Pop sensation Olly Murs is coming to Manchester next month as part of his UK and Ireland Marry Me tour — and guess what else he’s up to this summer?
The chart-topping singer-songwriter will perform in concert at Manchester’s AO Arena on Friday May 5th, and will be joined by very special guests, Scouting For Girls.
The highly anticipated arena tour will kick off in Glasgow on Friday April 21st as the host of ITV’s Starstruck and The Voice makes a return after having sold 180,000 tickets last time round, in 2019 — and this time, he’s determined to go even bigger, better and louder.
Since bursting onto the scene with his double-platinum self-titled debut in 2010, Olly has amassed six multi-platinum albums, four #1 UK albums, four #1 UK singles, 6 million Spotify monthly listeners, 800 million YouTube views and sold 1.8 million tour tickets.
Andrew Randall Photography / Wikimedia
Last year the 38-year-old musician and media personality topped the charts with his latest album, Marry Me — his first in over four years, and the seventh of his illustrious career.
‘Die Of A Broken Heart’ arrived as the first single, and from the opening notes, you can hear why. It’s an instant ear-worm, a one-listen-and-you’re-hooked pop-reggae outlier.
Since then, his new music has taken on a life of its own, with huge radio support and various TV appearances — even having to complete a 24-hour Treadmill Challenge with Scott Mills for Children In Need.
For this record, Olly jumped in, committing to writing and recording the album solely with David Stewart and Jessica Agombar, who between them have had roaring success writing for South Korean boy band, BTS — securing a Billboard number one in over 100 countries.
This is the Essex-machine at his happiest, too. How do we know? The clue is in the album title: Marry Me. The answer? Hint: she said yes! Olly said of his engagement:“I’m buzzing! I’ve got my music. I know where I am now.”
After getting married this summer, he’ll then take the Marry Me tour on a run of shows throughout the sunny season, culminating in a very special additional and personal show at Plymouth Pavillions, on August 28th.
Head over to the @propermcr Instagram account to enter our competition to see Olly Murs at Manchester’s AO Arena for free – there’s FIVE pairs of tickets to be won.
Tickets for Olly’s 2023 UK arena tour are available HERE.
A huge cookout featuring Greek, Caribbean and Argentinian barbecue is coming to Manchester next weekend.
Three Manchester pitmasters will cook-up a storm over live smoke and fire with dishes from around the world on the lush green at the Carlton Club, Whalley Range, on Saturday, June 17th.
Shindigger has announced the family-friendly day — which also welcomes dogs — running from 2-10pm and featuring food from Manchester’s Knights BBQ, Broke N Bone, and Taka Taka Mam.
The brewers are holding The Cookout to raise money for Trussell Trust with 100% of ticket revenue going to Food Banks.
Broke N Bone
Knights BBQ will serve up their succulent and tender smoked Caribbean jerk chicken, while Broke N Bone will grill their meat slowly, taking influence from the traditional Argentinian Asado way of cooking.
Foodies can expect a whole lamb at The Cookout, as well as beef steaks charred on the fire pit.
Taka Taka Mam will have a menu of chicken and lamb Greek gyros, as well as halloumi and mediterranean salads.
Shindigger will also be serving up the perfect ales to accompany the variety of chargrilled food — a heavenly summer combination.
Shindigger
There will be a dedicated bar of eight draught options to wet your whistle, including summer specials and Chin-Chiller — a brand-new ale making its debut at the event.
The easy drinking 3.4% pale ale, with refreshing zingy notes of mango and lychee, is designed for all-dayers.
Tickets for The Cookout cost a fiver, with all proceeds going towards local Trussell Trust food banks.
The Trussell Trust supports a nationwide network of food banks that supply food to people facing hardship, with numerous sites across Greater Manchester.
Broke N Bone
The money will go towards vital community work and support for families struggling with soaring food prices.
Grab yourself a ticket so you can get your chops around a gyros, with a Chin-Chiller in hand to wash it down – it’s all for a good cause. Tickets cost £5, plus an additional booking fee.
To book tickets to The Cookout at The Carlton Club on June 17th, click HERE.
You can take a romantic date, or even a bunch of mates, to go and sit on the sandy rooftop of Depot Mayfield and watch some classic ’80s films under the breezy palms — don’t forget to wear your best Hawaiian shirt and a pair of aviators to complete the look.
Next month, take a trip back to 1980s Miami with neon lights and deco architecture, and get ready to enjoy a summer holiday in the city.
Lateef Photography
All ages are welcome to this family-friendly experience, which will host a variety of special events as well as spectacular sets.
Friday nights will feature Dirty Dancing beach parties with watermelon cocktails.
In addition there will be movie sing-a-longs, drag acts, and for those who are fans of all things pink, there will be screenings of the new Barbie movie starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling.
Lateef Photography
There will also be lots of matinee screenings added for the school holidays so the kids don’t miss out. They’ll be able to have a whale of a time as they enjoy movies such as Super Mario Bros, Moana, The Little Mermaid and plenty more.
A variety of food and drink will be available, as well as alcoholic themed-cocktails, and guests are encouraged to come in fancy dress.
Join the waiting list for Backyard Cinema Miami Beach now. Open from July 5th, opening hours will be every Wednesday – Sunday from 12pm.
Given the name, it may not be a huge surprise to learn that Backyard Cinema started in its founder’s back garden with a group of friends enjoying a Blues Brothers sing and dance-along, with fancy dress, food, drink, the whole works.
Lateef Photography
Things took off from there and Backyard Cinema has now grown to be one of the leading alternative cinema experiences in the UK.
Dominic Davies, Founder and Creative Director said: “After the huge success of our Winter season we are super excited to bring our smash-hit Miami Beach to the roof of Depot Mayfield.
“We are going to take people back to a retro 80s Miami full of glitz and glamour and create the closest thing to a Summer Holiday in Mayfield.”
Open from July 5th, ticket prices start from £9.50 and you can book tickets HERE.
Children under the age of 15 must be accompanied by an adult aged 18+. Age certification for films apply regardless. The venue is wheelchair accessible.
Manchester’s biggest night of Country and Western floor fillers is happening this week.
Red Solo Club is bringing its successful club night to Cooper Hall on Saturday, June 10th — yeehaw!
Put on your best cowboy hat and boots, and get ready for a great night of dancing as country lovers can expect to hear some absolute contemporary bangers by the likes of Luke Combs, Taylor Swift and Shania Twain.
And for those who love to a little Hillbilly Rock, there will also be occasional interludes of traditional country singalongs from Kenny Rogers, Alan Jackson, Jimmy Buffett and more.
@redsoloclub / Instagram
Since its first night sell-out in November 2022, Red Solo Club has grown to become a successful bi-monthly event in Manchester, and as of July, it will be coming to Glasgow too.
Taking its name from Toby Keith’s country hit Red Solo Cup, Red Solo Club was created by friends Ste Brown and James Macdonald.
They said: “We were both introduced to modern country music while driving around America together about 15 years ago. You can’t go far over there without hearing some country music, and our interest in it has grown and grown since then.”
The pair also present The Dive Bar on LCRUK — an online country radio station setup during lockdown.
They continued: “We’d play all this music on our show and go to gigs but there was nowhere in the area that would play these songs late into the night, so we thought… why not do it ourselves?
“The genre is becoming really popular in the UK, and with young people too. I think some people maybe assume it’s just line dancing, stetsons and Achy Breaky Heart but give it a listen and realise there’s some great rock and pop songs — just with a little southern American twist.”
Red Solo Club is Manchester’s biggest country party, playing five hours of the best country music at Cooper Hall, Northern Quarter, on Saturday June 10th 9pm to 2am.
Ticket prices start from £5 and can be purchased by clicking HERE. Advanced tickets are available for £6, or £7 for anybody wishing to pay on the door.