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A COVID-safe ‘Queen by Candlelight’ rock concert is coming to Manchester this weekend

Queen by Candlelight will be one of the first live music concerts to take place in Manchester since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant - 26th May 2021

After an unprecedented year of cancellations and rescheduling, Queen by Candlelight is finally bringing a rock music celebration to Manchester this weekend.

The music of legendary British rock band Queen has been blasting through speakers right across the UK for over 30 years now, so there’s no better time to celebrate and sing your heart out to some of their greatest hits.

Think Bohemian Rhapsody, It’s a Kind of Magic, We Are The Champions, Who Wants to Live Forever, and so many more.

Featuring an incredible rock band and cast of West End performers, Queen by Candlelight will be one of the first live music concerts to take place in Manchester since the start of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, with the venue being fully COVID-secure and at half capacity with social distancing between bubbles. 

This epic rock concert is arriving in central Manchester to play at Audacious this Friday and Saturday night, as well at the same time next Saturday (5th June).

And there’s still time to bag yourself a ticket.

The show will feature an incredible rock band and cast of West End performers / Credit: Queen by Candlelight

“We have had this show ready to go for nearly 18 months and so to finally get our fantastic cast back to work and in front of a live audience is just brilliant.” said the show’s producer, Daniel Wood.

“The show should have been taking place last week at DriveINSIDE at the Trafford Centre, but unfortunately we were let down by the venue and the whole thing was cancelled 24 hours before our opening night

“We managed to find a new venue and move all of our audience bookings over in less than 48 hours.

“It’s been bonkers – but we are ready to go and the show will go on.”

The show will take place at Audacious Church in Salford / Credit: Queen by Candlelight

The show will now take place at Audacious Church – which is a church and events space on Trinity Way in the heart of central Manchester that features an incredible arena style set-up.

“It will have the feel of a rock arena concert.” Daniel adds.

“High-tech video walls, an incredible sound system and loads of space for our audience, all lit by candlelight.”

It’s expected to be a “brilliant night out after a year without live music”.

Although this Saturday’s event has already sold out, you can still grab yourself some tickets to the show on Friday 28th May and Saturday 5th June, so make sure to book early if you want to avoid disappointment.

All tickets are general admission and will set you back £25, with seats allocated once the doors open at 6:30pm on the night.

Grab your tickets here.

Featured Image – Queen by Candlelight

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Rochdale will be hosting its FIRST EVER comedy festival later this year

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

There’s a comedy festival making its way to Rochdale for the first time ever, and it’s taking place over 10 days this autumn.

Rochdale is preparing for barrels of laughter, as the borough is about to host a comedy festival as part of its events programme for being crowned Greater Manchester’s Town of Culture for 2025-26.

The line-up features some well-renowned names in the comedy world, many of whom have received awards and recognition along the way.

You can expect appearances from Lou Conran, who features as a regular support act for Sarah Millican, Tez Ilyas, from ‘Man Like Mobeen’, and TV comedy legend Mick Miller. There’s even some Britain’s Got Talent alumni in the form of last year’s finalist Alex Mitchell and 2017 semi-finalist Jonny Awsum.

Tez Ilyaz and Lou Conran are just two of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied
Tez Ilyaz and Lou Conran are just two of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied
Tez Ilyaz, Lou Conran and Brennan Reece are just some of the acts listed for Rochdale Comedy Festival / Credit: Supplied

Edinburgh Festival favourite Patrick Monahan will be performing along with English comedian of the year Rob Mullholland, Aaron Wood – named by Rolling Stone UK as one of the 12 rising comedy stars to see at the Edinburgh Fringe this summer, and comedy musician Alex Camp. 

The lineup also includes Robin Ince, co-host and creator of Sony Gold Award winning BBC Radio 4 series The Infinite Monkey Cage, and a whole host of other stand-up acts who are all gearing up ready to make Rochdale giggle.

“Us northerners are famous for our sense of humour and there’s a big appetite for comedy,” commented Councillor Sue Smith, who is the cabinet member for communities and co-operation at Rochdale Borough Council.

Rochdale Comedy Festival has an array of comedians taking part including Jonny Awsum and Mick Miller / Credit: Supplied
Rochdale Comedy Festival has an array of comedians taking part including Jonny Awsum and Daisy Earl / Credit: Supplied

“I’m happy to see Rochdale Comedy Festival launching during our year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.

“It will bring together communities and give new comedians a chance to shine.” 

So whether you’re in need of a cheer up, or you’re a comedy aficionado, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to crack a smile at Rochdale Comedy Festival, as it’s happening across 10 days from 26 September to 5 October in various venues across the Greater Manchester borough. 

Book tickets and view the full-line up HERE. 

Read more:

Featured Images – Supplied (via Publicity Pictures)

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Salford Red Devils supporters group outline plans for the next major protest march

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Salford Red Devils supporters trust, The 1873, have outlined details of their next major march in protest over the club’s well-publicised ownership troubles and financial crisis.

The fan group, which has mobilised on multiple occasions already this year, is set to hit the streets once again this month and in larger numbers than ever, confirming another big demonstration before their next home game this weekend.

Sharing the update with fellow Red Devils on social media, 1837 leaders are demanding “truth and accountability from the top” ahead of the peaceful protest through Salford.

They have dubbed the event ‘The Last Rally’, but we can only assume there’ll be more fan action as the weeks and possibly months of uncertainty continue.

As you can see, The 1837 are calling for like-minded supporters to rally outside another nearby amateur rugby league football team, Salford City Roosters, before marching on to a second meeting point and, ultimately, the Salford Community Stadium.

Starting in Eccles, with a stop at Barley Farm, before arriving at their club’s home ground in Barton-upon-Irwell, the plan is to gather as much awareness, support and local attention as possible.

Writing in the caption of the above post, they added: “We’ve dominated headlines. We’ve exposed bad ownership. We’ve stood together.

“A history worth fighting for. A future worth protecting. Our last chance to be heard. Don’t stay silent. Make it count.”

Following a recent meeting of the RFL and the two Greater Manchester Mayors, Andy Burnham and Paul Dennett, Salford Red Devils were given somewhat of an even further stay of execution, as it was confirmed that their ‘winding up’/administration deadline has now been adjourned until October.

Nevertheless, the majority of fans are still being kept in the dark about the exact and up-to-date nature of their rugby league club’s situation at present.

Back in June, it looked like new investors could very well still be injecting vital funds to keep key players and staff on the books, but jump to now, and it looks like they don’t know if even things like the big screen even belong to them much longer.

Once again, the march and peaceful protest will take place this Friday, 19 September, prior to the next fixture against Wakefield Trinity.

Getting points on the board will no doubt be a big plus for all, but the game looks like it will very much serve as the backdrop to the wider ongoing saga.

Are you a Red Devils fan, and if so, will you be attending the demonstration? Better still, even if not, what do you make of the circumstances surrounding your side at the moment?

Read more:

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Featured Images — Ben Whitehurst (supplied via X)

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