Keane cancels Co-op Live date as another act moves

Keane said they were "absolutely gutted" to have to cancel

The band Keane have announced their gig on Sunday is the latest to fall foul of "technical issues" at Manchester's troubled Co-op Live arena.

The British group, headed by frontman Tom Chaplin, said they were "absolutely gutted" by the news and were doing "all we can to re-schedule the show".

A post on X read: "This is due to ongoing technical issues at the venue and is entirely beyond our control."

It comes after hundreds of fans arrived at the new £365m venue on Wednesday to see rapper A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie, only to be handed letters saying the gig was cancelled due to technical reasons.

A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie's gig was axed at short notice

Earlier the American artist, real name Julius Dubose, announced he will perform at a rival venue.

It was the latest in a series of cancellations as the UK's largest arena's opening schedule was hit by various problems.

Posting on X, he said: "Yesterday's cancelled Manchester show has been rescheduled for this Saturday at AO Arena! We won't give up that easy let's go!"

The Co-op Live arena's opening schedule has been hit by a variety of set-backs

The AO Arena also posted to confirm the news: "It’s going to be a brilliant night and we can’t wait to see you all here."

So far gigs by comedian Peter Kay, rock band the Black Keys and popstar Olivia Rodrigo have been cancelled at the Co-op Live Arena, owned by Oak View Group (OVG).

A poster promoting the new gig, posted online by AO Arena, said tickets from the cancelled show would remain valid for Saturday.

A spokesman for the arena said further information would be released by Ticketmaster in due course.

Fans were left disappointed after the chaotic last-minute cancellation on Wednesday, with one telling the BBC it was "very unprofessional", while another criticised the "bad organisation".

On Wednesday night OVG apologised to fans, explaining the gig had been cancelled after a nozzle used in the building's ventilation system became detached during a sound-check.

'Safety a priority'

Co-op Group, which own the naming rights to the arena, released a statement expressing "shock" at the cancellation and said it would be "seeking a full explanation" from OVG.

The arena said any fans who had paid for parking would also be refunded.

The cancellation was the latest in a series of problems, starting when Co-op Live announced it would not be ready to host Kay's gigs last week.

That was followed by the announcement that the arena's chief executive, Gary Roden, was resigning.

OVG chairman Tim Leiweke said: “The safety and security of all visiting and working on Co-op Live is our utmost priority, and we could not and will not run any event until it is absolutely safe to do so."

Listen to BBC Radio Manchester's special on what went wrong at the Co-op Live.

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