A rising DJ whose set was cancelled due to ‘safety concerns’ at Parklife festival has now spoken out on his side of events.
Josh Baker is a popular Manchester-born DJ who was set to perform on the brand-new Matinee stage on the Sunday night of the local music festival.
He had the second-highest billing of the day, followed by Chris Stussy as headliner of that particular stage.
But despite being booked onto one of the festival’s smaller stages, Josh Baker’s popularity quickly saw the space becoming overcrowded.
Videos shared on TikTok show fans clambering over the safety barriers that Parklife security had installed as a queue system, desperate to get inside for Josh’s set.
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The young talent has now spoken out again about the incident, saying he could see from his vantage point it ‘quickly became unsafe’.
Josh Baker said that ‘the organisers made the right call’ despite the show ‘meaning a lot’ to him.
He detailed that he has been going to Parklife since the age of 16, and playing such a big slot in the festival ‘felt like a proper full-circle moment’.
He added that he’s been looking into doing free follow-up shows, but has been unable to find a venue that would hold ‘anywhere near the amount of people who were trying to get in to see me play’.
Josh wrote on Instagram: “I’m honestly so sorry to everyone who didn’t get to see the set. It was completely out of my hands, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Just know I’ve felt every bit of frustration with you.”
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He then said he’s planning ‘something ridiculous’ for his Creamfields appearance to make it up to fans.
Josh Baker said in his full statement on Parklife: “I’ve taken a few days to process what happened at Parklife last weekend, and I wanted to share a few words.
“This one was always going to mean a lot. Growing up in Manchester, I’ve been going to Parklife since I was 16, so to be booked for such a big slot felt like a proper full-circle moment. But just as I stepped on stage, the music had to be cut. When I came on there were too many people trying to get into the arena and it quickly became unsafe, and therefore the stage had to be closed for the rest of the day.
“It’s gutting, but I want to be clear – the organisers made the right call. Safety has to come before everything. After seeing a few of the videos from the crowd, I’m just relieved the situation did not escalate and everyone remained safe.
“Still, it’s hard to explain how much it hurt not being able to play. I know so many of you were excited for that set and it honestly blew me away seeing that many people turning up.
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“Over the last few days, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make it right. I looked into doing a free follow-up show in Manchester, but the reality is, there are no suitable or possible venues which would hold anywhere near the amount of people who were trying to get in to see me play.
“The last thing I’d want is to announce something and end up disappointing even more people who couldn’t get tickets. After a lot of conversations and digging behind the scenes, we’ve had to accept that there’s no realistic way to do something that feels fair right now.
“I’m honestly so sorry to everyone who didn’t get to see the set. It was completely out of my hands, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Just know I’ve felt every bit of frustration with you.
“I really hope to see loads of you at Creamfields because I’m already planning something ridiculous to try and make this up to you in some way.”
Ticket touting officially banned to protect fans from rip-offs
Daisy Jackson
The government has officially banned ticket touting, making it illegal for tickets to be resold at inflated prices.
The new measures will destroy the operating model of ticket touts, who snap up tickets for theatre, sport and live music, then sell them on the secondary value for far more than their face value.
Oftentimes, touts use automated bots to buy large volumes of tickets at once, taking them away from real fans.
The government says it’s caused misery for millions of fans and damaged the live events industry.
But now, the practice is being banned, with the government making it illegal to sell tickets above face value (plus unavoidable fees like service charges).
Resale platforms will also have their service fees capped, and they’ll have a legal duty to monitor and enforce compliance with the price cap.
Individuals will also be banned from reselling more tickets than they were entitled to buy in the initial ticket sale.
Culture secretary Lisa Nandy said: “For too long, ticket touts have ripped off fans, using bots to snap up batches of tickets and resell them at sky-high prices. They’ve become a shadow industry on resale sites, acting without consequence.
“This government is putting fans first. Our new proposals will shut down the touts’ racket and make world-class music, comedy, theatre and sport affordable for everyone.”
Business Secretary Peter Kyle added: “The UK is home to a brilliant range of music, entertainers and sporting stars – but when fans are shut out – it only benefits the touts. That’s why we’re taking these bold measures to smash their model to pieces and make sure more fans can enjoy their favourite stars at a fair price.”
Dan Smith, lead singer of Bastille – who have been part of the campaign against ticket touting – said: “It’s such great news that the government has stepped up and introduced a price cap on resale tickets – something I’ve been campaigning for alongside O2 and the FanFair Alliance for a long time.
“It’s a good step towards protecting music fans from being ripped off and will allow more genuine fans to see their favourite artists perform at face value prices. I am welcoming a world where there are no more resellers snapping up all of the tickets and massively inflating their prices.”
According to analysis by the CMA, typical mark-ups on secondary market tickets exceed 50%, whilst investigations by Trading Standards has uncovered evidence of tickets being resold for up to six times their original cost.
It’s believed these new measures against ticket touts could save fans around £112 million annually, freeing up around 900,000 more tickets from the primary ticket sellers each year.
The use of strategies like dynamic pricing has also been a major source of frustration for fans – such as the method used during the Oasis reunion on-sale – and new rules mean that fans must be given 24 hours notice of tiered pricing, plus provide clearer price information during online queues.
Industry voices who have weight in today include Mumford & Sons, who said that touts have ‘taken advantage of the good will and passion of music fans for many years’; Ed Sheeran’s manager Stuart Camp, who said the announcement is ‘long overdue’; and Coldplay manager Phil Harvey, who added that the legislation will be ‘a game-changer’.
India’s most beloved singer Shreya Ghoshal announces Manchester arena gig
Daisy Jackson
Shreya Ghoshal, one of India’s most celebrated singers, will be performing in Manchester next spring as part of a new UK tour.
The star will be heading out on a global run of dates on The Unstoppable Tour, performing to fans in three arenas in the UK.
She has announced a huge arena show in Manchester at the AO Arena, as well as gigs in Birmingham and London.
As well as dates in the UK, Shreya will perform across Europe, Asia, Middle East, Australia, South Africa and North America.
Shreya Ghoshal will take audiences on a journey that spans from her soulful beginnings to her global stardom.
She has been an enduring force in Indian music for more than two decades, and The Unstoppable Tour will prove exactly why.
There’ll be a setlist of her most iconic hits, like ‘Dola Re Dola’, ‘Teri Meri’, ‘Deewani Mastani’, and ‘Sun Raha Hai’, as well as new music that reflects her evolving artistry.
She first became known after winning the TV singing competition Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, going on to win a National Film Award at just 18 years old with Devdas.
Shreya has more than 12 billion streams on Spotify and 42 million monthly listeners, and ranked as the number one artist on Spotify last year in India.
Shreya Ghoshal said: “I am looking forward to bringing The Unstoppable Tour to the UK! When I dreamed of The Unstoppable Tour, I wanted to create something that feels alive, something that connects heartbeats across the world.
“This tour is deeply personal to me, it’s a reflection of every note, every story, and every emotion that has shaped my journey so far.
“It’s a celebration of the people, memories, and moments that are so special. For me, that’s what makes it truly unstoppable.”
Shreya Ghoshal will perform at the AO Arena in Manchester on 10 April 2026, with general sale tickets live from 10am on Friday 28 November HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
19th June 2025 
