As we say goodbye to another great year of music, let’s look forward to the year 2025! There are some fantastic Manchester shows next year, here’s your guide to make sure you don’t miss out! Acts such as Inhaler with their energetic indie-rock style is perfect for live performances, Sabrina Carpenter who has stepped into a new pop territory with such great success, Olivia Rodrigo – her performances are bound to be emotional and powerful, along with Snow Patrol, known for their anthemic rock ballads, their live shows resonate deeply with the crowd. All coming to the great city of Manchester in 2025!
INHALER
8-Feb-25 O2 Apollo
21-Feb-25 O2 Apollo
The Dublin four-piece are set to release their third album Open Wide on February 7th, which will be celebrated with a slate of international shows as part of the Open Wide World Tour, including their biggest ever UK shows to date. Since their career launched in 2018, Inhaler have been among the biggest new names in guitar music, achieving commercial success with roaring chart positions. To date, they’ve sold over a quarter of a million records globally and garnered 500 million streams. Their debut album, It Won’t Always Be Like This, hit #1 in the UK and Ireland, while their 2023 follow-up, Cuts & Bruises, topped the Irish charts and reached #2 in the UK. They have spent the past few whirlwind years on a relentless world tour, supporting acts like Arctic Monkeys, Pearl Jam, Harry Styles, and Kings of Leon, as well as headlining their own shows.
KAWALA
8-Feb-25 New Century Hall
The North London 5 piece have announced their brand-new mini album, the Kawala Collection, releasing January 24th, consisting of 9 tracks portraying KAWALA’s diverse songwriting capabilities. KAWALA have always been connected to the summer, in sound and spirit. If their debut album Better With You was their sunrise, then this new era of music is their midday sun; a prism through which this unified beam of light is focused to divide into a far-reaching spectrum of colour, curiosity, and above all, confidence. 2024 has already seen the band play shows extensively around the UK and Europe, including incredible sets at Colors, Electric Castle, Pukkelpop plus a sold-out headline show at London’s OUTERNET. As they continue to build momentum, KAWALA prepare to embark on their biggest ever UK tour in 2025.
SNOW PATROL
22-Feb-25 Co-op Live
Snow Patrol have never really taken the easy route. Now comprising the trio of Gary Lightbody, Johnny McDaid and Nathan Connolly, the band have emerged from the process of writing and recording their extraordinary new album, The Forest is the Path, perhaps a little battered, but maybe, just maybe, a little wiser and certainly more humble from the experience. The Forest Is The Path was released on September 13th and marks their eagerly awaited return after six years, following 2018’s Wildness. This summer saw them headline a run of UK festivals, before the band returned to play two intimate shows in London and Belfast in the week of album release. They will return to play an 8 date UK and Ireland Arena tour in February 2025.
GRACIE ABRAMS
7-Mar-25 Co-op Live
Since making her debut in 2019, Gracie Abrams has emerged as one of the most compelling singer-songwriters of her generation, earning the admiration of such like minded artists as Taylor Swift, Lorde, Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo and most recently, she earned the highly coveted nomination for Best New Artist for the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards. In 2023, Abrams released her highly anticipated debut album, Good Riddance, on February 24, followed by a North American headline tour that sold out in under one hour. Gracie has been touring with Taylor Swift as the opening on select dates of her blockbuster Eras Tour this month and will now be embarking on a headline UK tour this spring.
MICHAEL KIWANUKA
13-Mar-25 O2 Apollo
Michael Kiwanuka is very pleased to share details of a European/UK headline tour for Spring 2025. The 12-date run will be Michael’s first headline dates in the UK/Europe since 2022, and the first opportunity to hear tracks from his forthcoming fourth album, Small Changes, to be released on 22nd November via Polydor Records. Five years after the Grammy and Brit-nominated, Mercury Prize-winning KIWANKUKA, Michael Kiwanuka re-emerges with an album that reaffirms his status as one of the defining singer-songwriters of his generation. Small Changes sees the British singer-songwriter reconvening with co-producers Brian “Danger Mouse” Burton (Gorillaz, Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley) and Inflo (Sault, Adele, Cleo Sol), in the process, extending a creative purple batch that began with 2016’s acclaimed UK number one album Love & Hate.
SABRINA CARPENTER
13-Mar-25 Co-op Live
14-Mar-25 Co-op Live
Sabrina Carpenter has enchanted an audience of millions as a singer, songwriter, actress and style icon. With her music, she has delivered one anthem after another on stage and in the studio, earning multiple gold and platinum certifications, and performing to sold out crowds around the world. Her record-breaking 2024 continued after her chart topping hits ‘Espresso’ and ‘Please Please Please’, with the release of her critically acclaimed sixth studio album Short n’ Sweet this past August. Live, the last twelve months alone have taken Sabrina Carpenter everywhere from Taylor Swift’s ERA’s Tour to breakout performances at Coachella and Governors Ball, plus the iconic Saturday Night Live season finale. She will now be bringing her wildly-anticipated Short n Sweet Tour across the UK and Europe this spring, including Sabrina’s second ever London headline show.
THE DARE
19-Mar-25 New Century
The Dare is the solo project of vocalist, songwriter and producer Harrison Patrick Smith. Bursting onto the scene with the ubiquitous ‘Girls’ his much lauded The Sex EP drew widespread praise from critics and fellow artists alike. His explosive live shows have sold out across North America and Europe, and his legendary DJ sets, honed at his signature downtown Manhattan party Freakquencies, have soundtracked parties for Gucci, Celine and many more. He has shared stages and collaborated with Charli xcx, Yves Tumor, Water From Your Eyes and a host of others. The Dare will embark on tour across the UK and Europe for March 2025. These additional dates follow a sold-out run of shows in November this year in celebration of his debut album What’s Wrong With New York?.
THE DARKNESS
22-Mar-25 O2 Apollo
Legends of rock, The Darkness, have returned to bedazzle and amaze once more as they serve up their eighth studio album Dreams On Toast via Cooking Vinyl in March 2025. A lavish display of sonic delicacies, Dreams On Toast is a dynamic dish packed full of sure-to-be hits. Dreams On Toast features arguably their best collection of songs yet. The Darkness will be hitting the road next March for their largest headline tour of the UK in years. Solidifying their status as one of Britain, and indeed the world’s, most important rock bands. The Dreams On Toast UK headline tour will see them play 17 shows across the country. Finishing at London’s OVO Wembley Arena on March 29th. Support comes from Northern Irish indie-rock heroes Ash. Ash first supported The Darkness on their legendary ‘Permission To Land Tour’ over 20 years ago!
DIVORCE
3-Apr-25 Gorilla
The Nottingham four-piece Divorce have announced their highly-anticipated forthcoming debut album Drive to Goldenhammer, which arrives on March 7th 2025 via Gravity / Capitol. After coming together as Divorce in mid-2021 and releasing a slew of genre-defiant singles, the group quickly caught the attention of tastemakers the world over. Last year they signed to Gravity Records (Universal Music) for their acclaimed Heady Metal EP, before filling 2024 with a raft of international festivals and tours with Bombay Bicycle Club, The Vaccines and Everything Everything. They have since sold out their own upcoming four-night residency at hometown venue Bodega (the first band to do so), wrapped up their UK tour with their biggest headline show to date at a sold out Islington Assembly Hall, and are now set for an exciting UK/EU tour this spring.
OLLY ALEXANDER
4-Apr-25 Factory International, Aviva Studios
Olly Alexander’s much anticipated new solo album Polari is due for release on February 7th, with the landmark project hitting the road next year across the UK and Europe. Polari is a pop album for the ages, looking back on history as a means to learn more about yourself. Olly Alexander’s first album under his own name takes as its primary inspiration the (almost) lost art of Polari. Originating around Europe and the Romani community as early as the 1600s, this coded slang became in effect a secret language for homosexuals and the stigmatized during the twentieth century. After a decade releasing music as Years & Years, Polari is literally Olly Alexander talking the talk. Entering a brand new solo era… Olly Alexander’s influence on pop culture shines bright.
HAWKWIND
11-May-25 Bridgewater Hall
Legendary space rock pioneers Hawkwind will return to UK stages in Spring 2025, touring in support of their current studio album Stories From Time And Space out on Cherry Red Records. Their 36th studio album stands as an outstanding progression to the space-age, trademark Hawkwind sound and a superb addition to their varied and celebrated catalogue. Famed for their spellbinding live concerts and laser shows, the group will perform tracks from their over 50 year career, alongside new material. From Dave Brock’s trademark vocals and chugging guitar riffs to roaming solos, gradual melancholic crescendos and rapturous peaks, the shows promise to deliver an intense concentrated fusion of musical styles. Catch them whilst you still can!
BRADLEY SIMPSON
16-May-25 O2 Ritz
Bradley Simpson is channelling his star power into his debut solo album, The Panic Years. Set to be released on Feb 28th 2024. The record is destined to establish him as one of the UK’s most exciting new global artists. As we’ve heard from the singles ‘Picasso’ and ‘Daisies’, the album achieves a rare blend of qualities. On The Panic Years, Bradley’s new songs take in touches of indie-rock, Americana, ‘80s synth and pop psychedelia. With this release comes the news of Bradley’s biggest headline tour to date. A run of shows scaling up from his recent UK tour selling out in just one day.
OLIVIA RODRIGO
30-Jun-25 Co-op Live
1-Jul-25 Co-op Live
Due to incredible fan demand, multi-platinum, three-time Grammy award-winning artist Olivia Rodrigo took her highly anticipated 2024 GUTS Tour across the world this year. Following the incredible success of her 2022 debut tour The SOUR Tour, the GUTS world tour was Olivia’s first arena tour, taking her to iconic venues around the world including Madison Square Garden, Kia Forum, The O2 and more. After shattering records with her chart-topping, 4x Platinum debut album SOUR – the fastest album in history to have all of its songs certified RIAA Platinum or higher – Olivia Rodrigo made a monumental return with her latest album GUTS, revealing newly heightened sophistication as a vocalist and lyricist. Olivia is set to return to Manchester this summer for her rescheduled GUTS Tour dates.
ONEREPUBLIC
24-Sept-25 Co-op Live
GRAMMY® nominated band, OneRepublic have announced the ‘Escape to Europe’ 2025 Tour. Kicking off at Dublin’s 3Arena on 18th September 2025, the band will perform at 27 arenas across major European cities including London, Paris and Berlin, concluding in Lisbon November 2025. The band will be joined by special guest Ella Henderson, who’s UK number 1 debut single ‘Ghost’ was co-written by OneRepublic frontman Ryan Tedder. This Summer, OneRepublic released their sixth studio album “Artificial Paradise”. This included huge hits “RUNAWAY” plus “I Ain’t Worried” which featured in blockbuster Top Gun: Maverick, and has been streamed over 3 billion times. The album also included their latest collaboration with David Guetta, “I Don’t Wanna Wait”… The track has amassed nearly a billion streams since its reease!
KATY PERRY
8-Oct-25 AO Arena
Katy Perry has announced The Lifetimes Tour is coming to the UK in October 2025 – a spectacular career-spanning run of live shows, including all the hits from across her multi-million selling albums. The Lifetimes Tour sees the global pop superstar perform in cities across the UK, opening in Glasgow on the 7th of October at the OVO Hydro continuing through to Manchester, Sheffield, Birmingham, and finally culminating with a date at London’s O2 Arena on 13th October. With a cumulative 115 billion streams alongside worldwide sales of over 70 million adjusted albums and 143 million tracks, Katy Perry is one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. She is one of only twelve artists in history to have surpassed 100 million certified units. With The Lifetimes Tour, Katy announces an exciting new era in her record-breaking pop career, one UK fans will not want to miss!
JAMES B PARTRIDGE: THE BIG CHRISTMAS ASSEMBLY
19-Dec-25 New Century
Fans of Christmas spirit and school assembly nostalgia, rejoice! After overwhelming demand for his current 2024 Christmas Assembly tour, the nation’s favourite primary school teacher-turned-Glastonbury-sensation, James B Partridge, is planning an even bigger holiday season for 2025 with The Big Christmas Assembly! This festive tour will bring holiday joy to every corner of the UK through December. Leaving just enough time for James to squeeze in some last-minute Christmas shopping! James’s 2025 schedule is packed, as his Primary School Assembly Bangers tour is set to begin in late January. This nostalgic tour brings classic school assembly songs from our collective youth to audiences across the UK. Primary School Assembly Bangers promises singalongs and beloved tunes for an evening full of shared memories and fun.