With the penultimate performance on the horizon and this year’s Sounds of the City festival drawing to a close, a pair of legendary British bands are set to see us out in style, as Manic Street Preachers and Suede prepare to play Castlefield Bowl this weekend.
Two of the most revered veterans of the UK’s alternative rock with careers spanning the best part of four decades, the Manics and Suede are up there with the biggest names to have ever played Manchester much loved outdoor arena, and this crowd will be full of people who’ve been there since day one.
With the former flying the flag for the Welsh and the latter keeping the glam side of the genre alive,
So, for any of you going along to see the Manic Street Preachers and Suede double bill at Sounds of the City 2024, here’s everything you need to know about the gig on Friday, 12 July.
Tickets for Suede and Manic Street Preachers in Manchester
Now, the question is are there tickets left for Manic Street Preachers and Suede? And the very simple answer is technically yes, but only a few and they are via resale.
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Unfortunately, when you get two big acts with a reputation and long-lasting following as loyal as these guys command, tickets tend to sell out very quickly – that’s just the way the cookie crumbles.
If you do want to spring for the resales available on Ticketmaster, they’ll cost you £77.85 each before fees and, as always, you can also keep an eye out for spares through other trusted resellers like Twickets and TicketSwap.
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Sounds of the City stage times
It looks as though Suede will play first as the two co-headliners have been taking turns when it comes to opening up for each other on this tour.
As for when you’ll see everyone taking the stage, you can expect them to take the stage around 7:25pm before Manic Street Preachers follow them at 9:15pm.
Gates to the venue itself, as they have throughout SOTC 2024, will be open from 5:30pm onwards and we all know the early birds get first crack at those seats below the canopy.
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We can’t promise you good weather but we can always guarantee a good crowd (Credit: The Manc Audio).
What tracks are they likely to play?
Speaking of previous performances, the last date also gives us a good idea of what we can expect from both bands on Friday night.
Manic Street Preachers predicted setlist for Castlefield Bowl
You Love Us
Everything Must Go
Motorcycle Emptiness
Suicide Is Painless (Theme From MASH – Johnny Mandel cover)
You Stole the Sun From My Heart
To Repel Ghosts
Little Baby Nothing (with The Anchoress)
Your Love Alone Is Not Enough (with The Anchoress)
Elvis Impersonator: Blackpool (Richey Edwards dedication)
A Design for Life
La tristesse durera (Scream to a Sigh)
Walk Me to the Bridge
Tsunami
Orwellian
From Despair to Where
No Surface All Feeling
Today (The Smashing Pumpkins cover – would this be a treat!)
If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next
Again, we’re not soothsayers, so please take all of this with a pinch of salt and just trust we did our best to give you a rough average at the very least.
Castlefield Bowl (M3 4JR) is on Rice Street just down Liverpool Road which cuts off the main Deansgate strip in the city centre and you can enter Manchester’s much-loved outdoor amphitheatre via Duke or Castle Street.
It’s just a short walk from Deansgate train station or the Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop, where you’ll find regular trams running all over Greater Manchester.
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If you’re driving there, Great Northern Warehouse’s (M3 4EE) car park, as well as two other NCPs near Bridgewater Hall and on Quay Street in Spinningfields.
That should be just about all you need to know but do keep an eye out on socials for updates on the event night and we’ll do our best to keep you in the loop on our end too.
Alison Moyet has announced a huge European tour, including multiple Northern dates in the UK
Danny Jones
Seasoned British singer-songwriter and pop legend Alison Moyet is coming back to Manchester and more after announcing an extensive run of 2026 EU, UK and IE tour dates.
No rest for the wickedly talented and long adored.
Alison Moyet last visited Manchester in February last year, playing the stunning Bridgewater Hall in support of her latest album, Key, the 10th studio LP of her solo career.
However, now the 64-year-old artist and music veteran is set to play songs from her eighth record, the minutes, as well astracks from her days with Yazoo and more across Europe.
NEW: @alisonmoyet is headed on tour! Playing songs of Yazoo, including cuts from the minutes & Other, with a date at #O2ApolloManchester Fri 16 Oct.
— O2 Apollo Manchester (@O2ApolloManc) March 9, 2026
Moyet (real name Geneviève Alison Jane Ballard) formed Yazoo with ex-Depeche Mode member Vince Clarke in 1981, releasing two albums and becoming one of the most influential British groups of the time.
While clashes on multiple fronts saw the synth-pop duo ultimately break up in ’83, a handful of Yazoo hits like ‘Only You’, ‘Don’t Go’ and ‘Situation’ have continued to crop up in the Basildon-born artists over the years.
Once nicknamed ‘Alf’ as a youth – the same title she gave to her seminal debut album, released the year after the split – the young ‘tomboy’, turned teen punk, then synth, soul and pop act has experimented with everything from electronica to printmaking.
Put simply, she remains just as much of a creative force today as she was back then.
2025 saw her first full headline tour in eight years, playing shows not just here and over in Ireland, but across the mainland continent, Australia and New Zealand.
This current calendar will also see her touring with fellow 80s icons The Human League and Soft Cell on their ‘The Generations Tour’ in the summer – but by the autumn, she’ll be rolling back the years and working through her own back catalogue.
As you can see, as well as coming to Manchester’s O2 Apollo, other dates to see Alison Moyet live in the North this October include the Empire Theatre in Liverpool, Sheffield‘s City Hall, Buxton, Blackpool and several others.
Speaking on the upcoming tour, Alison said: “Many years touring the same pool of songs, and I am keen for a palate refresher.
“Specifying which years I will be fishing from, too, I think, is a grand way to serve potluck for specific tastes. No bones…” Ever the wordsmith.
The domestic pre-sale window here opens at 10am this coming Wednesday, 11 March, with general admission tickets going live at the same time the following Friday (13 Mar); you can get ready to grab yours right HERE.
Oh, and if you were wondering how her live performances sound these days, look no further than her recent Isle of Wight slot.
Featured Images — Publicity picture (supplied)/Hinnerk Rümenapf (via Wikimedia Commons)
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A special The Smiths reissue was cancelled due to a dispute between Morrissey and Johnny Marr
Danny Jones
According to some new information, a special reissue of The Smiths’ debut album was reportedly abandoned due to disagreements between Morrissey and Johnny Marr.
Since the Gallagher brothers have buried the hatchet, guess someone’s got to keep the Manchester music feuding alive.
Yes, as per a high-profile source from Rough Trade, ‘Moz’ and Marr couldn’t settle on one key issue which would have seen the self-titled first Smiths LP re-released for their label and indie record store’s 50th anniversary.
Speaking on the German music podcast, Vinyl &…, one of Rough Trade’s European bosses revealed that aside from not exactly being chummy these days, the band’s two most famous members couldn’t agree on what the album artwork would be.
Whack on English subtitles to see what was said.
Yes, that really was the main sticking point, apparently.
Curt Keplin, who is the managing director for Rough Trade’s EU presence, said that The Smiths were a big part of their golden jubilee/half-century celebrations.
Sadly, The Smiths’ inaugural outing then had to be pulled from the plans at the last minute, with the ‘Smooth Operator’ herself, Sade, taking their place.
Initially set to fly the flag for the 1984 retrospective, Keplin said: “Actually, The Smiths were supposed to be included, but Johnny Marr and Morrissey couldn’t agree on how the packaging should look. So, things remain relatively difficult between those two.”
‘Difficult’ is probably putting it mildly, with Morrissey having long since accused his former bandmate, lead guitarist and co-songwriter turned solo artist, of controlling key rights that could see him tour as The Smiths without him.
He went on to add: “You first have to find an artist who is basically open to it and thinks it’s great and then gives us the rights – or rather, the label then says, ‘Ok, this is now being repressed in a different colour, in new packaging’, and so on and so forth.”
The anniversary stuff first began being compiled last summer, with 2026 being the start of a year-long schedule of limited edition vinyl releases and more – but unfortunately, The Smiths aren’t looking like they’ll be part of it.
While it may seem slightly petty to some, more than anything, it’s probably just symptomatic of the simmering resentment between the two that still remains.
However, fans of either or both have still been treated to Morrissey‘s latest and divisive drop, Make-Up Is a Lie, and Johnny Marr will be coming back to town for a massive homecoming gig at Castlefield Bowl.
Danny Jones -
11th July 2024 
