Legendary poet and spoken word artist John Cooper Clarke is set to host a special evening at Salford Lads and Girls Club this summer.
The one-off evening with the brilliant ‘Bard of Salford’ and Doctor of Arts marks one of the first and most significant public events at the local institution since it was saved from collapse late last year.
Returning next month, the iconic poet, author, and cultural icon will take centre stage for an intimate in-conversation event with respected BBC broadcaster, Nihal Arthanayake – now based in Greater Manchester – sharing stories from his extraordinary career.
With more than five decades of tales to tell, it’s one you don’t want to miss.
As per an official press release, “This special fundraising event will support Salford Lads Club, helping to maintain its historic building and fund vital projects for young members.”
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Cooper Clarke last visited the influential community centre and club, which has helped give stars to so many important figures from around the area, back in 2023 as part of a ceremony to name him an Honorary Freeman by Salford City Council.
The latest homecoming also comes not too long after his record-breaking performance at the Co-op Live arena this past March, performing to the largest-ever audience for a poet in the UK.
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Rather fittingly, he will be interviewed by Nihal once again, having already spoken to the 76-year-old for part of his award-winning BBC Headliners podcast series.
He’s also known for his insightful and incisive cross-examinations, meaning he’ll be more than up to the challenge of sitting across theJCC.
In the latter half of the night, Nihal will also speak with Clarke’s long-time friend and manager, Phil Jones, a renowned music promoter for nearly half a century and a long-time JCC collaborator.
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As is the case with most of these kinds of intimate conversations evenings, there will be Q&A portion where John will be answering selected questions submitted by the audience. There will also be plenty of opportunities to grab a souvenir, be it John’s latest book or SLCAGC merch.
Laura Slingsby, CEO of Salford Lads Club, said of the event: “We are incredibly excited to welcome John back to his hometown for this unique evening. His connection to Salford is legendary, and this event promises to be a truly special occasion for fans old and new.
“Nihal is the perfect choice to interview John, and we look forward to showing him around our wonderful venue” – us too.
Taking place on Wednesday, 11 June, tickets go live today (Friday, 16 May) at 10am. You can get ready to grab yours HERE.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press Shots (supplied)/Bryan Ledgard (via Flickr)
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DMA’S announce latest UK and Ireland tour, including a pair of Manchester dates
Danny Jones
Aussie trio and adopted Mancs, DMA’S, have officially announced a brand-new headline tour across Great Britain and Ireland, confirming not one but two nights here in Manchester.
We’re also the only city getting double dates, because they clearly love us as much as we love them.
The Sydney-formed indie and alt-rock favourites have always had plenty of success in this part of the world, and with DMA’S getting ready to release a new self-titled studio album – their fifth up to this point – they’re obviously getting ready to tour it.
Having just dropped the latest single from it entitled ‘Hurracane’ (they spell things however they want, as we know), they have now revealed a full list of UK and IE live dates.
OUR NEW SONG HURRACANE IS OUT NOW & WE’VE ANNOUNCED OUR UK / IRELAND ALBUM TOUR.
PRE-ORDER OUR NEW ALBUM ‘DMA’S’ FROM OUR OFFICIAL BAND STORE FOR FIRST ACCESS TO TICKETS. https://t.co/XtL79B8ruY
Speaking on the fresh track, lead guitarist and secondary vocalistMatt Masonsaid in a press release: “Hurracane has a recurrent musical motion that’s a nod to the song lyrically, and we used the idea of a displacing storm to tell the story, leading into a style that we hadn’t recorded ourselves before.”
Meanwhile, the latest LP is set to drop this August; we’ve already heard the lead single in ‘My Baby’s Place’ and the second song, ‘Heatin Park’, all of which have gone down well with fans.
The early reviews of this third track and accompanying music video also look to be largely positive, with the almost folky mandolin riffs showing a different kind of approach from the group.
As for their upcoming tour dates, besides a pair of Manchester gigs, they’ll also be playing the likes of the Olympia in Liverpool, Sheffield’s Octagon Centre, and the Barbican in York, just to name a few.
Their popularity up here in the North was only further proved by how many people came along to NBHD Weeekender 2026 (review HERE) seemingly just for them.
For those looking to grab tickets, you can obviously secure early access by pre-ordering their album and signing yourself up for the band’s mailing list.
General admission to see DMA’s in Manchester on Friday, 5 and Saturday, 6 February 2027, as well as all other domestic tour dates, will be available from 10am on 12 June, 2026; you can get ready to grab your tickets right HERE.
Morrissey confirms his new album has already been written and reveals recording details
Danny Jones
Morrissey has confirmed that the next project set to succeed his still relatively new album, Make-up Is a Lie, has already been written.
He’s also disclosed when and where it will be recorded in a post on his own personal website.
The hailed Manc songwriter and former The Smiths frontman only dropped his recent release earlier this year, but it looks like the follow-up is already on the way.
Lyrically, Morrissey states, the album is basically done – now it’s just a case of putting it down on tape, with the Davyhulme-born artist scheduled to get back in the studio early next year.
In the post announcing a special 12-inch Notre-DameDeluxe EP – set to drop later this month – the 67-year-old spoke at length about the ‘lemonade’ yellow vinyl, which will no doubt become a collector’s item among his most dedicated die-hards.
More of a full-length listen, in truth, featuring tracks that ultimately didn’t make the cut for his last record, Make-Up Is a Lie, he says it “should be played unendurably loud.”
After thanking all his ever-passionate fans for buying his 14th solo studio album, he went on to add: “A certain injustice was rectified. The follow-up album has been written, and will be recorded in January in our beloved France. It already sounds like a winner…
“Happy ending never in doubt! … or … was it?”
Glean from that whatever you can, all we know is that it’s sparked plenty of interest on the forums, message boards and social media fan accounts already.
Earlier this year, we also found out that an ongoing feud between ‘Moz’ and his old bandmate Johnny Marr also meant that we were denied a special anniversary re-issue.
Let’s just say that with little love lost between the two and yet another LP apparently in the works already, you likely won’t be seeing any remasters any time soon, let alone the once-rumoured reunion.
After all, it took the Gallaghers more than 15 years to kiss, and these two seem to be still disputing over various matters after the best of four decades.
Meanwhile, Morrissey is already gearing up for a fresh run of tour domestic dates (insomnia permitting) later this year.
But, most notably, he’s chosen to skip out on one key location…
Mozza fans when they found out he's only coming to five UK cities on his tour later this year:
Danny Jones -
16th May 2025 
