Avril Lavigne at Sounds of the City, Castlefield Bowl - stage times, support, setlist and how to get there

This evening, pop rock star Avril Lavigne will be bringing her best 2000s hits to Manchester as she takes to the stage at Castlefield Bowl. The Canadian singer will officially kick off this year's Sounds of the City series.

Avril broke out into the music scene with the release of her debut single Complicated in 2002. Her debut album, Let Go, sold more than 16 million copies worldwide and spawned hits including Sk8er Boi and I’m With You.

Over the years, the summer concert series has featured performances from some of the biggest names in music, including Lewis Capaldi, Sam Fender, Kylie Minogue and Elbow. This year will see headline performances from the likes of Manic Street Preachers, Fatboy Slim, Jungle and Tom Grennan.

READ MORE: Castlefield Bowl Sounds of the City 2024 - set times, support acts, how to get there and everything you need to know

This past weekend, the 'When You're Gone' singer dazzled crowds at Worthy Farm as she opened her set at Glastonbury with hit track Girlfriend. Dressed in a tartan skirt, fishnet tights and a black and red jacket, she performed in front of a jam-packed crowd, delighting fans with her 2002 debut single Complicated as well as Never Growing Up, My Happy Ending, He Wasn’t, and What The Hell during her set.

Avril told the crowd at the festival that she has always “loved” performing in the UK. Before playing her song Losing Grip, she said: “This song is off my first album called Let Go, does anyone out there have a copy of my first album?”

The 39-year-old earned five Grammy nominations for 'Let Go', and it reached multi-platinum status in the UK, where she became the youngest female solo artist - at the age of 17 - to land a Number One. Her impressive catalogue of hits also includes the triple-platinum Under My Skin, double-platinum The Best Damn Thing, and gold-selling Goodbye Lullaby.

She released her seventh studio album, Love Sux, in February 2022 which featured collaborations with Machine Gun Kelly and Mark Hoppus from Blink-182. Below, you'll find all the important details and information about tonight's gig, including door opening times, support, setlist and how to get to Castlefield Bowl.

What are the stage times?

Timings for live gigs are always subject to change, so the best advice is to always arrive as early as you can in order not to miss any of the action.

We are currently waiting for set times from the promoters. Last year’s Sounds of the City shows saw doors open at 5.30pm, with most headliners taking to the stage between 8pm and 9pm. We will update details when we get confirmation for each show.

For the Castlefield show, Avril will be supported by early-2000s Canadian rock band Simple Plan. Since the release of their debut single I’m Just a Kid back in 2002, the band have released six studio albums, including 2022’s Harder Than It Looks. Their biggest hits include Perfect, When I'm Gone and Summer Paradise.

Setlist

Having recently released her Greatest Hits album, and having treated crowds at Worthy Farm to some of her biggest tunes, there's a good chance those heading down to Castlefield Bowl tonight can expect the very best from her musical back catalogue.

Here is here set from her Cardiff Castle last night (Tuesday, 2 July):

1. Girlfriend

2. What the Hell

3. Complicated

4. Smile

5. Here's to Never Growing Up

6. Hot

7. My Happy Ending

8. He Wasn't

9. Don't Tell Me

10. Losing Grip

11. Addicted

12. Bite Me

13. Love It When You Hate Me

14. Sk8er Boi

Encore:

1. Head Above Water

2. When You're Gone

3. I'm With You

Are tickets still available?

According to Ticketmaster and Gigs and Tours, the show has now sold out, but there are a limited number of resale tickets currently available via Ticketmaster.

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.

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 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.

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, especially one that is outside. And while today's weather looks a bit mixed, come evening time, it should - fingers crossed - be dry.

The forecast for today is mostly cloudy, with outbreaks of rain throughout the day. Some short-lived drier and brighter interludes are possible at times. It will on the cool side for early July, with a maximum temperature 17 °C.

Showery rain will ease as the evening progresses, with most places then staying dry overnight. Turning chilly under the clearest skies, and the minimum temperature will be 7 °C, so make sure to bring something warm or your rain mac just in case.