The upcoming collab with Koffee Pot and Deaf Institute is an intriguing team venture – especially considering Burgess’ special relationship with both venues.
The singer is a longstanding patron at the Koffee Pot – which has been plating up hangover cures for local rockstars since the seventies (Elbow frontman Guy Garvey praised their bacon butties as some of the best in the business).
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Burgess has also been powerful, vocal supporter of The Deaf Institute for years, with the singer even stepping in to help save the live music from permanent closure earlier this summer.
It’s unconfirmed exactly what the triumvirate of Tim Peaks, Koffee Pot and Deaf Institute are planning. But the trio are all trading nods and winks on social media today – with the suggestion that more big news is on the horizon.
Burgess simply said: “Tim Peaks and The Koffee Pot will be heading to The Deaf Institute as part of our new adventure.
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“Opening soon…”
Keep your eyes peeled.
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The nominees for the Critics’ Choice award at the 2026 BRITs in Manchester have been revealed
Danny Jones
With the upcoming BRITs ceremony coming to Manchester, we’re more all over the nominations than ever, especially now that the Critics’ Choice nominees for 2026 have been confirmed.
2023 was the annual Chanel ‘Metiers D’Art’ show, 2024 was the MTV EMAs, and next summer will see the BRITs; gosh, Manchester really is in vogue, isn’t it?
Commenting on the nomination, he told the BRITs: “Ya beauty! Tapadh leibh [‘thank you’ in Gaelic] for recognising my work for this award, you legends! Even though I’m Scottish and Irish before I’m British, I appreciate the BRITs critics for this recognition.
“I really care about and believe in this music, and it makes my world brighter every time it reaches someone else. Hopefully, this nomination means some more beautiful people might find something in this wee album. ‘Mon the gays!”
Rose Gray
Next up in the nods is London’s Rose Gray – a solo star who has developed a cult following thanks to songs like ‘ATTENTION!’, ‘Wet & Wild’, ‘Angel of Satisfaction’ and more.
Also the long-time partner and childhood sweetheart of Babygirl, Iron Claw and The King’s Man actor, Harris Dickinson, Gray has been riding a particular wave of popularity over the past year or so, especially after the release of her A Little Louder, Please (Deluxe) double album this past October.
She said in a statement: “I’m so excited for this nomination! This moment feels like a special reminder of how far this journey has carried me and what a crazy year it’s been. One year ago, I was manifesting so hard for my album to travel, to find its people, to really get its light. And it did. Releasing this record has genuinely changed my life…”
Lastly, in at number three is the 20-year-old singer-songwriter, Sienna Spiro, whose soulful voice sounds like one with much more life experience and years of emotion under its belt; it’s no wonder that she’s resonated with multiple generations, let alone been recognised by the panel.
With big theatrical ballads like ‘Die On This Hill’, ‘You Stole The Show’, as well as heavily-streamed songs like ‘MAYBE.’, ‘BACK TO BLONDE’ and more in her impressive and fast-growing discography, we know she’ll go far even if she doesn’t win – you can bank on that.
She added: “So beyond honoured and grateful to be nominated for this year’s Critics’ Choice BRIT Award! To think I started releasing music last year, I would never have expected this at all. Thank you so much!”
Having looked again at the list of people who’ve been both shortlisted and those who have gone on to win it, trust us, you’ll want to be paying attention to this one…
For context:
Past BRITs Critics’ Choice / Rising Star winners and nominees
2008 – Adele (Duffy, Foals)
2009 – Florence + The Machine (Little Boots, White Lies)
2010 – Ellie Goulding (Delphic, Marina and the Diamonds)
2011 – Jessie J (James Blake, The Vaccines)
2012 – Emeli Sandé (Michael Kiwanuka, Maverick Sabre)
So yeah, it’s fair to say that anyone even in the running for this accolade tends to go on to do even more bigger and better things than they already have.
Tickets to be at the 2026 BRIT Awards at Co-op Live in person for whoever picks up the Critics’ Choice gong, as well as all the other categories, are live now.
Featured Images — Audio North/Press shots (supplied)
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The biggest rock band on Earth is coming to Manchester, with hundreds of musicians on stage
Daisy Jackson
Rockin’1000 will be heading to Manchester next spring, with the biggest rock band on Earth performing timeless anthems.
And when we say it’s the biggest rock band on Earth, we’re not being sensationalist – there’ll be 300 musicians performing together.
Guitarists, bassists, drummers, keyboardists, singers, and even an orchestral section will all play together for a rock concert on a scale the UK has never seen before.
The AO Arena is set to host Rockin’1000 in March next year – and musicians of all skill levels are being invited to apply to perform.
There are more than 100,000 musicians as part of the band worldwide, and if you’d like to be one of them before the show arrives in Manchester you can register HERE.
Rockin’1000 began in 2015 with a viral performance of 1,000 musicians playing a Foo Fighters song in Cesena in Italy.
Since then, it’s grown into a worldwide community of musicians and has sold more than 300,00 tickets to large-scale and ambitious rock concerts in 20 different countries.
Rockin’1000 will come to the AO Arena in Manchester
Despite being one of Europe’s largest venues, the indoor nature of the AO Arena means that the number of performers will be reduced to 300, who will fill the floor of the arena.
Fabio Zaffagnini, Founder of Rockin’1000 said “The UK’s music culture is unrivalled, and Manchester is one of the world’s great music cities.
“Bringing 1,000 musicians together under one roof creates a powerful emotional connection for everyone involved, on stage and in the crowd.
“We cannot wait to share this experience with UK fans.”
Rockin’1000 will be at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 7 March, with 300 musicians performing together at once.
Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Friday 5 December HERE.
The Manc -
4th September 2020 
