We love digging up little glimpses of the old world and nuggets of what Greater Manchester used to be like back in the day, but unearthing a song all about how wonderful Stockport is might just be up there with one of the best things we’ve ever come discovered.
Yes, we fully appreciate how surprising and potentially funny that sentence alone might be to a lot of you, but please just bear with us.
We’ll confess that finding this gem of a track came from nothing more than a stroke of sheer luck and the whims of the YouTube algorithm during one of the late-night scrolling on our phones, at which we point we stumbled across what appeared to be an ode to the town of Stockport.
Simply entitled, ‘Stockport’, the song was performed by Liverpool-born easy-listening star and all-round crooner, Frankie Vaughan, who was a big recording artist throughout the 1950s and, without further ado, here’s what it sounds like. Are you ready?
The best and likely only song about how great Stockport is. Simply glorious.
Yes, that is a real single that was genuinely recorded in the old Cheshire borough back in 1983, and not at the legendary Strawberry Studios as you might have expected, but in the equally iconic Plaza Theatre located in the town centre.
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Believed to have been recorded as a bit of a wink and a nod by Vaughan and lyricist Geoff Morrow, a songwriter and businessman from London, the tune came about as a response to an article by the Mail on Sunday which essentially dragged Stockport’s name through the dirt.
While the details surrounding exactly how that article led to this collaboration are equally muddy, it’s thought that the Mail set up a competition for someone to write about how great the area was as a kind of apology — i.e. giving the locals a chance to paint it in a better light like no one else could.
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However, perhaps because SK residents weren’t overly keen to shout about the region themselves, it turned out Morrow asked Vaughan to do it as the two were friends and (tongue firmly in cheeky, we expect), the 60s/70s cabaret singer gave it his full big band best. It was a big story at the time, too.
The result is an almost Sinatra-esque soliloquy all about the place that has gone on to be dubbed ‘the new Berlin’ by some and was voted Greater Manchester’s town of culture in 2023, but we dare say few would have expected it to have such a reputation today — including the blokes who created it.
From the almost Coronation Street-like opening second or two, to Frankie Vaughan’s insistence upon occasionally letting loose a laugh at the end or even sometimes in the middle of a lyric, there are moments when this song very much feels like a bit of a parody, but I guess we’ll never know.
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As someone born in Stockport myself, I feel I have some authority to assume that lines like “there’s nowhere that can beat it”, “the houses seem to say ‘come in'”, and “there’s nowhere finer” were sung at least a little bit sarcastically but, regardless, we’re very happy to have pulled this love letter out from the very back of the Manc music draw.
Nevertheless, in all seriousness, the Stockport of the mid to late-20th century is very different from the one we’ve come to know of today, boasting plenty of new cultural hotspots, highly-regarded restaurants and bars, not to mention a new wave of local artists like Blossoms, Fuzzy Sun, Findlay and more.
Fellow Stopfordians might smirk at the suggestion of their town being “where it’s at”, as Frankie Vaughan puts it with such questionable sincerity, but the honest truth is that it’s still one of our favourite places to go in and around Manchester and has a special place in our hearts.
The only difference is that we’re fairly sure our love comes from a very different place than the songs did. Exhibit A through Z.
Featured Images — Helder Rock (via YouTube)/Stockport Library Archive Footage/The Manc Group
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The UK’s much-loved ‘day rave’ with Vicky and Jon McClure returns to Manchester for New Year’s Eve
Thomas Melia
One of the UK’s most popular new club events and pioneering ‘day rave’ is returning to Manchester this New Year’s, featuring founders Jon and Vicky McClure, as well as some very special guests.
The Line of Duty star and Reverend and the Makers frontman started the parent-friendly event back in January of this year as an alternative day out for those looking to have a party and still manage an early bedtime. Since then it’s gone on to become a real phenomenon and is only getting bigger.
With Vicky swapping UK dramas and crime thrillers for the discotheque and ‘Big Jon’ switching lanes from his usual rock, indie and alternative roots to favour timeless dance tracks to still get people up on their feet, Day Fever has gone down a storm all over the country.
With their first year coming towards a close, they now look set for arguably their biggest day rave to date as Day Fever will be hosting a special New Year’s Eve for their final hurrah of 2024 right here in Manchester city centre – and no, you don’t need to be able to stay up until midnight.
The two McClures – unrelated, by the way, they just share a name and a fantastic taste in music – and the rest of their crew will be partying between 3-8pm for a much more tame and friendlier night (day) out, commanding the decks alongside some other special guests.
Not only does this alternative way to party promise a more responsible curfew, meaning clubbers don’t have to worry about missing the last train home but it’s also geared towards over 30s whilst still being super inclusive.
This day-time clubbing event is designed to reminisce on the old days and all those dance-filled memories of evenings spent out on the tiles, just minus the late-night finish – and hopefully the hangover but that’s down to you really, isn’t it?
In their words: ‘There’s no dress code, no egos—just pure positivity’; there’s nothing we love to hear more than the sweet relief of not having to get dolled up for a big night when we just can’t be bothered.
With New Century Hall hosting the Day Fever once again for their first-ever NYE party here in Manchester, along with two other events being held simultaneously in Edinburgh and Birmingham, you can get all your partying done way with plenty of time to get cosy in bed before the calendar turns over.
Just in time to watch Jools Holland’s famous Annual Hootenanny, as they put it.
Jon McClure and Vicky’s co-star, Martin CompstonVicky McClure leading the dance routines
This is guaranteed to be an evening to remember for everyone in attendance, especially when you’re joined by stars of stage and screen who will be powering you through with some proper dance bangers as they have done all year long.
The New Year’s Eve party isn’t just the last dance of the year either, it’s also effectively the prequel to next year’s raft of shows as Day Fever has already announced more than a dozen big dates in January and February.
This batch of 2025 dates sees the gang taking on lots of other cities, including North West neighbours Liverpool, Sheffield, Leeds and Hull over in Yorkshire, two Newcastle shows and plenty more.
So, if you’re feeling those clubbing blues, that pesky seasonal affective disorder or just still not booked up for NYE 2024, why not make the most of this day-time opportunity?
Tickets for both the New Year’s Eve and the rest of their 2025 events are available on the official Day Fever website HERE.
Oh yeah, and help get Rev to Christmas number one – it’s for a good cause and they deserve it!
Sean Paul and Ashanti are hosting a massive Manchester show in 2025
Danny Jones
The one and only Sean Paul is coming to Manchester next year and we’re about to be smashing that buy ticket button it’ll be left sticking like glue.
A terrible pun, we know, we’re just very excited.
Better yet, he’s bringing a fantastic co-headliner along with him as fellow noughties and R’n’B throwback Ashanti will be sharing the stage too.
Landing at the AO Arena in spring 2025, they’ll be upping the ‘Temperature’ ahead of the summer and just in time for the festival season to start getting underway.
Having both enjoyed the scene for many years back in its 2000s heyday and each still boasting their own long-serving fan bases no matter how long it’s been, we wouldn’t think of this as a Sean Paul headline gig with a support act but two very special guests doing what they do best.
The Jamaican-born rap, reggae and dancehall artist as well as all-round popstar needs no introduction really but we’ll give him one anyway: you have to pronounce his name funny and he’s best known for countless club classics like ‘Got 2 Luv U’, ‘Get Busy’ and ‘Gimme The Light’, just to name a few.
Coming back to Manchester for basically a celebration of what many still revere as one of the golden eras for the genre will no doubt be an unbelievable night and playing the AO Arena after all this time is no mean feat.
General admission goes live from 10am, Friday 20 December but presale will be available for Three mobile users who want exclusive early access from Wednesday onwards from the same time.
The ‘Bring It’ Tour comes our way on 13 April 2025, with other dates including Leeds, Birmingham, Cardiff and a massive London show with Fat Joe joining too.
You can get ready to grab your tickets for Sean Paul and Ashanti’s AO Arena date HERE.
Danny Jones -
12th January 2024 
