Manchester hospitality bosses to go head-to-head in DJ battle against food poverty
Charity fundraiser Too Many Owners will bring together owners from Flawd, Junior Jacksons, Common, Albert's Schloss, PKB and more for the ultimate hospitality soundclash.
A number of Manchester’s best-known hospitality bosses will go head to head in a DJ battle at Tariff and Dale next week to help raise funds for food poverty organisation Eat Well MCR ahead of Christmas.
Taking place on Wednesday, 17 November, Too Many Owners will see bar and restaurant owners from a number of popular venues in the city take to the decks – pulling out their ultimate party selections in a head-to-head battle.
The event will see the likes of Junior Jackson’s owner Lyndon Higginson face off against Ancoats wine bar Flawd co-owner Richard Cossins, Ramona and The Firehouse’s Andy Windsor, and Johnny Heyes of Nell’s / Common / Port Street Beer House.
Lyndon Higginson (Junior Jackson’s, WATD, Cane & Grain, Crazy Pedro’s, The Bay Horse Tavern etc) pictured with Eco Spirit Global’s Zdenek Kastanek / Image: nomadicecospirit
Also due to be taking part in the Dj battle is Mark Flanagan and Jon Wilkin (PKB), Neil Macleod & James Plant (Albert’s Schloss), Matty Farrell (Salt Dog Slims), James Bates & Dom Jones (Maray), Tom Coates / Jake Burger (Portobello Road Distillery), David Fox (Tampopo), and Nick De Sousa (Tariff and Dale / The Lead Station).
In previous years, the way the battle has works is there have been several rounds – the first focused on showcasing ‘skills’ in which each owner is given a ten-minute set in which they can play whatever they like. This is then followed by a face-off with the crowd, that sees each owner play single tracks in a bid to qualify for the final.
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Image: Eat Well MCR
In the ultimate final round, owners have then gone back to back as they try to show off their best mixing and selection skills. They’re not always very good, but the event pretty much guarantees everyone gets a good laugh.
It’s all taking place in aid of Eat Well MCR, which works with vulnerable residents in the city to eradicate food poverty and provide healthy, nutritious meals to people in need.
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Working with chefs in various restaurants around the city, Eat Well MCR brings in donated food that would otherwise go to waste, and from that partnering restaurants create top quality meals for people sidelined by poverty.
Image: Eat Well MCR
Image: Eat Well MCR
The collective of Manchester chefs and hospitality professionals has prepared and delivered over 50,000 meals to people facing challenging circumstances in Greater Manchester since April 2020.
Kicking off from 7 pm at Tariff and Dale in Manchester’s northern quarter and running until 11.30 pm, the event will be sponsored by a host of different drinks companies including Edrington Beam, Suntory, Bacardi, Hammonds / Naud Distillery, Mangrove, Ten Locks, Boutinot Wines, Brown Forman.
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Fingers crossed that means there’ll be some decent drink offers going around on the night.
Tickets are priced at £16.76 each, with all proceeds donated to Eat Well MCR and grab yours here.
Featured Image – Tariff and Dale
Manchester
Fontaines D.C. add second enormous Manchester gig in Heaton Park
Daisy Jackson
Fontaines D.C. have just announced yet another Manchester gig – and this time, they’re heading to Heaton Park.
A run of arena gigs went on sale last week, including a show at the AO Arena, but tickets sold out within minutes.
Then the Irish rockers went and announced a run of outdoor summer gigs for next year – and demand again has been so high, they’ve added a second Manchester date.
Fontaines D.C. will perform two nights Heaton Park, along with massive venues in Newcastle, Cardiff, Glasgow and London.
Their Manchester show will take over the stage at Heaton Park the weekend before next year’s Parklife festival.
The band will play Heaton Park on Saturday 3 July 2027, as well as the newly-announced date of Sunday 4 July, as part of a huge run of outdoor headline shows across the UK.
They’ll kick off the UK leg at Blackweir Fields in Cardiff on Tuesday 29 June, before heading to Newcastle’s St James’ Park on Thursday 1 July.
After Manchester, they’ll head to Glasgow Green on Tuesday 6 July, before bringing the run to a close at London Stadium on Friday 9 July.
And if that wasn’t enough, the band will also play two huge shows at Slane Castle in Ireland on 26 and 27 June.
It’s another major milestone for Fontaines D.C., who have rapidly gone from cult favourites to one of the biggest rock bands around.
The new outdoor dates come just hours after the band sold out their entire UK arena tour, including their Manchester show at the AO Arena on Saturday 21 November.
The Heaton Park show will also see Fontaines D.C. joined by two seriously big support acts, with Little Simz and Viagra Boys set to appear at every UK outdoor date.
It’s set to be a particularly busy period for the band, who are currently gearing up to release their fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber.
The record is due to arrive on 16 October 2026 via XL Recordings, following the release of lead single Marianne.
The album follows 2024’s critically acclaimed Romance, which reached number two in the UK Albums Chart and helped propel the band even further into the mainstream.
Fontaines D.C. have also just headlined Reading & Leeds Festival, another sign of just how far they’ve come since forming in Dublin.
And now they’re preparing to take on some of the UK’s biggest outdoor stages yet.
Fontaines D.C. 2027 UK dates in full
Tuesday 29 June – Blackweir Fields, Cardiff
Thursday 1 July – St James’ Park, Newcastle
Saturday 3 July – Heaton Park, Manchester
Sunday 4 July – Heaton Park, Manchester
Tuesday 6 July – Glasgow Green, Glasgow
Friday 9 July – London Stadium, London
Tickets for the new outdoor dates go on presale at 10am on Tuesday 8 September, with general sale opening at 10am on Thursday 10 September HERE.