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Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl – line-up and everything you need to know about Manchester’s open-air gig series

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 5th July 2022

Sounds of the City is set to return this month, bringing some of the world’s biggest bands to Manchester.

Over the course of nine very special evenings, bands including James, Pixies and Foals will all take to the outdoor stage.

This year’s headliners also include Sam Fender, Lewis Capaldi, and the return of the ever-popular Hacienda Classical.

Since launching in 2013, Sounds of the City has hosted the likes of Kylie, Arcade Fire, Elbow, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, Catfish And The Bottlemen and Courteeners.

Read more: Alanis Morissette pulls out of massive Manchester gig due to illness

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As with most music events, Sounds of the City had its 2020 and 2021 summer seasons disrupted, but returned with a handful of gigs last September.

Now it’s back in full force and ready to kick off in a matter of days.

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Here’s what you need to know.

Who’s headlining Sounds of the City on which date?

Foals will be among the headliners for Sounds of the City.
  • Tuesday 28 June – Lewis Capaldi plus special guest Jp Saxe & Emie Nathan
  • Wednesday 29 June – Foals plus special guests Wet Leg & The Regrettes – Sold Out
  • Thursday 30 June – Crowded House plus special guest
  • Friday 1 July – The Libertines – Up The Bracket performed in full plus other classics plus special guests Sports Team
  • Saturday 2 July – James plus special guest – Sold Out
  • Tuesday 5 July – Pixies plus special guests The Slow Readers Club & Klangstof
  • Wednesday 6 July – Sam Fender plus special guest – Sold Out
  • Friday 8 July – Hacienda Classical with special guests Soul II Soul, Peter Hook, DJ Paulette & Tom Wainwright
  • Saturday 9 July – Primal Scream Presents Screamadelica plus special guests The Mysterines, Lonelady & Walt Disco – Sold Out

How do I buy tickets?

Sam Fender.

There are still tickets left for a few of the Sounds of the City gigs, as well as tickets cropping up on resale sites (as always, make sure you’re using a verified fan-to-fan service so you don’t get ripped off).

You can expect to pay between £40 and £50 for most of the events – Lewis Capaldi tickets are £44.25, The Libertines tickets are going for £47.40, and The Pixies for £50.50, for example.

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You can browse the events and see the latest ticket availability through Ticketmaster.

What are the stage and venue times?

Doors to the venue are expected to open at 5.30pm for most of the concerts.

There’ll be a strict 10.30pm curfew.

Each artist is likely to announce their individual stage times on social media in the coming days, but you can probably expect headliners to take to the stage between 8.30pm and 9pm most nights.

What’s the seating chart for the venue?

Castlefield Bowl is an amphitheatre-style outdoor venue in the city centre.

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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.

How do I get to Castlefield Bowl?

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.

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Audio

Influential indie veterans The Wedding Present to embark on 40th anniversary tour

Danny Jones Danny Jones Wedding Present Manchester gig date tickets

Influential indie band The Wedding Present are about to begin a big live tour across the UK for their 40th anniversary, and one stop is right here in Manchester.

As boundary-pushing veterans of the genre for the best part of four decades, The Wedding Present have always been one of the most pioneering auteurs of the Northern music scene, and nothing has changed even after all this time.

The Leeds-formed icons are a favourite not only of ours but even more so among our friends over at The Hoot, and with an artistic legacy as strong as Yorkshire’s, that’s saying something.

David Lewis Gedge’s long-standing project rather quietly announced its major retrospective series of live shows back in June – so quiet, in fact, that we missed it until now – but as they gear up for a handful of very special dates, we’d urge Manc gig-goers to give themselves a Wedding Present.

Gedge and co. will be coming to the O2 Ritz in Manchester for just the second show of merely half a dozen confirmed for The Wedding Present 40th Anniversary Tour, having played the venue many times.

In fact, even after visits featuring live configurations over the years, the current lineup played the Ritz as recently as May 2023; the show was met with strong reviews pretty much across the board, and it seemed to signal somewhat of a falling back in love with the crowds of the North.

For anyone unaware of the self-styled ‘semi-legendary band’ (their PR’s words, not ours), The Wedding Present are probably in similar territory to fellow underdogs and Manc natives, James, when it comes to the amount of music they’ve put out over the years, inspiring generations of those who came after.

You might assume we’d name one of their most famous tracks, ‘George Best’, as our favourite, for rather obvious reasons – but you’d be wrong: it doesn’t get much better than ‘Dreamworld’, if you ask us.

Their rich back catalogue encompasses not only so many different eras but also sounds, styles and various other eccentricities; so much so that their multi-genre-spanning music has even produced its own musical.

But before we dive any deeper down into the rabbit hole, let’s get back on track.

Set to play Manchester on Friday, 10 October, The Wedding Present will be kicking off the tour in Bristol at the start of next month.

There are other dates in the likes of Sheffield, Liverpool, Chester, Holmfirth, Buxton, Newcastle and more, but only a few are officially part of the anniversary tour.

Tickets are live as we speak, so if you fancy going along to see them, you can grab yours HERE.

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

Featured Images — Karl Kathuria (supplied)

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Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live Manchester – tickets, setlist, support and more

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Lewis Capaldi is performing two nights at Co-op Live in Manchester

Lewis Capaldi will be hitting the stage in Manchester this week for two huge sold-out gigs at the Co-op Live arena.

The Scottish singer-songwriter is currently on a sold-out 17-date UK arena tour after a two-year hiatus for his physical and mental health.

The much-loved performer took the decision to step out the limelight after his Glastonbury 2023 performance, where he struggled with his vocals, anxiety, and Tourette’s syndrome as the set went on – with the huge crowd stepping in to sing for him.

Lewis then made a triumphant return earlier this year with a surprise set at Glastonbury, proving he is once again back on top form.

He then released a new single, Survive, which stormed to the top of the UK singles chart, and an arena tour to go with it, adding a second Manchester date due to phenomenal demand.

His single Someone You Loved remains the most-streamed song in the UK, even seven years after its release. Us Brits love him.

Lewis Capaldi will be performing at Co-op Live on both Saturday and Sunday night this week, and we’ve rounded up all your essential info below.

And if you miss him this time, he’s just announced an outdoor summer show at Wythenshawe Park next year, tickets for which go on sale HERE on Friday 19 September.

Tickets for Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live

Lewis Capaldi. Credit: Alexandra Gavillet

Did we mention that people really love Lewis Capaldi? So yeah, the show is fully sold out on both Ticketmaster and See Tickets.

However, you can still get through the doors by booking a VIP or hospitality package with Seat Unique, which are on sale HERE.

Your best bet at getting your hands on a pair of general admission tickets now will be to keep an eye out for resale tickets, but make sure you’re using a reputable resale site.

Face value ticket prices ranged from £32.10 up to £113.25 for seats, with standing tickets also coming in at £113.25 with fees.

Support acts

Lewis Capaldi has lined up a pair of excellent supports for his tour, including his Co-op Live shows in Manchester.

His main support act will be Skye Newman, a rising star singer-songwriter from South East London, who you probably know from her hit debut single Hairdresser and its top-five follow-up single, Family Matters.

Also warming up the crowds will be Aaron Rowe, an Irish musician with a hell of a voice who’s inspired by American soul legends as well as British bands like The Stone Roses and Oasis.

What are the stage times for Lewis Capaldi at Co-op Live?

Exact stage times haven’t been announced yet but we do know that general admission doors open at 6.30pm, and the show is set to start at 7.30pm.

That should mean Aaron Rowe will be on first, followed by Skye Newman around 8.15pm, and Lewis likely to start his show around 9pm.

If any official stage times get announced, we’ll update this article.

Lewis Capaldi setlist

The below is the setlist Lewis has been using for most of his shows so far.

  • Survive
  • Grace
  • Heavenly Kind of State of Mind
  • Forever
  • Wish You the Best
  • Love the Hell Out of You
  • Almost
  • Bruises
  • Pointless
  • Something in the Heavens
  • Leave Me Slowly
  • Forget Me
  • The Pretender
  • The Day That I Die
  • Before You Go

Encore

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  • How I’m Feeling Now
  • Hold Me While You Wait
  • Someone You Loved

How to get to Co-op Live

Tram

For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.

Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.

Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre until 01:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bus

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You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.

Getting there by car and parking

If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue,e but this must be pre-booked ahead of time and there are designated drop-off areas.

The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.

Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day – though estimates will vary, obviously:

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  • Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
  • Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
  • Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.

There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:

  • Ashton Moss (Ashton line) – 183 spaces and 12 disabled spaces
  • Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
  • Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces

Walk/cycle

Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.

Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes via the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.

For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.

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Featured image: Publicity picture

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