Mancs were surprised last week by a very special, intimate appearance from grime superstar Bugzy Malone at JD.
The rap sensation hosted a private lock-in event at JD in Manchester, just ahead of his massive homecoming gig at the AO Arena.
Fans got to get up close and personal with Bugzy at the event, where he took part in a Q&A with fellow rapper Specs Gonzalez.
The Resurrection Tour is Bugzy’s last – he’s confirmed that he’ll step back from the touring circuit to focus on music, his acting career, and (of course) his budding fashion line, B.Malone.
Speaking of the sold-out tour at the JD event, Bugzy said: “It’s an emotional thing, you get what I’m saying, it’s The Ressurection Tour and it’s my final tour.
Bugzy Malone with Specs Gonzalez in Manchester. Credit: JD Official
“A lot of people have gone out their way to support me and it’s a big deal to me.”
He said that performing at the Arena in front of a crowd of 20,000 was, quite simply, ‘sick’, adding: “People that are fans of me are connected to me, so when I get to stand up and perform in front of pure people that I’m connected to, it’s a bit spiritual. It’s mad.”
He’s a proud Mancunian too, saying: “People never used to take Manchester seriously and then when I started breaking records and making serious money, they take us seriously now.
“So now I’m breaking down doors in the clothing industry so that people behind me can come through and get took seriously.
“People underestimate Manchester, it’s a talented place. There’ll be waves and waves that come through.”
His foray into fashion has seen him launch his own clothing line, B.Malone, which is stocked in JD.
On the day of the in-store lock-in, he was unveiling his new Skeleton kicks, inspired by the anatomy of a scorpion.
Bugzy said: “Fashion’s obviously something I’m interested in. As I kid I used to like drawing and all that. I’m just trying to do things that I enjoy and that I’m passionate about.
“My fans, the people that message me on Instagram that I connect with, I feel like a lot of them are like younger versions of me, so I try and design them something that they’re going to like, from my perspective.”
He also touched on his accident, which saw him seriously injured after a quad bike crash in early 2020.
It changed his mindset, he said, telling the crowd: “I’m not afraid to die. I’m willing to give it everything to go where I’m trying to go.
“I think sometimes we get a little bit shy in life when you’re trying to believe in yourself whereas now, I don’t give a f***.”
Featured image: JD Official
Music
Rising pop favourite CMAT announces huge headline show in Manchester
Danny Jones
Fast-rising alt-pop favourite CMAT has announced a new show here in Manchester, and as she’s pretty much an honorary Manc at this point, you can expect the tickets to be snapped up in no time.
The Irish singer – real name Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson (erm, duh?) – relocated to 0161 as a 17-year-old back in 2013 to pursue her career in music, and it’s fair to say the move turned out to be a positive one.
First arriving with her old duo Bad Sea, it didn’t take the teenager too long to find a following among her Manchester cousins, and soon, CMAT was considered among the best and up-and-coming artists our city had to offer.
In fact, little else has changed in that respect besides the fact that more and more of the country and, indeed, the world knows about her now, so you can guarantee there’ll be plenty of demand for this new headline concert.
Announcing the big gig at O2 Victoria Warehouse on social media this Friday, 22 August, the Dublin-born ‘Dunboyne Diana’ from County Meath by way of Manchester, CMAT is set for multiple Northern shows over the next six or seven months alone.
The show over in Trafford is one of just half a dozen new shows confirmed in support of her upcoming new LP, Euro-Country, which debuts at the end of the month.
Dropping on Friday, 29 August, her third album follows undoubtedly the biggest year of her career yet, having supported the likes of Sam Fender and having played massive festival slots like Glastonbury this summer.
Other gigs include nights at ‘Ally Pally’ in London, Cork, Edinburgh and more. Commenting on social media amid the new additions, CMAT simply wrote: “Come and see me, CMAT, and The Very Sexy CMAT Band, play our BIGGEST SHOWS EVER next year!”
She actually has a healthy run of live performances coming up this autumn, including one at Manchester Academy One on 4 October – though, as we’ve already warned with this latest date, tickets disappeared faster than you could say, ‘I wanna be a cowboy, baby’.
Admittedly, more than half of those shows have already sold out, but that’s why we’re getting an extra show for our trouble.
If you pre-order my new album from my official store between now and 10pm next Wednesday, you’ll get a code for the artist pre-sale, which opens at 10am on Tuesday August 26.
With new singles ‘Running/Planning’, ‘Take A Sexy Picture Of Me’, ‘The Jamie Oliver Petrol Station’ and even the title track, ‘Euro-Country’, all having already been released since this past March, we’ve already got a decent taste of what’s to come next from Ireland’s finest.
Speaking as long-time listeners ourselves, we can assure you that these songs have gone down as instant hits among the fan base.
Arriving on Thursday, 12 March 2026, you can enjoy the pre-sale window via O2 Priority Access or by pre-ordering her new record, and general admission goes live at 10am next Thursday, 28 August.
Featured Images — Raph_PH (via Flickr)/Press shots (supplied)
Music
Olivia Dean announces HUGE Manchester gig at Co-op Live as part of UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Olivia Dean has announced she’s set to head out on the biggest UK and Europe headline tour of her career next year.
Fresh off-the-back of supporting the North East’s finest, Sam Fender, on his run of big outdoor gigs this summer – including a massive one at Wythenshawe Park this past weekend – Olivia Dean has now announced her very-own headline tour.
And of course she’ll be making a stop off here in Manchester as she heads around the UK.
The tour announcement comes ahead of the release of her sophmore album, The Art of Loving, which is out next month on 26 September, and follows the release of a collection of singles, including the already high-charting ‘Nice To Each Other’.
The 26-year-old singer-songwriter will first head out on a tour of some of the UK’s major cities, before taking on the rest of the continent and visiting cities like Berlin, Paris, and Amsterdam along the way.
From her earliest show in 2017 with a crowd of just 70 people, on to three triumphant sold-out nights at the Hammersmith Apollo, Olivia has been firmly building herself powerful live legacy and is already on her way to carving out a legendary path.
On release, the multi BRIT Award nominee’s debut album Messy received widespread critical acclaim and cemented her status as one of the most compelling voices across neo-soul and pop.
Olivia Dean announces HUGE Manchester gig at Co-op Live as part of UK tour / Credit: Jack Davison (Publicity Picture) | The Manc Group
While still relatively early on in her career, Olivia has already earned comparisons to the greats, and 2025 sees her ready to ‘scale up’ and ‘conquer’.
Olivia will kick off her tour next year in April, and will be taking to the stage of Manchester’s newest live entertainment arena, Co-op Live, on Saturday 25 April 2026, following a trip to Glasgow and before two huge gigs at London’s OVO Hydro Arena.
Tickets go on pre-sale at 10am next Wednesday 27 August for Co-op Members, and the general sale will follow on Friday 29 August, again at 10am – with tickets available here.
You can also re-order the album for early access to tickets here.
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Feeling a little fancier? You can treat yourself to VIP tickets to Olivia’s Co-op Live show via SeatUnique, with a range of different packages available here.
Featured Image – Gwen Trannoy (Publicity Pictures)
Daisy Jackson -
13th December 2021 
