Without a doubt, Shotty Horroh has come a long way from the streets of Harpurhey.
From selling mixtapes in town, to becoming one of the most respected rap battlers in the world, he’s got an internationally-recognised track record.
In 2011, when Shotty was fresh on the scene with no rap battle experience, he took on America’s top battler Dizaster. He went in as a huge underdog, and he won 3-0.
That was just the beginning.
Shotty continued to win battle after battle. But it was his bout with New Jersey’s Arsonal in 2012 that was particularly legendary.
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Not only was it one of the most anticipated battles at the time, it’s since amassed more than 13million views on YouTube.
Shotty Horror vs Arsonal. Image: Don’t Flop
For the past couple of years, Shotty has spent a lot of time in Canada working with producer Deadmau5 and Sony Music.
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After testing the waters with a load of different genres over the years, Shotty has released a number of genre-bending EPs.
It’s clear the rapper doesn’t fit into one box. The rock and roll sounds of his album Salt of The Earth in 2018 and the trap-hip-hop-R&B fusion of Misery Loves Company in 2020 are just two examples of what he’s all about.
I couldn’t even name another artist that can switch up their style and pull it off the way Shotty can. He just keeps on surprising.
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But although Shotty no longer makes grown men cry in the rap battle ring, he’s still as sharp as ever. His wordplay is smart and witty, but most of all unique.
For his next project, he’s revisiting hip-hop, with a brand-new five-track audio drama The Teller.
This time, his music has taken a storytelling route. The EP is complete with a dark plot line, which encompasses five key elements – family, debt, crime, murder and betrayal.
The lyrics are deep and chilling from the get-go. The first track, ‘Dave’s Dilemma’, sets the scene of the drama – the story of a family man who’s got himself into trouble with a crime family.
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With each track, the story twists and unfolds as Dave scrambles to protect his family and repay his debt. He becomes tormented by his actions and is overcome with regret. The tracks are graphic – and at times disturbing – forcing images into your mind of the drama that’s developing.
The story concludes with ‘Vultures Fly In My Head’. It’s an intense and revengeful outcome, but I get the feeling the story doesn’t really end there.
Image: Rick Charles Media/Shotty Horroh/Instagram
The Teller has a sinister narrative, but it’s definitely gripping. Once again, Shotty proves he’s a man of many talents, telling stories through music in the most unexpected ways.
What’s next for Shotty, I wonder? A return to his rap battle heritage? My guess: only an opponent with the biggest of balls could tease him from retirement.
But for now, The Teller is available for pre-order from 16 January – strap yourselves in!
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Eurovision 2025 final to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
The grand final of the Eurovision Song Contest is to be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester next month.
Following the success of the previous two years, initially starting back when the internationally renowned televised event was held on British soil in Liverpool in 2023, cinemas up and down the UK are, once again, set to come together to celebrate 2025’s edition of the major night in the music calendar by hosting the ultimate viewing events.
The epic Eurovision Song Contest Grand Final on Saturday 17 May will be broadcast live on BBC One, and streamed into more than 100 cinemas nationwide – including several in Greater Manchester.
Distributed by CinemaLive, the live stream events will allow Eurovision fans to gather under one roof and share in the unbeatable experience of celebrating the brightest and boldest music party of the year on the big screen.
The Eurovision 2025 final will be screened live in cinemas across Greater Manchester / Credit: CinemaLive | Krists Luhaers (via Unsplash)
You may remember that Switzerland is hosting Eurovision this year, following the nation’s well-deserved victory at the 2024 contest with the song ‘The Code’ performed by Nemo.
But thanks to these live stream events, you won’t need to make the trip to Basel to get in on the action, as you’ll just need to nip down to your nearest participating cinema instead.
Not only will the long-awaited final of the show be streamed live onto the big screen in 5.1 surround sound, but fans are invited to bring their Eurovision parties from the front room to the cinema instead, as organisers say fancy dress is ‘heavily encouraged’, as are enthusiastic sing-alongs too.
Speaking ahead of the event next month, John Travers from distributors CinemaLive, said: “We’re delighted to be working with the BBC to bring Eurovision’s grand final live into cinemas across the UK for the third year in a row.
“There’s simply no better way to enjoy the biggest night in music than in a cinema.”
Tickets are now live and available to book at your local cinema here.
Some of the participating Greater Manchester cinemas include Vue Manchester Printworks, Everymans in Manchester city centre and Altrincham, The Light in Stockport, and Cineworld in Didsbury, among others.
Featured Image – EBU
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A new theatre show based on the Oasis and Blur rivalry is heading to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
No one sits on the fence in the great ‘Blur or Oasis’ debate – and now one of music’s greatest rivalries will be brought to the stage in a brand-new theatre show.
Heading to Manchester next year will be the brand-new comedy play, The Battle.
Audiences will take a trip back to 1995, when Britpop heavyweights Blur and Oasis were battling it out on the airwaves – and throwing more than a few jibes at each other along the way.
The Battle follows that moment in time where both bands – one our beloved Northern brothers, the other that clean-cut art-school band from the South – released singles on the same day.
The ensuing ‘battle of Britpop’ saw rivalries flare, friendships fracture, and a media mania that defined the era.
Highlights of the play will include the Brit Awards, the war on the charts, and legendary personalities.
The Battle promises ‘filthy language and razor-sharp dialogue in this cut-throat new comedy that puts you right at the heart of the feuding, the fame, and the fallout’.
The Battle is the debut stage play from screenwriter and Sunday Times best-selling novelist John Niven, and will be directed by Matthew Dunster.
John Niven said: “1995: a time long before music splintered into a billion different Tik Tok feeds. When music was so central to the culture that two pop groups could dominate the entire summer, the evening news and the front page of every newspaper in the country.
“We’re going to take you back there. I’ve never written for the stage before, and it has been an absolute blast to do so for the first time with a producer as supportive as Simon and a director as talented as Matthew.”
Director, Matthew Dunster, added: “I remember the Battle of the Bands. I remember the charts that week. Music mattered.
“I remember being in my twenties in 1995. What a wild time. Full of energy, naughtiness and hilarity. Just like John Niven’s play.
“I’m so delighted to be working with John on such a punchy, hilarious and revealing comedy about two of the best bands of all time, Blur and Oasis.”
Producer, Simon Friend, continued: “Throughout my sister’s teenage years, she had an enormous poster of Damon Albarn on her wall, and I remember her falling out with friends over which band they loved more.
“Ever since, this story has been in the back of my mind, and I was delighted that John Niven agreed to write it because there is no more qualified or hilarious chronicler of this world, and combined with Matthew Dunster directing, we have a fearless team recreating the sweaty mid-‘90s carnage of The Battle of Britpop.”
The Battle will make its world premiere in Birmingham next year before heading out on an extensive UK tour, including a run of shows here in Manchester.
The Battle will be at the Opera House Manchester between 17 and 21 March 2026.
Tickets go on general sale on Friday 2 May at 10am – grab yours HERE.