There were tearful scenes on stage at The Lottery Winners’ album launch party after lead singer Thom Rylance spotted his old school teacher in the audience.
The frontman of the Wigan band started crying while talking about his struggles at school.
Thom explained that only one person ‘had ever believed in him’, pointing out his old teacher, a Mr Asbury, in the audience.
And while he walked to the back of the stage to wipe away his tears, the entire venue got to its feet to applaud the ‘life-changing’ teacher.
A visibly emotional Thom was comforted by fellow bandmate Katie Lloyd… who then also burst into tears.
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The star addressed the audience at St George’s Church in Tyldesley, where they hosted an intimate album launch party for their fifth studio release, Anxiety Replacement Therapy.
He said: “I didn’t do very well in the school environment. Didn’t really fit into that. ADHD Tommy Rylance.
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The standing ovation for Mr Asbury. Credit: Twitter, Lottery WinnersAn emotional Thom. Credit: Twitter, Lottery Winners
“They didn’t know what to do with me right. And I say that apart from one person actually, and he’s right there… Oh man I’m gonna cry.
“The only person that ever believed in me is sat right there.”
At this point, while Thom takes a moment to recoup with his bandmates, a standing ovation begins for the teacher in the crowd.
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“Mr Asbury, my music teacher,” he continued. “Never gave up on me, and he gave me a bass guitar, and I didn’t know what the f*** it was, and he was like ‘You’re in the big band son, got and get it.’
When you spot the person that is responsible for you being a musician at your album launch gig to maybe get a number 1 album, it all gets a bit emotional.
Rick, Mr. Asbury, Sir. Thank you for believing in me when nobody else did. You showed me my purpose in life.
“And I’ve never looked back, and it changed my life. So thank you, sir. Thank you so much.
“Now I’m crying again! In church!”
Since sharing the beautiful video on their social media channels, some seriously heartwarming messages have been flooding in.
One person wrote: “And this is why we love you. The honesty, and the inspiration for all of the other #ADHD kids who are and have been failed by the education system.”
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Another said: “Ah man, dusty in here isn’t it! Beautiful moment. You never forget a good teacher and they may never know the impact they can have. Mr. Asbury, well done.”
On Instagram, someone commented: “So wholesome. This is why the arts are so important in school. Some of us just don’t mesh well with maths, and that. Our paths to what we see as success in life can look so different to most, especially when neurodivergent. We need more like Mr Asbury.”
The Lottery Winners released three albums in quick succession during lockdown, with their latest release, Anxiety Replacement Therapy, racing towards the number one spot.
The Leigh-formed indie group are currently leading the charge to the top of the UK Albums Chart, ahead of heavyweights like Jessie Ware and The National.
They’re also performing a huge gig at the O2 Apollo in Manchester on 1 December, with tickets on sale now.
Featured image: The Lottery Winners
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What people are wearing at Parklife 2026 – ruffles, cowboy boots, football shirts and bandanas
Clementine Hall
Parklife weekend is here, which means festival fashion is back, and Manchester has absolutely delivered on its outfit trends once again.
Every year in the fields of Heaton Park, thousands of ravers flock to Parklife festival for the biggest party of the year.
And of course, you can’t attend a festival without wearing a fire fit and boy oh boy have we seen some.
Gone are the days when you’d throw on a t shirt and jeans to a festival, and although you may see a few tracksuits and flimsy rain ponchos (we are in Manchester after all), the people of Parklife are dressing to impress this year.
Images: The Manc Group
The main theme of the weekend is…ruffles.
We’re talking ruffled shorts, ruffled boots, ruffled skirts – if you can ruffle it, the Parklife people are buying it. We’d say the vast majority of girls are wearing ruffled hot pants, and we are absolutely here for it.
Another trend is not practical in the slightest but of course looks absolutely fab, and that is cowboy boots.
Images: The Manc Group
We dread to think of the blisters that are going to crop up after the weekend, but as the old saying goes…beauty is well and truly pain.
You may mistake yourself for being at Coachella due to the amount of girls absolutely rocking a bandana this year, a trend which is both stylish and practical with the sun blaring down on Heaton Park this weekend.
And last but not least, maybe it’s the World Cup fever but we’ve spotted both boys and girls sporting football shirts and looking class whilst doing so.
Images: The Manc Group
All in all, Parklife weekend is flooded with fashionistas this year but are we surprised when Manchester is a hive for the coolest cats in the game? We think not.
There’s also a couple of pop-ups onsite this year for if you’re looking to level up your fit, including Suzy Loves Milo selling vintage garms and The Mothership providing all the perfect accessories.
Take That at the Etihad Stadium – the Manchester boys are ‘back for good’ | Review
Clementine Hall
We’re not saying this was the ‘Greatest Day’ of our lives…but it was certainly up there.
Take That have been taking us all on a trip down memory lane over the past few weeks, bringing The Circus Live back to stadiums across the UK and recreating their record-breaking 2009 tour.
Last night they kicked off their four night run at the Etihad Stadium, and it’s safe to say the much-loved pop trio have absolutely still got it.
In fact, I’d go as far to say that this is the best Gary, Mark and Howard have ever looked, sang, and above all else, danced.
Maybe it’s because this is their first hometown gig in two years, or maybe it’s because I’m extremely biased having grown up listening to Take That in my mum’s car on the way to school.
Either way, I said what I said.
Now as the name suggests, The Circus Live isn’t your average show. There’s a gigantic hot air balloon, a huge mechanical elephant, clown face paint, acrobats, unicycles, fireworks, sparkly costumes, you name it – they’ve got it.
It’s an aggressive assault to the senses, a fantastic fever dream, overstimulation of the highest degree, and I lapped up every single moment.
It’s what I imagine taking a tab of acid feels like before a gig, and if that’s the case then I would recommend doing so.
Of course the boys open the show with ‘Greatest Day’, and from the get go Gary Barlow’s vocals are just as smooth as ever.
After a brief Barry Manilow cover they then showcase their exceptional synchronised choreography during the dance break of ‘Pray’, to which I could almost hear the audible gasps from hundreds of mums in the audience.
All of which, I assume, were transported in that moment back to 1993 when Take That debuted the moves on Top of the Pops.
After a brief pause, Mark Owen leads the lads in ‘Shine’ as they make their way to the second stage in the centre of the stadium. Top hat in hand, Gary on the keys, Howard there purely for vibes – it’s no wonder Morrison’s chose this banger for their advert.
From then on it is simply banger after banger, and it’s clear that they feel very grateful to still be filling out stadiums as Howard particularly gets teary eyed after ‘Never Forget’ is met with roars of applause.
Take That have three more shows left at the Etihad Stadium, and you can still grab some last minute tickets here.
However, if you fancy not moving from your sofa but still want to be a part of the fun – Saturday’s show will be livestreamed across the globe via Amazon Music, so no matter where you are in the world, you can still visit The Circus. Find out more here.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd May 2023 
