Harry Styles is getting ready to release a brand-new music video this afternoon, but fans are a bit preoccupied by his appearance.
The 28-year-old Cheshire-born pop superstar took to social media earlier on today to tease the new music video for one of his most-popular recent songs, Music for a Sushi Restaurant – which is opening track on his critically-acclaimed third studio album, Harry’s House, released back in May – by simply just sharing a photo of himself.
The music video for the song, which is serving as the album’s third single, is set to be released at 5pm, and the majority of the singer’s dedicated fanbase are – understandably – pretty excited about it.
But some, on the other hand, just can’t get over what he looks like.
With nothing but a picture to go off, and absolutely no plot line from the video revealed whatsoever, the usually clean-shaven and eccentrically-dressed Styles shared a photo of himself sat shirtless in what appears to be a dirty kitchen (maybe of the said sushi restaurant?) – but the major talking point is the massive unruly beard he’s sporting.
Even though it’s obviously not real and must be a feature of the character he’s playing in the music video, the beard has been grabbing headlines presumably for that fact Styles is very rarely seen with any kind of facial hair.
And for the fact that fans are convinced he looks like Ian Beale from EastEnders, when the iconic character famously played by Adam Woodyatt went through some troubling times back in 2012, found himself homeless, and took on a rather unkept look.
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“It’s giving homeless Ian Beale,” was a typical reaction shared on Twitter.
Other shocked fan comments on Twitter ranged from “This isn’t you Harry, please,” to “Sometimes you just gotta wake up to Harry Styles having a massive beard,” and “Harry Styles with a beard, I don’t know how to feel.”
The iconic character Ian Beale famously fell on tough times back in 2012 and took on a rather unkept look / Credit: BBC
Given how much the picture has been trending on social media today, we also thought we’d ask our audience of over 930,000 followers on The Manc’s Facebook page who they think Styles looks like in the music video.
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Cries of everything from a young Hagrid and a young Brian Blessed, to Jean-Claude van Damme, Tom Hardy, Jim from The Royle Family, and more were thrown out there.
One of the most common suggestions was Tom Hanks in Castaway – which is also pretty accurate.
Claire’s is closing down stores in the UK and Ireland with more than 1,300 jobs set to be lost
Danny Jones
In another hit to domestic shoppers, Claire’s Accessories is closing down en masse across the UK and Ireland after entering into administration once again.
Falling into an unfortunate financial status for the second time in less than a year, Claire’s will be shutting down all of their standalone stores across Britain, along with their IE branches.
A total of 154 stores will soon disappear, with more than a thousand people set to be put out of work.
Once a mainstay of British high streets up and down the country, the accessory shop known for all things jewellery, piercings and more has ceased trading effective immediately.
Announced at the start of the week and the end of the first full month of Q2, it was confirmed that Claire’s closed their final locations on Monday, 27 April.
With administrators, Kroll, appointed to wrap up business proceedings, an estimated 1,300 English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh workers have now lost their jobs.
Founded way back in 1961 over in the United States, Claire’s has operated across the Atlantic for more than three decades.
However, with various other contemporaries and cheaper online options having appeared over the years, they’ve struggled not just to remain profitable but to compete full stop.
They most recently filed for bankruptcy in the US this past August (2025), with their Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch divisions having already called it quits.
Manchester location(s) have changed a lot over time, but now they’re on the way out (Credit: Arndale)
For many, the outcome isn’t all that surprising, but it will nevertheless be a sad loss for many who have seen multiple generations visit these venues over the years.
All-girl K-pop powerhouse aespa book MASSIVE Manchester arena show
Danny Jones
All-girl K-pop group, ‘aespa’, are coming to Manchester for some of their largest performances to date as part of a new global tour.
If you know anything about the K-pop scene, you’ll know that most acts are even bigger than you could ever imagine.
Manchester has gained a steady supply of gigs from artists within the genre over the past year or so, and now aespa are the latest to book the AO Arena for a headline show.
Rest assured, these tickets will fly…
aespa SYNK : COMPLæXITY
Catch the LIVE TOUR in Manchester at @AOArena on Thu 14th January 2027!
Register by [Wed 29 Apr at 6AM PT / 8PM CT / 9AM ET] for access to the artist presale: https://t.co/JuWFFMCE8Q
Dubbed the ‘SYNK : Complæxity World Tour’, this follows on from their last live iteration, ‘æXIS LINE’ shows, which began back in August 2025 and, technically, have only just ended this April.
As per an official press release, “Produced by Live Nation, the tour will bring aespa’s acclaimed live production and immersive performance experience to arenas across Asia, North America, Latin America, the UK, and Europe.”
There are actually just two shows in the entirety of Britain (the other being down in the capital), and Manchester has the good fortune of kicking off not only being the first of both, but the inaugural date of the entire European leg.
Consider us honoured.
Made up of a talented quartet – Karina, Giselle, Winter, and Ningning, the rising South Korean stars – this female-led phenomenon is arguably one of the fastest rising acts in the world of K-pop.
Having now been to a couple of these shows for ourselves, we’re starting to understand that these artists might have some of the most passionate followings on the planet.
Kicking off the latest run of performances back in their home country’s capital of Seoul, they’ll hit multiple continents before wrapping things up in Paris.
aespa EU tour dates 2027
14 January – AO Arena, Manchester
16 Jan – London
19 Jan – Amsterdam
22 Jan – Stockholm
24 Jan – Copenhagen
26 Jan – Berlin
29 Jan – Milan
31 Jan – Barcelona
2 February – Paris
If you’re a fan or are interested in throwing your hat in the ring for a first K-pop gig experience, you can register by signing up for their exclusive pre-sale window.
As for general admission, tickets to see aespa at the AO Arena in Manchester will go live at 3pm on Wednesday, 6 May; you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
27th October 2022 
