2 weeks Ago By [email protected] (James Holt)
Rita Ora and Tom Grennan were among the stars who took to the stage at a huge music event in Manchester on Saturday night (November 23). Hits Radio Live arrived at Co-op Live, bringing with it a host of celebrities from around the world to perform a small set of their hit songs to the sell-out crowd. Fans were treated to performances from the likes of Rita Ora, who recently hosted the MTV EMA's at the venue earlier this month, dance orchestra Clean Bandit, Tom Grennan, DJ Jax Jones and Perrie, of Little Mix, who has recently kickstarted her solo career.
READ MORE Parklife dates confirmed for 2025 as festival teases major headliner The night kicked off with gusto, with a headbanging set from Jax Jones, most known for his hit songs including You Don't Know Me with Raye and Instruction with Demi Lovato. Jax Jones kickstarted the night's performances (Image: Getty Images for Bauer) It wasn't the usual fanfare and colour that Jones typically brings to the stage, with inflatables and dancers dressed in wacky outfits, but it was the perfect blend of music both old and new to get the crowd moving. There was a particularly brilliant mix of his track Tequila, mixed into Reel 2 Real's I Like To Move It - a foot-tapping start that really got the 23,000-strong crowd in the party mood.
Clean Bandit were next up. The electronic music group, who have achieved four number-one singles and six additional top-ten songs on the UK, performed favourite hits Rather Be, Rockabye and Symphony along with two incredible female vocalists. Clean Bandit graced the stage with a set of chart-topping hits (Image: Getty Images for Bauer) Although the original singers of their chart-topping hits couldn't be there, it didn't matter.
The live singers brought a new dynamic and flair to the performance, strutting down the stage runway to belt out strong vocals to the audience alongside contemporary dancers. After short break for the staging to be moved, lasting for around five minutes between each performer, the crowd went utterly berserk for KSI, famed for being a social media influencer, professional boxer, and musician. With his finger in many pies, I surprisingly knew a number of the songs, although I couldn't sing along quite the same as the swathes of little boys and girls who knew every word.
There's no denying he got the crowd moving and kept up the tempo of the show - throwing off his jacket and scarf into the audience in the process. KSI on stage (Image: Getty Images for Bauer) But parts of the performance were often shouty and, to be frank, pretty off-key. I was almost thankful when he became drowned out by the production and pre-recorded studio vocals you hear on the radio.
Yet, I did find myself smiling when he moved into the audience for his final number, and wrapped his arm around a pensioner stood on the front row. Maybe it's just my age. The youngsters worshipped him.
A little lad sat in the row in front of me filmed every second and could belt out every word to the likes of Holiday and Don't Play. Riding the high of her blossoming solo career, Perrie was up next. After Little Mix disbanded in 2022, each member has gone on to release solo material and are becoming stars in their own right.
Perrie wowed with her solo singles (Image: Getty Images for Bauer) Donning an all-red ensemble, the 31-year-old, who said Manchester was a 'second home', was met with screams as she belted out debut Forget About Us, which peaked in the top ten UK singles chart, alongside a crew of slick backing dancers. She moved chronologically into second hit Tears before ending with the fist-bumping You Go Your Way, all before thanking her fans for their support. She may be embarking on her own solo journey, but her 11-year career performing on stage with the girls of Little Mix was all the more obvious by her confidence, note-perfect vocals and rapport with the audience.
As the stage turned an orange and pink hue and another band descended, Teddy Swims became the highlight of the night. Although fairly new to the popular music scene, having grown a fanbase with covers on Youtube during lockdown, his original material sparked a huge arena sing-a-long. The American pop and rock singer-songwriter had arguably the best staging of the night and the most star quality, despite walking out on stage in an unassuming vest and dungarees that looked like he'd just stumbled on stage after fixing somebody's boiler.
Teddy Swims was the highlight of the night (Image: Getty Images for Bauer) He belted out hit singles Lose Control, which prompted choral singing from the audience, followed by Bad Dreams and The Door. It was note-perfect, vibrant and thoroughly entertaining which turned me into a newfound fan. Paying tribute to 'all the mothers' in the room, he performed a silky rendition of Shania Twain's You're Still The One I Want - a huge crowd pleaser with old and new fans of all ages.
The star quality didn't end there. Irish singer Cian Ducrot graced the stage with his band, all dressed in white. He rose to prominence with his single All for You, which gained popularity in 2022, though admittedly, I didn't know much else about him.
Cian Ducrot performs during Hits Radio Live (Image: Getty Images for Bauer) But I must've been the only one. His entrance was met with rapturous cheers and applause and I left the arena with a new top artist to add to my personal music playlists. He stunned with powerhouse vocals on I'll Be Waiting, caressing the microphone from behind a piano, before moving into Part of Me and All For You.
Global music star Rita Ora followed suit. With her catalogue of chart-topping hits and three solo albums, her songs alone could've easily filled the full two-and-a-half hour set. Rita Ora performed a number of her hit singles (Image: Getty Images for Bauer) She strutted out with her army of backing dancers as she moved into Ask and You Shall Receive and the dance remix of the Fatboy Slim hit Praise You.
The arena was up on their feet dancing along, as pyrotechnics exploded behind her. The tempo was taken down a notch as she performed For You, the single previously released with the late Liam Payne from One Direction. It was earlier this month that O ra paid a touching tribute to Payne , who died in a balcony fall at a hotel in Buenos Aires, during the MTV European Music Awards.
She finished her short set with another mass sing-a-long to single Anywhere, from her second studio album. Tom Grennan wrapped up the evening (Image: Getty Images for Bauer) And wrapping up the star-studded night was Tom Grennan. The heartthrob, who sent the girls in the audience into overdrive, admitted that Manchester was his 'favourite city in the UK'.
He moved his way through top ten single Little Bit Of Love, Remind Me, How Does It Feel and dance track By Your Side before he belted out Higher for an explosive finish. The Hits Radio Live night, which had been hosted in Birmingham the evening before with a different line up of acts, was a night of brilliant entertainment and diversity. It gives music fans the chance to see a number of their favourite musicians, back to back, and in one foul swoop - but as I found, it can't always please everyone.
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