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Hollywood Vampires at Manchester AO Arena — tickets, supports, stage times and more
Remember when that trial was all we could read about? Well, now you can hear about him playing guitar instead.
On Saturday, 8 July, one of the biggest names at the box office and on the music scene arrives in Manchester as actor Johnny Depp and his supergroup, Hollywood Vampires, continue their UK tour.
And not without controversy, of course, as the Hollywood superstar himself is gradually returning to the spotlight following his long-running and high-profile court case against his ex-wife Amber Heard.
Having won the defamation suit back in June of 2022, Depp moved to the UK where he currently resides on his Somerset estate and while there are reports he could return to the screen as Captain Jack Sparrow in the new Pirates of the Caribbean film, he’s focusing on his music for the time being.
Forming Hollywood Vampires in 2012 alongside rock legends Alice Cooper and Aerosmith’s Joe Perry, the bad are undoubtedly bigger now than they have ever been and having kicked off the UK leg of their tour earlier this week in Scarborough, it’s time for the Mancs to show them what a real crowd looks like.
Are there tickets left to see Hollywood Vampires in Manchester?
If you’re a Hollywood Vampires fan or simply just a Johnny Depp stan (we know there are a lot of you out there) and you’re hoping to grab yourself a last-minute ticket, you’re in luck, as there are still a fair few seats available.
While all the standing spaces have sold out, the AO Arena still has room in five different sections around the venue ranging from between £45 and £56.50 without fees — though they are all in the very top tiers.
Nevertheless, if you want to grab a ticket, you can grab yours HERE and if you’re looking for a spare in a prime location, you can always keep your eye on resale sites but, as always, proceed with caution and only ever buy from trusted sites.
Support acts
You only have one support act to warm you up for Hollywood Vampires’ Manchester gig, but boy aren’t you lucky with who you’re getting: San Francisco cult heroes, The Tubes.
Hitting their heights of popularity in the 1970s and 80s, they were never the biggest band and (in this author’s case) we only know of them because of our parents’ exquisite music taste, but they had some serious bangers in their time — Depp and co. certainly seem to think so too.
Contemporaries, former bandmates and friends of Alice Cooper himself, many of the original members may have passed away, but The Tubes are still playing to this day and we’d be happy to see them for this absolute bop alone.
Hollywood Vampires’ AO Arena stage times
It’s gonna be a pretty straightforward affair this weekend: doors to the venue open at around 6pm and the music itself with be starting from 7:30pm as rock veterans The Tubes take the stage.
Looking set for around an hour-long set followed by a half-hour break, you can expect the main event to start around 9pm, with the Hollywood Vampires playing until the usual 11pm ballpark curfew.
Then again, they are vampires so maybe they’ll stay up all night.
Predicted setlist
As mentioned, Hollywood Vampires kicked off their latest run of shows in Scarborough earlier this week and played Swansea on Friday, so we have a pretty good idea of what they’re going to be playing for the Manchester audience.
According to Setlist.fm, with a mix of originals and covers of rock classics, here’s your best guess:
- I Want My Now
- Raise the Dead
- I’m Eighteen (Alice Cooper cover)
- Five to One / Break On Through (The Doors cover)
- The Boogieman Surprise
- My Dead Drunk Friends
- You Can’t Put Your Arms Round a Memory(Johnny Thunders cover)
- Baba O’Riley (The Who cover)
- Who’s Laughing Now
- People Who Died (The Jim Carroll Band cover)
- The Jack (AC/DC cover)
- As Bad as I Am
- Heroes (David Bowie cover)
- Jeff Beck Tribute
- Bright Light Fright (Aerosmith cover)
- The Death and Resurrection Show (Killing Joke cover)
- Walk This Way (Aerosmith cover)
- The Train Kept A-Rollin’ (Tiny Bradshaw cover)
Encore:
- School’s Out (Alice Cooper cover)
What a way to finish and with so many recognisable music names touring with them as Tommy Henriksen of Warlock, drumming veteran Glen Sobel, as well as Chris Wyse who has played with the likes of The Cult and Ozzy Osbourne, you’re in for a treat. Who knows, you may even get a guest appearance…
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Depp spent much of last year playing with both the Vampires and Jeff Beck, so he’s grown more than accustomed to British crowds — let’s not forget he lives here now.
We’re already looking forward to seeing people inevitably bumping into Captain Jack, The Mad Hatter, Willy Wonka or whatever character you choose to associate him with at some random pub in town like it’s the most normal thing in the world.
God, it’s been a big few days of Manchester gigs, hasn’t it?!
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Image — Wikimedia Commons
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Beloved British boy band Five are BACK in FULL for the first time in 25 years
Danny Jones
No, your eyes don’t deceive you: all five members of the beloved British boy band Five are set to reunite for the first time in a quarter of a century.
Formed way back in 1997 and dominating the charts throughout the period in and around the millennium, the iconic pop group was the UK’s answer to the Backstreet Boys and NSNYC, as well as a much-needed replacement for Take That just after their split.
And they did exactly that for a number of years, with hit tracks like ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Keep On Movin”, ‘Everybody Get Up’, ‘If Ya Gettin’ Down’ and more still firmly stuck in our memories.
It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, we still remember all the words and the dance moves to go along with them – and we’ll be able to prove it when the Five UK reunion tour comes to Manchester.
Although the London-formed group has reformed every now and again in different configurations over the years for special occasions, anniversary events, etc., this is the first time that the original lineup has been together for 25 whole years.
That’s right, Abz Love, J Brown, Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon will all be reuniting on stage for a limited UK arena tour – because anything less simply wouldn’t be enough to mark this throwback celebration.
More importantly, if you don’t think every single one of these massive rooms is going to sell out in a flash, then you clearly can’t count to five.
As for the Manchester crowd, fans will be welcomed inside the equally legendary AO Arena for the ‘KEEP ON MOVIN’ 2025’ Tour later this year and we can’t wait.
Fellow domestic DJ and producer Naughty Boy will also be joining them as the main support act. We’re rolling back all the memories this autumn.
You can see the rest of the tour dates below, including equally massive shows at The O2 in London, the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, a First Direct Arena date in Leeds and more.
Scott says: “This has been a long time coming and it really does feel right for all of us now – 25 years on and we’re so ready for it. Reconnecting as a 5 over the last year has been special and I know I speak for all the boys when I say we can’t wait to do this all over again. Hope you’re ready!”
Another fifth of the throwback boy band, Abz, added: “We really can’t wait to get back on stage together & see the fans, it’s gonna go OFF! Buzzing to have Naughty Boy on tour with us too… 5 bad boys and a naughty boy, that sounds like a lot of fun. Let’s gooooo!”
General admission for Five’s 2025 UK reunion tour goes live on Friday, 7 March from 10am but die-hards can access the exclusive pre-sale window on Wednesday, 5 March by signing up for the mailing list.
You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)
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2000s indie rock icons The Enemy continue comeback trail with must-not-miss UK tour
Danny Jones
For fans of old-school indie and noughties contemporary rock, you do not want to miss the one because The Enemy are not just back making music but they’re heading out on a pretty big UK tour and, of course, they’ll be stopping right here in Manchester.
The Enemy first reformed back in 2022 for a limited run of shows, but it turns out the Coventry-formed trio were satisfied with a one-off reunion and a fifth studio album officially being worked on, the fierce Brit rock throwbacks have announced a series of pretty large UK tour dates.
Following on from some hugely successful comeback performances at TRNSMT, Isle Of Wight and a headline slot at Godiva Festival 2023, not to mention the instantly hit ‘Indie Til I Die’ shows last year – including an absolute stormer at Victoria Warehouse – they returning for more.
If you saw the scenes at that most recent gig, you’ll know that skipping this one just isn’t an option.
One of the few bands to make their way back to the live music circuit fully intact, with all three members still performing together, nothing has changed other than a few more grey hairs.
If you weren’t there at the outset, The Enemy’s debut LP We’ll Live And Die In These Towns (2007) was one of the most seminal domestic releases of its time, with songs like ‘You’re Not Alone’ going on to become indie anthems of the era.
To be honest, we’d argue their sophomore outing Music For The People just two years later is the better album, with tracks such as ‘Be Somebody’, ‘Elephant Song’ and ‘No Time for Tears’ still in plenty of our playlists to this day – but, you know, each to their own.
The point is, we’re very glad these lads are back and having played with everyone from Oasis and The Killers to even The Rolling Stones, we’d wager lots of other music lovers are too.
Set to play New Century Hall in Manchester as well as the legendary Leadmill in Sheffield, Beckett Students’ Union in Leeds, Rock City in Nottingham and more, it’s going to be a big tour.
Frontman Tom Clarke, who has put out two solo records of his own in past years, said of the announcement: “We’ve been working long days in the studio recording new material, so we’re really excited to get out on the road again.
“The plan is to experiment with some of the new tunes, maybe different ones on different shows to see how the crowds react and which ones connect with fans, and let that guide the track listing on the record which is nearing completion.”
Co-songwriter and bass player, Andy Hopkins, added: talking about the upcoming tour: “My favourite part of being in a band is having those nights with the fans where the atmosphere is electric – I think this tour is going to be really special for the 3 of us.
“It’ll be the first time we’ve been back to some of these cities in a long time, in venues we absolutely love and have been really important to us on the way up – Electric Ballroom was the first venue we ever played in London supporting The Fratellis, I drove us there with all the amps & guitars in my Fiesta!”
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The Enemy come to New Century, one of our favourite live music venues in all of Greater Manchester, on Saturday, 1 November.
Pre-sale has already been snapped up in the blink of an eye, which is no surprise whatsoever, but general admission will go live from 10am this Friday, 28 February.
You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Emilie Cotterill (supplied)/Audio North
