The brand-new Union co-living apartment complex is kicking off its grand opening with a VIP launch party right here in the city centre, featuring some massive Manchester artists including Everything Everything, Murkage Dave, IAMDDB and more— and you can win tickets to be there.
With local Manc band Everything Everything set to headline the exclusive party at the end of February when Union fully opens on the eve of their new album, there are plenty of eyes on the new residential building ahead of it being fully unveiled to the public.
Its construction won’t have slipped under anyone’s radar either: work on the 32-story tower at St John’s began in 2022 and is now nearing completion, already having made headlines for offering people residing in the region a new alternative to traditional renting or house shares.
And now they’re in the news again as they have confirmed that they will be kicking off their new co-living community here in Manchester with a VIP launch party with some of our most exciting musical artists. There’ll even be food from Picos Tacos, Eat New York and Great North Pie Co., as well as drinks from Manchester Union Lager — we see what you did there.
Everything EverythingIAMDDBMurkage DaveThe headliners for the launch of Union MCR’s co-living complex. (Credit: Supplied/Jordan Curtis Hughes/Romany Francesca)
With Everything Everything pretty much Manc royalty at this point, having played almost every UK gig venue and festival imaginable, the headliners will not only be flanked by urban jazz pioneer IAMDDB and soulful R’n’B star Murkage Dave but the likes of locals DJ G2, WHP resident Krysko and DJ Toni Rarri.
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All of these artists are heavily immersed in the Manchester music and late-night scene and with many people having already moved into their new flats, they will naturally be the first to be entered into an exclusive and randomised prize draw to gain access to the gigs.
However, over-18s all over the city are also being given the opportunity to join in with the party and night of live music, with Union MCR running competitions throughout February on their Instagram page — you just have to keep an eye out.
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It’s as easy as that. The event itself will be taking place on Thursday, 29 February (yes, the rare leap year gig), so if you want to be a part of it, make sure to keep your eyes peeled for the giveaway competitions on their IG and other social media pages.
Created by the ever-expanding Vita Group, who already helped deliver the Circle Square development on Oxford Road just a couple of years back, Union is set to offer co-living spaces where residents will rent by the room with bills included but share amenities spaces almost like in first-year uni halls.
The multiple occupancy housing approach will provide young professionals and more with another way to find a new home, with the aim of not only meeting like-minded people to move in with but also helping build a residential community throughout the complex.
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A few of the other perks included flatmate matching, with the Union team helping pair up the best matches possible, as well as flexible stays rather than being locked into lengthy tenancy agreements and, crucially, no deposits, so you don’t have to worry about saving up for before moving in.
With a total of 2,326 beds in the pipeline, it’ll be interesting to see how Union knits itself into the fabric of the city over time, and for those of you lucky enough to secure a ticket for launch party performances, we hope to see you there!
Akon speaks on his connection to Manchester after run of Co-op Live gigs
Danny Jones
Music veteran Akon has recently discussed his connection to our city following his run of live shows here in Manchester.
In fact, he went so far as to say he feels much more affinity here than he does with ‘The Big Smoke’.
The seasoned Senegalese-American rapper, singer-songwriter, entrepreneur and humanitarian, teamed up with fellow chart-topper Ne-Yo for not just one, not even two, but three whole nights at Co-op Live this May as part of their co-headline tour across the UK and Ireland.
Chatting with Simone Riley on BBC Radio Manchester before the third and final gig of the trio, Akon admitted that there’s “something about Manchester” that he loves way more than London.
As you can see, while he couldn’t quite put his finger on what exactly is about it in the North compared to the capital, he said simply that “it’s crazy here”, and he loves it.
Same, mate. Same.
Admitting that he feels “more attached to Manchester than London” and labelling the energy from the crowds as “stupid” up here (he meant it in a good way, we promise), Simone couldn’t help but confess her joy over his comments.
He’s not the only global superstar to have recently shouted out their affection for 0161, either, as Billie Eilish also said something similar.
Speaking to the mainline BBC at the premiere of her Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour (Live in 3D), she said that while the dates lining up were certainly a key factor, there were other reasons why she chose Manchester to film her new movie.
Our Audio North team were also lucky enough to chat with Akon’s touring partner Ne-Yo recently, too, who also had nothing but good things to say about us as a place to play.
As for Akon, the 53-year-old has obviously played here plenty of times over the decades, with last year’s tour being his first return in a decade.
That being said, given how glowingly he’s spoken about us and how popular these joint performances were, we reckon it won’t be that long before he comes back.
Last but not least, we obviously couldn’t resist going along to at least one of the nights for ourselves; listen to what we had to say about the tour in our full review down below.
Antony Szmeirek announces second album along with biggest UK tour dates yet
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester spoken word artist Antony Szmeirek has finally revealed the name, cover art and release date for his second album, along with his biggest run of UK tour dates yet.
The Tameside teacher turned full-time artist dropped his maiden record, Service Station at the End of the Universe, back in February 2025, and now, just over a year on from its launch, he’s getting ready to deliver his highly anticipated follow-up.
Entitled Decoding Birdsong, the sophomore studio project is scheduled for this summer, with a series of live shows booked for the following autumn.
Having already dropped lead single ‘The Heron’ earlier this year, Szmeirek has just released the opener from his upcoming LP, which is simply called ‘Chalk’; he’s also unveiled the rest of the tracklist and a rather striking bit of album artwork.
The Hyde-born artist is making big moves not only within the spoken word space but across multiple genres, with his music blending everything from indie, hip-hop, electronica and more.
His latest song, for instance, is more of an acid-house-esque meets contemporary EDM outing, and has quickly gone down as a popular addition among fans.
On the album name itself, he’s never one to shy away from a weird title or two – case in point, ‘The Great Pyramid of Stockport’ from his debut and ‘Dave’s Angling Superstore’ on this new record.
The 34-year-old carries that same idiosyncrasy throughout his lyricism and creative concepts, as well.
‘Chalk’ is a perfect example of this, as the song is inspired by The Edge of Everything documentary: a film about the career of legendary British snooker player, Ronnie O’Sullivan.
Here’s the music video…
As for his latest raft of live shows, these will be some of the biggest domestic gigs that the local lad has played in his career so far.
In addition to a pair of hometown shows here in Manchester, he is set to play a dozen different cities across Great Britain and Ireland.
Antony Szmierek UK/IE tour dates – October 2026
We’ve highlighted the Northern stops for you, too:
Danny Jones -
8th February 2024 
