Sounds of the City is back at Castlefield Bowl with a packed programme of outdoor live shows – and next on the agenda is Hozier.
Irish singer-songwriter Hozier will take to the stage in Manchester on 5 July, as part of his Unreal Unearth Tour 2023.
The Take Me To Church singer is back from a four-year hiatus, releasing EP Eat Your Young on St Patrick’s Day, which also happens to be his birthday.
His third studio album, Unreal Unearth, is due for release in August this year.
After his Castlefield Bowl gig, Hozier will embark on a further tour in December – but won’t be back in Manchester on that one.
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The stage is set canal-side in Castlefield, with other headline performances from Blossoms, Two Door Cinema Club, and Bastille still to come, as well as shows from Pulp and The Lathums already finished.
Here’s everything you need to know about Hozier at Castlefield Bowl.
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Who’s supporting Hozier?
Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl. Credit: Sam Neill
Hozier has two support acts joining him at Castlefield Bowl tonight.
One of which will be The Teskey Brothers, an Australian blues rock band from Melbourne.
They have three albums under their belts – Half Mile Harvest, Run Home Slow and The Winding Way – and will also be doing a signing at HMV Manchester from 5pm.
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Also joining Hozier is Victoria Canal, a rising star from Germany who has already supported some other big names, including JP Saxe and Emily King, on their tours.
Estimated stage times
Stage times haven’t yet been announced for Hozier, but based on The Lathums gig – which had the same number of support acts – these will be the rough times.
5.30pm – Doors and DJ 7pm – Support act one 8pm – Support act two 9pm – Hozier 11pm – Curfew
Tickets
Tickets for Hozier are, sadly, totally sold out.
They were initially priced at £45 including booking fee – a bargain in today’s world of concert prices.
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If you’re desperate to go, keep an eye on resale sites but make sure you’re buying from a trustworthy seller so you don’t get ripped off.
Weather forecast
Castlefield Bowl is an outdoor venue, with only a very small amount of cover by the amphitheatre seating.
The wet weather is set to mostly take a break for Hozier’s Sounds of the City gig on Wednesday night, thankfully.
Temperatures are set to peak at 18 degrees, with a low of 13 degrees, according to the Met Office.
There’s a 30% chance of light rain at 6pm, but otherwise things are looking dry if cloudy.
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Expected setlist
A previous Sounds of the City gig at Castlefield Bowl. Credit: FAC51 The Hacienda
The below is the setlist Hozier used for his gig at Piece Hall in Halifax last week.
Eat Your Young Jackie and Wilson From Eden To Be Alone Dinner & Diatribes Francesca Cherry Wine Like Real People Do All Things End Would That I Someone New Almost (Sweet Music) Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene Movement Take Me to Church Unknown/Nth Work Song
About Castlefield Bowl
Castlefield Bowl is an amphitheatre-style outdoor venue in the city centre.
Although all tickets are billed as unreserved standing, if you’re quick you can take a seat on the large concrete steps that curve around the stage.
Many people also take a perch up on the grassy banks at the back of the venue too.
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Castlefield Bowl is located at 101 Liverpool Road in the city centre.
The closest tram stop is Deansgate-Castlefield, which is only a six-minute walk away.
You can also walk it from the major train stations, or use the 101, 197, 255, 256, 41, 50 or X50 buses.
What people are wearing at Parklife 2026 – ruffles, cowboy boots, football shirts and bandanas
Clementine Hall
Parklife weekend is here, which means festival fashion is back, and Manchester has absolutely delivered on its outfit trends once again.
Every year in the fields of Heaton Park, thousands of ravers flock to Parklife festival for the biggest party of the year.
And of course, you can’t attend a festival without wearing a fire fit and boy oh boy have we seen some.
Gone are the days when you’d throw on a t shirt and jeans to a festival, and although you may see a few tracksuits and flimsy rain ponchos (we are in Manchester after all), the people of Parklife are dressing to impress this year.
Images: The Manc Group
The main theme of the weekend is…ruffles.
We’re talking ruffled shorts, ruffled boots, ruffled skirts – if you can ruffle it, the Parklife people are buying it. We’d say the vast majority of girls are wearing ruffled hot pants, and we are absolutely here for it.
Another trend is not practical in the slightest but of course looks absolutely fab, and that is cowboy boots.
Images: The Manc Group
We dread to think of the blisters that are going to crop up after the weekend, but as the old saying goes…beauty is well and truly pain.
You may mistake yourself for being at Coachella due to the amount of girls absolutely rocking a bandana this year, a trend which is both stylish and practical with the sun blaring down on Heaton Park this weekend.
And last but not least, maybe it’s the World Cup fever but we’ve spotted both boys and girls sporting football shirts and looking class whilst doing so.
Images: The Manc Group
All in all, Parklife weekend is flooded with fashionistas this year but are we surprised when Manchester is a hive for the coolest cats in the game? We think not.
There’s also a couple of pop-ups onsite this year for if you’re looking to level up your fit, including Suzy Loves Milo selling vintage garms and The Mothership providing all the perfect accessories.
Take That at the Etihad Stadium – the Manchester boys are ‘back for good’ | Review
Clementine Hall
We’re not saying this was the ‘Greatest Day’ of our lives…but it was certainly up there.
Take That have been taking us all on a trip down memory lane over the past few weeks, bringing The Circus Live back to stadiums across the UK and recreating their record-breaking 2009 tour.
Last night they kicked off their four night run at the Etihad Stadium, and it’s safe to say the much-loved pop trio have absolutely still got it.
In fact, I’d go as far to say that this is the best Gary, Mark and Howard have ever looked, sang, and above all else, danced.
Maybe it’s because this is their first hometown gig in two years, or maybe it’s because I’m extremely biased having grown up listening to Take That in my mum’s car on the way to school.
Either way, I said what I said.
Now as the name suggests, The Circus Live isn’t your average show. There’s a gigantic hot air balloon, a huge mechanical elephant, clown face paint, acrobats, unicycles, fireworks, sparkly costumes, you name it – they’ve got it.
It’s an aggressive assault to the senses, a fantastic fever dream, overstimulation of the highest degree, and I lapped up every single moment.
It’s what I imagine taking a tab of acid feels like before a gig, and if that’s the case then I would recommend doing so.
Of course the boys open the show with ‘Greatest Day’, and from the get go Gary Barlow’s vocals are just as smooth as ever.
After a brief Barry Manilow cover they then showcase their exceptional synchronised choreography during the dance break of ‘Pray’, to which I could almost hear the audible gasps from hundreds of mums in the audience.
All of which, I assume, were transported in that moment back to 1993 when Take That debuted the moves on Top of the Pops.
After a brief pause, Mark Owen leads the lads in ‘Shine’ as they make their way to the second stage in the centre of the stadium. Top hat in hand, Gary on the keys, Howard there purely for vibes – it’s no wonder Morrison’s chose this banger for their advert.
From then on it is simply banger after banger, and it’s clear that they feel very grateful to still be filling out stadiums as Howard particularly gets teary eyed after ‘Never Forget’ is met with roars of applause.
Take That have three more shows left at the Etihad Stadium, and you can still grab some last minute tickets here.
However, if you fancy not moving from your sofa but still want to be a part of the fun – Saturday’s show will be livestreamed across the globe via Amazon Music, so no matter where you are in the world, you can still visit The Circus. Find out more here.
Daisy Jackson -
5th July 2023 
