Fresh from their Glastonbury debut last weekend, The Lathums are coming back to Manchester for what is set to be an incredible homecoming gig for the Wigan band at this year's Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl.
Since forming in 2018, the four-piece indie rock band have achieved two number one albums, with their most recent effort From Nothing to a Little Bit More reaching the top of the charts in March this year.
Comprising lead singer and guitarist Alex Moore, lead guitarist Scott Concepcion, bassist Matty Murphy and drummer Ryan Durrans, the band have performed at Kendal Calling and have also supported The Killers on their UK tour.
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The Lathums also performed an impressive 45-minute set on The Other Stage at Glastonbury last Saturday, which the band described as getting a ‘crazy’ reaction.
On Friday (June 30), the band will headline Sounds of the City at Castlefield Bowl. Speaking to Far Out magazine after their Glastonbury performance, lead singer Alex said of this week’s show: “I will probably cry me. That crowd then (Glastonbury) was humongous and crazy but imagine the big Castlefield Bowl just full of Lathums”.
Who are the support acts?
The Lathums won’t be the only band representing Wigan during their Sounds of the City gig. Also hailing from the Greater Manchester borough, indie folk band Merry Hell will be one of two support acts on the night.
The eight-piece band - which includes three brothers - have released six studio albums since forming in 2010 with their most recent compilation album Let the Music Speak for Itself released in May.
The three Kettle brothers (vocalist Andrew, guitarist John, and mandolin player Bob) were previously in 90s folk punk band The Tansads until they disbanded in 2001.
Also supporting The Lathums will be The Dream Machine. Hailing from the Wirral, the four-piece band take their name from the William Boroughs invention that recreates hallucinations, which seems rather fitting considering their music has previously been described as ‘psychedelic pop’.
The band released their debut album Thank God! It's The Dream Machine… earlier this year on Modern Sky, the same record label as The Lottery Winners and Miles Kane.
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 - 5.30PM
DJ - 5.30PM
Merry Hell - 7PM
The Dream Machine - 8PM
The Lathums - 9PM
Setlist
The Lathums said their Glastonbury slot was created specifically for the festival, so it’s unlikely that fans will get the same setlist for Sounds of the City. But, regardless, this is what they performed at Worthy Farm in case you want to learn all of the words just in case:
Say My Name
The Great Escape
I Know Pt 1
Lucky Bean
All My Life
Fight On
How Beautiful Life Can Be
Struggle
Facets
I See Your Ghost
Sad Face Baby
Are tickets still available?
According to Ticketmaster and Gigs and Tours, the show has now sold out.
Frontman Alex shared the news earlier this week on Tuesday (June 27). He tweeted: “We can’t believe we’re saying this but Castlefield Bowl is SOLD OUT and it’s bloody belting.
“We couldn’t have done it without all you Lathums out there, so we just want to say a massive thank you. Big love The Lathums.”
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 hasn’t been any further rail strikes announced that may disrupt services.
Here you can also access the Deansgate-Castlefield tram station 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. The evening rate (between 6pm and 11.59pm) is £7.95 if paid via the NCP app. 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 £11.95 and you must leave by 11.59pm. If you pay via the NCP app, it will cost £9.95.
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. Previous street food stalls on site have 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.
The weather forecast
The weather on the night is perhaps one of the most important details of any gig, right? Well, sadly, it’s not looking ideal so far.
The forecast for the day is cloudy changing to light rain in the afternoon and the Met Office predicts that there is a strong chance the rain is going to continue into the evening. Temperatures could float between 16-18C. Make sure you bring a rain mac or poncho just in case!
