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The Lottery Winners announce ‘best album yet’ with some unreal collaborators

They're back and with some big names in tow.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 23rd September 2024

The beloved Lottery Winners of Leigh have announced their new album, featuring some seriously exciting collaborators, along with a trio of massive Manchester shows.

Flying the flag for the local hamlet and borough of Wigan as a whole since 2008, The Lottery Winners’ rise over the past few years has been a joy to watch, earning their first number-one record with A.R.T back in May 2023, headlining multiple festivals and supporting some seriously big names on tour.

Now, following on from that theme, the announcement of the fourth studio album is also accompanied by a fair few famous faces lending their musical talents to the project as well, already declaring this next chapter “without doubt our best ever work.”

Big words you can’t help but get excited about – especially given that they’re doing not one, not two but three Manc gigs. Roll on 2025.

The Greater Manchester band have just released the first single, ‘You Again’, featuring Sheffield favourite and Day Fever festival co-creator Jon McClure of Reverend and the Makers – it’s a really uplifting and reminiscent indie banger, by the way – but that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

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Teasing some of the other collaborators who have worked on the new album, simply entitled KOKO (i.e. Keep On Keeping On), fans can expect the return of Frank Turner for a third time on a Lottery Winners record, fellow Northern icons Shed Seven and, get this: Chad Kroeger of Nickelback…

Unreal, we know.

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The four-piece supported the Canadian rockstars on their European tour and even joined them on stage for an epic Oasis cover when they landed here at the AO Arena this past May, so we already knew they were good friends – we just didn’t expect to hear Chad confirmed as a featured artist.

Sadly, the song he features on isn’t called ‘KOKO-graph’. A missed opportunity, we know.

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It’s unclear as to whether they have any other surprise up their sleeves before the album drops early next year but we’ll settle for this being plenty, to be honest. As mentioned, not unlike the now sold-out Blossoms gigs, they all announced a mini-Manchester residency and none other than Academy 1.

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Dubbing the run of shows the ‘Burning House Party’ in honour of their much-loved single from last year, they’ll be playing what is Manc live music rite of passage, they’ll be closing out what has been an incredible 2024 for them with three special sets on December 27, 28 and 29.

KOKO is set to release on 21 February 2025 via the ever-growing Modern Sky record label and general admission for The Lottery Winners’ Burning House Party shows go live this Friday, 27 September at 10am, but you can access pre-sale by pre-ordering the new album now.

Get ready to grab your tickets HERE.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press Images (supplied)/Frost Harver (via Wiki Commons)

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I thought I’d been to plenty of ‘proper’ rock gigs – then I went to see Frank Carter and the Sex Pistols

Danny Jones Danny Jones Frank Carter and The Sex Pistols gig review

Listen, we here at The Manc and Audio North have been to a fair few gigs in our day, and heavy ones at that – we’re fortunate to have a fair few happy headbangers in our office – but we’re not sure many things encapsulate a proper rock show like seeing Frank Carter and the actual Sex Pistols.

You know, as you do…

When we first heard that the legendary punk band were not only back on tour over 16 years after their last handful of festival sets (and nearly in their 70s, by the way) but bringing the ex-Gallows and current Rattlesnakes frontman along for the ride, it felt like we’d be asked one of those dream lineup questions.

As the literal godfathers of the genre and entire movement that changed the face of music here in the UK and all over the world, there are very few people who could even attempt to fill the shoes of Johnny Rotten, but at times it genuinely felt like there’d never been anyone else other than Frank f***ing Carter.

sex pistols manchester 2024
frank carter and the sex pistols manchester gig review 2024
Lots of legs wheeling into the air, lots of circle pits, lots of sweat. (Credit: The Manc Group)

Limited-run shows like these are obviously always going to be special and watching the last remaining Sex Pistols members play their iconic Never Mind The Bollocks album in full to what we can only describe as one of the most mixed crowds you’ll ever come across.

Now, we’re fully aware that the Pistols pre-date us by some way and, of course, there were A LOT of dads and old punk-rockers with multi-coloured mohawks to be seen, but much like we’re hoping with those upcoming Oasis reunion gigs, there were a lot of young fans filling out the front rows.

But no matter what age group they belonged to, the Manchester crowd did us proud as it always does and even at some of the rowdiest metal gigs we’ve been to in the past, we have never seen so much crowd-surfing, circle pits and all-round chaos.

It was nothing short of utterly delightful and, we have to say, a lot of the thanks has to go ‘Franky Boy’, as he was affectionately referred to throughout the show.

Once again, I don’t think we can overstate how hard it is to follow in the footsteps of arguably one of the greatest albeit controversial frontmen of all time, but somehow the 40-year-old made it look effortless.

frank carter manchester academy
frank carter touring with sex pistols
Frank Carter is born to play the Rotten role and the Sex Pistols are better for it. (Credit: Audio North)

Actually, that’s a lie: if you’ve ever seen Frank Carter live you’ll know how much energy goes into those sets and we think of ‘blood, sweat and tears’ performances, he’s pretty much the epitome of it.

Nevertheless, what we’re trying to say is that these now-legendary one-offs/revival/comeback shows, whatever you want to call them, simply couldn’t have happened without him – certainly not at this level, anyway. In fact, we’d go so far as to say he was born to play this role.

You could tell the boys know it too; not only have they put their faith in him but you can tell they’ve already struck a lifelong friendship, as they beckoned their lead singer back from the mosh multiple times by simply saying, “Frankie baby, we miss you.”

The man himself has made no secret of how much of a dream come true being chosen for this tour. He recently wrote to his followers: “In case anyone was wondering what it’s like to share the stage with these three legends… Pure joy.”

He went on to add, “It’s not lost on me how lucky I am to be up here and I cherish every moment of it… Every single show feels special and I am having the time of my f***ing life” – and so were we. Frank actually spent what felt like half of the gig in the crowd and you just don’t get over moments like that.

frank carter live manchester
He can scream in our faces any day.
sex pistols and frank carter
Unreal energy from start to finish.
We’re not sure where Manchester ranks on the current tour for Frank Carter and the Sex Pistols, but it’s bloody high on our best of 2024.

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It has to be said too that Paul Cook, Steve Jones and Glen Matlock don’t seem like they’ve missed one single beat even after all this time.

In terms of the tunes that went the hardest, we’re still not over the pure surrealness of hearing those opening notes of ‘Holidays in the Sun’, ‘No Feelings’ and ‘God Save the Queen’ were obvious favourites but it will surprise absolutely no one to hear that ‘Anarchy in the UK’ was the perfect closer.

We limped out of Manchester Academy with a couple of bruises to show for it and probably smelling like a bin fire, but if you’re asking us whether nearly losing a tooth whilst hugging a dozen random blokes in leather and/or denim was worth it, yes, it absolutely was.

In fact, rather than pretend this is much of an actual muso review (that doesn’t feel very Sex Pistols or particularly punk) we’ll go one further and declare that as possibly the most raucous gig we’ve ever been to – and it’s all Frank Carter’s wonderful f***ing fault.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Audio North

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Coldplay praised for ‘super low price’ Infinity tickets for huge upcoming stadium shows

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Coldplay have announced ticket prices for their upcoming stadium shows. Credit: Publicity picture

Coldplay fans have been left delighted after the band confirmed they’d be selling a handful of tickets for their stadium gigs for only £20.

These ‘infinity tickets’ are released after the general sale ends – sometimes much closer to the event date – and at a bargain price.

The news came shortly after Coldplay announced a run of huge stadium shows in the UK next year as part of their ongoing Music Of The Spheres world tour.

The band will be playing two huge outdoor summer shows in Yorkshire next year as well as a whopping six dates at Wembley Stadium in London.

Coldplay are set to take to the stage at Craven Park Stadium in Hull on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 August 2025.

Ahead of the general sale on Friday 29 September, the band have made a point to stress that tickets will be fixed at the advertised rate (*cough cough* OASIS), rather than adopting a ‘dynamic pricing’ model that drives up prices based on demand.

General ticket prices will start from just £50, and a little later, there’ll be a chance to score tickets for ‘a super low price’ as Coldplay brings back their Infinity Tickets scheme.

So often when you buy last-minute tickets you end up paying a small fortune and still have to sit behind a big pole.

Coldplay have announced ticket prices for their upcoming stadium shows. Credit: Stevie Rae Gibbs
Coldplay have announced ticket prices for their upcoming stadium shows. Credit: Stevie Rae Gibbs

But with the Infinity Tickets scheme from Coldplay, you could genuinely end up with the best seat in the house for only £20.

These tickets are randomly allocated and you usually won’t know where you’re positioned in the stadium until the day of the concert.

But they will range from the back row of the stadium to floor standing tickets, and must be bought in pairs.

The Fair Ticketing Alliance wrote about the price of tickets for Coldplay: “What is really fair about this is that not only are they transparent they have started the prices lower to make them more affordable and they have not tried to restrict consumers in any way with unfair resale restrictions. This is how all events should be.”

Another person said: “It’s funny but somehow I knew they wouldn’t allow the ridiculous dynamic pricing. We complain about this and that but when it comes to the crunch this band really care about their fans . And they’re fair and not greedy. Kings.”

General admission standing tickets are priced at £100. Seats are priced from £50 – £150 per ticket.

£20 Infinity Tickets for Coldplay will be made available on Friday 22 November.

Tickets go on sale next Friday 29 September from 9am, and you’ll be able to get yours here.

Read more: Justin Timberlake and Alanis Morissette to play huge outdoor gigs at Lytham Festival

Featured image: Publicity picture

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