The 1975 are back in Manchester once again this weekend with two massive dates at the AO Arena and, if Matty Healy and the name of the tour are to be believed, they are ‘still at their verrrrrry best’.
The pop, indie and alternative chart-toppers are currently on their biggest world tour ever and finally touched back down in the UK this month, having already played the likes of Glasgow and London, with their Manc gigs up next.
They might be from just outside of Greater Manchester but they came up through our legendary live music scene and have always considered this their de-facto town of origin, with legions of local fans more than happy to welcome that label.
With that in mind, their pair of homecoming performances are absolutely going to go off and if you’re lucky enough to be going, we’ve got the info you need. Here’s everything you need to know about The 1975‘s return to Manchester.
If you were wondering if there are tickets left for The 1975’s Manchester gigs whatsoever, we were fully ready to say, ‘fat chance this time, mate’. However, it turns out there are still tickets left for 17 and 18 February at the AO Arena.
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They sold out faster than you can say ‘smells like Chocolate’ last time the Wilmslow lads visited back in January 2023 but, presumably since there’s now less of a gap since their previous show and they put on a double bill of shows last year too, it’s meant that the scramble for tickets hasn’t been quite as hectic.
They’ve added an extra Manc date due to demand this time too, which should make sure as many people as possible stand a chance of grabbing a ticket; if you still fancy springing for one, standing has sadly gone but seated spots are still available for both Saturday and Sunday from £47.05 upwards HERE.
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Their previous show at The O2 in London — Credit: Tahiya Brewin (supplied)
Support acts
Better still, you’ve got an unreal support act in store as well, with fellow Dirty Hit label-mates The Japanese House also joining them on this tour and set to get things warmed up at the AO Arena.
The stage name of fellow indie pop talent Amber Bain who recently released her second album and is only getting more popular year after year, the singer-songwriter and her band played a sold-out show at New Century Hall in October last year and is set to return for another solo show this May.
But before then, they’re set to play their biggest Manchester crowd to date and we’re sure we’ll see Matty hopping on stage to help sing cult favourite single ‘Sunshine Baby’ before their headline slot.
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Stage times for The 1975’s Manchester show
Doors to The 1975 gig at AO Arena will be open from 6pm and The Japanese House aren’t expected to start playing until 7:30pm, giving you day-ones and die-hard fans plenty of time to get as close to the barrier as you can manage.
Playing a roughly half-hour set, you’ll get a decent interval to empty your bladders and re-stock drinks before the party gets in full swing at 8:30pm. It’s a long old set with more than 25 tracks due to be wheeled out, so best to be prepared.
Speaking of which, we’ve got you covered on that front as well, don’t worry.
Setlist
While the last tour obviously leant heavily towards playing tracks from their most recent release, Being Funny in a Foreign Language, this current show has allowed them to dip back into other beloved tracks from previous albums, especially after seeing what surprises worked on the night in 2023.
Here’s the average setlist for the ‘Still… At Their Very Best’ tour, according to Setlist.fm…
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Credit: The 1975 (via IG)
The 1975 (BFIAFL)
Looking for Somebody (to Love)
Happiness
Part of the Band
Sincerity Is Scary
Oh Caroline
I’m in Love With You
A Change of Heart
An Encounter
Robbers
fallingforyou
About You
Consumption
Be My Mistake
If You’re Too Shy (Let Me Know)
Jesus Christ 2005 God Bless America
TOOTIMETOOTIMETOOTIME
Heart Out
It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)
The Sound
I Always Wanna Die (Sometimes)
Somebody Else
Love It If We Made It
Sex
Give Yourself a Try
People
All that being said, these lot always like to chuck in a few surprises depending on what city they’re in, so don’t be shocked if they mix things up a little bit for us Mancunians.
Travel and parking for AO Arena
If you’re driving in for the show, there’s a large multi-storey car park based right next to the AO Arena, with access through the car park to the main entrance of the venue.
Trinity Way will be closed southbound between Great Ducie Street and Cheetham Hill Road for up to an hour as guests leave following larger shows like this, but if you’re parking at the Arena itself you’ll still be allowed to exit during this time — just turn right and follow the diversions.
As for getting there via public transport, your nearest stop is Manchester Victoria, with trains and trams going directly into the station where you can then walk directly up the steps and straight into the attached Arena entrance, with plenty of bus stops and taxi bays right outside too.
We never quite know what to expect from Healy and co. when it comes to live shows, but you can expect high production value, the same gorgeous set they’ve been rocking for well over a year now; most likely a new hairstyle or look from the charismatic frontman, not to mention plenty of banter and on-stage antics.
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This particular music fan won’t pretend to be anything less than a massive 1975 fan, so if you’re wondering what The Manc Audio has made of their live performances in the past, you can read our review from their Manchester show last Jan HERE.
If not, you can always watch us dancing to every track like a bunch of prats down below, instead:
Featured Images — Tahiya Brewin (Supplied)/The 1975 (via IG)
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Olly Murs at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more
Thomas Melia
The ‘Troublemaker’ himself, Olly Murs, is ready to cause some more chaos and this time he’s returning for his second night in Manchester with boyband Blue.
X Factor and British star Olly Murs is embarking on his latest UK arena tour, which does feel a little bit ‘likely lads’ on tour-esque with a helping hand from UK boyband, Blue.
Back in the late noughties, it was hard to escape the blazer-wearing, top-hatted, popstar as he was dropping back-to-back bangers like ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ and doo-wop inspired ‘Dance With Me Tonight’.
Now, this cheeky-chappy is embarking on the ‘15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025‘ tour, where he’ll be belting out all those classics as well as some more recent tunes too. Here’s how he sounded last week:
There are just a few tickets left for Olly Murs at AO Arena, so make sure you bag yours before your ‘Heart Skips a Beat’ HERE.
Olly Murs 15 Years Of Hits setlist
Olly Murs is coming to AO Arena in Manchester this week.Credit: Marcos Moreno via Wikimedia Commons
This Essex chap might have a solid setlist which he follows night in and night out, but he’s no stranger to being a bit ‘Unpredictable’. I mean, he is bringing a flamethrower on stage with him…
After being on our screens and airwaves for almost two decades, it’s no surprise that this setlist is lengthy, totalling at just over 20 songs – give or take the 80s medley weaved into the mix.
Who doesn’t love a bit of ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ paired alongside Murs’ stacked setlist?
Troublemaker
Right Place Right Time
Please Don’t Let Me Go
Thinking of Me
Oh My Goodness
Heart Skips a Beat
Kiss Me
Army of Two
Hand on Heart
Up
Die of a Broken Heart / I Found Her / Dancing on Cars / I Hate You When You’re Drunk (Marry Me Medley)
Seasons
You Don’t Know Love
I’m Your Man / Never Gonna Give You Up / Livin’ On a Prayer / Beat It / Careless Whisper / I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles) / I’m So Excited (80s Medley)
What are the stage times for Olly Murs in Manchester?
AO Arena has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning concertgoers can be ‘Wrapped Up’ in the Essex popstar’s hits without having to worry about getting home too late. It’s a school night after all!
Doors for Olly Murs’ 15 Years Of Hits – Live 2025 are scheduled for 6:30pm with a start time of 7:30pm and support from 2000s UK boyband, Blue.
The BRIT-winning, Eurovision-performing, chart-toppers are back together once again and about to take us back to pop school as we quickly re-learn the words to boyband textbook classics ‘All Rise’, Best in Me’ and more.
How to get to AO Arena
Olly Murs sporting his usual blazer and top-hat style back in 2013.Credit: InfoGibraltar (via Flickr)
Tram
For those of you heading to AO Arena, luckily, it’s connected to Manchester Victoria Station, and it has an integrated Metrolink stop to make your life even easier.
Head along the pink, light blue or yellow lines directly to the Victoria stop, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Train
Considering this live entertainment venue is situated right in the middle of one of Manchester’s most frequented stations, concertgoers should find no problem getting to the arena, wherever they are.
Bus
A variety of buses cover AO Arena and Victoria Station on their route, such as the 2 bus, which stops just a one-minute walk away from the venue.
A full list of buses and their routes can be found HERE.
Getting there by car and parking
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
Alternatively, anyone attending a gig can park at their nearest train station and jump on a train service or the various Metrolink park and ride facilities.
Walk/cycle
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through 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.
Featured Images — Audio North/Press shot (supplied)
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Lorde to play massive Manchester gig later this year as part of world tour
Emily Sergeant
Lorde has announced she’s heading out on a massive world tour later this year, and of course she’s stopping off in Manchester.
The New Zealand-born singer-songwriter undeniably burst onto the music scene at the tender age of 16 with her runaway number one hit ‘Royals’ all the way back in 2013, and has been successfully cementing herself as a household name ever since.
Following her debut single, she has gone on to break several records with the releases of her first three studio albums.
She has also scooped up a handful of GRAMMYs and BRIT awards along the way.
Lorde is set to play a massive Manchester gig at the AO Arena later this year / Credit: Supplied
The 28-year-old – who is known and loved for her unconventional style of pop music and introspective songwriting – has recently delighted fans by confirming that she’ll be releasing her fourth studio album, titled Virgin, towards the end of next month, and not long after that highly-anticipated release is when you’ll be able to catch her taking to one of Manchester‘s biggest stages.
Fans of the critically-acclaimed pop star will be able to grab tickets to see Lorde when she performs at Manchester’s AO Arena on Saturday 15 November 2025 as part of the Ultrasound Tour.
Other major UK cities she’ll be stopping off at include London, Birmingham, and Glasgow – making this a somewhat exclusive ticket to get your hands on.
Tickets are set to go on general sale next week, following several pre-sales in the days leading up to it.
Support for Lorde’s Manchester gig is to come from equally-revered singer-songwriter and record producer, Dev Hynes – better known by his stage name, Blood Orange – who is believed to have lent several co-production credits to Lorde’s upcoming fourth studio album.
Fellow producer Jim-E Stack will also provide support in Manchester.
Lorde will be taking to the AO Arena stage here in Manchester on Saturday 15 November, and tickets officially go on general sale next Friday 16 May at 10am.
General sale follows two pre-sales – a Three+ Presale on Wednesday 14 May, followed by an AO Arena-specific Presale on Thursday 15 May, both going on sale again at 10am.
Find out more and get tickets when they go on sale here.
Danny Jones -
13th February 2024 
