Olivia Dean brings a new phase of her career to Manchester
Olivia Dean arrives at Co-op Live on April 25 at a moment when her career is clearly on the rise. After the album "Messy" and a string of singles that pushed her from the status of a highly praised singer-songwriter toward a wider audience, she comes to Manchester with material from her second album "The Art of Loving". This is important both for the audience who have followed her since her earlier EP releases and for those who have only recently discovered her through songs such as "Nice to Each Other", "Man I Need" and "So Easy (To Fall In Love)". Ticket sales for this event are underway.
Olivia Dean belongs to that type of artist who does not build a concert only on choruses, but also on the character of the voice, the dynamics of the band and the ability to turn an intimate song into a space that breathes with the audience. Her blend of soul, pop, R&B and warm singer-songwriter craftsmanship works particularly well live because it does not require huge stage decoration to leave an impression. The focus is on the song, the rhythm, the tone of the voice and the way she communicates with the audience between numbers.
At the current stage of her career, Dean also has additional momentum. "The Art of Loving" was released in September 2025, and the album expanded her sound toward a lighter, more playful and rhythmically more open expression, without giving up the emotional precision for which she is already recognized. In 2026, that momentum was further strengthened by institutional recognition as well, including a Grammy for Best New Artist, so the Manchester concert comes at a moment when the audience are not just watching a good British singer-songwriter, but an artist entering the broader top tier of the contemporary pop and soul scene. Tickets for this event are in demand.
What can be expected from the repertoire
Based on previous performances and recent material, it is realistic to expect a concert that combines newer songs with titles from the earlier catalogue that are already very familiar to the audience. That does not mean guessing a specific setlist, but rather a fairly clear framework: "The Art of Loving" is currently at the centre of the story, but Olivia Dean is not an artist who cuts ties with older songs as soon as a new album comes out. Quite the opposite, her concert identity so far has been built on a balance between new singles, more emotional ballads and songs that the audience already sing without hesitation.
That is important because "The Art of Loving" is not an album of one colour. It brings together warmth, flirtation, confidence, tenderness and a very British sense of witty, understated emotional honesty. "Nice to Each Other" carries a more relaxed and playful pulse, "Man I Need" shows how well she works when the rhythm becomes more pronounced, while "So Easy (To Fall In Love)" returns to the kind of softness and melodic ease for which she is recognizable. Live, that usually means a concert with several waves, rather than a flat line of the same mood from beginning to end.
Olivia Dean also relies on the band, and not only on the vocal in the foreground. That matters to anyone choosing a concert based on whether they will get a real musical performance or just a string of hits played without many nuances. With her, the feeling that the songs have space is important. The ballads do not sound stiff, and the faster numbers do not lose their warmth. For the audience, that usually means the evening will work equally well for those who like to listen closely to the lyrics and for those who want a concert with more movement and rhythm.
Who this concert is especially attractive to
- For audiences who like contemporary British soul-pop with a strong vocal and a band-driven sound.
- For listeners who follow artists such as RAYE, Adele, Amy Winehouse or Cleo Sol, but are looking for a softer and more intimate concert tone.
- For fans who got to know Olivia Dean through the album "Messy" and are interested in how the new material works in an arena setting.
- For a wider audience who do not have to know the entire catalogue, but want a concert where the songs remain in focus, not just the production.
Why Manchester is an important stop
Manchester is not a stopover for a concert like this. The city has a strong musical identity and an audience that quickly recognizes the difference between a trendy name and an artist who can carry an entire evening. A performance at Co-op Live therefore carries weight for Olivia Dean both as confirmation of the tour's reach and as a test of how the new material breathes in a large space that is nevertheless very well suited to music.
Additional weight is given by the fact that this is an early part of "The Art Of Loving" tour. At that stage, the energy around the new era is still very fresh: the audience come with an album that is still new, the singles are alive in radio and streaming spaces, and the artist is at a moment when the new chapter has not yet become routine. That is precisely why dates like this often bring the purest feeling of a new concert phase. Places disappear quickly.
For the date of April 25, the special guest Kokoroko has also been confirmed. This is a detail that gives the evening additional musical meaning because Kokoroko brings a recognizable jazz, afrobeat and soul sensibility, so the support before the main performance is not just a formality, but part of the evening's broader sonic framework. For the audience who arrive earlier, that means it is worth entering on time rather than treating the opening act as incidental content.
Co-op Live as a concert venue
Co-op Live is among the most interesting newer arenas in Britain precisely because it was designed with an emphasis on music. The capacity goes up to 23,500 visitors, but the point is not only in the size. The space is designed so that the audience are closer to the stage than in many comparable arenas, and the acoustic treatment of the hall was done with a very clear intention that the sound should not dissipate as soon as the space fills up.
For Olivia Dean's audience, that is important information. Her concert does not call for stadium-scale distance and cold monumentality. Her songs work better in a space that can handle both a quiet nuance and a bigger chorus, and Co-op Live is exactly that kind of venue - large, but conceived in such a way as to preserve a sense of closeness to the artist. This is especially true for fans who usually shy away from arenas because they fear that a more intimate artist will lose focus in such a space.
Another advantage of the venue is the wider infrastructure for staying before and after the performance. Within the facility there are bars, lounge areas and catering options, and the entire Etihad Campus complex is already accustomed to large flows of audiences. That does not mean one should not arrive earlier - quite the opposite - but it does mean the space was designed for major concert traffic, not as a hall adapted afterward.
Key facts about the venue
- Location: Co-op Live, 1 Sport City Way, Etihad Campus, Manchester, M11 3DU.
- Capacity: up to 23,500 visitors, depending on the event configuration.
- Special feature: in certain configurations, the audience are up to 23 metres closer to the stage than in comparable arenas.
- Acoustics: more than 500 acoustic panels have been installed in the space across around 10,000 square metres.
- Age rules for this concert: visitors aged 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult, and those under 16 are not allowed in the standing floor area.
Arrival, entrances and practical information
For this concert, according to the venue's information, general admission opens at 18:30, premium entrances at 18:00, and the Co-op Backstage Club at 17:30. This is a sufficiently concrete detail that arrival should not be planned too narrowly, especially if one wants to catch Kokoroko's performance as well and avoid crowds on the approaches and at the entrance points. It is worth securing tickets in time.
The simplest option for a large number of visitors is the tram to Etihad Campus stop, which is right next to the venue. From central Manchester, services are frequent, and the venue and the city transport service specifically direct audiences toward public transport and walking access. It is also possible to reach Co-op Live on foot from the centre, in approximately 25 minutes, via the developed CityLink route. That can be a good option for those who want to avoid waiting after the concert and combine the evening with time spent in the city.
If arriving by train, Manchester Piccadilly is the most practical main point. From there, one should allow approximately 10 minutes by tram or around 25 minutes on foot to the venue. For visitors coming to Manchester from outside the city, this is useful because it enables simple planning without necessarily relying on a car. For major concerts in this part of the city, it is often the calmest way to arrive.
A car is possible, but it is not the best option for everyone. Official parking next to the venue must be reserved in advance, it opens several hours before the doors, and spaces are limited. In addition, on days with increased traffic at Etihad Campus, parking can be under additional pressure. For that reason, for many visitors it makes more sense to park in the city and continue by tram or on foot.
Practical before departure
- Check the route to Etihad Campus before setting off because works are occasionally carried out on the tram network during 2026.
- If you are going into the standing floor area and are under 16, that section is not permitted.
- If you plan to arrive by car, parking is reserved in advance and one should not count on being able to buy it with certainty on site.
- For a more relaxed entry, it is worth arriving earlier, especially if you want to catch the support act as well.
What kind of experience the audience can expect
The audience at an Olivia Dean concert are usually not one-dimensional. There are fans who have followed her development since earlier songs and EPs, but also many listeners who got to know her through newer, more accessible and rhythmically more open material. That usually creates a venue where people listen carefully, but also respond very readily to songs with a more pronounced groove. In other words, expect less stiff distance than at some concerts by "serious" singer-songwriters.
Her main live strength is balance. Olivia Dean does not go for a cold technical demonstration of vocal ability, but neither does she go for complete looseness that would dilute the songs. The concert can therefore simultaneously attract an audience who come for the lyrics and an audience who want rhythm, dancing and communication. In a space such as Co-op Live, that balance gains additional weight because the venue can handle both greater energy and finer vocal nuances.
Manchester could be one of those dates where it is most clearly visible how much "The Art of Loving" has moved Dean from a club-theatre logic into a larger concert format without losing personality. Her songs still sound close, but the space around them is now larger and the audience broader. It is precisely in that tension between the intimate and the large that the most interesting reason for going to this performance lies.
For visitors travelling into the city, the good news is that Co-op Live is located close enough to the centre for the concert to be easily combined with the rest of an evening in Manchester. The city is accustomed to music audiences, and getting to Etihad Campus does not require complicated logistics if the route is planned in advance. That makes this concert attractive both to those coming only for an evening out and to those turning the visit into a short weekend programme.
Sources:
- Co-op Live - data on the event on April 25, 2026, confirmed special guest Kokoroko, entrance opening times and age rules.
- Co-op Live - information on arrival, venue address, tram and walking options, and access from the station.
- Co-op Live Parking - parking reservation method and parking rules next to the venue.
- Populous - data on the venue capacity, audience proximity to the stage and the acoustic solution of the space.
- Visit Manchester - context of the venue as a major concert space in Manchester.
- Universal Music Canada - context of the album "The Art of Loving" and highlighted singles.
- GRAMMY.com - confirmation that Olivia Dean is the winner of the Best New Artist 2026 award.