The huge new Co-op Live Arena opens with a test event tonight – before huge acts like The Killers, Eagles, Liam Gallagher, Olivia Rodrigo and Take That perform in the weeks ahead.
But taking the honours as the very first act to ever perform on its stage tonight will go to homegrown musical talent – Manchester identical twins Hope and Millie Katana.
The twins, who perform as The KTNA, will be first to open the show, before Manchester’s Everything Everything and then Rick Astley takes to the stage. An audience of around 11,000 will head to Co-op Live tonight – made up of invited guests and those who paid £5 for a ticket to be at the first test event inside the £365m arena.
READ MORE: Where is Co-Op Live and how to get there by train, tram, bus and foot
The twins, 27, have been pursuing their music ambitions since childhood. Although Waterloo Road fans may also remember the sisters for their role playing schoolgirls Shona and Rhona on the hit BBC show when they were just 14.
The KTNA will perform some of their self-penned songs at Co-op Live tonight at the start of the evening’s line-up. The twins appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to talk about the honour.
They said: “I think it’s just fitting to be honest, to be the first ever people to touich this stage is something we’ll remember forever. As Mancunians it makes us so proud to be the first on stage.”
The sisters grew up in Bury, before moving to Bolton where they spent their teenage years.
The sisters got their first big break with their music when they were aged just 12 and appeared on BBC show Clash for talented young performers. It saw them become the youngest ever performers at the BBC’s Big Weekend.
They won the roles as twins Shona and Rhona Mansfield on Waterloo Road at the age of 14, before leaving the show two years later. Speaking to the MEN back in 2017, they said how people often don’t realise they were singers before the BBC drama.
Millie said: “Sometimes I feel like people don’t give our music a chance because they expect us to be the singy dancy Waterloo Road twins, I have mixed views about talking about it, but at the end of the day it’s part of our history, but I want people to know we were always singers.
“We weren’t actors, but we really can sing and we always have done.”
After leaving Waterloo Road at the tender age of 16 they headed to America where they signed a publishing deal.
But they returned to the UK to regain creative control and have been working to get their music heard on a wider stage ever since.
But while they’re identical twins, Hope and Millie say they couldn’t be more different.
Millie said: “We try to on purpose not to look the same. We’re not the same, we’re so different, she’s the yin to my yang.
“I’m fire to Hope’s water, but we can swing both ways, if it’s a double fire day it’s a bad day!”
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
