Last night, Kelis wowed a packed out crowd at Albert Hall with a show full of R&B noughties pop classics as she brought the party to Manchester.
Appearing ahead of her Glastonbury headline set this weekend, the 42-year-old singer clearly arrived on Peter Street in a party mood – rocking up in a bejewelled version of the millennial fail-safe: jeans and a nice top.
Appearing on stage twenty minutes late to a packed out crowd already champing at the bit, she wasted no time in giving the people what they wanted – diving straight into a set full of hits, her own and some covers.
Tracks like Milkshake, Bossy and Trick Me provided an inescapable soundtrack to my youth, and last night I got to relive it in all its joyful, problem-free glory.
Dancing shoulder to shoulder with my fellow elder millennials on a sweltering Manchester night, I was transported to a simpler time. A time when pop was big, loud, and euphoric, and skinny jeans were still the ultimate fashion staple.
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It was absolutely glorious.
Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
It wasn’t long before she dropped Millionaire, her 2003 collab Andre 3000, followed by Caught Out There, memorable for its refrain – “I hate you so much right now” – both taken from album Tasty, a cult hit with fans but not so much with the critics.
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Good Stuff and her Ol’ Dirty Bastard collab Got Your Money weren’t far behind, sending us into fever-pitch excitement far earlier than expected. Bossy, an early doors champion for Gen Z’s ‘bad b*tch energy’, also made a brief appearance – with a verse woven into a medley as big hit followed big hit.
And so it kept going. Her ubiquitous smash hit Milkshake got a refresh with a Wu Tang Gravel Pit mash up, with other hits from the era – Crystal Walter’s Gypsy Woman, Soul II Soul’s Back To Life, and Alison Limerick’s feel good anthem Where Love Lives – getting a reference throughout.
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Then, just when we thought she couldn’t do any more, she dropped Trick Me, and her Sean Paul collab Fire, building things to a fever pitch – so much so that, when it came time for her encore, it did feel a little bit like there wasn’t really anything left to play.
That didn’t stop the crowd stomping and chatting until the gallery floor rattled, though, and she dutifully reappeared.
Kelis has been an R&B and pop icon here for as long as I can remember. Whilst the New York-born singer hasn’t always been appreciated in her home country, it’s no secret that here in Europe we can’t get enough of her.
Image: The Manc Group
Image: The Manc Group
But lately, she has made headlines recently for another reason. Namely, whispers of a romantic entanglement between her and Bill Murray, 72.
Rumours of the unlikely pairing began circulating after the deadpan comedian was spotted at several of her shows, with The Sun reporting that he “watched [Kelis] perform from the side of the stage in London last weekend – having also been spotted at her other recent shows.”
Then, a photograph of the pair started doing the rounds on social media – adding more fuel to the pyre.
Some Manchester music nerds will probably know, though, that the original image was actually of a trio, with media outlets simply choosing to crop out an inconveniently-placed Konny Kon.
The singer herself has since addressed the rumours, sort of, anyway, after replying to a fan comment on her Instagram that asked: “Ma’am would you care to address these Bill Murray allegations?!? Cuz damn [sic]! What he doing with all that?”
Kelis wrote in response: “Lol [sic] no babe, I wouldn’t bother at all.”
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We know you all want to know if we saw him there, and – being honest – we did have a good look from our perch in the gallery. We didn’t spot him, though. And we didn’t spot Konny, either.
Featured image – The MancGroup
Audio
Oasis release trailer for Don’t Look Back In Anger documentary – watch it here
Daisy Jackson
A new trailer for the upcoming Oasis documentary, ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger’, has been released today.
The highly anticipated documentary follows the iconic Manchester rock band as they reunited for a series of epic comeback gigs last summer.
The Gallagher brothers broke up the band 15 years prior to the Live ’25 shows, then returned in spectacular fashion for gigs including five sold-out nights at Heaton Park in Manchester.
The band were followed throughout their triumphant comeback tour by film crews, for the documentary film ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger’.
Fans will see never-before-seen snippets of rehearsal, backstage, and onstage, as well as the first joint interview with Liam and Noel in more than 20 years.
It will also explores the profound impact that the reunion had on fans, and chart the global phenomenon that was Oasis Live ’25.
One of the people behind the new documentary is Steven Knight, of Peaky Blinders fame.
Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger will be released in the UK on Wednesday 9 September and you can book tickets HERE.
Watch the full trailer for Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger below:
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Georgina Pellant -
22nd June 2023 
