Tributes having been pouring in after it was revealed that legendary Manchester DJ St Allan has sadly passed away.
The producer and dance DJ was a famous name and a fan-favourite on the 1990s rave scene in our city, and previously worked for Piccadilly Radio and Key 103 in Manchester throughout the 80s and 90s, as well as being ranked as the third-best DJ in the world by DJ Magazine in 1993.
Stu was diagnosed with cancer and had been battling the illness for almost a year before he died on Thursday (22 September).
Announcing his passing, a statement posted by Stu’s team to his Facebook page yesterday reads: “It is with much sadness that we write this message to let you know that Stu has passed away today. As you know, he has been ill for a while now, and has been battling cancer for almost a year, and while we’re so sad he is no longer with us, we are relieved he is finally at peace, after his illness.
“We will be holding a memorial event in Stu’s memory sometime soon, where we can all celebrate his amazing life.
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“But for now Alison, Paul, Gary and Stu’s family need time to come to terms with their loss.”
The late DJ’s team also encouraged music lovers to leave their tributes in the comments, say how they knew Stu, and share what memories they have of him.
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British DJ Carl Cox lead the thousands of tributes left on Thursday night.
He wrote: “I am so very sorry to hear this news today. His name is Stu Allan. We have lost one of my heroes and a shining light of the Rave scene he helped build. Never forget. My condolences goes out to his family and friends.”
Rowetta also shared a tribute on Instagram: “Loved my mixtapes in the 90s & more recently being on the same lineup at Bowlers. RIP Stu Allan.”
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DJ and broadcaster Justin Robertson wrote on Twitter: “I’m shocked to hear of the death of Stu Allan. He introduced me to more amazing music than I can remember. His Bus Diss and His seamless House shows were my introduction to the sound of hip hop and house. Impeccable selector and inspiration. RIP Stu.”
I’m shocked to hear of the death of @stu_allan . He introduced me to more amazing music than I can remember. His Bus Diss and His seamless House shows were my introduction to the sound of hip hop and house. Impeccable selector and inspiration. RIP Stu 😔
Very sad. Stu Allan is the first radio DJ I heard play rap, house, r&b and rave music from the mid-1980s onwards. Those of us who listened to Piccadilly and Key 103 were privileged to hear such a pioneer. He had a great deep voice for radio. Some comedy catchphrases, too. https://t.co/CTp24JYi6C
Absolutely gutted about the passing of @stu_allan. He was my inspiration to be a DJ. I got fake ID when I was 15 to see him play & I listened to his Key 103 shows religiously. They say never meet you heroes but with Stu that wasn’t true. RIP Stu and thoughts with your family x pic.twitter.com/HLRo0bXjwT
Writer and journalist John Berwin said on Twitter: “Very sad. Stu Allan is the first radio DJ, I heard play rap, house, r&b and rave music from the mid-1980s onwards. Those of us who listened to Piccadilly and Key 103 were privileged to hear such a pioneer. He had a great deep voice for radio. Some comedy catchphrases, too.”
KISS FM radio DJ Anton Powers said: “Absolutely gutted about the passing of Stu Allan.
“He was my inspiration to be a DJ. I got fake ID when I was 15 to see him play & I listened to his Key 103 shows religiously. They say never meet you heroes but with Stu that wasn’t true. RIP Stu and thoughts with your family.”
DJ Anne Savage wrote: “So very sad to hear the news about Stu. Deepest condolensces to his family and friends. Such an inspiration to me as a young DJ and a role model throughout my life since. What a gent on and off the decks. Rest in peace Stu.”
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DJ Mark Breeze also shared a tribute: “My thoughts go to Stu’s family and friends on hearing the very sad news today.”
Legendary Manchester DJ St Allan has sadly passed away following a year-long battle with cancer / Credit: Spencer Cameron Photography (via DJ Stu Allan – Facebook)
As well as famous names from the music scene, thousands of fans and people who appreciated Stu’s work over the years have taken to social media to share their heartfelt tributes and memories.
“Without Stu and his early house music hour in the 80’s I don’t think I would have become so passionate about this music or made a life from it. I owe him a lot, we became friends and I constantly let him know that. I am so very sad you are gone mate. Heartbroken,” Mark Egee wrote on Facebook.
Another fan wrote: “Absolutely gutted. Grew up taping his Key 103 shows and listening to them the next day on my Walkman at school.
“Defined the music I’ve always listened to until the present day on OSN radio.”
Another fan shared on Twitter: “So sad to hear about the passing of an absolute HERO of mine and many others, Stu Allan. Such an inspiration in so many ways, DJ Producer and Radio DJ championing happy hardcore right from the birth.
“And not to mention genuinely one of the nicest guys you could ever meet.”
“RIP Stu Allan – You were one of the very best, so much so that I don’t know any DJ that didn’t look up to you or didn’t listen to you on Key 103 growing up, you were such an inspiration to us all,” another devestated fan wrote on Twitter.
Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour
Daisy Jackson
Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.
The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.
Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.
For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.
They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.
You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.
And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.
THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.
“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.
“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.
“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.
“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.
“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.
“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.
“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.
“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”
Featured image: Simon Emmett
News
Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.
The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group
Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.
And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.
Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.
As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.
The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:
Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.
“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.