Electronic giants The Chemical Brothers make their long-awaited return to Manchester — their musical and spiritual home — this weekend, where they are set to play a massive gig at the AO Arena.
Forming amidst their days at the University of Manchester back in 1989, DJing duo Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons made their way up through the underground music scene of 0161, picking up records at the likes of Eastern Bloc in NQ and went on to become one of the biggest names on the planet.
Considered absolute titans of the dance and big beat genre, you’d struggle to find anyone who doesn’t know The Chemical Brothers and at least half a dozen of their classic tunes whether they realise it’s one of theirs or not.
Boasting a huge influence and nothing short of legendary status, their Manc homecoming has remained one of the biggest dates on the city’s music calendar and since thousands of locals will be going along to their AO Arena gig, we thought we’d provide you with everything you need to know as per.
If you’re looking to be part of what will undoubtedly be one of the biggest and best nights of live music in Manchester this year, let alone this month, then you’ll be pleased to know that there are still some tickets left to see The Chemical Brothers on Friday.
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With the cheapest tickets available from £38.80 for seated including venue fees and service charges, as well as the last few standing spots from £57.50, you pretty much have you pick of the bunch when it comes to where you want to be in the Arena.
You can grab your Manchester Chemical Brothers tickets HERE.
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Credit: The Chemical Brothers via Instagram
Support act
The Chemical Brothers have such a massive discography and legendary status that they don’t really need a support act to get people warmed up for their high-energy sets, but it’s always nice to throw someone into the mix as a bonus.
So, with that in mind, the electronic icons have brought along indsutry fellow veteran James Holroyd, a.k.a. ‘Boggy’, along with them on this UK tour as they have on many down the years, safe in the knowledge that he’s another DJ whose career was forged here in Manchester.
With an influence reputation almost as storied as their own, Holroyd — one of the original residents at the long-standing ‘Bugged Out’ club nights which have often been hosted at The Warehouse Project — will getting the party started in 0161 as he’s done many times before.
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Boggy playing Escape to Freight Island in 2022Credit: Skiddle/Escape to Freight Island
The Chemical Brothers’ Manchester stage times
Doors to the AO Arena open at 6pm and you can expect standalone support act James Holroyd to take stage around 7:15pm and play a fairly lengthy set.
Like at most venues, the headline act at the Arena is expected to start playing around 9pm, so you’ve got plenty of time to stock up on food and drink, grab some merch or nip to the toilet before the main event.
As always, the curfew is around 11pm, so you can expect a long old night of lights, dancing and nostalgia. As for what happens after, who knows? These guys are absolute local heroes around here when it comes to the Manc music so don’t be surprised if you hear of an after-party — just make sure you let us know!
Setlist
Now, it goes without saying that The Chemical Brothers full collection of songs is absolutely massive, with 10 studio albums to their name following the release of their latest record, For That Beautiful Feeling, their first in four years.
With that in mind, Tom and Ed could very easily decide to play absolutely everything or switch up their running order with a few more tracks from the new album but, according Setlist.fm and their most recent gigs, here’s what you can expect to hear on the night:
Everyone we know that has ever had the good fortune of seeing The Chemical Brothers live can vouch for how good a live show they put on and we expect Friday, 27 October to be no different.
We also had the immense pleasure of chatting to one half of the group earlier this year, discussing everything from how they got their start, the reaction to the new album and some of their favourite Manc music venues and memories.
You can read our full interview with Ed Simons down below:
We had the honour of chatting with @eddychemical, a.k.a. one-half of @ChemBros, about the new album, their upcoming arena tour and all things Manchester. 🧪🎶
Phoebe Bridgers announces long-awaited return with HUGE phones-free arena gig in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
It’s official, Phoebe Bridgers is back on earth.
More than six years since her last studio album, Punisher, was released to the world, cementing her status as one of indie folk’s leading figureheads, Phoebe Bridgers has given fans the news they have been waiting so patiently for.
A new tour North America and EU tour is on the horizon, and she’ll be stopping off here in Manchesterlater this year for a huge arena gig.
Following a sold-out acoustic show at New York City’s Madison Square Garden last night (4 June), Phoebe has now revealed details of ‘The Lost Tour’ for 2026.
Other than the series of surprise pop-up acoustic shows that have wrapped around the country over the last few weeks – beginning in Roswell in New Mexico on 8 May, and continuing on to smaller venues in other US cities before culminating in last night’s dazzling MSG show – this upcoming full band tour marks the first Phoebe Bridgers shows since early 2023.
Phoebe will be taking to the stage at Co-op Live here in Manchester for one night only on 26 November 2026 – with tickets going on sale next week.
And just like the pop-up shows, the use of mobile phones, cameras, and other recording devices will be strictly prohibited on this tour, encouraging fans to be more present in the moment.
This means the Co-op Live event will utilise secure pouches to store all devices during the performance.
Phoebe Bridgers is playing a huge arena gig in Manchester on her UK tour later this year / Credit: Supplied | Raph PH (Wikimedia Commons)
Upon arrival, all phones, smartwatches, and related accessories will be secured in these pouches, the pouches will be unlocked at the conclusion of the show, and any guest observed using a non-permitted device during the performance will be escorted out of the venue.
If the news of Phoebe’s return wasn’t exciting enough for fans as it is, she won’t be the only one making a highly-anticipated return to the stage, as support on the UK & EU leg of the tour is to be provided by former Black Country, New Road frontman, Isaac Wood.
Wood stepped away from the ensemble band – and the limelight as a whole – right before the release of BCNR’s critically acclaimed second studio album, Ants From Up There, in 2022, citing mental health reasons.
Phoebe has also partnered with PLUS1 so that €1/£1 from every ticket sold on the European tour leg goes to local organisations throughout the EU/UK working to support those impacted by sexual assault and violence.
Phoebe Bridgers will be playing Co-op Live as part of ‘The Lost Tour’ on Thursday 26 November 2026.
Tickets officially go on sale first through the Phoebe Bridgers Pass Presale via Fan3, and Co-op Member Presale starting at 10am on Wednesday 10 June, before general sale then begins on Friday 12 June, again at 10am.
UB40 at AO Arena, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for UK tour
Thomas Melia
British-based reggae band UB40 are coming to Manchester for a celebration of all their greatest hits live at AO Arena.
Formed in Birmingham in the late 70’s, this predominantly dub and reggae band has gone on to achieve much success, including 50 UK charting singles.
UB40 have also sold over 100 million records, as well as keeping a consistent line-up for almost 30 years, before lead vocalist Ali Campbell decided to leave the band.
Now, the band’s lead vocalist is former Kioko lead singer Matt Doyle, who’s taken on this role since mid-2021 and is ready to soundtrack your night while you enjoy some ‘Red Red Wine’.
There’s no official setlist confirmed for their latest tour, however, this 11-piece band have played an array of European dates with a pretty consistent roster of tracks:
Here I Am (Come and Take Me)
Maybe Tomorrow
Homely Girl
Sing Our Own Song
One in Ten
Home
Please Don’t Make Me Cry
Many Rivers to Cross
Higher Ground
The Way You Do the Things You Do
I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight
Cherry Oh Baby
Johnny Too Bad
Red Red Wine
Food For Thought
Forever True
Kingston Town
Can’t Help Falling in Love
What are the stage times for UB40 in Manchester?
Anyone up for seeing UB40 play out at Manchester’s impressive 19,000-seater AO Arena will have to get there a tad early.
Doors will open at 6pm with a gig start time of 6:45pm due to the special guests who will be taking to the stage before them.
Make sure you get down early, as you really won’t want to miss the phenomenal duo Aswad, as well as standout vocalist Maxi Priest – It really is a reggae revolution.
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 andVictoria 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.
The Arena has its own official CitiPark, with 958 car parking spaces, including 40 Blue Badge parking bays, which can be booked in advance.
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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.
Danny Jones -
26th October 2023 
