Hot off the back of his impressive Glastonbury performance a few weeks ago, singer-songwriter Sam Fender will be taking to the stage at Castlefield Bowl this week, in what is expected to be an electric and captivating performance.
Fender shot to fame after his debut album, Hypersonic Missiles, came out in 2019, but even before this he was relentlessly touring, slowly building up a loyal and passionate legion of fans. Many of the singer's tracks tackle subjects of social and generational significance, drawn in part from his experience of growing up in the North East, making them all the more poignant when he performs them live.
Having already supported some of the biggest names in music, including Bob Dylan and Neil Young at Hyde Park a few years back, Fender's guitar anthems and deep vocals are finally stepping into the spotlight and giving fans, old and new, performances to remember.
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Who are the support acts?
Ahead of Sam Fender’s set at 9pm, fans will want to head down to catch the band’s two support acts, breakout indie singer-songwriter Heidi Curtis from Newcastle and Wunderhorse, aka British musician Jacob Salter.
A multi-instrumentalist, Curtis has honed her craft on the local scene, drawing in audiences with her stunning vocals. Wednesday won’t be the first time the North East singer has supported Fender, having performed with him for the past couple of years including socially distanced arena shows.
Former Dead Pretties frontman Jacob Slater recently emerged last year with the single ‘Teal’ and has shared a handful of singles since. As well as preparing to release his debut album, ‘Cub’, later this year, the singer has also been busy appearing as Sex Pistols Drummer Paul Cook in Danny’s Boyle’s biopic series, Pistol.
What are the stage times?
As with all events of this scale, timings are always subject to change on the night, so make sure to arrive early to avoid disappointment. These are the approximate times we’ve been given as a guide.
Doors open: 5.30pm
Heidi Curtis: 6.45pm
Wunderhorse: 7.45pm
Sam Fender: 9pm
Curfew: 10:30pm
Setlist
Fender received glowing reviews for his Glastonbury performance, with some going as far as to say that his Pyramid Stage show cemented his major British pop star status. His performance at Worthy Farm kicked off with ‘Will We Talk’ as did his set at British Summer Time set in London on Sunday evening. Here’s the Glastonbury set as a guide:
Will We Talk
Getting Started
The Borders
Spice
Howdon Aldi Death Queue
Get You Down
Spit of You (dedicated to Sam’s dad Alan Fender)
The Dying Light
Saturday
Hypersonic Missiles
Are tickets still available?
As expected tickets sold out quickly for this gig, and as it stands there are no tickets available from any of the major ticket providers. Keep an eye out on our guide to see if any tickets become available.
How to get there
Castlefield Bowl is located on Rice Street in Castlefield, postcode M3 4JR, and is just on the edge of the city centre off Deansgate.
There are two entrances for ticket holders - via Duke Street/Castle Street which is also the disabled access entrance, or via Liverpool Road where you access the site down quite a few steps.
By public transport
It's about a five minute walk from Castlefield Bowl to the main line train station at Deansgate. At present, there haven’t been any further rail strikes announced that may disrupt services.
Here you can also access the Deansgate-Castlefield tram station just a short walk away where there are trams every 12 minutes connecting to all of the main tram routes in the Greater Manchester area.
By car
If you're driving, a number of NCP’s Great Northern car parks are just a short walk away. There are 1,240 spaces in total and prices start from around £3.95 per hour. Use the postcode M3 4EE if using a sat nav.
The NCP Manchester Central next to Bridgewater Hall car park is also nearby, with 643 spaces. For sat navs the postcode is M15 4PS.
The next nearest NCP is on Spinningfields on Quay Street with 680 spaces, where night parking after 5pm is priced at £8.95. For sat navs the postcode is M3 3BE.
Is there food and drink at Castlefield Bowl?
There are usually a wide variety of street food stalls and beer tents where you can buy hot food and drink around the site including the ‘food village’ at the Canal Street entrance. Last year, street food on site included Grandad’s Sausages; Wrap Up burritos, nachos, halloumi and fries; and Tibetan Kitchen.
There were also two main bars serving alcoholic beverages and soft drinks, plus a gin bar and prosecco bar at the very top end of the site up the steps.
For those unfamiliar with the area, there are also a host of restaurants, bars and pubs along Liverpool Road on the way into Castlefield, as well as the popular bars and restaurants on and around Castle Street in the heart of Castlefield.
Early weather forecast
Most will just be praying for it to stay dry, and as it stands it will just be overcast with only a 10 percent chance of rain in the evening. Temperatures will reach a high of 18c.
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