Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham gave partygoers in Ancoats a bit of a surprise last night when he brought out a surprise guest to jump on the mic.
Manchester’s own ‘King of the North’ and former MP for Leigh was booked to play a set of Manchester classics at renovated MOT garage Ramona as part of the bar’s five-week ‘Ramona Radio’ series.
The show was also live-streamed on Mixcloud via Mixmag last night, but no one in the audience was prepared for the Member of Parliament for Wigan to be filling in on MC duties.
As he opened his set with Badly Drawn Boy’s ‘Tony Wilson Said’, little did the audience know that he’d soon be pulling up Lisa Nandy to join him – handing her a mic and a pair of headphones as he blasted out hits like ‘Ever Fallen IN Love’ by The Buzzcocks, ‘Transmission’ by Hot Chip and ‘1989’ by rapper Aitch.
DJ trade union not impressed; @AndyBurnhamGM & @lisanandy taking jobs from our hard(ish) working colleagues.
Pictures shared online from last night’s gig show the Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities laughing as she speaks into the mic with a pair of headphones around her neck, standing next to Mr Burnham in the Ramona DJ booth.
It’s not the kind of sight we’d typically expect from our politicians, but it definitely makes a refreshing change – no matter which side of the cringe debate you find yourself on.
ADVERTISEMENT
Well-known Manchester DJ Dave Haslam was quick to chime in, joking that the ‘DJ trade union [was] not impressed’ with Andy Burnham and Lisa Nandy ‘taking jobs from our hard(ish) working colleagues’.
Another person jibed: “Nandy standing next to a trade union? Good job Starmer’s on holiday.”
Know your place – don’t come the big ‘un; Or you’re gonna have to deal with the Member for Wigan!
A third joked “Who next? May and Iain Duncan Smith?”
ADVERTISEMENT
Whilst a fourth rhymed: “Know your place – don’t come the big ‘un; Or you’re gonna have to deal with the Member for Wigan!’
During the course of the night, Burnham also played ‘Tart Tart’ by The Happy Mondays as a tribute to the late Paul Ryder who sadly passed away last week.
Read more:Frankie’s has opened a Breville toastie stall inside the Arndale Market
Speaking on his decision to pay tribute to Ryder during his set, Burnham said that he was “someone who played a big part in the building of the Manchester scene” before adding, “we’re all in his debt.”
He also told the crowd to huge cheers on the night: “This is a global capital of music, this is EXACTLY what the Mayor should be doing. Absolutely!”
ADVERTISEMENT
The Mayor has since shared his full setlist online, you can see the track list from last night here and listen to the full set on Mixcloud here.
Feature image – Ramona
News
Police appeal after Manchester city centre shooting sees six arrested and one injured
Emily Sergeant
Police are appealing to the public for information after a shooting in Manchester city centre over the weekend.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called to reports of a disturbance on Richmond Street at around 5am this past Saturday morning (24 January 2026), and upon arriving at the address, discovered that an adult male had an injury to his leg which was consistent with a gunshot wound.
The man, who has not been named, was been taken to hospital with injuries, but they have been described as ‘non-life threatening’ and ‘non-life changing’.
Following the incident, a police investigation was launched straight away.
Six men, all aged between 23 and 26-years-old, have all been arrested on suspicion of affray and firearms offences, and remain in police custody for questioning at this time while investigations are ongoing.
Superintendent Stephen Wiggins, from GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said he understands this will be a ‘concerning incident’ for the whole of Greater Manchester.
“Once the call came in, our officers acted quickly, making to the scene to establish what had unfolded at the address on Richmond Street, detaining six individuals who we believe had been involved, and we managed to recover a firearm at the address.
“I would like to reassure the community that we believe this is a targeted incident, and there is no wider threat to the general public.”
GMP is now appealing to the public for witnesses, or anyone with information, CCTV, or dashcam footage that could assist the investigation, and is urging them to contact police on 0161 856 4259 or 101, quoting log 600 of 24/01/2026.
You can also report information via LiveChat on the GMP website, or through Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
News
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home
Emily Sergeant
The Council is now offering financial help to support people moving into a smaller and ‘more manageable’ property.
Ever heard of ‘rightsizing? Well, according Manchester City Council it’s a process where a tenant in a larger social rent, Council, or Housing Association property, that may have more rooms than they need or perhaps are struggling to manage a big house as they get older, can be supported into a smaller property that better suits their needs.
The benefits of this process include cheaper bills, lower rents, and overall, just homes that are easier to clean and manage.
The aim of it is also to free up larger Council properties for families who are on the housing register – of which there are said to be around 20,000 of them currently at this time, with larger homes having some of the most significant wait times.
Are you struggling to look after a big Council or housing association home? We can help!
We are offering £2,500 to help people move into a smaller more manageable home, freeing up larger homes for families that need them.
It’s also estimated, according to the Council, that a third of all social rented family homes are thought to ‘underoccupied’.
This is why financial support and grants are now being offered.
Last year alone, 109 households were helped to ‘rightsize’ and were supported in the process by a dedicated team of Council officers, as well as benefitting from the Rightsizing Incentive Scheme – with a further 432 households having expressed interest doing so in the future.
Residents interested in ‘rightsizing’ could get a cash incentive of £2,500, which can be spent on anything they like, along with moving costs.
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
“Rightsizing could be a brilliant option for older people who are renting a Council home who may have spare rooms they don’t need or would benefit from looking after a smaller property,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Development.
“Often a barrier to moving is the cost, but the Council will take care of the financial burden to help a resident move into a new home.
“The benefit for the city is that we can free up more larger homes for people who are waiting for a property that properly meets their needs. We think around a third of Council tenants could be under occupying their home, which means they could be paying more than they need to or they could be hit with the bedroom tax.”
Georgina Pellant -
4th August 2022 
