manchester Co-op Live gig on huge global headline tour
He said that being stuck in a wooden house during one of the biggest storms in California’s history forced him into a new headspace where he realised that ‘human connection and the love between us is much bigger, more important, and more complex than anything else’.
‘I Love You So F***ing Much’ will be 10 intimate love stories set against the backdrop of the universe.
Glass Animals frontman Dave added: “I love you so f***ing much, I LOVE YOU SO F***ING MUCH, I love you SO f***ing MUCH, I love you so F***ING much, I LOVE you so f***ing MUCH. These words take on a different meaning every time you say them.
“The universe may make us feel overwhelmingly small, but we have this human connection that is far vaster and more mysterious.
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“Love comes in an infinite number of forms and shapes and sizes. It is so complex, and so powerful that even witnessing the tiniest instance of it can change your life forever.”
Fans who pre-order the album will have access to early pre-sale tickets going live at 10am on 9 April. General on-sale will go live at 10am on 11 April.
Glass Animals 2024 European tour dates
15 October – Paris – Zenith
16 October – Brussels – Forest National
17 October – Düsseldorf – Mitsubishi Electric Halle
Biig Piig brings home the bacon at Manchester’s New Century Hall
Clementine Hall
After releasing her long-awaited debut album, Biig Piig delivered an electric performance at one of the city’s coolest venues.
Oversized satin bomber jacket slipping off her shoulders, Biig Piig aka Jessica Smyth, wasted no time jumping around the stage to an audience equally as energetic.
The Irish artist’s headline tour is in celebration of her debut album 11:11, but the night was scattered with tracks from her prolific seven-year discography.
Biig Piig has two methods to her madness which she effortlessly switches between. Her chilled-out atmospheric songs inspired by R&B and jazz alongside her club dance tracks with heavy drops and mesmerising synth.
Throughout the night we were treated to both, receiving a masterclass in finding the balance between the two.
“You guys have filled out this room. I love Manchester there is so much energy”, she says just moments after opening with track ‘4am’.
“I’m out and I’m back and I’ve missed you”, she pleads to the crowd whilst parading up and down the stage adorned with hot pink strobe lights.
Her band, which features a bassist/saxophonist and drummer, adds nice bits of detail to her songs, specifically ‘Roses and Gold’ which won itself a groovy sax solo which was met with rapturous applause.
Moments later she picks up the pace with a few welcomed dance party throwbacks, ‘Sunny’ had everyone two-stepping along with her whilst flirty ‘Favourite Girl’ transformed the venue into an underground dance party.
Ending the night with a bang was ‘Kerosene’ for which she got the crowd to get low on the ground and bounce together as one, a request which can often prove risky but one which was pulled off without hesitation.
It was clear to see the fun that Jessica, her band, and the crowd were having throughout the hour-long show.
But what’s even clearer is Biig Piig’s path to the top of dance music stardom.
Manchester streaming platform StreamGM unveils four-part creative industry careers podcast
Thomas Melia
A new four-partpodcast by StreamGM featuring some of Greater Manchester’s top creatives has launched with the aim of powering creative careers.
Produced by Rebecca Swarray, a.k.a. ‘RebeccaNeverBecky’ – the founder of the Manchester events and arts collective – this podcast is designed to “ignite and elevate creative careers in music.”
Swarray deep dives into the current Manc music scene and beyond with the help of fellow insiders who vary upon each episode.
There are four parts in this latest series and there’s lots to cover, especially in an industry that’s ever-changing and ever-challenging.
Some of the guests and speakers you can expect to listen to on ‘ICAM’ (In Conversations and Masterclasses)Credit: StreamGM/The Manc Group
Listeners can expect to learn all about ‘Women Behind The Music’ as part of the In Conversations and Masterclasses series with Sophie Bee, Sara Garvey and Kat Brown.
The next episode delves into another key music industry area, ‘Promoters, Venues And Events’, which is broken down by Baz Plug One, Strutty, Tashadean Wood and Liv McCafferty.
‘Artist Development And Management’ features Karen Boardman, Karen Gabay, Damian Morgan, and Via Culpan deep in discussion.
The final episode in this four-part series is ‘Videography And Photography In The Creative Industries’, which sees Johan Reitan, Alice Kanako and Ahmani Vidal talking all things visual.
These four features will be an incredible resource for any creative talents as it put together by professionals for upcoming professionals of any age from any background, race, gender and walk of life.
After all, that’s what is all about, right?
Abbreviated to ‘ICAM’, the podcast is certainly one to check out, with for aspiring artist managers, producers, photographers, promoters—anyone driven to make their mark in music and events.
These podcast sessions understand industry challenges, explore career journeys, creative influences, crisis management and lots more creative field concerns.
You can find the first episode in full down below:
The first episode of the new limited StreamGM podcast.
This run of shows is the second instalment by StreamGM: Greater Manchester’s phenomenal streaming platform dedicated to all things music, nightlife and culture.
Whether you’re a budding creative arts talent or just curious to find out insights into this wonderful innovative industry, you can listen to all the episodes from the series directly on StreamGM HERE.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester music news, another very special event is kicking off very soon:
Daisy Jackson -
4th April 2024 
