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The Blues Kitchen reveals Concert Hall gig lineups for summer

The venue's Concert Hall will open for a series of seated experiences in May - before a star-studded lineup of live shows commence in summer.

The Manc The Manc - 1st April 2021

Upcoming BBQ, bourbon and blues music venue The Blues Kitchen has officially announced a star-studded lineup of music acts set to perform at the venue’s Concert Hall this summer.

One of Manchester’s most highly-anticipated new openings in 2021, The Blues Kitchen is set to welcome its first customers from May 20 – moving into a beautiful two-storey building on Quay Street.

Huge portions of BBQ-style food will be served at its restaurant on the ground floor – with blues, soul and jazz musicians taking to the stage seven nights a week.

The 500-capacity first-floor Concert Hall will play host to a diverse range of artists – initially opening for seated entertainment before further restrictions are lifted on June 21.

A medley of transatlantic legends and homegrown talent has been booked for the summer bill – with The Blues Kitchen’s live music programme set to “bring a flavour of the deep south” to the city with jazz, hip hop, blues, disco, house, folk, RnB music.

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Roy Ayers, Crazy P Soundsystem, DJ Yoda, Evelyn Champagne King, Riot Jazz and Norman Jay have all confirmed sets, along with Slum Village, Omar, Billy Cobham and Jarrod Lawson.

When restrictions permit, live shows will be be programmed Sunday through to Thursday – with DJ-led club nights until late every Friday and Saturday. 

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The Blues Kitchen is set to move into Quay Street

The Blues Kitchen will specialise in “flavours of the deep south”

The Blues Kitchen will also have a bespoke ‘Danley Sound Labs’ sound installation to deliver superb audio quality for the events programme – backed by lead designer Tom Danley (who spent time working for NASA).

The specialist equipment has been deployed at globally-renowned festivals including Glastonbury’s Temple Stage, We Out Here, and Outlook & Dimensions Festivals. 

Sam Smith, Venue Programmer for The Blues Kitchen Manchester, said: “Manchester’s music scene is what always has and continues to put the city on the map.

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“Curating the summer line-up for the Concert Hall has been a really exciting opportunity to put a really diverse range of artists up on our stage – from local to global, across a variety of genres, there’s definitely something for everyone.

“Our state-of-the-art sound system also means each gig is going to make for an incredible experience!” 

Tickets for all shows will go on sale at 12pm on April 7 to those exclusively signed up to The Blues Kitchen Manchester (you can register here). 

To keep up with the latest news follow The Blues Kitchen on Instagram @blueskitchenmcr.

What's On

Tate McRae at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for ‘Miss Possessive’ tour

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Canadian performer Tate McRae is bringing her viral bangers to Co-op Live, Manchester for a night of sass, synths and of course dance breaks.

The time has come to let all your ‘exes’ know, put your ‘Sports car’ in drive and get ready to ‘run for the hills’ because it’s finally time for Tate McRae to take to the Co-op Live stage in Manchester.

McRae initially started out playing original songs on her piano and posting them on YouTube, like fan favourite ‘One Day’, before blowing up online thanks to her breakout single ‘You Broke Me First’.

Now the Calgary-born talent, four albums deep and only 21 years old, is ready to perform to 23,500 Manchester fans at our city’s largest indoor entertainment venue.

Tate McRae gig guide

Tate McRae is visiting Manchester twice, 23 May and 25 June, playing Co-op Live.
Tate McRae is visiting Manchester twice, 24 May and 25 June, playing Co-op Live.

Tate McRae UK tour dates

  • Mon 19 May – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
  • Tue 20 May – London, UK – The O2 Arena
  • Fri 23 May – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
  • Sat 24 May – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live
  • Sun 22 June – Nottingham, UK – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
  • Tue 24 June – London, UK – The O2 Arena
  • Thu 25 June – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live

Tate McRae tickets for Co-op Live gig

‘What would you do?’ if I told you that there were tickets left for Tate McRae’s Co-op Live shows in Manchester, because there just might be.

Any fans of this Canadian pop star will have to act fast because there are only a select number of precious tickets left for both of her Manchester dates.

Tickets for both Tate McRae’s shows on Saturday, 24 May and Thursday, 25 June, are selling fast and are in high demand.

You can grab the few that are left HERE.

Tate McRae setlist

  • Miss possessive
  • No I’m not in love
  • 2 hands
  • guilty conscience
  • Purple lace bra
  • Like I do
  • uh oh
  • Dear god
  • Siren sounds
  • Greenlight
  • Nostalgia
  • that way / chaotic / One Day
  • you broke me first
  • run for the hills
  • exes
  • bloodsonmyhands
  • she’s all i wanna be
  • Revolving door
  • It’s ok I’m ok
  • Sports car
  • greedy

What are the stage times for Tate McRae in Manchester?

Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm meaning the Canadian performer might have her set wrapped up before the clock hits ’10:35′.

Anyone attending can expect the doors to open at 6:30pm with a kick-off time of 8pm and support from New Zealand star BENEE, best known for soundtracking lockdown with her huge hit, ‘Supalonely’, collaborating with the likes of Gus Dapperton, Spacey Jane and more.

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 and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bus

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, 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 obviously vary:

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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 through the Beryl, 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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Expect nothing but hits from 21 year old superstar Tate McRae when she performs at Co-op Live, Manchester.
Expect nothing but hits from 21 year old superstar Tate McRae when she performs at Co-op Live, Manchester.

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Featured Images — Press Shots

What's On

Swinton’s FREE festival full of live music, food, and ‘family fun’ returns later this month

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

A popular festival full of pop-up live music, performance, food, drink, and family fun is back in Swinton later this month.

Returning to the Salford town for the third year running at some of Swinton’s favourite venues and well-known locations, Swinton Sounds – which is a collaboration between Salford City Council and From The Other – is all about celebrating the local area and its vibrant community.

Throughout the weekend, local venues will welcome a lineup of Greater Manchester’s best musicians and DJs in a programme curated by the team behind the Sounds from the Other City festival.

Local venues including Swinton Grand Palais, The Swinton Hop House, and The Wobbly Stool, as well as Swinton Square, and the beautiful Victoria Park, are just some of the places residents can head to around town to catch all the action.

Swinton Sounds is back later this month / Credit: Salford City Council

Kicking off on Friday 30 May and running through to Sunday 1 June, Swinton Sounds will launch at the historic Grand Palais with a dancefloor-filling set from Untold Orchestra, with unique takes on dance songs from all the best decades, so expect disco, funk, soul, and lots of shuffle-inducing surprises.

Some of the other stand-out musical performances across the weekend come from the likes of Soul artist Yemi Bolatiwa, Ghana-born, Manchester-raised contemporary guitarist and composer Rory A. Green, and R&B, Gospel, and Neo Soul fusing singer-songwriter Kiké.

Away from the music, festivalgoers will also be able to catch a visually-striking performance piece from the UK’s leading makers and creators of outdoor arts, theatre, and spectacle in the public realm, Walk the Plank – inspired by the nesting birds found around the waterways of Salford.

Throughout the weekend, local venues will welcome a lineup of Greater Manchester’s best musicians / Credit: Supplied

Craft-based family fun will also be provided by Manchester’s Little Artists, while Swinton’s-own Arts Let Loose will be inviting kids to dance and create to music under UV lights.

Clay and craft workshops for the all the family will come courtesy of Clay Life, and Salford Mad Pride will be in town to promote creativity, arts, nature, and community connection for wellbeing, all while celebrating the unique talents of those who struggle with mental health.

If you’re feeling a bit peckish, Fratellis will be providing the pizza, and local bars, The Wobbly Stool and The Swinton Hop House will be running pop-up bars. 

Further refreshments will be served from The Hive community hub.

There’ll also be lots of food and family-friendly entertainment over the three days / Credit: Supplied

“Swinton has plenty to celebrate, and has the potential to be one of the best places to live in Greater Manchester,” commented Councillor Jack Youd, who is the Deputy City Mayor at Salford City Council.

“Local people have told us they want to see a more vibrant Swinton, with more going on and more reasons for people to visit and spend their leisure time in the area, so this exciting weekend of activities is part of a programme of events developed in response to that community ambition, and it’s a great opportunity for people to explore the town and experience something new.”

Read more:

Swinton Sounds will take over Swinton for three days at the end of this month from Friday 30 May – Sunday 1 June, and all events are free to take part in.

Find out more here.

Featured Image – Supplied

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