Hollywood actor Jeffrey Wright recently mused over his love of Manchester music in a recent radio interview and now he’s probably our new favourite A-lister.
Speaking on a recent BBC Radio 6 interview with host Deb Grant who was subbing in for Lauren Laverne’s regular show, the Batman, Westworld and James Bond star was discussing his passionate obsession with lyricists and named Manc songwriters in particular as among those he admires the most.
Clearly a man of culture and who knows what he’s talking about, ‘r Jeff.
With Grant broadcasting from MediaCityUK, Wright saw his moment to dive into a subject he clearly knows and loves, starting off by saying: “I’m fascinated by the music that comes out of Manchester”.
As you can see from the brief clip, the 58-year-old American film and TV star goes on to state that it’s “Particularly the lyricists” that have arisen from this city’s music scene that he reveres the most.
ADVERTISEMENT
Citing the work of Morrisey and Johnny Marr, as well as Joy Division‘s late great Ian Curtis, it was yet another reminder of just how international music from our region has been over the decades.
He even details having played The Queen Is Dead by The Smiths non-stop during his college (university) years, insisting that it “stayed on our turntable, my last year, for an entire semester. I don’t think we took it off.”
ADVERTISEMENT
“The lyrics, the poetry — is there something in the air that builds these people out here, what’s the deal?”, asked Wright, to which Grant quickly replied: “Rain, mist, cold weather. It’s kind of famous for it, isn’t it? That kind of acerbic, sort of, turn of phrase which is kind of unique to Manchester”.
Credit: Wikimedia Commons (via Picryl.com)Credit: Remko Hoving (via Flickr)Jeffrey Wright named The Smiths lads and Ian Curtis as two of his favourite Manchester music names.
Confessing that he’s never visited the city before but would love to come and see it for himself — quipping that maybe he’d be able to “‘drink the water’, or whatever, be so inspired” — the BBC host said that he’d “be so welcome”. Amen to that.
Let us know whenever you fancy popping over to 0161, mate, we’ll show you ’round and town, make you a proper brew and we can just sit and listen to tunes all day. Sounds heavenly, to be honest.
ADVERTISEMENT
You can listen to his full interview on Radio 6 HERE or via BBC Sounds.
Featured Images — BBC Radio 6 (via TikTok)/Remko Hoving (via Flickr)
Audio
Scouting For Girls announce stacked UK tour with Manchester date
Thomas Melia
British boyband Scouting For Girls are heading out on an extensive UK tour with dates up and down the country, including right here in Manchester.
If the first thing that pops into your mind when you read this headline is “I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know how we’ll make it through this”, then you’re on the right side of history.
Nearly 20 years since their single ‘She’s So Lovely’ reached catastrophic heights and had everyone putting on their best Roy Stride accent, Scouting For Girls are heading back on the road.
This UK tour announcement comes two years after their last project, The Place We Used To Meet, reached our ears and was coined by the band as “Our best work since our debut”.
It’s been 18 years since this Brit trio captivated our hearts with their eponymous debut album, which sold over one million copies and went number one on the UK official charts for two weeks.
Whether you know them for ‘Heartbeat’ or ‘Elvis Ain’t Dead’, it’s clear to say this band had their fair share of smash hit singles throughout the noughties.
This tour, however, celebrates the sophomore follow-up: Everybody Wants To Be On TV, which went on to continue their legacy and secure them their only number one, ‘This Ain’t A Love Song’, back in 2010.
Now, the boys are treating UK fans to an array of live performances, and if you can’t make one date, fear not because there are 20 different locations for you to choose from.
The group will also be playing the likes of Leeds, Sheffield, Newcastle and a whole host of other Northern cities, so you have plenty of chances to catch them.
If you can’t wait all the way until March 2026 for your next Scouting For Girls fix, lead singer Stride has his own cameo account where you can get the star to read out a message or even sing you a song: “‘Michaela Strachan’ in full, please?…”
Scouting For Girls are coming to O2 Apollo in Manchester on 21 March 2026, with tickets going on sale next Friday, 2 May at 10am HERE.
You can get FREE tickets to watch The Voice UK in Manchester
Thomas Melia
Fans of The Voice UK can apply to get free tickets to watch the filming of the upcoming series taking place right here in Manchester.
Anyone looking to get their late-night fix more up close and personal than just sitting on the sofa will be delighted to know that The Voice UK is returning, and you could see this show in the flesh.
The music competition show is returning to its usual filming spot right here in MediaCity UK in Salford and offers members of the public the chance to showcase their vocals in front of music icons.
The Voice is known for attracting some of the biggest musical stars, with judges of past seasons including Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Hudson, Meghan Trainor, Ricky Wilson and more.
Last year’s judges included American country-pop superstar LeAnn Rimes and the first-ever double-chair, which seated McFly members Danny Jones and Tom Fletcher.
Fortunately, these tickets aren’t to take part in the show, instead they’re to appear in the studio audience, although we all know Mancs love a good sing-along.
There are three various filming dates all taking place at MediaCity UK in Salford, meaning Mancs have a few opportunities to see the judges discover the next best thing in music.
Although the judging lineup for The Voice 2025 hasn’t been officially announced yet, there are two music mentors who have been on the show since it very first launched here in Britain.
Anyone considering attending is almost guaranteed to see the legendary Sir Tom Jones, as well as notable producer and recording artist Will.I.Am, as both music legends have been on the judges panel since it first aired back in 2012.
It is just us, or does it seem hard to believe it was that long ago?
The Voice UK starts filming at MediaCity UK in Manchester from Thursday, 5 June until the following Saturday (7 Jun), with tickets to all three dates still available HERE.
Danny Jones -
20th March 2024 
