This time of year really keeps you on your toes – Manchester’s calendar is full of gigs and festivals, and new ones are being added at light speed.
There are some huge gigs going on sale this morning, with new arena shows and other massive music events announced for later in the year.
Tickets are likely to fly out for all of these, so you’ll want to be poised at your laptop and ready to start shopping from the first on-sales at around 9.30am.
There’s everything from festival favourites to legendary rockers heading back out on tour.
Here are some of the Manchester gigs going on sale today, and how you can get tickets.
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Little Simz – 6 November
Little Simz gig tickets for Manchester go on sale today. Credit: Publicity picture
Little Simz has announced a brand new tour with her biggest UK gigs to date – and it will all kick off right here in Manchester this November.
The multi-award-winning rapper has already picked up awards for Best Solo Act, Best New Artist, Best New Album and even the 2022 Mercury Prize — all within the last three years.
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Just over a day after shutting down the Saturday set at Parklife 2023, she announced a limited run of just four shows that promise to be her biggest yet.
Tickets for Little Simz’s gig in Manchester on sale from 10am on Friday 16 June through See Tickets.
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The Prodigy – 17 November
The Prodigy Live Photo 2023 – Credit Andrea Ripamonti
Hot off the back of their blistering headline set at Parklife, The Prodigy have announced a massive UK arena tour.
The electronic music titans will be taking to the stage at the AO Arena in November.
It’s all part of their Army of the Ants tour, which will also visit venues across the UK, supported by SOFT PLAY (formerly known as Slaves) throughout.
General sale for tickets for The Prodigy at AO Arena Manchester begins at 9.30am on Friday 16 June with See Tickets.
Queens of the Stone Age – 14 November
Queens of the Stone Age Manchester AO Arena tickets. Credit: Andreas Neumann
These rock heavyweights will soon be hitting the road again on a huge European tour, including a visit to Manchester.
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The Seattle rockers have announced their The End Is Nero tour ahead of their headline slot of The Other Stage at Glastonbury.
You’ll be able to see the group back on stage in support their upcoming eighth studio album In Times New Roman…, which is due for release today.
Bring Me The Horizon tour including Manchester gig – and how to get tickets
Bring Me the Horizon have had a heck of a few years, selling more than five million albums globally, playing to sold-out audiences in more than 50 counties, and wowing crowds at festivals all over the planet.
The metal group, formed in Sheffield way back in 2004, are on their way back to the live circuit early next year with their Post Human: NeX GEn tour.
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You’ll catch them at the massive AO Arena on Saturday 13 January 2024.
Tickets go on sale with See Tickets from 10am on Friday 16 June.
American rap icon Ice Cube is another big name selling gig tickets for Manchester today – and he’s being supported by some fellow heavyweights from the music scene.
The ‘It Was A Good Day’ singer is going to be supported by hiphop group Cypress Hill, as well as rapper The Game.
Tickets for general admission will be priced between £63.25 and £96.25 including booking fees.
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Tickets for Ice Cube with Cypress Hill and The Game go on sale today at 10am from See Tickets here.
Featured image: Publicity picture
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Much-loved children’s show Gabby’s Dollhouse is bringing its live show to Manchester
Danny Jones
Much-loved children’s TV sensation Gabby’s Dollhouse is bringing its now world-famous live stage show to Manchester city centre for the first time ever.
Set for its debut UK tour, the smash-hit Netflix series created by the brains behind the 90s and noughties kids classic, Blue’s Clues, has become a global favourite since it first began back in 2021.
After proving highly successful over in the States, ‘Gabby’s Dollhouse Live!’ is now going transatlantic to delight little ones across the pond.
The super family-friendly show lands at Manchester’s AO Arena in early 2026, and we can practically hear the toddlers screaming with joy already.
As the Arena posted on social media, “This a-MEOW-zing new show, inspired by the beloved DreamWorks Animation preschool series, features songs that will have audiences singing and dancing along, from beginning to end.”
For anyone unaware of the name or simply looking to introduce their youngsters to something new, Gabby’s Dollhouse is an interactive pre-school programme that blends both interactive live-action with educational and undeniably cute animation.
It follows a girl named Gabby and her cat friends as they go on adventures inside a magical dollhouse.
The American show has taken off not only domestically but has now become the most-watched kids’ show on Netflix, so yes, it’s rather popular.
As for this still relatively new stage production, it brings to life an exciting original Dollhouse story featuring unique puppets and dynamic staging, with hit new songs that will have audiences singing and dancing along from beginning to end.
You can see the trailer for the US tour down below.
Presented not only by DreamWorks but Universal’s Destinations and Experiences team, the 15-date tour will get underway next spring; you can see the full list of shows here:
‘Gabby’s Dollhouse Live!’ 2026 UK tour dates
We’ve even highlighted all of the Northern shows for you, just in case you can’t make the Manc date.
Fri 27/03/26 SEC Armadillo Theatre, Glasgow
Sun 29/03/26 P&J Live, Aberdeen
Tue 31/03/26 Eventim Apollo, London
Wed 1/04/26 Eventim Apollo, London
Sun 5/04/26 AO Arena Manchester
Tue 7/04/26 Utilita Arena Birmingham
Wed 8/04/26 Edinburgh Playhouse
Sat 11/04/26 Brighton Centre
Tue 14/04/26 First Direct Bank Arena Leeds
Thu 16/04/26 Bournemouth International Centre
Sun 19/04/26 Plymouth Pavilions
Tue 21/04/26 Swansea Building Society Arena
Sun 26/04/26 M&S Bank Arena Liverpool
Tue 28/04/26 Utilita Arena Sheffield
Fri 1/05/26 Utilita Arena Newcastle
Sun 3/05/26 Utilita Arena Cardiff
General admission seats go live on Wednesday, 10 December, and if you’re looking to guarantee your family a spot at the AO Arena or any of the other venues, you can join the pre-sale waiting list.
Peter Hook announces special career-spanning city centre show, with a veteran Manc band supporting
Danny Jones
Local music legend Peter Hook and his live touring partners, ‘The Light’, have announced a special career-spanning anniversary gig right here in Manchester, chronicling his incredible music career.
The former Joy Division member and subsequent New Order co-founder is celebrating 50 years in the business next year, and is marking the occasion with a comprehensive and retrospective live show come the summer.
Arguably one of the most influential musicians to have ever come out of the region, the Salford-born bassist and now lead singer of his own solo outfit (still playing countless hits from his extremely lengthy discography, of course) is now 69 years old and still going strong.
In fact, that’s exactly what they’ll be doing for the landmark live show: playing some of the biggest and best tunes from his various projects over the decades he’s spent in the studio and on the stage.
Suitably shared in Haçienda/Sex Pistol-coloured announcement poster, not only will Hook be revisiting Joy Division’s seminal debut album, Unknown Pleasures, but he’ll be going back through everything from Power Corruption & Lies by New Order to his lesser-known works.
Be it his 1995 side project, Monaco, or the recently unearthed Freebass collab with the likes of Andy Rourke, Tim Burgess, and the late, great ‘Mani’ from the Stone Roses, fans of the avid audiophile and prolific live performer are in for a real treat.
Having toured this storied material extensively, Peter Hook and the Light have now amassed over 800 concerts as a band. For the Greater Manchester native himself, it’s an incredible feat to make in the music industry, full stop, let alone reach half a century in it.
As for the Pistols connection, ‘Hooky‘ just happened to be one of several future Manc icons like half of The Smiths and The Fall, Factory Records’ own Tony Wilson, John Cooper Clarke, and even his then-soon-to-be Joy Division bandmate turned New Order lead singer, Bernard Sumner.
It’s a fairly safe bet you’ll find the post-punk veteran and plenty more of his peers in the crowd for another major music milestone in 2026.
It’s this particular date the group are toasting that motivated Hook to go out and buy a guitar.
Even more fittingly, this 50th anniversary gig will also see the group joined by another veteran rock band from the region, as fellow local punk sons, The Buzzocks from Bolton, who also formed after THAT very same gig at Lesser Free Trade Hall in ’76.
Early access tickets for the exclusive show at Manchester Academy next June go on pre-sale this Wednesday, 3 December; general admission will be available from Friday, 5 December.
We had the honour of chatting with the man, the myth, the legend, once again back in February 2024, when our Audio North arm was still known as ‘The Manc Audio’.
Daisy Jackson -
15th June 2023 
