Pixies are heading out on a European tour in 2024, and they’re stopping off here in Manchester for three nights.
After recently playing to intimate Manchester crowds at the relaunch of iconic music venue, Band on the Wall, and to thousands at Castlefield Bowl as part of 2023’s Sounds of the City concert series, Pixies have announced they’ll be making a return to our city once again next year, and they’ve got three gigs lined-up.
The influential and pioneering US alt rock band are set to head out on a tour of some of the biggest cities in Europe tour in 2024, and will be performing a selection of tracks from their hugely-acclaimed albums, Bossanova and Trompe Le Monde – which were released in 1990 and 1991 respectively.
Black Francis and co will be taking over Manchester’s iconic Albert Hall for three major gigs on Tuesday 12, Wednesday 13, and Thursday 14 March 2024.
Bossanova was the band’s third studio album, and was praised by critics for showing their less primal side, with a recurring sci-fi theme running throughout, and surf and space rock influences at the forefront.
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‘Alison’, ‘Dig For Fire’, ‘Velouria’, and ‘Cecilia Ann’ were just some of the notable tracks from the album.
Trompe Le Monde, on the other hand, was known for having bookended a run of landmark records for the band, and although it was their fourth album, it’s arguably the most playful in their catalogue – with singles ‘Planet of Sound’, ‘Alec Eiffel’, and ‘Letter to Memphis’ featuring lyrics on UFOs, conspiracy theories, and more to prove Black Francis and co were still restless to push their sound forward.
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Both albums are described by critics as sounding just as fresh and relevant today in 2023 as they did when they were released over 30 years ago.
Bossanova (1990) and Trompe Le Monde (1991) by Pixies / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Pixies’ celebration of these two iconic albums will see them perform across major European cites such as London, Dublin, Paris, and Amsterdam, as well as Manchester for three nights.
Pixies – Bossanova x Trompe Le Monde Tour 2024
8, 9 & 10 March – Olympia Theatre Dublin
12, 13 & 14 March – Albert Hall Manchester
16, 17 & 18 March – O2 Forum Kentish Town (London)
20, 21 & 22 March – Paradiso Amsterdam
25, 26 & 27 March – L’Olympia Theatre Paris
Tickets to the Bossanova x Trompe Le Monde Tour 2024 are officially set to go on general sale this Friday 9 June from 9am.
Legendary pop duo Erasure announces huge Manchester arena gig on 2027 UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Legendary pop duo Erasure have announced a UK arena tour next spring, and they’re set to stop off in Manchester.
Andy Bell and Vince Clarke – better known by their duo name, Erasure – have announced details of their long-awaited upcoming 20th studio album today, titled Radio!! Radio!!, alongside details of an arena tour in spring 2027 across the UK and Europe.
Described as a ‘deeply personal’ project, the BRIT and Ivor Novello award-winning duo’s first new studio album in six years sees Bell and Clarke continue to refine and deepen the pop catalogue they’ve been building over the past 40 years.
The album will be comprised of a set of songs about love, loss, and injustice that they hope speaks to our ’empathy-starved times’.
Erasure will take to the road in 2027 for an arena tour that kicks off at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on 25 April before travelling throughout the UK, including a stop in Manchester at the AO Arena on 1 May, before finishing off in London and heading over to Europe, with more dates to follow.
Vince Clarke will be Musical Director for the tour, but will not be appearing onstage alongside Andy Bell, it has been revealed.
Bell says: “I’m so pleased that we were able to find a way for the tour to work for Vince. He’s always too modest but he’s so much more than the Musical Director, Vince is one of the great loves of my life and everything we do as Erasure we decide together.”
Erasure will be performing at the AO Arena in Manchester on 1 May 2027, and tickets go on presale this Thursday 1 October at 10am, before general sale begins a day later (2 October) also at 10am.
Strictly Come Dancing Live to return to Manchester as part of 2027 UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Strictly Come Dancing Live is set to return in 2027 for a spectacular new UK arena tour.
Hot on the heels of last weekend’s dazzling launch show for the 2026 BBC series, audiences are invited to get their dancing shoes on and their ’10’ paddles at the ready, as a new lineup of celebrities and professionals will be taking to the dancefloor for 29 shows across the country – including three shows in Manchester.
Head judge Shirley Ballas will be hitting the road, alongside fellow judges Anton Du Beke and Craig Revel Horwood, with Janette Manrara also presenting.
Directed by Craig Revel Horwood himself, Strictly Come Dancing Live takes the magic of the BBC TV show and turns it up to another level.
Expect jaw-dropping group dances, breathtaking routines, stunning costumes, and live music from the legendary Strictly band and singers, all brought together in a first-class arena production.
As always with the Strictly Live Tour, there is one very important decision to be made at every show – which couple will lift the Glitterball Trophy?
And that decision is not in the hands of the judges. The judges are there to critique and provide their invaluable opinions on each dance routine, but they do not hold the power, as this lies with the audience instead, who can vote using their mobile phones to decide who is the winner.
Strictly Come Dancing Live is returning to Manchester as part of its 2027 UK tour / Credit: Supplied
The tour kicks off at Birmingham’s Utilita Arena on 22 January for the first of five shows, and will then cha-cha-cha its way across the UK, visiting other major northern cities like Sheffield, Newcastle, Liverpool, and Leeds, before arriving in Manchester at the start of February.
Strictly Come Dancing Live will take to the AO Arena stage on Saturday 6 and Sunday 7 February 2027, with two shows happening on the Saturday.
Tickets officially go on sale this week, with venue pre-sales beginning at 10am on Thursday 24 September, before general sale starts on Friday (25 September), also at 10am.
Emily Sergeant -
7th June 2023 
