Manchester

Michael Bublé at the AO Arena Manchester – stage times, setlist and tickets

Michael Buble is back in town this weekend. Here's everything you need to know.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 20th April 2023

Legendary singer Michael Bublé is heading to Manchester this weekend, for two massive gigs at the AO Arena.

The Canadian crooner is bringing his Higher Tour across the UK in spring, with massive arena shows booked in over the coming weeks.

With 11 studio albums to his name, Michael Bublé has been named by Billboard as the third top Canadian artist of all time, beaten only by Celine Dion and Shania Twain.

He’s pretty well-known for his Christmas albums, which routinely get wheeled out every December, and released his latest record Higher in March last year.

Here’s everything you need to know about Michael Buble’s AO Arena gig this weekend.

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Are there still Michael Buble tickets?

Yes! There’s still quite good availability for both nights at the AO Arena.

The cheapest tickets are £64.95 each, which will see you popped up in the upper tier of the seating in the huge arena.

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Then there are other tickets priced at £87.50, and at £109.95.

You can see the latest availability and book your tickets at Ticketmaster here.

When is Michael Bublé playing at the AO Arena Manchester?

Michael has added two Manchester dates to his UK tour, which also includes stops in Leeds, Newcastle and London.

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He’ll be in Manchester at the AO Arena on both Friday 21 and Saturday 22 April.

Then he’s off on the road again, with a night at the First Direct Arena in Leeds, two shows at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro, one at P&J Live in Aberdeen, two nights at the Utilita Arena in Newcastle, one gig in Cardiff, and two shows in Birmingham.

Michael Buble
Michael Bublé. Credit: Publicity picture / Evaan Kheraj

Who is supporting?

No one. He’s riding solo.

Okay, moving on…

What are the stage times?

The doors to the AO Arena will open at 6pm for both shows, on Friday and Saturday.

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The show is expected to start at 7.30pm, but as always, this is subject to change.

Make sure to leave yourself plenty of time to get in, clear security and find your seat.

Michael Bublé’s expected setlist

It’s hard to know exactly what songs Michael will play, although he will, of course, wheel out his big hit ‘Haven’t Met You Yet’.

It’ll be a night of gorgeous covers and big-band hits.

The below is the setlist he used when he opened the UK leg of his tour in London last month.

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  • Feeling Good (Anthony Newley cover)
  • Haven’t Met You Yet
  • L-O-V-E (Nat King Cole cover)
  • Such a Night (Clyde McPhatter & The Drifters cover)
  • Sway (Dean Martin cover)
  • When You’re Smiling (Seger Ellis cover)
  • Home
  • Everything
  • Higher
  • Hold On
  • Smile (Charlie Chaplin cover)
  • I’ll Never Not Love You
  • Can’t Help Falling in Love (Elvis Presley cover)
  • You’re the First, the Last, My Everything (Barry White cover)
  • It’s a Beautiful Day
  • Cry Me a River (Julie London cover)
  • Smile (Charlie Chaplin cover)
  • How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You) (Marvin Gaye cover)
  • Save the Last Dance for Me (The Drifters cover)
  • You Were Always on My Mind (Gwen McCrae cover)

About the AO Arena

The AO Arena has a few strict policies to keep gig-goers safe, so make sure to check entry requirements carefully before you travel.

For example, only one small bag per person is allowed, and bags like backpacks, travel cases and laptop bags are not permitted inside the arena.

All bags are scanned on entry to check for prohibited items like laser pens, flares, projectiles, weapons, drugs and alcohol, and even selfie sticks.

Featured image: Publicity picture

Manchester

Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | March 2025

Danny Jones Danny Jones Best new Greater Manchester music artists March 2025

Oh, hello there. Did you think we’d forgotten to do our Manchester artists round-up for March? Don’t be daft, it was just a joke – a silly little April Fool’s joke.

This is, without a doubt, one of our favourite times of the month because we get to look back at our music habits in more bitesize pieces rather than feeling like we have to defend a whole year’s worth every time Spotify Wrapped rolls around.

If you don’t know the drill by now, for one, where have you been? Secondly, welcome to the listening party: it’s the period we set aside to spotlight the best up-and-coming, underrated and veteran musicians from Greater Manchester alike – so long as they’re good, we’re happy.

Let’s get into it then, yeah?

Manchester bands and artists we’ve been listening to this month

1. Lusaint

First up on our list for March is a very talented woman by the name of Lusaint – real name Lucy Hopkins, but trust us, this is a stage name set for stardom as far we’re concerned. Manc born and bred, she has the voice and vibe of an old soul with all the talent and style to go up against the biggest around today.

She started gaining followers through her stunning covers of everyone from Kings of Leon and Whitney Houston to Fleetwood Mac, Jason Mraz and many more. That being said, her pop-forward original solo material is hitting our ‘Sweet Tooth’ and then some, so we tried to keep it cool when we met her recently.

If you’re looking for where to start, her latest single ‘Neon Lights’ has an almost laid-back, neo-soul vibe; ‘Sober’ has a bit of Winehouse and Bailey Rae to it, but the best way to sum her up is soulful R’n’B with plenty of jazz and contralto moments sprinkled in there. The piano version of ‘Dark Horse’… Oof.

2. The Lottery Winners

You’re damn right we’re putting them back amongst our Manc artists of the month list because not only have we’ve been listening to their new album non-stop but, in case you hadn’t heard, it’s just gone to number one – their second to date!

Leigh’s very own Lottery Winners need no introduction at this point: they’re becoming an increasingly big name in the indie, pop and Northern scene in general, but they also might just be up there with the hardest working bands going right now.

We could recommend tonnes of songs to kick off with but we’d like to give a big shout to ‘Superpower’, a real bit of genre whiplash that really works, ‘You Again’ with Jon McClure of Reverend and the Makers because it’s just a banger and ‘Turn Around’ because same and it has the cutest music video ever.

3. Push Baby

Now, this next one pains us slightly because Push Baby, as eclectic and interesting as they, are currently inactive as of 2022 following the release of their second full LP, Wow, That’s What I Call Push Baby!, which is brilliant subversion of modern mainstream music.

Made up of lead vocalist Jake Roche, the son of British household names, Coleen Nolan and Shane Richie, as well as multi-instrumentalist Charley Bagnall – both formerly of the boyband Rixton too – this alternative duo were pushing plenty of boundaries before they took a pause to pursue other projects.

Song wise, ‘WHAT YOU GONNA DO?’ is the closest thing to a new NSYNC track as you’ll find, ‘thenineteenseventyfive’ genuinely feels like it could fit on Notes On A Conditional Form if you just swapped out the vocals, and you simply have to start with the first song we ever heard from them: ‘thor’

You get a much different level of production on the studio version than this equally beautiful live recording. We hope they come back.

4. Tim Burgess

Our penultimate pick for this month is a Manc music legend whose music we’ve been exposed to most of our lives, but it pains us to confess were relative latecomers to his solo stuff. The Charlatans frontman had such a large body of work but we’ve finally cracked into properly for the first time.

It won’t surprise you whatsoever to learn the Salfordian icon’s own singer-songwriter records are just brilliant asd everything else he’s done in his career and we’ll feel daft to have waited this long to dive deep. There’s plenty to get through, put it that way.

Everyone’s heard ‘OH My Corazon’ (in fact, we’d wager you’ve heard even more Burgess than you realise), but we’d grown a particular soft spot for ‘Sure Enough – Eyedress Remix’, ‘White’ and ‘Empathy For The Devil’ where he voices go real Ian Brown-esque. We’ll keep digging and get back to you.

The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess to host ‘Merch Market’ in aid of bands
Yet more evidence that he deserves your attention and respect for what he’s done/doing for Manc music

5. Dirty Blonde

Last but certainly not least is another duo that unlike Push Baby aren’t just active but are absolutely rip-roaring through the infancy of their alt rock story already and have all ferocity of a pair of Manc music pioneers that are going to go far – Spill The Sound seem to think so too.

Modern girl rock that kicks you in the face with punchy riffs, catchy hooks, great vocals and plenty of confidence and all-round swagger that makes you think they’re made for this business. You could probably draw all manner of comparisons to contemporaries, but put simply they just sound sick.

There’s not absolute reams to get through yet as the two are ones for the future, but we’ve particular enjoyed ‘Rush’, ‘Run (When I Tell You)’ and you’d be a fool not to take a look at their new single ‘Adore Me’ which achieves exactly what the title says. Love ’em and we look forward to hearing more.

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And we’re sorry to say that’s all she wrote for another month and we apologise to any of you die-hard readers for being a day late to it this time around, we promise we won’t make a habit of it.

In the meantime, you can always go back listen to our Manc music favourite from February to keep your playlists feeling refreshed – and all the other lists prior, come to think of it.

Catch you next time.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Audio North/Wow, Big Legend (press shot)

Manchester

Pep Guardiola delivers gutting news as Man City are hit with Erling Haaland injury blow

Danny Jones Danny Jones Erling Haaland out injured for 5 to 7 weeks ankle problem

Pep Guardiola has passed on some gutting fitness news for Manchester City fans as star striker Erling Haaland is confirmed to be injured for several weeks and could even miss the rest of the Premier League season.

The title might be out of reach this year, and the Champions League knockout against Real Madrid was definitely hard for Blues to take, but with Man City into the semi-finals of the FA Cup, there’s still a very strong chance they could end 2024/25 with a piece of silverware.

However, they’ll have to make it through another two massive rounds at Wembley and seemingly the remainder of the season without Haaland and his goals, as the Catalan coach revealed that the club expects him to be out injured for “six to seven weeks.”

Not exactly how City fans would have wanted to see the rest of an already frustrating season play out.

Relaying diagnosis from the medical team, Pep said the hope is that the big Norwegian number nine could be back for the very tail end of the campaign, but at the very least, he “will be ready for the [FIFA Club] World Cup.”

He went on to add that “these kinds of things happen” and that he feels “sorry” for all of the other injuries that have befell his squad up till now, adding that they can only hope for a speedy recovery and for him to return as soon as possible.

The 24-year-old hasn’t had too many big injury problems in his career thus far, although his longest spell on the sidelines did come at the end of 2023 when a stress fracture kept him out until the new year.

This time around, Haaland suffered an injury to his ankle during the City’s FA Cup win over Bournemouth on Sunday following a challenge from defensive midfielder Lewis Cook.

He was forced in the second half and was seen leaving the Vitality Stadium on crutches after the game.

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Having led the golden boot race for a good chunk of the season – as he’s become accustomed too since he arrived in England – City‘s sub-optimal season has seen him slink into second behind high-flying Mo Salah on 27, but he still has a couple dozen goals and a trio of assists to show for it.

Speaking of Salah, the soon-to-leave ‘Egyptian King’ has been the talisman for Liverpool this season, and his contributions could see them lift the trophy in Arne Slot’s first season as early as 13 April, depending on how fellow title rivals Arsenal fare in their next two matches.

As for how City round out their domestic campaign, reclaiming the FA Cup after last year’s derby disappointment looks like the main goal.

You can watch Pep Guardiola’s press conference ahead of the game against Leicester City at 19:45pm tomorrow (Wednesday, 2 April) in full HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — @celebstarclips (screenshot via TikTok)/Man City (screenshot via YouTube)

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