Andy Burnham, mayor of Greater Manchester, has stated that he has waited “all his life” to see Manchester host events like the BRIT Awards, which will take place at Co-op Live next month.
Andy Burnham admits to waiting “all his life” for Manchester to host some of the biggest events. The BRIT Awards will be held at Co-op Live for the first time in its history in February.
For years, Manchester has been at the forefront of producing some of the biggest names in music, including the likes of Oasis, The Stone Roses, Blossoms, Sarah Harding, The Verve, Happy Mondays, Courteeners, Joy Division and many more, with acts such as Harry Styles and The 1975 starting their careers just down the road.
But for years, the city has been overlooked when it comes to honouring talent across the globe, despite the biggest names in music often playing at the AO Arena, Co-op Live, Etihad Stadium and other venues. Now, this is all set to change, with the BRITs choosing Manchester for the next two years.
“I’ve waited all of my life to see Manchester starting to host all of these things,” Andy, Mayor of Greater Manchester, told the Mirror. Speaking at the BRITs Nominations reveal, held at Co-op Live, Andy continued: “It’s a massive sign that the city is thriving, booming – the most vibrant city in the UK.
It was the complete opposite in my day, when I was growing up. We have endured the last ten years and are now in our sights. Manchester has endured a long road back, and I think music started that change journey. “Here we are, it’s a great thing to see,” he said.
Councillors were overjoyed that Manchester hosted Oasis on their massive Oasis Live ’25 Tour last year, which saw the band play five sold-out shows at Heaton Park. Over one million people flocked to Manchester for live music events, not just Oasis, who attracted large crowds.
“What we saw over the summer was incredible,” said councillor Bev Craig, the leader of Manchester City Council. She continued, “1.2 million people came to Manchester to see live music over that summer, versus 340, 000 people who attended Oasis.”
“I believe that Manchester’s BRITs are about the past, present, and future,” said one candidate. So we honor our past, acknowledge the musicians’ accomplishments, and continue to honor them today. I believe that this focuses on the talent and city that are present today.
It also leaves us with a legacy for the future. Manchester never minces words about its history; the key to our success is when we discuss our future plans, and I think the BRITs are a fantastic way to do this. People told us a city outside of London couldn’t cope with two arenas while Bev spoke about the construction of Co-op Live, the largest indoor live music venue in Europe.
Since Co-op Live opened, both AO Arena and Co-op Live have been doing incredibly well, which shows that the city’s size means we can cope and there is interest. “You would never get people to come, you would never get the artists,” said one critic, “. We’re receiving world-class musicians.
There is nothing in between when Andy continued, saying that if you look at what happens on the music scene every night of the week, there is stuff happening on the scene seven days a week.
Beth and I consider this crucial piece of the city’s infrastructure to be true. This city has everything you need for music. As Bev said, people here are knowledgeable about music, they love music, and in many ways this drives the heartbeat of the entire place. As a result, both of us prioritize protecting our venues, supporting our artists, and obviously the BRITs, and it just brings all of that to the forefront. Therefore, we don’t necessarily think that this is peripheral; rather, it is completely mainstream. The city is a city where music is common.
Manchester has pledged to safeguard its music venues, with the Music Venues Trust supporting neighborhood clubs. Bev stated, “Funding for grassroots venues, to be able to bid into those that are struggling. We did that off the back of the profit, the money that Oasis and Co-op Live generated in the city, and the business rates that were used to promote the city, showing that we are putting money into it as well as helping to attract future talent. “It’s not just words, we’re putting money into it,” said one employee.
The BRITs are honoring the next generation of artists this year, with Olivia Dean and Lola Young both receiving five awards. Sam Fender, a northern legend, has also received four nominations. Three nominations have been received for Fred again: Jim Legxacy, Wolf Alice, Dave, and Lily Allen.
While the likes of Bruno Mars, Chappell Roan, Jade, Calvin Harris, Taylor Swift, Wet Leg, Raye and Sabrina Carpenter are also nominated for an award.
Source: Mirror
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