Pop royalty walks among us the one and only Sophie Ellis-Bextor was recently spotted filming a new video smack bang in the middle of Stockport town centre.
The early 2000s hit-maker and veteran of the charts has been going through somewhat of a renaissance over the past year or so, now finding herself back in the mainstream consciousness, playing some huge festival slots up and down the UK and rightly reminding everyone what an icon she is.
In truth, this comeback is at least somewhat in part down to her ultimate classic, ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, being featured in that scene from the 2023 film Saltburn, but we couldn’t care one bit as to how and why it happened – we’re just glad to have her back and, apparently, so close to home.
As recorded by Stockport local Brian Howell last week, Sophie Ellis-Bextor was being filmed walking through a set located in the Greater Manchester borough’s historic ‘Old Town’ district and right past the recognisable market hall.
‘Murder on the Market Floor’? ‘Get Over You and Underbank‘?
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That’s precisely two more Sophie Ellis-Bextor meets Stockport-based puns than we ever thought we’d get to utter out loud, to be honest, so we’re pretty happy with ourselves.
While local outlet Stop in Stockport reported that the filming looked to be for a new music video and the 45-year-old is working on a new album set to drop later this year – which will be her seventh studio outing following 2023’s HANA – there have been no hints as to when we might expect a first tease.
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Alternatively, as many people were left speculating in the comments, Ellis-Bextor has been involved in a number of campaigns with brands like Marks and Spencer and LG in recent years, so it could just as easily be for an advert or some other kind of commercial shoot.
Who knows, maybe it’s a collab? ‘This isn’t just any music video, this is an M&S music video…’
Only time will tell whether or not the next era of Sophie Ellis-Bextor tunes is going to kick off with a random music video filmed in Stockport but we’re just honoured to have been graced with her presence, even if only by proximity.
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Either way, we are very much enjoying Americans suddenly discovering ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ more than two decades later and finding out how much of a banger it is – long may it continue.
It’s also not the only thing of note that’s been filmed around SK recently.
Inspiring new 360° immersive David Bowie experience to open in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Music lovers will get a glimpse inside the mind of a creative genius when a new immersive experience opens later this year.
Factory International has this week announced its programme of events for the upcoming autumn-winter season, and by far one of the stand-outs on the list has to be the return of Lightroom for a new 360° experience called David Bowie: You’re Not Alone – which is set to immerse audiences in the iconic performances and creative mind of one of the world’s most visionary and influential artists.
Bringing together a wealth of visual material from a wide range of sources, the experience combines rare performance footage, photography, drawings, lyrics, personal notes, and audio recordings from the late Bowie himself.
You’re Not Alone will showcase some of Bowie’s landmark performances that redefined popular culture, using a mix of iconic, rarely seen, and even never-before-exhibited material.
Selected from thousands of hours of film in the vaults of the David Bowie Archive in New York, you can expect to see everything from Space Oddity and Diamond Dogs, through to Heroes, Black Star, and more.
Each track has been newly reconfigured by multiple Olivier and Tony award-winning sound designer, Gareth Fry, to utilise Lightroom’s specialised spatial audio system.
The 360° experience is set to be both a multimedia spectacle and an intimate self-portrait in one, giving audiences a unique insight into Bowie’s perspective on the subjects that were most important to him, like theatricality, spirituality, songwriting, and the transformative power of creativity.
David Bowie: You’re Not Alone is being made in close collaboration with, and has been authorised by, the David Bowie Estate.
It’ll run at Aviva Studios from 8 December 2026 through to 10 January 2027.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Parklife has quietly added a major DJ set from Happy Mondays’ Bez
Daisy Jackson
Parklife has quietly added a DJ set from Bez this afternoon, joining an already stacked festival line-up.
Eagle-eyed users of the Parklife app (aka, us) have spotted that as the big weekend nears, a few new stages have popped up on the plans.
And that’s included a new Beatbox Stage, which on Saturday will host a mega set from the icon that is Bez, from Happy Mondays.
Bez isn’t the only nostalgic name who’s been added to the line-up for Saturday – the Beatbox Stage will also host a set from Artful Dodger.
The 2000s garage icons will be taking to the stage at 3pm for a set that will hopefully include their massive hits like Moving Too Fast, Re-Rewind (with Craig David), and Woman Trouble.
On Sunday, the newly-added Beatbox Stage will be hosting DJ Fat Tony, who you might know for getting stuck into the middle of the Beckham family feud – but he’s also one of the most in-demand A-list DJs, having spun for icons like Madonna, Prince, and Elton John.
Parklife has also quietly added a few secret sets to the bill, which we’ll be keeping a close eye on.
They join existing Parklife headliners including Calvin Harris, Zara Larsson, Chris Stussy, Sammy Virji, Skepta, and East End Dubs.
On Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June, thousands of music-lovers will be flocking to the fields of Heaton Park ready for this year’s instalment of Parklife.
Danny Jones -
6th August 2024 
