203-522: Take That are an English pop group formed in Manchester in 1990. The group currently consists of Gary Barlow , Howard Donald and Mark Owen . The original line-up also featured Jason Orange and Robbie Williams . Barlow is the group's lead singer and primary songwriter, with Owen and Williams initially providing backing vocals, and Donald and Orange serving primarily as dancers. The group have had 28 top-40 singles, 20 top-10 and 17 top-5 singles on
406-694: A fort named Mamucium in the year 79 to ensure that Roman interests in Deva Victrix ( Chester ) and Eboracum ( York ) were protected from the Brigantes. Central Manchester has been permanently settled since this time. A stabilised fragment of foundations of the final version of the Roman fort is visible in Castlefield . The Roman habitation of Manchester probably ended around the 3rd century; its civilian settlement appears to have been abandoned by
609-617: A local river goddess ). Both usages are preserved in Insular Celtic languages , such as mam meaning "breast" in Irish and "mother" in Welsh . The suffix -chester is from Old English ceaster ("Roman fortification", itself a loanword from Latin castra , "fort; fortified town"). The city is widely known as "the capital of the North". The Brigantes were
812-468: A seaport at Liverpool , the availability of waterpower from its rivers, and its nearby coal reserves. The name Manchester, though officially applied only to the metropolitan district within Greater Manchester, has been applied to other, wider divisions of land, particularly across much of the Greater Manchester county and urban area. The "Manchester City Zone", " Manchester post town " and
1015-467: A 60-piece orchestra." On 30 September 2020, Barlow revealed that his upcoming album would be called Music Played by Humans , set to be released on 27 November 2020. Its lead single, " Elita ", featuring Michael Bublé and Sebastián Yatra , was released on the same day after it premiered on BBC Radio 2 . A tour to promote the record in 2021 has also been announced with Leona Lewis as special guest. Barlow announced in early 2021 that he would release
1218-773: A British male vocal singing group modelled on New Kids on the Block . Martin-Smith's vision, however, was to create a teen-oriented group that could appeal to multiple demographic segments within the music industry. Martin-Smith was then introduced to young singer-songwriter Gary Barlow , who had been performing in clubs since the age of 15. Impressed with Barlow's catalogue of self-written material, Martin-Smith decided to build his new-look boy band around Barlow's musical abilities. A campaign to audition young men with abilities in dancing and singing followed and took place in Manchester and other surrounding cities in 1990. At 22, Howard Donald
1421-598: A bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in the Manchester Arena ; the bomb killed 23, including the attacker, and injured over 800. It was the deadliest terrorist attack and first suicide bombing in Britain since the 7 July 2005 London bombings . It caused worldwide condemnation and changed the UK's threat level to "critical" for the first time since 2007. Birmingham has historically been considered to be England or
1624-605: A brand new one-man stage show A Different Stage . The show premiered in Runcorn at The Brindley on 10 February 2022 before then touring around the UK. The show also played two runs in London's West End at the Duke of York's Theatre and Savoy Theatre . In November 2024, Barlow announced a solo tour for 2025, returning to his roots with performances across the UK. The tour, called
1827-618: A fan bid more than £1.2 million to win a performance from the band. This then turned in to a ticketed charity event where the money from tickets sold would go towards benefiting Children in Need . The auction was held on BBC Radio 2 . On 11 November 2017, Take That began their foreign tour in Perth, Australia, the first time they have performed in the country in over twenty years. They also played in New Zealand, United Arab Emirates and Israel for
2030-735: A fanbase as they travelled to gigs constantly for months. Take That's breakthrough single was a cover of the 1975 Tavares hit " It Only Takes a Minute ", which peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart in June 1992. This success was followed by " I Found Heaven ", then by the first Barlow ballad " A Million Love Songs ", which also reached number seven in October. Their cover of the Barry Manilow hit " Could It Be Magic " gave them their first big success, peaking at number three in
2233-400: A four-piece Take That without Williams officially announced a 2006 reunion tour around the UK, entitled The Ultimate Tour . On 9 May 2006, it was announced that the group were set to record new material together once again. Their fourth studio album, Beautiful World , was released in 2006 and was followed up with The Circus , in 2008. The group achieved new success as a four-piece, scoring
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#17327837289292436-474: A further top 20 single, and the winner of Sky 1's Must Be The Music , Emma's Imagination who also achieved two top 10 UK singles and a top 15 charting debut album. In 2013 Barlow's discovery A*M*E released her first single which debuted at number one on the UK Singles Chart. Gary Barlow has since closed down the record label to focus on his own career and family commitments. On 7 May 2011, it
2639-580: A joint statement about Orange's decision which said: "This is a sad day for us. Jason leaving is a huge loss both professionally and even more so personally ... Jason's energy and belief in what this band could achieve has made it what it is today, and we'll forever be grateful for his enthusiasm, dedication and inspiration over the years." A day after the announcement, Robbie Williams took to Twitter to show support of Orange's decision. "Mr Orange. Until we ride again. Much love, Bro." , Williams tweeted. On 10 October 2014, Take That unveiled their first song as
2842-481: A judge on The X Factor and Williams recording new solo material. Take That were presented with an Ivor Novello Award for their Outstanding Contribution to British Music in May 2012. In August 2012, Take That performed at the closing ceremony of the 2012 Summer Olympics , despite Barlow announcing that his daughter had been stillborn the previous week. The performance earned him praise for appearing live so soon after
3045-457: A judge on the panel of Syco's new talent show Walk the Line before the first episode was aired. Debuting on ITV on 12 December 2021, Barlow joined Craig David , Dawn French and Alesha Dixon on the judging panel. After twenty years within the music industry in which Barlow has achieved success around the world; coupled with his efforts to raise money and awareness for various charities he
3248-621: A judge on the television talent shows The X Factor UK (2011–2013), Let It Shine (2017) and Walk the Line (2021). Barlow has received six Ivor Novello Awards from the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors , including the award for Outstanding Services to British Music. Barlow was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) at the 2012 Queen's Birthday Honours for his services to
3451-733: A large female teenage fanbase at the time. During this time, they performed at numerous music awards shows and chart shows such as the Brit Awards and Top of the Pops , also winning the Best Live Act award in 1995 at the MTV Europe Music Awards , having been renowned for their breakdance routines, high energy and creative tour productions. In 1995, Take That released their third studio album Nobody Else , again based on Barlow's own material which reached number 1 in
3654-514: A large transport and distribution infrastructure: the canal system was extended, and Manchester became one end of the world's first intercity passenger railway—the Liverpool and Manchester Railway . Competition between the various forms of transport kept costs down. In 1878 the GPO (the forerunner of British Telecom ) provided its first telephones to a firm in Manchester. The Manchester Ship Canal
3857-650: A member of the English Core Cities Group since its inception in 1995. The town of Manchester was granted a charter by Thomas Grelley in 1301 but lost its borough status in a court case of 1359. Until the 19th century local government was largely in the hands of manorial courts , the last of which was dissolved in 1846. From a very early time , the township of Manchester lay within the historic or ceremonial county boundaries of Lancashire . Pevsner wrote "That [neighbouring] Stretford and Salford are not administratively one with Manchester
4060-399: A new solo record by the end of the year, which was revealed on 28 October to be The Dream of Christmas , his first Christmas album. The project features a collection of both new songs and covers of Christmas classics, including the two singles "Sleigh Ride" and "The Dream of Christmas", both released on 29 October. The album was released on 26 November. On 20 January 2022, Barlow announced
4263-587: A notable place in the history of Marxism and left-wing politics; being the subject of Friedrich Engels ' work The Condition of the Working Class in England in 1844 ; Engels spent much of his life in and around Manchester, and when Karl Marx visited Manchester, they met at Chetham's Library. The economics books Marx was reading at the time can be seen in the library, as can the window seat where Marx and Engels would meet. The first Trades Union Congress
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#17327837289294466-442: A peak of 108 in 1853. Thereafter the number began to decline and Manchester was surpassed as the largest centre of cotton spinning by Bolton in the 1850s and Oldham in the 1860s. However, this period of decline coincided with the rise of the city as the financial centre of the region. Manchester continued to process cotton, and in 1913, 65% of the world's cotton was processed in the area. The First World War interrupted access to
4669-652: A population of 2,539,100 in 2004. In addition to Manchester itself, the LUZ includes the remainder of the county of Greater Manchester . The Manchester LUZ is the second largest within the United Kingdom, behind that of London. Religious beliefs, according to the 2021 census Since the 2001 census, the proportion of Christians in Manchester has fallen by 22 per cent from 62.4 per cent to 48.7 per cent in 2011. The proportion of those with no religious affiliation rose by 58.1 per cent from 16 per cent to 25.3 per cent, whilst
4872-589: A re-working of his 1978 album of the same name . He portrayed the sung thoughts of the journalist and appeared in the songs “The Eve of the War”, “ Forever Autumn ”, and “Dead London (Part 2)”, replacing Justin Hayward from the original. Barlow was featured in a duet with Agnetha Fältskog (from ABBA ) on her 2013 album A , released in May 2013. Barlow co-wrote the song, " I Should've Followed You Home " with album producer Jörgen Elofsson . Early press reports tagged
5075-461: A route from Manchester to the sea docks on the Mersey. The Bridgewater Canal , Britain's first wholly artificial waterway, was opened in 1761, bringing coal from mines at Worsley to central Manchester. The canal was extended to the Mersey at Runcorn by 1776. The combination of competition and improved efficiency halved the cost of coal and halved the transport cost of raw cotton. Manchester became
5278-461: A six-year hiatus. Barlow returned to the spotlight in a successful TV documentary, Take That: For the Record in 2005. Following this success and renewed interest, Take That experienced a career renaissance in 2005 when the post-Williams line-up reformed for a sell-out arena/stadium tour. The band released their comeback single "Patience" which went to number one for four weeks while also topping
5481-515: A solo artist on his commitments to being a star in the United States. After his disappointing second album, Barlow remained out of the public eye for half a decade, choosing to continue to write and produce songs for other artists such as Shirley Bassey and Charlotte Church . In October 2007, Barlow founded San Remo Live Publishings as an independently run management company to establish and support artists and songwriters. In 2008, Barlow
5684-399: A string of chart hits across the UK and Europe while selling over 45 million records worldwide. Williams rejoined Take That in 2010 for the band's sixth studio album, Progress . Released on 15 November of that year, it was the first album of new material to feature Take That's original line-up since their 1995 album, Nobody Else . It became the fastest-selling album of the 21st century and
5887-519: A successful performance run in Boston , Finding Neverland opened on Broadway in spring 2015. On its first Broadway preview, the show sold out the theatre and posted a box office performance that, if it continued for a whole week of performances, would have seen the show top $ 1 million. Barlow has also co-written a musical alongside hometown friend Tim Firth , called The Girls (later retitled in 2017 as Calendar Girls The Musical ), which opened at
6090-446: A three-piece and lead single from their upcoming album. Titled " These Days ", it was released on 23 November 2014 and went to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart , knocking Band Aid 30 off the top spot and becoming their 12th number one single. The album itself, called III , was released on 28 November 2014 and became the band's seventh No. 1 album. It was then followed by a sell-out arena tour entitled Take That Live . On 14 October 2015,
6293-403: A video-link message, which was shown at the awards. On 22 November 2008, Take That appeared on week 7 of the talent show The X Factor where the finalists performed some of their greatest hits and Owen and Barlow made a guest appearance to personally coach the contestants. The band also performed on Children in Need 2008, singing their new single, " Greatest Day ", before donating £250,000 to
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6496-535: Is 35.0 miles (56.3 km) north-east of Liverpool and 35.0 miles (56.3 km) north-west of Sheffield , making the city the halfway point between the two. The city centre is on the east bank of the River Irwell , near its confluences with the Rivers Medlock and Irk , and is relatively low-lying, being between 35 and 42 metres (115 and 138 feet) above sea level. The River Mersey flows through
6699-402: Is 806.6 millimetres (31.76 in) compared to a UK average of 1,125.0 millimetres (44.29 in), and its mean rain days are 140.4 per annum, compared to the UK average of 154.4. Manchester has a relatively high humidity level, and this, along with abundant soft water, was one factor that led to advancement of the textile industry in the area. Snowfalls are not common in the city because of
6902-521: Is a city and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester , England, which had an estimated population of 568,996 in 2022. It contributes to the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom as a part of Greater Manchester, which has a population of approximately 2.92 million. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and
7105-502: Is achieved by restricting inappropriate development within the designated areas and imposing stricter conditions on permitted building. Due to being already highly urban, the city contains limited portions of protected green-belt area within greenfield throughout the borough, with minimal development opportunities, at Clayton Vale , Heaton Park , Chorlton Water Park along with the Chorlton Ees & Ivy Green nature reserve and
7308-812: Is also contiguous with Salford and its borough but is separated from it by the River Irwell . This urban area is cut off by the M60 , also known as the Manchester Outer Ring Road , which runs in a circular around the city and these areas. It joins the M62 to the north-east and the M602 to the west, as well as the East Lancashire Road and A6 . The name Manchester originates from the Latin name Mamucium or its variant Mancunio and
7511-452: Is contiguous on all sides with several large settlements, except for a small section along its southern boundary with Cheshire . The M60 and M56 motorways pass through Northenden and Wythenshawe respectively in the south of Manchester. Heavy rail lines enter the city from all directions, the principal destination being Manchester Piccadilly station . Manchester experiences a temperate oceanic climate ( Köppen : Cfb ), like much of
7714-530: Is one of the most curious anomalies of England". A stroke of a baron's pen is said to have divorced Manchester and Salford, though it was not Salford that became separated from Manchester, it was Manchester, with its humbler line of lords, that was separated from Salford. It was this separation that resulted in Salford becoming the judicial seat of Salfordshire , which included the ancient parish of Manchester . Manchester later formed its own Poor Law Union using
7917-402: Is recorded as within the hundred of Salford and held as tenant in chief by a Norman named Roger of Poitou , later being held by the family of Grelley, lord of the manor and residents of Manchester Castle until 1215 before a Manor House was built. By 1421 Thomas de la Warre founded and constructed a collegiate church for the parish , now Manchester Cathedral ; the domestic premises of
8120-424: Is the UK's largest city-centre shopping centre. Large city sections from the 1960s have been demolished, re-developed or modernised with the use of glass and steel. Old mills have been converted into apartments. Hulme has undergone extensive regeneration, with million-pound loft-house apartments being developed. The 47-storey, 554-foot (169 m) Beetham Tower was the tallest UK building outside of London and
8323-699: The Bridgewater Concert Hall , the Manchester Arena , and (in Salford) the rebranding of the port as Salford Quays . Two bids to host the Olympic Games were part of a process to raise the international profile of the city. Manchester has a history of attacks attributed to Irish Republicans, including the Manchester Martyrs of 1867, arson in 1920, a series of explosions in 1939, and two bombs in 1992. On Saturday 15 June 1996,
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8526-488: The Brit Awards ceremony at Earl's Court . Their single "Patience" won the Best British Single category. The third single chosen from Beautiful World was " I'd Wait For Life ", released on 18 June 2007 in the UK. The single reached 17 in the UK Singles Chart. This may have been due to lack of promotion, as the band decided to take a pre-tour break rather than do any promotion for the single. The single " Rule
8729-485: The British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Take That has been certified for sales of 14.4 million albums and 13.6 million singles in the UK. Williams left the band in 1995, while the four remaining members completed their world tour and released a final single before splitting up in 1996. After filming a 2005 Take That: For the Record about the group and releasing a new greatest hits album ,
8932-529: The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Barlow received global recognition for his "The Crooner Sessions" series which featured him performing songs online alongside other artists. Although initially starting as a way to entertain his fans during the lockdown, Barlow's videos, which debuted on Instagram before later being uploaded to his YouTube Channel, Facebook and Twitter feeds, became a hotly-anticipated event for many music lovers worldwide. Describing his inspiration for
9135-487: The Christmas Blitz on the nights of 22/23 and 24 December 1940, when an estimated 474 tonnes (467 long tons) of high explosives plus over 37,000 incendiary bombs were dropped. A large part of the historic city centre was destroyed, including 165 warehouses, 200 business premises, and 150 offices. 376 were killed and 30,000 houses were damaged. Manchester Cathedral , Royal Exchange and Free Trade Hall were among
9338-646: The Middle Ages , Manchester remained a manorial township but began to expand "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century. Manchester's unplanned urbanisation was brought on by a boom in textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution and resulted in it becoming the world's first industrialised city. Historically part of Lancashire , areas of Cheshire south of the River Mersey were incorporated into Manchester in
9541-531: The Phoenix Theatre , London in January 2017. In the summer of 2016, Barlow launched his own talent show Let It Shine , in the search for 5 males to star in an upcoming nationwide musical using the music of Take That. The musical will tour all over the UK, with up to 8 shows a week. Let It Shine premiered on BBC One on 7 January 2017 and the first live show was premiered on 11 February 2017. During
9744-597: The Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino , The Foundry at SLS Las Vegas and the Linq Theater at The LINQ Hotel & Casino . Local newspaper, the Las Vegas Sun writes that everything is still unconfirmed, despite Barlow confirming the rumour on Twitter . On 2 February 2016, in an interview with The Sun , Barlow revealed that Take That would release their eighth studio album later in
9947-512: The Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA) carried out the 1996 Manchester bombing , the detonation of a large bomb next to a department store in the city centre. The largest to be detonated on British soil, the bomb injured over 200 people, heavily damaged nearby buildings, and broke windows 1 ⁄ 2 mile (800 m) away. The cost of the immediate damage was initially estimated at £50 million, but this
10150-553: The Queen to write the official single for her Diamond Jubilee , which saw Barlow collaborate with Andrew Lloyd Webber . Barlow has written 14 number-one singles in the UK and 2 Billboard Hot 100 top-ten singles in the United States including "Back for Good" which went to number one in 31 countries around the world. At the beginning of May 2010, it was reported that the Queen had asked Barlow to organise her 86th birthday party and her Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012. This
10353-526: The Samaritans charity to deal with counselling them. After the band broke up, highly respected music figures such as Elton John noted that Take That were different from other boy bands before and after them, in that they wrote their own material through Gary Barlow. Barlow is one of only two people to have won an Ivor Novello award during their time in a boy band, with Tony Mortimer whilst in East 17 being
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#173278372892910556-921: The Songbook Tour , will begin in April 2025 with two shows on the Isle of Man and included 41 shows in total. Key stops will include Liverpool, Blackpool, Manchester, and Delamere Forest in June 2025. After leaving his career as a solo artist Barlow returned to his first love of writing music. He soon signed a songwriting publishing deal with Sony and went to the US on a six-month songwriting project, residing in Nashville , Los Angeles and New York with his wife, Dawn, and first child. Upon his return, he set up True North Productions with Eliot Kennedy and Tim Woodcock. In his autobiography My Take Barlow partly blames his fall as
10759-616: The Stadium of Light on 5 June 2009 in Sunderland and ended at the Wembley Stadium in London on 5 July 2009, which over 80,000 people attended. This tour quickly became the fastest-selling of all time, breaking all records by selling all of their 650,000 tickets in less than four-and-a-half hours. In November 2009 Take That released the official DVD of their Circus tour, which became the fastest-selling music DVD of all time in
10962-461: The UK Singles Chart while also achieving success throughout Europe, charting in over 19 countries. After working with the band on new material in Los Angeles, on 15 July 2010 Robbie Williams announced he was returning to Take That. After months of working together, assembling new songs for a new album and even debating a band-name change to "The English", a joint statement between Williams and
11165-477: The UK Singles Chart , 12 of which have reached number one. They have also had nine number-one albums on the UK Albums Chart . Internationally, the band have had 56 number-one singles and 42 number-one albums. They have received eight Brit Awards , including Best British Group and Best British Live Act. In 2012 they received an Ivor Novello Award for Outstanding Contribution to British Music. According to
11368-627: The UK Singles Chart , despite heavy airplay. In Germany and Australia, The Garden was released as the second single instead. On 7 May 2009, Take That's official website confirmed that the third single from The Circus would be " Said It All " which was released on 15 June 2009, peaking at number 9 on the UK Singles chart. The video premiered on GMTV on 8 May 2009. It features all four band members dressed up as vintage circus clowns, which tied in with their forthcoming Take That Present: The Circus Live tour. Take That started their Circus Live tour at
11571-459: The University of Manchester and Royal Northern College of Music in the 2011/2012 academic year. Of all households in Manchester, 0.23 per cent were Same-Sex Civil Partnership households, compared with an English national average of 0.16 per cent in 2011. The Manchester Larger Urban Zone , a Eurostat measure of the functional city-region approximated to local government districts, had
11774-525: The tenth series of The X Factor , alongside Scherzinger and former judge Sharon Osbourne who replaced Tulisa. Barlow was given the Groups category in his third year on the show. Barlow chose Kingsland Road, Miss Dynamix and Rough Copy as his final three. After losing two of his final acts, he guided Rough Copy to the semi-final. During Rough Copy's performance on the first live show of The X Factor 2013, Barlow revealed that this would be his last series on
11977-666: The urban warming effect but the West Pennine Moors to the north-west, South Pennines to the north-east and Peak District to the east receive more snow, which can close roads leading out of the city. They include the A62 via Oldham and Standedge , the A57 , Snake Pass , towards Sheffield , and the Pennine section of the M62 . The lowest temperature ever recorded in Manchester
12180-555: The " Manchester Congestion Charge " are all examples of this. For purposes of the Office for National Statistics , Manchester forms the most populous settlement within the Greater Manchester Urban Area , the United Kingdom's second-largest conurbation. There is a mix of high-density urban and suburban locations. The largest open space in the city, at around 260 hectares (642 acres), is Heaton Park . Manchester
12383-403: The "Police Commissioners". In 1853, Manchester was granted city status . In 1885, Bradford , Harpurhey , Rusholme and parts of Moss Side and Withington townships became part of the City of Manchester. In 1889, the city became a county borough , as did many larger Lancashire towns, and therefore not governed by Lancashire County Council . Between 1890 and 1933, more areas were added to
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#173278372892912586-625: The 2011 census. The city experienced the greatest percentage population growth outside London, with an increase of 19 per cent to over 500,000. Manchester's population is projected to reach 532,200 by 2021, an increase of 5.8 per cent from 2011. This represents a slower rate of growth than the previous decade. The Greater Manchester Built-up Area in 2011 had an estimated population of 2,553,400. In 2012 an estimated 2,702,200 people lived in Greater Manchester . An 6,547,000 people were estimated in 2012 to live within 30 miles (50 km) of Manchester and 11,694,000 within 50 miles (80 km). Between
12789-463: The 20th century, including Wythenshawe in 1931. Manchester achieved city status in 1853. The Manchester Ship Canal opened in 1894, creating the Port of Manchester and linking the city to the Irish Sea , 36 miles (58 km) to the west. The city's fortune declined after the Second World War , owing to deindustrialisation, and the IRA bombing in 1996 led to extensive investment and regeneration. Following considerable redevelopment, Manchester
12992-411: The British Isles, with warm summers and cold winters compared to other parts of the UK. Summer daytime temperatures regularly top 20 °C, quite often reaching 25 °C on sunny days during July and August in particular. In more recent years, temperatures have occasionally reached over 30 °C. There is regular but generally light precipitation throughout the year. The city's average annual rainfall
13195-422: The City of Manchester became a metropolitan district of the metropolitan county of Greater Manchester . That year, Ringway , the village where the Manchester Airport is located, was added to the city. In November 2014, it was announced that Greater Manchester would receive a new directly elected mayor. The mayor would have fiscal control over health, transport, housing and police in the area. Andy Burnham
13398-399: The Diamond Jubilee concert was held outside Buckingham Palace with it acting as a backdrop to a stage built upon the Victoria Memorial featuring various worldwide artists. The concert included music stemming from the 1950s to the 2000s with each decade of her reign reflected in the music performed. Barlow himself appeared alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber and his own Commonwealth Band to perform
13601-548: The Industrial Revolution brought wealth to the city, it also brought poverty and squalor to a large part of the population. Historian Simon Schama noted that "Manchester was the very best and the very worst taken to terrifying extremes, a new kind of city in the world; the chimneys of industrial suburbs greeting you with columns of smoke". An American visitor taken to Manchester's blackspots saw "wretched, defrauded, oppressed, crushed human nature, lying and bleeding fragments". The number of cotton mills in Manchester itself reached
13804-437: The LP, titled " Let Me Go ", released worldwide on 17 November 2013. He also announced that he would be touring the album in April 2014, playing some of the biggest arenas in the UK. "Let Me Go" entered the UK Singles Chart at No. 3 with 72,423 copies sold in its first week on sale, giving Barlow his 21st top 3 UK single. The following week it rose to No. 2 selling a further 60,422 copies. One month after release, "Let Me Go"
14007-424: The Love Tonight " from The Lion King . Take That's third album Nobody Else , again based on Barlow's own material, went straight to number one and was to be their last studio album of the 1990s. The album had three number-one singles, including Barlow's " Back for Good " which peaked at number seven on the US Billboard Hot 100 and was brought forward an unprecedented six weeks before its official release such
14210-409: The Montage in Beverly Hills to perform a selection of songs from the musical score he had written for Finding Neverland . He played the lead role of Peter Pan author J. M. Barrie and sang a duet with British musical actress Laura Michelle Kelly along with four backup artists featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary 20 Feet from Stardom . Barlow's performance was well received, and after
14413-458: The Nobody Else Tour in October 1995. Following the tour, the band began to plan for their next album; however, when they spent Christmas together, they mutually agreed it was time to part ways. On 13 February 1996, Take That formally announced that they were disbanding. This was followed by the Greatest Hits compilation in 1996, which contained a new recording, a cover of the Bee Gees ' " How Deep Is Your Love ". The single went on to become what
14616-524: The Rolling Stones . On 10th December 2023, the band headlined the second day of Capital FM 's Jingle Bell Ball at London's O2 Arena which included a special performance of Relight my Fire with Rita Ora . In January 2024, it was announced the band will perform the first ever concert as part of the opening day of the 2023–24 SailGP championship in Abu Dhabi on 13 January 2024. On 25 March,
14819-537: The TV looking at [his] reflection". He was heavily influenced by late 1970s and 1980s pop music. At age 10, after watching Depeche Mode perform on Top of the Pops , Barlow acquired his first keyboard; he practiced constantly thereafter. Barlow has also cited Trevor Horn , and future collaborators Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), as important early influences. He has credited Elton John with inspiring him to play
15022-714: The Take That symbol on the uniform and shields. On 19 May 2011, Take That announced a new EP entitled Progressed , which contained eight tracks written by the band since they had reunited as a five-piece. It was packaged alongside the album Progress and returned the band to number 1 in the UK Album Chart the week after it was released on 13 June 2011. Take That announced that the Progress Live tour would be released worldwide as their second live album to date and would also be released on home media formats across
15225-598: The U.S. market, where a U.S.-exclusive remix of "Love Ain't Here Anymore" gained little success. By 1994, Take That had become radio and television stars across Europe and Asia, but it was not until 1995 that they did their first World Tour. It was during the years 1993–95 that the band fronted scores of magazine covers ranging from Smash Hits to GQ , becoming mass merchandised on all sorts of paraphernalia ranging from picture books, to posters, stickers, their own dolls , jewellery, caps, T-shirts, toothbrushes and even had their own annuals released. The band had also developed
15428-483: The UK Albums Chart and spawned four number-one singles, as well as " Why Can't I Wake Up with You " and " Love Ain't Here Anymore " hitting numbers two and three respectively. Barlow received an Ivor Novello Award for Best Contemporary Song in 1994 for the number-one hit song " Pray " included on the album. In 1994, alongside Rick Astley , Barlow did backing vocals for Elton John 's version of " Can You Feel
15631-509: The UK Albums Chart at no. 1 and, as of June 2009, had sold over 2.8 million copies in the UK. It is the 35th-best-selling album in UK music history. On Beautiful World , all four members of the band had the opportunity to sing lead vocals and contribute in the songwriting. Unlike the band's earlier works, where the majority of their material was written by Barlow who received sole credit, all four band members are credited as co-writers, along with John Shanks. The comeback single, " Patience ",
15834-547: The UK alone as of 2012. It was re-released as a tour edition with hit single " Rule the World " in 2007 and peaked again at number one. In 2008, the band were nominated for four Brit Awards (Best British Group, Best British Album, Best British Single and Best British Live Act). They won Best British Single and Best British Live Act. After great success in 2006, Take That released the single " Greatest Day " which went straight to number one and became their eleventh number-one single in
16037-532: The UK alone. The new song "Today I've Lost You" (recorded in September 2005) was originally written by Barlow as the follow-up to "Back for Good" but was never recorded. On 16 November 2005, the group got back together for the ITV1 documentary Take That: For the Record , in which they aired their views over their fame, success, the split and what the post-Williams line-up had done since. On 25 November 2005, there
16240-619: The UK and Europe on 21 November 2011. The DVD debuted at number 1 on the UK Music Video top 40 in its first week on release and sold over 200,000 copies in two weeks of release in the UK alone. Take That's efforts were recognised further when they were awarded Virgin Media's Best Live Act of 2012. On 4 October, it was reported that Take That were to take a break after the completion of the Progress tour, with Barlow continuing his role as
16443-572: The UK and across Europe, capturing new audiences along the way, with Take That also able to make inroads in the adult audience in Britain through Barlow's melodic, sensitive ballads. For nearly five years, Take That's popularity was unsurpassed in Britain. The release of the first single from the album, " Sure ", achieved yet another number one in the UK charts. It was not until their second release from that album, however, that they would experience what would become their biggest hit single, " Back for Good ", which reached number one in many countries including
16646-425: The UK and ended in Manchester on 23 December 2007. The band received four nominations at the 2008 BRIT Awards. Nominated for Best British Group, Best British Single ("Shine"), Best British Album ( Beautiful World ) and Best Live Act, they took home the Best Live Act and the Best British Single awards. According to a 2007 MSN UK internet poll, Take That were voted as the "comeback kings" of the year. " Greatest Day ",
16849-407: The UK in the first chart of 1993. Their first album, Take That & Party , was released in 1992, and included all the hit singles to date. 1993 saw the release of Everything Changes , based on Barlow's original material. It peaked at number one in the UK and spawned six singles, with four being consecutive UK number one singles—their first number one " Pray ", " Relight My Fire ", " Babe " and
17052-417: The UK on its first day of release and stayed in the top 10 of the videos chart for over a year. This overtook the previous record sales holder, which was Take That's Beautiful World Live tour and stayed at the number 1 spot for 8 weeks. The following week Take That released their first live album, The Greatest Day – Take That Present: The Circus Live , which sold 98,000 copies on its first day of release and
17255-477: The UK's second city, but in the 21st century claims to this unofficial title have also been made for Manchester. The City of Manchester is governed by the Manchester City Council . The Greater Manchester Combined Authority , with a directly elected mayor , has responsibilities for economic strategy and transport, amongst other areas, on a Greater Manchester-wide basis. Manchester has been
17458-461: The UK, Germany, Australia, and Norway. It was also their only hit in the USA, where it reached number seven. The song was initially unveiled for the first time via live performance while at the 1995 BRIT Awards, and based on the reception of that performance, the record pre-sold more records than expected and forced the record label to bring the release date forward by an unprecedented six weeks. The album
17661-412: The UK. Take That initially worked the same territory as their American counterparts, singing new jack R&B , urban soul, and mainstream pop. However, they worked their way toward Hi-NRG dance music, while also pursuing an adult contemporary ballad direction. As they aimed to break into the mainstream music industry, they worked a number of small clubs, schools, and events across the country building up
17864-442: The UK. The week after they released their second album since their reunion in 2006, The Circus . The Circus album was also a great success for Take That going straight to the top of the UK album chart and selling over 2.2 million copies in the country, going multi-platinum within four days of its release. In June and July 2009, Take That performed a record-breaking tour named Take That Present: The Circus Live throughout
18067-578: The US Billboard Adult Contemporary chart. He then achieved another top-ten hit in the UK with " Open Road " peaking at number seven. After the success of his first solo album, Barlow released his second LP Twelve Months, Eleven Days in 1999. Barlow released " Stronger " as the lead single preceding the album. The single peaked at number 16. The album's second single, " For All That You Want ", also received minimal radio play and peaked at number 24; however, it nearly reached
18270-413: The United Kingdom and it sold over one million tickets in just five hours. Barlow's first solo release since 1999 was a duet with reconciled Take That bandmate Robbie Williams on a single entitled " Shame ". The single was written by both Barlow and Williams after they began to work together in Los Angeles on new material for a new Take That album following Williams' return to the band. On the first day of
18473-522: The United Kingdom's most successful songwriters, having written thirteen number-one singles (ten with Take That, two solo, one with the Robbie Williams song " Candy ") and twenty-four top-ten hits . As a solo artist, he has had three number-one singles, six top-ten singles and three number-one albums, and has additionally had seventeen top-five hits, twelve number-one singles and eight number-one albums with Take That. Barlow has also served as
18676-435: The United Kingdom, becoming the band's seventh number-one album. By the end of its first week on sale the album sold over 520,000, making it the second fastest-selling album of all-time in UK chart history. To date Progress has sold 2.4 million copies in the UK and has achieved similar chart success across Europe. In June 2011, Take That released their first extended play collection entitled Progressed which returned
18879-736: The World ", included on the deluxe version of Beautiful World , was recorded for the soundtrack of the film Stardust (2007). It reached number two in the UK and went on to become the group's second-best-selling single, shifting over 1.2 million units in the UK. Beautiful World was the fourth-biggest-selling album of 2007. It was announced at the start of 2007 that Take That signed a record deal with American label Interscope , and would also release their album in Canada. Starting on 11 October 2007, Take That began their Beautiful World Tour 2007 in Belfast . The tour included 49 shows throughout Europe and
19082-403: The airing of Gary Barlow's documentary Gary Barlow: On Her Majesty's Service which told the story of how Sing was written; the single climbed up to number one in the iTunes chart. The following week Sing rose to number one in the UK Singles Chart selling 142,000 copies and becoming among the highest selling singles of 2012. The album of the same name remained at number one, making Barlow
19285-525: The atom in 1917; Frederic C. Williams , Tom Kilburn and Geoff Tootill developed the world's first stored-program computer in 1948; and Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov first isolated graphene in 2004. Manchester has a large urban sprawl , which forms from the city centre into the other neighbouring authorities; these include The Four Heatons , Failsworth , Prestwich , Stretford , Sale , Droylsden , Old Trafford and Reddish . The city
19488-589: The band announced that their new single "You and Me" would be released on 28 March, in order to promote the This Life on Tour shows. Following this on 26 April, the band would release another single, "All Wrapped Up", along with an announcement of a deluxe edition of the This Life album, which would contain the former two tracks, along with three other studio tracks. Manchester Manchester ( / ˈ m æ n tʃ ɪ s t ər , - tʃ ɛ s -/ )
19691-463: The band announced that they would be embarking on a huge UK stadium tour entitled Progress Live , starting in Sunderland on 27 May, and finishing with a record-breaking eight nights at London's Wembley Stadium in July 2011. It was also announced that Williams would perform hit singles from his solo career during the tour. The band then played at some of the biggest venues across Europe for the second leg of
19894-500: The band announced their new single "Hey Boy", released on 16 October, which is the first single from the 2015 re-release of III . The 2015 edition of the album was released on 20 November. In December 2015, British media buzzed about the group embarking on a stint in Las Vegas, starting 2017. Reports indicated the group impressed U.S. promoters and would headline their own residency show. Many venues circulated, including The AXIS at
20097-416: The band at any time, Williams chose not to return for group's seventh and eighth studio albums and their accompanying tours, focusing instead on his solo commitments. He continued to write music with his colleagues and has performed with the group on several occasions since 2011's Progress tour and plans on returning at some point in the future. On 24 September 2014, it was announced that Jason Orange had left
20300-532: The band had begun working on their ninth studio album due for a late 2023 release. The album was also confirmed by Owen earlier in May. In October 2022, it was announced that Take That would perform at BST Hyde Park on 1 July 2023, supported by The Script and the Sugababes . On 5 May 2023, the band released a rework of Greatest Day which featured Calum Scott and German artist Robin Schulz . Two days later,
20503-450: The band offered him an ultimatum; he was to adhere to the band's responsibilities or leave before their scheduled world tour. Williams chose the latter. Williams claimed he was bored with Barlow's leadership and jealous of Barlow. Despite the loss of Williams, Take That continued to promote Nobody Else as a four-piece, scoring a further hit single with " Never Forget " with Donald on lead vocals. They subsequently went to America and completed
20706-531: The band performed at King Charles III 's Coronation Concert , held at Windsor Castle . On 15 June 2023, the band performed in Leicester Square for the premiere of the Take That movie musical Greatest Days which was released in cinemas the following day. The film was later released on home streaming service Amazon Prime Video . On 20 September 2023, the band announced that their new single " Windows " would be released on 22 September. That evening,
20909-455: The band performed some songs from the album, along with some old classics including " Never Forget ", "Back for Good" and " Rule the World ". The band also took part in a Q&A session with the audience members. On 27 April, it was announced on Twitter that "New Day" would be released as the next single from the album Wonderland . The band were seen recording the music video in a field in Luton
21112-459: The band teased upcoming live shows with their logo projected on arenas and stadiums around the UK & Ireland, including London's O2 Arena , Bristol Ashton Gate Stadium and Manchester's new arena Co-Op Live . On the release day of "Windows", it was announced that their ninth album, titled This Life , would be released on 24 November 2023. This Life on Tour was also announced, starting on 13 April 2024 at Sheffield Utilita Arena . To celebrate
21315-527: The band to number one in the UK on its first week of release as well as charting across Europe. In April 2012, Barlow recorded a cover of " Here Comes the Sun " that was used in the 2012 summer promotion advertisement for Marks and Spencer with him appearing in the advert at the end performing the song. In November 2012, Barlow appeared on Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War of the Worlds – The New Generation ,
21518-630: The band's tour is "the fastest-selling in UK history". On 22 May 2008, Barlow and Donald attended the 2008 Ivor Novello Awards where Take That won the award for Most Performed Work with their single "Shine". Take That won the Sony Ericsson Tour of the Year award at the Vodafone music awards on 18 September 2008. They were unable to attend as they were in LA finishing off The Circus . They did send
21721-436: The band. He said: 'At a band meeting last week I confirmed to Mark, Gary and Howard that I do not wish to commit to recording and promoting a new album. 'At the end of The Progress Tour I began to question whether it might be the right time for me to not continue on with Take That,' he continued. 'There have been no fallings out, only a decision on my part that I no longer wish to do this,' he added. Barlow, Donald, and Owen issued
21924-474: The beginning of July 2011 and end of June 2012 (mid-year estimate date), births exceeded deaths by 4,800. Migration (internal and international) and other changes accounted for a net increase of 3,100 people between July 2011 and June 2012. Compared with Greater Manchester and with England, Manchester has a younger population, with a particularly large 20–35 age group. There were 76,095 undergraduate and postgraduate students at Manchester Metropolitan University ,
22127-497: The buildings seriously damaged; restoration of the cathedral took 20 years. In total, 589 civilians were recorded to have died as result of enemy action within the Manchester County Borough. Cotton processing and trading continued to decline in peacetime, and the exchange closed in 1968. By 1963 the port of Manchester was the UK's third largest, and employed over 3,000 men, but the canal was unable to handle
22330-502: The charity from their Marks and Spencer fee. The band were also voted the Greatest Boy Band of All Time, reflecting their ongoing marketability and success in the pop arena, even after two decades. At the 2009 Brit Awards they were nominated for Best British Group and they performed "Greatest Day" at the ceremony. " Up All Night ", the second single from The Circus , was released on 2 March 2009, and peaked at number 14 on
22533-480: The charts across Europe. Patience was also voted the Record of the Year in 2006 and won a Brit Award for single of the year. This was followed with " Shine " which became the band's tenth number-one single. Take That's first album of new material in over ten years, Beautiful World was released on 24 November 2006. The album peaked at number one in the UK Album Chart selling over 2.8 million copies in
22736-439: The citizens are still referred to as Mancunians ( / m æ n ˈ k juː n i ə n / ). These names are generally thought to represent a Latinisation of an original Brittonic name . The generally accepted etymology of this name is that it comes from Brittonic * mamm - (" breast ", in reference to a " breast-like hill "). However, more recent work suggests that it could come from * mamma ("mother", in reference to
22939-526: The city, which had been administered by Lancashire County Council, including former villages such as Burnage , Chorlton-cum-Hardy , Didsbury , Fallowfield , Levenshulme , Longsight , and Withington . In 1931, the Cheshire civil parishes of Baguley , Northenden and Northen Etchells from the south of the River Mersey were added. In 1974, by way of the Local Government Act 1972 ,
23142-455: The college house Chetham's School of Music and Chetham's Library . The library, which opened in 1653 and is still open to the public, is the oldest free public reference library in the United Kingdom. Manchester is mentioned as having a market in 1282. Around the 14th century, Manchester received an influx of Flemish weavers, sometimes credited as the foundation of the region's textile industry. Manchester became an important centre for
23345-614: The days leading up the opening night of the Wonderland Live tour. Due to the Manchester Arena bombing just days before they were due to perform at the venue, their Manchester and Liverpool dates were rescheduled or relocated. The band returned a month later to perform at the One Love Manchester benefit concert. On 16 September 2017, Barlow, Owen and Donald were set to perform a special one-off show in Jersey after
23548-475: The dominant marketplace for textiles produced in the surrounding towns. A commodities exchange , opened in 1729, and numerous large warehouses, aided commerce. In 1780, Richard Arkwright began construction of Manchester's first cotton mill. In the early 1800s, John Dalton formulated his atomic theory in Manchester. Manchester was one of the centres of textile manufacture during the Industrial Revolution . The great majority of cotton spinning took place in
23751-701: The entertainment industry and charity. He has sold over 50 million records worldwide. According to the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), Barlow as a solo artist has been certified for 1.1 million albums and 1.8 million singles in the UK. Gary Barlow was born on 20 January 1971 in Frodsham, Cheshire , the second son of Colin (died 15 October 2009) and Marjorie Barlow ( née Cowan). He attended Weaver Vale Primary School, and moved on to Frodsham High School in 1982. In Barlow's autobiography, he relates that his love of music began at an early age, and calls himself "one of those kids that's forever dancing in front of
23954-679: The export markets. Cotton processing in other parts of the world increased, often on machines produced in Manchester. Manchester suffered greatly from the Great Depression and the underlying structural changes that began to supplant the old industries, including textile manufacture. Like most of the UK, the Manchester area was mobilised extensively during the Second World War . For example, casting and machining expertise at Beyer, Peacock & Company 's locomotive works in Gorton
24157-682: The fastest-selling album of the year. The album reached number 1 on the UK Albums Chart on 7 December 2008 with total first-week sales of 432,490, the third-highest-opening sales week in UK history. On 28 October 2008, on the Radio 1 Chris Moyles show , it was announced that Take That would be touring again in June/July 2009, covering the UK and Ireland. Tickets for the Take That Present: The Circus Live tour went on sale on 31 October. The promoters, SJM, have said that
24360-514: The fastest-selling tour of all time in the UK with Progress Live , beating the previous record set by their Circus Live Tour in 2009. At the 2011 Brit Awards they won Best British Group. In 2012, Forbes named them the fifth-highest-earning music stars in the world. The group performed at the London 2012 Olympic Games closing ceremony , playing " Rule the World " while the Olympic Flame
24563-431: The final of The X Factor , where he became runner up. After a successful debut as a judge on The X Factor in 2011, ITV producers opened talks with Barlow to return for a second series and offered a substantial increase on his £1.5 million salary from the previous year. On 17 April 2012, it was announced that Barlow would return to The X Factor for a second year; he was the first judge to be announced to be returning. He
24766-422: The first artist in 2012 to have the number-one album and number-one single in the same week. Barlow announced on 15 October 2012 that he was to embark on his first full solo tour in thirteen years around the UK and Ireland. The tickets to Barlow's solo concerts sold out "instantly" after going on sale on 19 October, with tickets selling faster than those of the Rolling Stones for their comeback dates. Demand
24969-418: The first day of release Progress became the fastest-selling album of the century, with 235,000 copies sold in just one day. The album reached number 1 in the UK, selling around 520,000 copies in its first week, becoming the second-fastest-selling album in history. After the release of Progress it was announced that Take That have become Amazon UK 's top-selling music artist of all time. The album retained
25172-467: The first single from the album The Circus , made its radio premiere on 13 October 2008 and it was released on 24 November. It debuted at number 1 on the UK Singles Chart on 30 November 2008. An album launch party for The Circus was held in Paris on 2 December. On its first day of release The Circus sold 133,000 copies, and after four days on sale it sold 306,000 copies (going platinum) making The Circus
25375-401: The first time. Unlike the other tours, a DVD for Wonderland Live was not released. Instead, it was broadcast on Sky 1 on 23 December and in cinemas. On 16 July 2018, while performing at first ever Hits Radio Live at the Manchester Arena , Barlow, Donald and Owen confirmed that they would be touring in 2019. The tour was a Greatest Hits tour and celebrated the 30th anniversary of the band. There
25578-542: The floodplain surrounding the River Mersey, as well as the southern area around Manchester Airport. The green belt was first drawn up in 1961. Historically the population of Manchester began to increase rapidly during the Victorian era , estimated at 354,930 for Manchester and 110,833 for Salford in 1865, and peaking at 766,311 in 1931. From then the population began to decrease rapidly, due to slum clearance and
25781-522: The fold. The group were signed to RCA Records , and after a number of top-40 hits, eventually secured their first number-one with Barlow's " Pray ". Previous hits included " A Million Love Songs ", " It Only Takes a Minute " and " Could It Be Magic ". The debut album Take That & Party was released on 17 August 1992 and reached number two in the UK Album Chart. The following year saw the release of their second album, Everything Changes based on Barlow's own material. It went straight in at number one in
25984-601: The greatest British songwriter of all time in a 2009 OnePoll , who surveyed 3,000 people John Lennon and Paul McCartney , of The Beatles , were placed second and third respectively. In 2011, Barlow wrote the song " Run for Your Life " for The X Factor series 7 winner Matt Cardle 's debut album. He has also written for the likes of Robbie Williams, Westlife , Lily Allen , Blue , Elton John , Olly Murs T-Pain , Will Young N-Dubz , Lawson , Shirley Bassey , Donny Osmond , Delta Goodrem , Elaine Paige , Agnetha Fältskog and many more while also being commissioned by
26187-495: The group at their Dublin concert, and the Sugababes supported the group on the final five dates of the stadium leg. In a seven-year study analysing over one billion online searches via Google conducted by AccuraCast, a leading digital search agency, their comeback was ranked at number one in the UK. On 9 May 2006, Take That returned to the recorded music scene after more than ten years of absence, signing with Polydor Records . The band's comeback album, Beautiful World , entered
26390-497: The group read, "The rumours are true ... Take That: the original lineup, have written and recorded a new album for release later this year." The statement went on to say, "Following months of speculation Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen, and Robbie Williams confirmed they have been recording a new studio album as a five-piece, which they will release in November." The lead single from Take That's album Progress
26593-490: The group, which initially went by the name Kick It. Take That's first TV appearance was on The Hit Man and Her in 1990, where they performed Barlow's self-written, unreleased song, "My Kind of Girl". They later appeared a second time to perform "Waiting Around", which would become the B-side for the first single, " Do What U Like ". " Promises " and " Once You've Tasted Love " were also released as singles but were minor hits in
26796-580: The highest residential accommodation in Europe when completed in 2006. It was surpassed in 2018 by the 659-foot (201 m) South Tower of the Deansgate Square project, also in Manchester. In January 2007, the independent Casino Advisory Panel licensed Manchester to build the UK's only supercasino , but plans were abandoned in February 2008. On 22 May 2017, an Islamist terrorist carried out
26999-486: The increased building of social housing overspill estates by Manchester City Council after the Second World War such as Hattersley and Langley . The 2012 mid-year estimate for the population of Manchester was 510,700. This was an increase of 7,900, or 1.6 per cent, since the 2011 estimate. Since 2001, the population has grown by 87,900, or 20.8 per cent, making Manchester the third fastest-growing area in
27202-456: The increasingly large container ships. Traffic declined, and the port closed in 1982. Heavy industry suffered a downturn from the 1960s and was greatly reduced under the economic policies followed by Margaret Thatcher 's government after 1979. Manchester lost 150,000 jobs in manufacturing between 1961 and 1983. Regeneration began in the late 1980s, with initiatives such as the Metrolink ,
27405-470: The launch on the new album, a 6 episode podcast featuring the band was announced with a new episode each week counting down the release of the album. On 17 October, the band released the second single " Brand New Sun ". On 3 November, the band released the third single " This Life ". Just three days after the release of This Life, the album claimed the biggest first-week sales for a British Act in 2023 exceeding sales for albums by Lewis Capaldi , Ed Sheeran and
27608-494: The lead singer after being impressed by his self-written material, including an early demo tape of Barlow's " A Million Love Songs ", concluding that the band should be built around Barlow's vocals and songwriting skills. Barlow, who wrote the majority of the group's songs, is widely recognised as the lead singer of Take That. After selecting Barlow as the group's lead singer, Nigel Martin-Smith introduced Howard Donald , Jason Orange , Mark Owen and finally Robbie Williams to
27811-469: The major Celtic tribe in what is now known as Northern England ; they had a stronghold in the locality at a sandstone outcrop on which Manchester Cathedral now stands, opposite the bank of the River Irwell . Their territory extended across the fertile lowland of what is now Salford and Stretford . Following the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century, General Agricola ordered the construction of
28014-644: The manufacture and trade of woollens and linen , and by about 1540, had expanded to become, in John Leland 's words, "The fairest, best builded, quickest, and most populous town of all Lancashire". The cathedral and Chetham's buildings are the only significant survivors of Leland's Manchester. During the English Civil War Manchester strongly favoured the Parliamentary interest. Although not long-lasting, Cromwell granted it
28217-597: The mid-3rd century, although the fort may have supported a small garrison until the late 3rd or early 4th century. After the Roman withdrawal and Saxon conquest , the focus of settlement shifted to the confluence of the Irwell and Irk sometime before the arrival of the Normans after 1066. Much of the wider area was laid waste in the subsequent Harrying of the North . In the Domesday Book of 1086, Manchester
28420-561: The music to the song; with Barlow then taking this music to musicians and singers around the Commonwealth with the aim to incorporate sounds from around the world onto the single. The song entitled " Sing " was released as the lead single from the album of the same name, Sing . It debuted in the UK Singles Chart at number 11 with the album released on the same day entering the UK Album Chart at number one, becoming Barlow's second solo number-one album and his first in 15 years. After
28623-474: The name "Manchester". In 1792, Commissioners – usually known as "Police Commissioners" – were established for the social improvement of Manchester. Manchester regained its borough status in 1838 and comprised the townships of Beswick , Cheetham Hill , Chorlton upon Medlock and Hulme . By 1846, with increasing population and greater industrialisation, the Borough Council had taken over the powers of
28826-427: The neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The city borders the boroughs of Trafford , Stockport , Tameside , Oldham , Rochdale , Bury and Salford . The history of Manchester began with the civilian settlement associated with the Roman fort ( castra ) of Mamucium or Mancunium , established c. AD 79 on a sandstone bluff near the confluence of the rivers Medlock and Irwell . Throughout
29029-404: The news broke of a single called " Shame ", which had been written by Barlow and Williams and would feature the vocals of both artists. This was the first time the pair had worked together since 1995 and would appear on the second greatest hits collection of Williams. "Heart and I", another track from the same album, was also co-written by Williams and Barlow. The single "Shame" peaked at number 2 on
29232-492: The northern club circuit, singing cover versions and his own songs. In 1989, Barlow appointed Wigan show business agent Barry Woolley to be his manager and recorded a single ("Love Is in the Air") under the name Kurtis Rush. Barlow was eventually put in touch with casting agent Nigel Martin-Smith , by celebrity photographer Doc Braham, who took Barlow's first professional head-shots. Martin-Smith eventually decided to use Barlow as
29435-671: The number one spot for six consecutive weeks in the UK since its release, selling 2.4 million copies in the UK alone and becoming the best-selling album of 2010. Progress also achieved success across Europe where it debuted at number one in Ireland, Greece, Germany and Denmark. and the European Top 100 Albums chart. It also debuted inside the top 10 of the charts in Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland. " Kidz "
29638-485: The number one spot in his home country. "Forever Love" was also used as the soundtrack to the film The Leading Man . His debut album Open Road reached number one in the UK Albums Chart and went on to sell 2 million copies worldwide. Barlow's first single to be released in the United States as a solo artist was " So Help Me Girl ", which reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart and number one on
29841-446: The other to have achieved this feat. Take That had also left a legacy of being immaculate performers with a very high work ethic, causing them to be voted in as the greatest boy band of all time. On 14 November 2005, Never Forget – The Ultimate Collection , a new compilation of their hit singles including a new previously unreleased song, also achieved great success and peaked at number 2 on UK charts, selling over 2.4 million copies in
30044-465: The piano. The first CD he bought was by the Pet Shop Boys , who later supported Take That on the Progress Live tour in 2011. In 1986, when Barlow was 15 years old, he entered a BBC Pebble Mill at One Christmas song competition with "Let's Pray for Christmas". After reaching the semi-finals, he was invited to London's West Heath Studios to record his song. This inspired him to perform on
30247-475: The project: "This is something I've always wanted to do so it's a real privilege to be involved. I'm really enjoying working with the team and I love the story; it's also great to be working with a legendary creative like Harvey Weinstein." Weinstein echoed the sentiment by expressing his admiration for Barlow, whom he described as "one of the finest songwriters in the world". On 1 March 2014, Barlow attended Bob and Harvey Weinstein 's pre- Academy Awards party at
30450-461: The proportion of Muslims increased by 73.6 per cent from 9.1 per cent to 15.8 per cent. The size of the Jewish population in Greater Manchester is the largest in Britain outside London. Gary Barlow Gary Barlow OBE (born 20 January 1971) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He is the lead singer of the pop group Take That . Barlow is one of
30653-479: The recording of their tour, reached number 5, becoming the band's 13th top 5 album, with the DVD becoming the biggest live music sale of 2019. In May 2020, Barlow, Donald, and Owen reunited with Williams for a virtual performance from their respective homes, hosted by price comparison website comparethemarket.com , to raise money for the music charity Nordoff Robbins and Crew Nation . In June 2022, Barlow confirmed that
30856-512: The rest of the world does tomorrow." Manchester's golden age was perhaps the last quarter of the 19th century. Many of the great public buildings (including Manchester Town Hall ) date from then. The city's cosmopolitan atmosphere contributed to a vibrant culture, which included the Hallé Orchestra . In 1889, when county councils were created in England, the municipal borough became a county borough with even greater autonomy. Although
31059-707: The right to elect its own MP . Charles Worsley , who sat for the city for only a year, was later appointed Major General for Lancashire, Cheshire and Staffordshire during the Rule of the Major Generals . He was a diligent puritan , turning out ale houses and banning the celebration of Christmas; he died in 1656. Significant quantities of cotton began to be used after about 1600, firstly in linen and cotton fustians , but by around 1750 pure cotton fabrics were being produced and cotton had overtaken wool in importance. The Irwell and Mersey were made navigable by 1736, opening
31262-454: The second-fastest-selling album in British history. In 2014, the band recorded a seventh studio album, this time as a trio without Williams and Orange. The album, titled III , was released in November 2014 and became the band's seventh number one. It was preceded by the single " These Days ", which became the band's 12th number one single in the UK. In 2011, Take That set the new record for
31465-539: The self-written official jubilee single " Sing " while also dueting with Girls Aloud 's Cheryl Cole on the night which won praise from critics who called "the performance as [two of] the best of Britain [who] proved their pop credentials with a dazzling duet." In 2009 Barlow began work on his own record label Future Records , a branch from Universal Music and signed his first artist, classical singer Camilla Kerslake . Since then Barlow has also signed UK rapper Aggro Santos to his label who scored two top 10 UK hits and
31668-515: The series, Barlow explained "we can't go on stages or into theaters. Maybe this is our new stage". On 5 January 2021, Barlow announced on his social media accounts that the Crooner Sessions would be returning for a second series through the 2021 UK lockdown. The first episode of the renewed series premiered on 11 January 2021. After being replaced as a judge on The X Factor by a returning Simon Cowell, Barlow ended up replacing Cowell as
31871-443: The show, due to his solo tour commitments and the upcoming release of a new Take That album . Barlow was replaced by Cowell, who returned to the show after a three-year absence. On 25 June 2013, it was announced that Barlow had been signed up to work on a new musical version of Finding Neverland and will co-write the score for the theatre project, which is being developed by Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein . Barlow said of
32074-429: The show. Barlow guided Maloney to the final of the show, becoming Barlow's second finalist in two consecutive years. Barlow said on 9 December 2012 that he may not return as a judge for a third series on The X Factor , stating that he did not know "if there is room" in his diary for the programme. However, on 20 May 2013, it was confirmed by Walsh that he and Barlow would both return to continue their roles as judges on
32277-502: The song as a likely single with strong chart potential leading to Universal Music scheduling it to be released as the third single from the album in November 2013. The single became a top 5 hit in Sweden on the week of its release as well as charting in the UK. It was announced in January 2012 that Barlow and Andrew Lloyd Webber would be working together to write the official Diamond Jubilee single. Barlow and Lord Lloyd Webber composed
32480-499: The song being released to the radio and the media, "Shame" received an unprecedented 694 plays on the radio and 153 plays on TV. The single peaked at number 2 in the UK, selling 224,000 copies and being certified as Silver by the BPI, while also charting in 21 countries worldwide. It was announced that Barlow was in the process of writing Take That's much-anticipated sixth studio album, set for release in late 2010. The album, Progress ,
32683-475: The south of Manchester. Much of the inner city, especially in the south, is flat, offering extensive views from many highrise buildings in the city of the foothills and moors of the Pennines, which can often be capped with snow in the winter months. Manchester's geographic features were highly influential in its early development as the world's first industrial city. These features are its climate, its proximity to
32886-417: The title track " Everything Changes ". The lead single " Why Can't I Wake Up with You " had narrowly missed the top spot in the UK peaking at number two and the sixth and final single " Love Ain't Here Anymore " taken from the album reached number three on the UK charts. Everything Changes saw the band gain international success with the album being nominated for the 1994 Mercury Prize , but it failed to crack
33089-475: The top 5 of the UK Album Charts , becoming Barlow's most successful solo album in the UK to date. On 12 October 2017, whilst appearing on BBC Radio 2, Barlow announced that he would be embarking on a solo tour again around the UK and Ireland to celebrate the release of his new book, A Better Me . The tour was to visit smaller and more intimate venues rather than the huge arenas and stadiums that Barlow
33292-594: The top five in Finland. Twelve Months, Eleven Days received little promotion and peaked at number 35, which led to Sony recalling the album's scheduled third single, " Lie to Me ". This decision resulted in Barlow and BMG parting company. In late 1999, Barlow quit his career as a singer, with his final single remaining unreleased. From 2000 to 2004, he was a producer for other artists, including bandmate Mark Owen's solo projects. In 2005, he resumed his singing career after
33495-470: The top spot, whilst also selling more copies in his first week than his Take That bandmate Robbie Williams, whose album Swings Both Ways sold 109,000 copies the previous week to claim the top spot. The album was certified Platinum by the BPI less than a month after being released, becoming Barlow's second solo album to reach Platinum certification. The album went 2× Platinum a month later, spending 11 weeks in
33698-459: The tour would then commence throughout Europe with an estimated 1.75 million people expected to attend the shows. The lead single from Progress was announced as " The Flood ". The single debuted at number two, selling over 500,000 copies. On the first day of the release of Progress , the album sold over 235,000 copies across the UK, making it the fastest-selling record of the century. On 21 November 2010, Progress debuted at number one in
33901-467: The tour. The phenomenal demand for tickets across the country led to the web sites of all the major UK ticket suppliers either crashing or considerably slowing for hours on end. The demand and sheer volume of fans also created problems for the UK telephone network. Take That's Progress Live also broke all records for ticket sales selling over 1.1 million tickets in one day, smashing the previous box-office record set by Take That's Circus tour in 2008. On
34104-498: The towns of south Lancashire and north Cheshire, and Manchester was for a time the most productive centre of cotton processing. Manchester became known as the world's largest marketplace for cotton goods and was dubbed " Cottonopolis " and "Warehouse City" during the Victorian era . In Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, the term "manchester" is still used for household linen: sheets, pillow cases, towels, etc. The industrial revolution brought about huge change in Manchester and
34307-585: The tragedy. Williams was due to perform with the band but dropped out due to his wife giving birth at around the same time and thus the group performed as a four-piece. In November 2012, Take That reunited as a five-piece for the last time to perform " Never Forget " at the Music Industry Trust Awards. In 2013, Donald became a judge on the German version of the television dancing show Got to Dance . In May 2013, Owen announced that Take That
34510-549: The world. A centre of capitalism, Manchester was once the scene of bread and labour riots, as well as calls for greater political recognition by the city's working and non-titled classes. One such gathering ended with the Peterloo massacre of 16 August 1819. The economic school of Manchester Capitalism developed there, and Manchester was the centre of the Anti-Corn Law League from 1838 onward. Manchester has
34713-439: The year. On 4 May 2016, English drum and bass duo Sigma announced their newest single would feature Take That. " Cry " received its first radio play on 20 May 2016 and was released on that date. On 21 October 2016, the band posted a teaser on their social media pages and website depicting the logo of the band flickering with the hashtag "#WONDERLAND". The following day, it was announced that their new album, titled Wonderland ,
34916-433: Was also a Greatest Hits album, Odyssey , which was released on 23 November 2018. The Greatest Hits album features existing songs from their back catalogue that have been re-imagined and three brand-new songs. It also includes collaborations with Boyz II Men , Lulu , Sigma and Barry Gibb . Odyssey reached number one in the UK album chart and was certified as a platinum selling record. The following year, Odyssey Live,
35119-502: Was also noted for its cover, which was a parody of the famed cover of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band cover sleeve. Robbie Williams's drug abuse had escalated to a near drug overdose the night before the group was scheduled to perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards in 1994. In June 1995, Williams was photographed by the press partying with Oasis at the Glastonbury Festival . The following month,
35322-454: Was an official press conference by the band announcing that the post-Robbie Williams line-up was going to tour in 2006. The tour, entitled The Ultimate Tour , ran from April to June 2006. The tour featured a guest appearance by British soul singer Beverley Knight , who replaced Lulu 's vocals on the song "Relight My Fire"; although Lulu did appear during the stadium shows on "Relight My Fire" and "Never Forget". The Pussycat Dolls supported
35525-578: Was announced as " The Flood " and was released 7 November as a digital download, and on 8 November as a physical copy, with the album released a week later on 15 November. The single peaked at number 2 in the UK Singles Charts and to date has sold over 500,000 copies in the UK alone. The single also achieved success across Europe, charting inside the top 10 in ten countries while also charting in another nine countries whilst also being nominated for an Ivor Novello Award for best work. On 26 October
35728-441: Was announced as the second single from Progress , it was released 21 February 2011 and charted well across Europe. The band performed the song live at the 2011 Brit Awards hosted at The O2 Arena , where they won a Brit for Best British Group and were nominated for Best British Album. Their performance of "Kidz", praised by critics, involved a highly choreographed routine featuring dancers dressed in police-styled riot gear bearing
35931-401: Was announced that Barlow was in advanced talks to replace Simon Cowell as a judge on The X Factor . He was officially confirmed as a judge on 30 May, alongside returning judge Louis Walsh and fellow new judges Tulisa and Kelly Rowland , who collectively replaced Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue . Barlow was given the "Boys" category for the live shows and mentored Marcus Collins to
36134-573: Was built between 1888 and 1894, in some sections by canalisation of the Rivers Irwell and Mersey, running 36 miles (58 km) from Salford to Eastham Locks on the tidal Mersey. This enabled oceangoing ships to sail right into the Port of Manchester. On the canal's banks, just outside the borough, the world's first industrial estate was created at Trafford Park . Large quantities of machinery, including cotton processing plant, were exported around
36337-433: Was certified Platinum in July 2013. " Hold Up a Light " was released as the fifth and final single from The Circus to radio stations and as a digital download to promote the release of the live album. The live album also featured a stripped-down session recorded live at the famous Abbey Road Studios in London. It featured the members singing the setlist from the preceding tour, albeit in a studio setting. On 7 June 2010,
36540-410: Was certified Silver by the BPI for selling over 200,000 copies in the UK. In early 2014, Let Me Go surpassed 400,000 sales in the UK and was certified Gold. The week after the release of Let Me Go , the album debuted at number two on the UK Albums Chart , behind One Direction 's third album Midnight Memories . The album sold 116,000 copies, becoming the fastest selling album of 2013 to miss out on
36743-433: Was confirmed in February 2012 with Barlow being named as the organiser of a concert that took place outside Buckingham Palace and featuring a variety of famous artists. Barlow said: " The Diamond Jubilee Concert will celebrate the 60 years of the Queen's reign with an amazing line-up of world-class artists coming together to play at one of the biggest and most exciting live music shows in recent years." On 4 June 2012,
36946-429: Was elected as the first mayor of Greater Manchester in 2017 . At 53°28′0″N 2°14′0″W / 53.46667°N 2.23333°W / 53.46667; -2.23333 , 160 miles (260 km) northwest of London, Manchester lies in a bowl-shaped land area bordered to the north and east by the Pennines , an upland chain that runs the length of northern England , and to the south by the Cheshire Plain . Manchester
37149-460: Was extinguished. In the same year, the Official Charts Company revealed the biggest-selling singles artists in British music chart history with Take That placed 15th overall, making them the most successful boy band in UK chart history. Four of their albums are listed in the best-selling albums of the millennium, with three of them among the 60 best-selling albums in UK chart history . In 1989, Manchester -based Nigel Martin-Smith sought to create
37352-474: Was heavily involved in providing the score of ITV 's Britannia High . The 9-episode series focused on the lives of a group of teenagers and their mentors at a fictional London theatre school. Guy Chambers , Steve Mac , Andy Hill , Mark Owen , James Bourne and Eliot Kennedy also contributed to the musical component of the show. It was axed after one series. In 2010, Barlow signed a new 5-year songwriting publishing deal with Sony Music. He has been voted as
37555-616: Was held in Manchester (at the Mechanics' Institute, David Street), from 2 to 6 June 1868. Manchester was an important cradle of the Labour Party and the Suffragette Movement. At that time, it seemed a place in which anything could happen—new industrial processes, new ways of thinking (the Manchester School , promoting free trade and laissez-faire ), new classes or groups in society, new religious sects, and new forms of labour organisation. It attracted educated visitors from all parts of Britain and Europe. A saying capturing this sense of innovation survives today: "What Manchester does today,
37758-399: Was key to the increase in Manchester's population. Manchester began expanding "at an astonishing rate" around the turn of the 19th century as people flocked to the city for work from Scotland, Wales, Ireland and other areas of England as part of a process of unplanned urbanisation brought on by the Industrial Revolution . It developed a wide range of industries, so that by 1835 "Manchester
37961-411: Was later joined by returning judges Walsh and Tulisa alongside new judge Nicole Scherzinger , who replaced Rowland after one series. For his second year as a mentor, he was given the Over 28s category, which featured both male and female artists over the age of 28. He became the only judge to have four acts in the finals after Christopher Maloney became the popular wildcard and the thirteenth finalist in
38164-511: Was one of the oldest to audition, but was chosen after he got time off work as a vehicle painter to continue the process. A budding DJ , he and Barlow had a shared interest in electronic acts such as Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) and Gary Numan . Prior to auditioning, Jason Orange had appeared as a breakdancer on the popular television programme The Hit Man and Her . Martin-Smith also selected 18-year-old bank employee Mark Owen and finally 16-year-old Robbie Williams to round out
38367-455: Was quickly revised upwards. The final insurance payout was over £400 million; many affected businesses never recovered from the loss of trade. Spurred by the investment after the 1996 bombing and aided by the XVII Commonwealth Games , the city centre has undergone extensive regeneration. New and renovated complexes such as The Printworks and Corn Exchange have become popular shopping, eating and entertainment areas. Manchester Arndale
38570-425: Was released on 20 November 2006, with a special event launching it on 5 November. On 26 November "Patience" hit number 1 in the UK in its second week of chart entry, making it the group's ninth No. 1, and staying there for 4 weeks. Take That also accompanied eventual winner Leona Lewis on a live version of "A Million Love Songs" during the final of The X Factor on 16 December 2006. The week after Beautiful World
38773-490: Was released, it was announced that Take That had become the first artists ever to top the UK official single and album charts along with the download single, download album and DVD charts in the same week, as well as topping the radio charts. The video for the number 1 hit single " Shine ", the follow-up to "Patience", premiered on 25 January 2007 on Channel 4, ahead of its release on 26 February 2007. The band's success continued on 14 February 2007 when Take That performed live at
38976-404: Was reported that a record breaking one million tickets were sold on the first day of sale, resulting in Take That beating the previous box office record of tickets sold which was set in 2008 by Take That Present: The Circus Live . Due to unprecedented demand Take That added more dates to their tour, finishing in the UK with a record breaking eight consecutive nights at Wembley Stadium after which
39179-490: Was scheduled to be released on 24 March 2017. It was then followed by a UK and Ireland arena tour entitled Wonderland Live , that commenced on 5 May 2017 at the Genting Arena in Birmingham. On 17 February 2017, the lead single of Wonderland was released. Titled " Giants ", it debuted at 13 in the UK charts, which became the band's 24th UK top 20 single. On 8 April 2017, ITV aired a specially commissioned hour-length television special titled An Evening with Take That , where
39382-471: Was so familiar with playing, be it solo or alongside his Take That bandmates. On 14 August 2019, Barlow announced that he had been working on a new solo record due for release in autumn 2020, stating that "[he has] never recorded with an orchestra" and wanted to create "original songs with big contemporary orchestral arrangements." In July 2020, Barlow confirmed that the album will release in November, adding that "[the album is] very positive and [composed] with
39585-565: Was so high for tickets that Barlow added more dates, which also sold out instantly. It was also revealed by ticket marketplace SeatWave, that Barlow's solo shows had sold six times more tickets than Robbie Williams' solo concerts, despite being on sale for a week less. In September 2013, Barlow announced via his Twitter account that he would be releasing his first full-length solo album in 14 years, on 25 November 2013. On 4 October 2013, Barlow revealed his new album would be called Since I Saw You Last , and would be preceded by his first single from
39788-465: Was switched to bomb making; Dunlop's rubber works in Chorlton-on-Medlock made barrage balloons ; and just outside the city in Trafford Park , engineers Metropolitan-Vickers made Avro Manchester and Avro Lancaster bombers and Ford built the Rolls-Royce Merlin engines to power them. Manchester was thus the target of bombing by the Luftwaffe , and by late 1940 air raids were taking place against non-military targets. The biggest took place during
39991-593: Was the demand for the single. A Greatest Hits collection followed again reaching number one. The album featured the band's eighth number-one single " How Deep Is Your Love ". This was to be the first single released by Take That as a four-piece (without Robbie Williams) and it was their last single until they reformed in 2005. Barlow's solo career was predicted to be very successful, being described as "the next George Michael ". His first two solo singles, " Forever Love " (released July 1996) and " Love Won't Wait " (composed by Madonna and Shep Pettibone ), both leapt to
40194-405: Was the first to feature the original line-up since their 1995 album, Nobody Else . The band also announced a stadium tour entitled Progress Live which took place in 2011. The tickets for the tour went on sale on 29 October 2010. Due to unprecedented high public demand for tickets, Ticketmaster websites across the UK and Ireland crashed and all initial tour dates sold out in under 15 minutes. It
40397-423: Was the host city for the 2002 Commonwealth Games . The city is notable for its architecture , culture , musical exports , media links , scientific and engineering output , social impact , sports clubs and transport connections . Manchester Liverpool Road railway station is the world's oldest surviving inter-city passenger railway station. At the University of Manchester , Ernest Rutherford first split
40600-413: Was to be the band's final UK number one until their 2006 comeback a decade later. Take That gave what was thought to be their final performance in April 1996 in Almere -Haven. Following the band's announcement, millions of their fans were distraught around the world and in the UK alone, teenage girls threatened suicide and were seen lining streets in tears, to the point that telephone hotlines were set up by
40803-482: Was to begin recording their seventh studio album in 2014, and on 14 January 2014, Donald and Barlow both tweeted that Take That had entered the studio to begin recording the album, although it was not initially clear if Williams was present at these recording sessions. On 28 April 2014, Williams announced on Twitter he was to become a father for a second time, and consequently suggested he would be unable to join Take That on their album and tour. Although welcome to return to
41006-426: Was without challenge the first and greatest industrial city in the world". Engineering firms initially made machines for the cotton trade, but diversified into general manufacture. Similarly, the chemical industry started by producing bleaches and dyes, but expanded into other areas. Commerce was supported by financial service industries such as banking and insurance. Trade, and feeding the growing population, required
41209-462: Was −17.6 °C (0.3 °F) on 7 January 2010. The highest temperature recorded in Manchester is 38.0 °C (100.4 °F) on 19 July 2022, during the 2022 European Heatwave . Manchester lies at the centre of a green belt region extending into the wider surrounding counties. This reduces urban sprawl , prevents towns in the conurbation from further convergence, protects the identity of outlying communities, and preserves nearby countryside. It
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