EASTER WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 4 APRIL 2026

 Previews, reviews, interviews, and recommendations with Steve Cooke

WEEKEND COLUMN SATURDAY 4 APRIL 2026

Poetry Spotlight

Previews: Rochdale Feel Good Festival headliners and Phantoms of the Popera starring G4 at Middleton Arena.

Review: Rochdale in Rhyme and Weaving Words

Poetry Spotlight: Joanne Wood   

I found my 'written voice' when I lost my spoken voice. Nine years ago, I had a seizure at work, which left me unable to speak. Rushed to hospital, a massive brain tumour was found. I had emergency brain surgery. Now with a brain injury, I began to write my feelings down, as speech was a struggle. Poetry, prose and stories followed. I am part of the Riverside writing group, in Rochdale Library. I've been able to be part of some fabulous projects with them, including a poetry tour, on our Lancashire Heritage Day at Rochdale Town Hall, where I am a volunteer.

If There Was Ever       

If there was ever a time to be grateful,

To look back and reflect,

When you thought, this pain would never end.

To reread those thoughts written in private,

The penned tears flowed.

If there was ever a time,

to look in the mirror and see how the image has changed.

The face altered, the scar turned from anger red

to almost invisible pink.

The body soothed itself into repair and restoration.

If there was ever a time to sing out loud.

To pick words of truth and life

Reaffirming, powerful, strength within.

The volume must be up and loud,

And dancing comes, and so now I sway and spin.

If there was ever a time, to recognize my heroes,

Who held me and taught me to walk.

Those with skills, kindness and giving their time.

You encouraged, planted and watered the seed,

Because you believed so did I.

If there was ever a time, to keep going,

To take another step, to start saying yes.

To believe you have a contribution,

something of worth, despite it all,

You have value.

If there was ever a time to tell your story,

To live with fear and work with anxiety,

To tell others of possibilities still.

Encourage, champion on, connection

and hope despite circumstances.

If there was ever a time to wipe tears away,

To wear bright colours, to dare to laugh,

To try something new, to use your voice,

Be excited and brave with all your might,

Too grasp on to the future.

If there was ever a time to find the good,

Recognise the gift in the sorrow,

Lessons in the pain,

Strength in the fear.

Now is the time to build on it all.      

Taking inspiration from a Lemn Sissay Poem 'Invisible Kisses'. This is a reflection on my very slow recovery from brain surgery, how far I've come, the struggles and hope for the future. There's much more to my story, I never thought I'd be able to contribute to anything again with my prognosis, I have found my written voice, its brought a confidence to my life and with that my speech has returned. I now have the privilege to be a tour guide at Rochdale Town Hall and use my written work in that role. I look to possibilities now, not limitations.

Rochdale in Rhyme and Weaving Words

Review by Steve Cooke

A Saturday afternoon in Rochdale Central Library on a sunny Spring day proved to be a joyous celebration of inspirational poetry from professional poets hand in hand with budding local wordsmiths.

Rochdale in Rhyme was not only one of the highlights of Rochdale’s year as GM Town of Culture but a fitting finale to the wonderful Sammy Weaver’s year as Rochdale’s Poet Laureate.

It had all started with the serendipitous coincidence of  Councillor Janet Emsley becoming Mayor of the Borough of Rochdale with Rochdale receiving the award of Greater Manchester Town of Culture. Janet has been throughout her time as an elected Councillor a very energetic and highly effective champion of the creative arts community and therefore the perfect person to be a catalyst for what was to be become a massively impactful year.

Inspired by a phone call from local artist Liz White Janet exercised her Mayoral prerogative to appoint a Poet Laureate.

Sammy Weaver was appointed alongside two young poets in residence Alende Amisi and Sasha Mostafa, appointments that proved to be essential to a wonderful year culminating in Rochdale in Rhyme and the launch of the superb poetry anthology Weaving Words.

Rochdale in Rhyme was hosted by Tony Walsh a poet who is a regular on television and radio, much in demand for a huge range of high-profile occasions, and renowned internationally for the now iconic performance of his poem “This Is The Place” in the wake of the Manchester Arena bombing in 2017.

His passion for poetry and genuine warmth gave the occasion the perfect vibe to create an atmosphere of inclusivity and collective joy as he put a metaphorical arm around the performers who ranged in age from 10 to 81, some of whom had written their first ever poems and were making their inaugural live performances.

The poems they performed are all included in the anthology Weaving Words alongside a superb complementary  selection from Sammy, Alende and Amisi. As Sammy says, “This is poetry by the people for the people that captures the joys and griefs of being human.”

The collection reflects the outcomes of extensive workshops and community sessions led by Sammy ,whose skills as a poet and teacher were enhanced by her beautiful personality enabling and inspiring a diverse group of people to find their voice through poetry.

Sammy led 10 poetry workshops in community settings with adults, linked up with local writing groups, HMP Buckley Hall, U3A, Living Well sessions, and refugee and asylum-seeker groups, plus 20 workshops with primary school children in local libraries.

Rochdale in Rhyme opened with Tony, Sammy, Alende and Amisi treating us to some of their skilfully crafted poems, taking us on a roller coaster journey through the whole human experience.

One of my personal highlights among many being Tony’s Poppadoms and Custard, a fitting powerful and timely celebration of diversity.

Eileen Earnshaw read Maggie Kelly’s Lancashire Voices; Kirsty Olczak, What the walls know; 10 year old Rania Faisal, A potion to end wars; Beth Kilgallon, In love with myself; Farhan Zahoor, The Book and Councillor Janet Emsley Mayor Rochdale, AOB: Mayoral Matters.

These poems plus many others collected in Weaving Words are an uplifting and thoroughly engaging reflection of what Sammy calls, “our people, our places, and the moments that make this borough feel like home”.

Copies are available to buy for £10 each at local libraries across the borough.

I strongly advise you to visit your local library and buy a copy, you will not be disappointed!

There are also accompanying Library Poetry Exhibitions across the borough.

Huge congratulations and thanks to Sammy Weaver who as our first ever Poet Laureate has more than done justice to our borough of 235,561 people speaking over 80 languages and ranging from the Pennine villages to the post-industrial estates of Darnhill.

If you now feel ready to get creative yourself visit: www.rochdalecreates.co.uk to find out more.

Rochdale Feel Good Festival headliners

Preview by Steve Cooke

Rochdale Feel Good Festival Summer 2026 has legendary singer-songwriter Gabrielle  topping the bill on Saturday 8 August.

The two-time BRIT award winner and pop-soul star will be performing on the main stage at Rochdale Town Hall Square this summer, along with indie rock chart toppers Ash, Starsailor and a host of other acts to be announced, together with live music across indoor venues, a food and drink village and other entertainment.

Gabrielle’s 1999 number one album ‘Rise’ was one of the most successful of the era, certified 4 x platinum, a status matched by her greatest hits compilation ‘Dreams Can Come True.’ Six of her albums have reached the top 10, including 2018’s ‘Under My Skin’ and 2021’s ‘Do It Again.’ With 16 top 40 singles including two number ones, she’ll be bringing sing along anthems to Rochdale including ‘Rise’, ‘Out Of Reach’, ‘Sunshine’, ‘Give Me a Little More Time’, ‘When A Woman’, ‘Don’t Need The Sun To Shine’ and of course, ‘Dreams.’ 

One of the UK’s most iconic stars, Gabrielle continues to captivate audiences of all ages. On top of her BRIT awards, she’s achieved two MOBO Awards and an Ivor Novello. After earning a new generation of fans during performances on ‘The Masked Singer’ she’s performed with some of the world’s biggest artists including joining Adele at two sold-out BST Hyde Park shows. In 2025 Gabrielle embarked on her biggest UK tour, with incredible shows at Manchester’s AO Arena and London’s O2 Arena. Later this year she joins Rick Astley and Michael Bublé on their live tours.  Her latest release ‘Dreams - The Remixes’ EP features reworkings of her classic debut track by international dance producers and this year she collaborated on the single ‘Sad Song’ by Middleton born singer/songwriter JP Cooper.

Indie rock chart-toppers Ash will also be taking to the main stage in Rochdale. The Northern Irish group, behind a stack of hits including ‘Girl from Mars’, ‘Shining Light’, ‘Goldfinger’, ‘Oh Yeah’ and ‘Kung Fu’ have cemented their status as one of the UK’s most enduring and vibrant live rock acts over the last three decades. Their debut album ‘1977’ went straight to number one in 1996 and they returned to the top spot with ‘Free All Angels’ in 2001. Their latest ‘Ad Astra’ hit the top 20 last year. Known for energetic, melodic, guitar-driven power-pop and fronted by Tim Wheeler, Ash have been rocking stages worldwide since that classic debut album, including headlining Glastonbury, where they returned to for the eighth time last year as well as touring the UK with fellow rockers The Darkness. 

Another big name confirmed for the main stage line-up is rock band Starsailor – famous for hit albums including ‘Love is Here’ and ‘Silence is Easy’ plus ten top 40 singles including ‘Four To The Floor’, ‘Good Souls’, ‘Silence Is Easy’, ‘Alcoholic’ and ‘Fever.’ Last year the critically acclaimed band, renowned for their melodic indie rock completed a sell-out European tour celebrating their 25th anniversary and still with the original line-up, they’re sounding as good as ever.  Their 2024 album ‘Where The Wild Things Grow’ reached number two on the Official Independent Albums Chart.

Early bird tickets have already sold out; another phase of discounted tickets (£25+ 7.5% booking fee) are available at rochdale.gov.uk/FeelGoodFestival or phone QuayTickets on 0161 876 2015.  VIP upgrade packages are also available.  

The festival is organised by Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) on behalf of the council. Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and co-operation, said: “Gabrielle is one of the UK’s most influential singer-songwriters, so to have her performing in Rochdale is very special, together with two hugely popular indie rock bands. Now this festival is bi-annual, it’s more eagerly awaited than ever, with early bird tickets snapped up in record time and second phase tickets selling fast too, which will only increase with these main stage announcements.” 

Once again, to cut single use plastic, tickets include a re-usable drink cup to be collected upon arrival at the festival site. 

The night before the festival (Friday 7 August) synth-pop icons Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are performing a headline show at Rochdale Town Hall Square alongside post-punk legends Peter Hook & The Light, and Manchester’s post-punk/funk band - A Certain Ratio. 

An unprecedented weekend of top music right in the centre of our town!

Phantoms of the Popera starring G4 at Middleton Arena

Preview by Steve Cooke

Billed as The ultimate celebration of Musical Theatre and following the overwhelming sell-out success of their ‘Phantoms of the Popera’ tour in 2025, the UK’s No1 vocal harmony quartet and original X Factor stars, G4 return in 2026 to unleash their unique trademark sound on the greatest showstoppers that musical theatre has to offer.

Join Jonathan Ansell, Michael Conway, Mike Christie and Duncan Sandilands on a spine-tingling rollercoaster of breathtaking show-tunes, riding the high and lows of uplifting melodies, heart-rending ballads and climactic anthems.

Featuring classics from Les Mis, Phantom, Wicked, Jersey Boys, Hamilton, Jesus Christ Superstar, Greatest Showman, Rent, Miss Saigon, Book of Mormon, Lion King, Aspects of Love, We Will Rock You, The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Rocky Horror Show and many more…

This vocally dynamic evening showcases smash-hit songs from the West End and Broadway, brought to you by four of the world’s finest voices, from stratospherically high tenor to the depths of rich bass.

You also can treat yourself to a pre-show Meet & Greet with G4 at 6pm, which includes a welcome drink, plus the opportunity to meet G4 and pose for photographs and have your items signed by them.

Watch the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=soaKnmT5Fuo

Standard Tickets from £25

VIP Meet & Greet Tickets £67.50

Visit: https://www.yourtrustrochdale.co.uk/whats-on/events/phantoms-of-the-popera-starring-g4/book/?instance=569402

Event start time: 7:30pm, arrival from 7pm

VIP Meet & Greet to take place from 6pm – 7pm, arrival from 5:45pm

Arena Theatre, Middleton Arena, LCpl Joel Halliwell VC Way, Middleton. M24 1AG

RECOMMENDED

Saturday, 4 April 2026

Board games and Lego Legends - Smallbridge Library

There's a variety of games and activities on offer for all ages and abilities.

1st Saturday of every month. Join us for some monthly family fun with our board games and Lego. Get creative or competitive, let’s play or build and start the month off right.

For families with children aged 3 and over.

Board games and Lego will be provided. You can also bring in your own board games to play here.

No booking required, you can just turn up.

Free

11am - 12pm

Smallbridge Library, Stevenson Square, Rochdale OL12 9SA

Saturday, 4 April 2026

Star Tree Studios Easter craft session - Rochdale Central Library

Get crafty with Star Tree Studios using an array of creative materials.

Join the Star Tree Studio for an egg-citing Easter craft session.

For families with children aged 2–6. Children under 5 may need help from their grown-ups.

No booking required, you can just turn up.

Free

11am - 2pm

Rochdale Central Library, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale OL16 1XU

Monday, 6 April 2026

Wardle Library Reading Group

Discover new authors and discuss books with other readers at this friendly and relaxed reading group.

For adults and teenagers.

No need to book, you can just turn up.

Free

6pm - 7pm

Wardle Library, 448 Birch Road, Wardle, Rochdale OL12 9LH

Wednesday, 8 April 2026

Toad Lane Concerts - Rochdale's Weekly Music at Lunchtime

This week we have - Harmony Choir conductor Freda Farnworth (London Guildhall School of Music) accompanist Graham Chamberlain.

The concert series has been held at St Mary’s since 2001 and was granted the Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service in 2020.

Running every Wednesday, Music at Lunchtime is a weekly live classical music concert series that has been going since the 1960s. The sessions were initially run at the old Rochdale Art Gallery by the local authority, but since May 2001 have been run by volunteer-enthusiasts and artistic director, Dr Joe Dawson.

£6

Phone: Dr Joe Dawson 01706 648872

Doors open 12noon, concert starts 12.30pm - 1.30pm

St Mary in the Baum, Toad Lane/St Mary's Gate, Rochdale OL16 1DZ