Last night we had to bid an emotional farewell to one of the true GOATS of the rock and pop-punk scene, and also a big part of our childhood and adolescence, as Co-op Live Arena hosted Sum 41 for their last-ever Manchester show on their final world tour.
Sum 41 have been going since 1996, which for those who’ve always had a penchant for thrashy guitars, pounding drums, devil horns and bleach-blonde haircuts, probably explains why they’ve managed to play a part in many people’s youth and formative music years over multiple generations.
The Canadian outfit announced their split after 27 years back in May 2023, much to the heartbreak of their fans all over the globe, but we’d like to think of this conclusion not as a break-up but more of a long goodbye, as by all accounts the members left on stage still have a lot of love for each other and us.
Put simply, they’ve just come to a natural conclusion and after the best part of three decades of jumping up and down, shredding guitar solos, touring the world and some very well-known ups and downs, they’re tired – but thankfully not so exhausted that they couldn’t give us one last party. Exhibit A:
Now, if you’re thinking this was just the crescendo and that they saved the best songs, lights and effects for last, you’re dead wrong.
All Killer, No Filler was Sum 41’s highly-anticipated debut way back in 2001 and even to this day, with eight studio albums to their names, a cult favourite 1998 demo tape and a compilation album of their Solid Gold Hits, that title still sums up – pun obviously intended – what they’re all about.
Even with members coming in and out of the band, record label rivalry, frontman Dereyck Whibley’s very widely publicised battle with boozing, his path to reaching an incredible 10 years of sobriety and alarming revelations in his new memoir, they never put out a bad record despite the ups and downs.
Whibley, 44, said as much on stage too; we lost count of how many times he ended one of their many standout tracks by shouting “STOP!” and a sudden cut to black but also the number of moments in which he paused to reminisce and say thank you to the Sum 41 family.
For a man who literally paid £41,000 (of course) to get back his first guitar decades after it was stolen from his house, brought it out on stage, and played the oldest of the old Sum 41 tracks to a delighted Manchester crowd inside the Co-op, taking the time to be nostalgic clearly means a lot to him and us.
Some start.Lots of bells and whistles.Our review of the final ever Sum 41 live show in Manchester. (Credit: The Manc Group)
Whether it was old favourites like ‘The Hell Song’ and ‘Motivation’, the ever-underappreciated middle years of ‘Underclass Hero’ or their heavier metal era, their first-ever EP Half Hour of Power or their most recent and still celebrated singles like ‘Dopamine’ and ‘Landmines’, it all felt intensely reflective.
It also surprised us just how much of their music we retained even after all this time, as we’re not going to pretend that we’ve been across every release over nearly three full decades of their career, but one thing we will tell you is that no matter how old their audience has grown they haven’t forgotten the words.
More importantly, we loved that although there was a mixed-age crowd and even some very young kids in the stands clearly brought along by the parents who grew up on this stuff, as far as we could tell the main mosh pit was full of late 20s to 30-somethings rolling back the years just like the band on stage.
In a current music moment where a fair few bands have recently cancelled shows or the entire remainder of their tours due to fatigue and various other reasons, there was something about a bunch of middle-aged men still dressed as punks and giving every last ounce of their energy on their umpteenth gig that brought a smile to our faces.
Deryck is still fit and fighting.Pyros instantly improves any rock show.Vocals didn’t disappoint even after all this time, guitar and drum solos were on point and who doesn’t love fire?
For this particular music fan, Sum 41 is genuinely one of the earliest music memories I can recall: sitting cross-legged in front of a big old Panasonic box telly with my brother and watching the iconic ‘In Too Deep’ video and both nodding our heads to that timeless riff as if to confirm it was the coolest thing ever.
Seeing them live at the end of their journey felt super emotional and rather full circle too. I have no interest in rolling out in the ‘it’s not a phase’ meme on this occasion and I won’t dare spoil much more of this very special show in case you’re heading to another date, just make sure you stick in there until the very end as you’ve done so faithfully for all these years.
Sum 41 managed to turn their Co-op Live debut but final Manchester gig from a bittersweet goodbye that we’d been dreading for months into a fond farewell where we had to remind ourselves, ‘Don’t be sad it’s over, just be glad that it happened’ and that we were alive to be part of it.
On that note, we have nothing left to say other than ta-ra, thank you for the memories and for playing such a big role in so many people’s early years spent dreaming of being a rockstar.
The Sum 41 live audience made it a night to remember.There were some very real tears around us.We hope to see you again someday.
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.
We really can't wait to get back on stage together and see you all in person, it's gonna go OFF!! Let's goooooo! International fans, make sure to sign up there so we know where in the world you are too 👀
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.
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 Wightand 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.
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.
We're absolutely buzzing to be back on tour & in some of our all time favourite venues.
We'll be trying out new material for the first time in years ahead of the new album we're making, we're all really excited to try some new tunes and see what you think whilst we finish it!
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!”
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.
Danny Jones -
29th October 2024 
