A 12-year-old from Manchester has won the inaugural Johnny Marr Award from the Salford Foundation Trust. Get in there, lad.
Salford schoolkid, John Denton, has played the guitar since the age of eight and has been developing his skills ever since, busking on the rainy streets of the city centre and even playing gigs at Salford Lads Club.
Now the aspiring teen has been presented with a prestigious honour by one of his musical heroes, as the foundation dished out their first-ever Johnny Marr Award to the dedicated young performer.
Having met the legendary Smiths guitarist and songwriter previously at a signing of his last album, Fever Dreams Pts 1-4, where he asked his idol for advice about starting a band, we dare say this latest development is up there with one of the highlights of his career so far.
I’m pleased to be announcing John Denton as the winner of the @TheSalfordTrust ‘Johnny Marr Award’. It’s a privilege to be supporting a dedicated young musician. Well done John. pic.twitter.com/HoYXIY0IVY
Issuing a message of support on the Salford Foundation’s website, Marr said: “It’s a pleasure and privilege to give some assistance to a young musician especially when they’re as dedicated as John. Well done brother.”
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John has been delighting the streets of Salford and Manchester city centre for some time now and regularly pulls in sizeable crowds with his covers of songs by popular local bands — The Smiths being one of them.
With videos of his performances often being shared online and regularly gaining thousands of views across various social media platforms, he has already started to build a passionate following.
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Come rain or shine, he still belts it out all the same:
The Johnny Marr Award is chosen by a panel made up of members from the trust which supports talented young people in the city. The scheme will run for three years, selecting another young musician from Salford each year for financial assistance, each of whom will be awarded £1,000.
Peter Collins CBE, from the Salford Foundation Trust, said: “There couldn’t be a more worthy recipient of the Johnny Marr Award. Even though John is only 12 he’s already proven he’s committed to making a future in music and we’re delighted the Trust can give him a helping hand on this journey.”
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John has said he will be putting the funds towards more singing and guitar lessons and future music projects, as well as hopefully levelling up his performances.
Better still, after his first chat with Marr, John has since formed his own band called, The Height – named after an area in Salford near where he lives – and the group released their first single, ‘Go’ just before Christmas. Well in, boys.
John’s dad Phil said of his son’s award: “John’s ambition is to have a career in music. He will be using the funding to have music lessons to help both his guitar playing and his singing. In these tough times, it’s a massive help and means that he can progress in his passion.
“Music is not a hobby for John but just who he is and a creative outlet he hopes to enjoy for the rest of his life. He is incredibly grateful to Johnny and the Salford Foundation Trust who have provided this opportunity.
“It is a real privilege to get this award and he is determined to make the very most of the opportunity he has been given.”
Speaking on BBC Radio Manchester following the well-earned recognition, Denton told John Sweeney that after having started out asking cafes to let him play, “it’s going great now” and that he has another gig lined up in March.
“Not being big-headed but we hope to be like Johnny Marr and go on tour and get a big following.”
We wish you and your band every success, John — go out there and keep killing it.
We are absolutely loving how much this city is doing for its wonderful pool artists at the minute.
Featured Image — Johnny Marr (via Instagram/Twitter)
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Hilary Duff announces massive Manchester gig on first world tour in nearly 20 years
Danny Jones
Noughties throwback, Hilary Duff, is continuing her contemporary comeback trail by announcing a brand-new world tour, including a massive arena gig right here in Manchester.
That’s right, Lizzie McGuire herself is returning to the UK with new music.
In all seriousness, child star Hilary Duff has gone on to have quite the career, but it feels like it’s been forever since we’ve had fresh music from her, which is why her next album and huge run of tour dates around the globe feels like such a big deal.
Ahead of her sixth studio release, lucky… or something, dropping this month, the American popstar has now confirmed nearly 50 upcoming dates in support of the record; she also still managed to give us a very Disney Channel reveal video.
Yes, heading out on the road across North America, Europe, the UK and Ireland, as well as Australia and New Zealand, Hilary Duff has announced a total of 47 gigs so far.
With no other live shows confirmed in mainland Europe yet, Great British and Irish fans can be glad of the five shows locked in for the UK leg.
Having said that, with the 38-year-old enjoying a real renaissance of late, we wouldn’t be surprised to see more added to the newly confirmed ‘lucky me’ tour.
As mentioned, with her latest LP scheduled to launch on 20 February, we got her most recent track just a few short weeks ago.
Following the lead single from the project, ‘Mature’ – also released this past November 2 – you can see the music video for her ‘Roommates’ down below.
The song is also produced by her husband, Matthew Koma.
This newest outing is the first Hilary Duff album in over a decade, following 2015’s Breathe In. Breathe Out; it’ll also be nearly two of them since her last world tour, having last played Manchester all the way back in 2007.
As for her shows, following a number of performances in late 2025 and this year already, she’ll be playing throughout the calendar and well into early 2027.
You can see the rest of the European tour dates thus far down below.
Hilary Duff UK and IE tour dates – September ’26
6 – Dublin, IE – 3Arena
8 – Cardiff, UK – Utilita Arena Cardiff
10 – London, UK – The O2
Thursday, 12 – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
13 – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
For tickets to see her here in Manchester at the end of this summer, early access can be enjoyed by Three mobile members from 10am on Tuesday, 17 February, or via the venue’s own presale window from the same time next Thursday, 19 Feb.
As for general admission, tickets will then go live at 10 the following Friday (20 Feb), and you can get ready to grab yours HERE.
SING TO ME PAOLO! 🎤🛵💅
Superstar @HilaryDuff brings 'the lucky me tour' to Manchester!
Featured Images — Press shots (supplied via AO Arena)
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Gig Review | Mika shines at the AO Arena in Manchester on the first night of his world tour
Aimee Woodcock
Mika’s Manchester stop on his ‘Spinning Out’ global tour was a vibrant, high-energy celebration of all things pop.
Not happy with just walking on stage – this is Mika we’re talking about – he made his entrance on a spinning hamster wheel, bathing the AO Arena in kaleidoscopic lights.
Opening with ‘Modern Times’ and ‘Eleven’ from his latest discography before leaning into one of the classics, ‘Relax, Take it Easy’, the atmosphere inside the packed arena felt charged.
His stamina was something that stood out from the get-go, delivering every track with that signature Mika flair, accompanied by choreography and a live band that matched his energy – no mean feat.
The production leaned heavily into colour and movement, with swirling visuals and playful stage design that mirrored the tour’s theme of motion and momentum with nods to themes of LGBTQ+ rights.
Working through this current album, and after a quick outfit change, we were treated to an a cappella intro to another classic, ‘Lollipop’ with Mika dressed in a full pink suit (and shoes).
Between songs, Mika’s easy rapport with the crowd added warmth and intimacy to the arena-sized performance.
He shared anecdotes and playful banter, encouraging the crowd to sing along, uniting the fans.
Highlights included a rendition of ‘Grace Kelly’, which sparked one of the loudest reactions of the night, and a heartfelt performance of his more reflective ‘Happy Ending’ offered a welcome contrast to the glittering pop anthems.
Danny Jones -
1st February 2023 
