MAN(CHESTER), WE NEEDED HER! - OLIVIA DEAN, CO-OP LIVE

LIVE REVIEW | OLIVIA DEAN | CO-OP LIVE, Manchester | 26th April 2026 by Jenna Laband

This past weekend, Olivia Dean returned to Manchester for the fourth time this year. With a train station temporarily named after her and performances at both The BRIT and MOBO awards, two sold-out shows at the biggest arena in the UK couldn’t be a better way to top it all off.

Before you even arrived at the venue, it was evident Olivia was in town. The atmosphere kicked off early with sightseeing, coffee shop collaborations and a sea of polka dot outfits. Adoring fans patiently awaited the sign appearing on the side of the Co-op Live building – if you know, you know.

The show was opened by the soulful notes of the incredible Jalen Ngonda, who really set the tone for a night of song, dance, and a whole lot of live music.

As the crowd sat in anticipation for Olivia to arrive, the lights went down and notes of ‘The Art of Loving (Intro)’ began to play. The whole crowd stood in adoration as the opening scene played out, and Olivia’s silhouette appeared. The curtains opened to reveal the stage hosting Olivia and her band and the opening notes of ‘Nice to Each Other’. The whole crowd went crazy singing along to the track from Olivia’s non-skip album, The Art of Loving.

The whole set marked a journey for Olivia, one where she learns what ‘love’ means, and the different forms it takes. ‘Lady, lady’ and ‘So Easy (To Fall in Love)’ marked her exploration of self-love and understanding the love she deserves. Sharing this with the crowd, she lit up the room with her emotive yet empowering tracks.

After interacting with fans at the barrier with a sign declaring their support since 2019, she took us back to her early career. Joining her bandmates, Fin and Dan, at the front of the stage, the three performed a series of acoustic songs from her previous albums. Introducing ‘Messy’ as a lullaby to herself, which she wished to share with the crowd, one about the expectations of being a woman and learning to just be yourself.

Olivia then introduced ‘I’ve seen it’, one of her most popular tracks, as a song dedicated to her best friends, telling the crowd, “we get so caught up in romantic love… but love exists in so many parts of your life”. This couldn’t be more true for the room that night, during the song and the whole night, love really was everywhere- in the fans at the front, the couples hand in hand, and the friends all around embracing one another as they sang their favourite songs.

The next song, ‘Carmen’, was dedicated to Olivia’s grandmother, who travelled over to England at the age of 18 to begin a new life, a beautiful moment to represent the importance of family in making us who we are. Curtains to the stage came to a close as the phenomenal backing singers took the stage and the lights began to dim. Moments later, Olivia could be seen walking into the crowd towards the stage in the centre. Taking in the crowd of thousands as the lyrics of ‘Loud’ echoed through.

Taking back to the main stage, and sporting yet another outfit change, Olivia began to sing fan favourite song – ‘Baby Steps’. A song about appreciating your achievements and working towards your goals in ‘Baby Steps‘. The iconic line “I won’t fall back, if I fall forwards”, pays tribute to Olivia’s mission to foster a sense of love and empowerment within her fans.

The journey through The Art of Loving really highlights how, when we take a moment to reflect, love is everywhere. It lives in the artists creating their music, the fans showing up to support them, and the backstage teams who work tirelessly to bring each show to life night after night. Taking a moment to reflect, Olivia tells the crowd how, after a long time of wondering the meaning of love, she thinks she’s “found out love is just wanting someone to shine and be the best version of themselves… wanting someone to win and be by them when they’re winning”.

To top of what had been an incredible night with her most-streamed track ‘Man I Need’, which had the whole crowd singing and dancing to every lyric. As the pink confetti rained down on the crowd, there really was no bad seat in the house; everyone was on such a high as they sang their heart out, as if they didn’t want this moment to end.

As she took one last moment to take in the crowd of over 20,000 singing her songs back at her, Olivia thanked the crowd, noting that Manchester is always one of her favourite places to perform due to their incredible energy. For an artist who was performing in a 500-capacity venue on her last album tour in 2023, to the biggest arena in the UK today, Olivia Dean is proof that the next big headliners are the ones currently gigging in grassroots venues up and down the country.

FOMO setting in? Check out the rest of the available dates here.