Several Mancs were caught by surprise yesterday by the sight of a group of totally naked people having a pint in a local beer garden.
The group of four were spotted having a drink outside the New Union Hotel on Canal Street, with not a scrap of clothing between them.
They were later seen cycling around the city – including a pair on a tandem bicycle – and grabbing a takeaway from McTucky’s in the Gay Village.
The duo on the tandem, known as the Free Wilders, are actually on a pretty epic bike ride across the UK for a very worthy cause.
Colin and Sadie in Edinburgh
The Free Wilders at the beginning of their journey
Credit: Supplied
Colin Unsworth and Sadie Tann are naturists, and advocates for rewilding, the basis of which is that nature can look after itself if ecosystems are properly restored.
They’re currently cycling the massive distance between John o’Groats and Land’s End to raise money for charity, and doing it all starkers.
During their stop-over in Manchester, Colin said they had a ‘great reception and positivity from the people of Manchester’, a section he’d been looking forward to all along.
On their JustGiving page, which has currently raised almost £2000 for both Rewilding Britain and mental health charity Mind, they say they chose to do the ride naked to help spread their message.
They wrote: “If you’re reading this it is most likely because of the attention that this challenge will get. If we just ride the LEJOG in cycling gear, no one will notice our message. But also, we’re going to have a scream.
“We are going to visit rewilding farms and projects along the route and stop for parties wherever we can. This is a celebration of our future and of body freedom.”
They advocate for the mental health benefits of naturism in a world that treats nudity as ‘humiliating’.
The Free Wilders say: “We grow up in a world that expects us to be ashamed of our bodies as though there is something so bad, so hideous that there are few things more humiliating than being seen naked.
“This is reinforced by images that sexualise nudity and tell us that without a magazine perfect body, we have something to hide and be ashamed of. We are breaking free of that. Non sexual nudity should be celebrated and seen as normal!”
If you want to join in with the Free Wilders, you can follow along on Facebook to join in with a leg of their cycle from John O’Groats to Land’s End.
You can also donate to their JustGiving page here.
Featured image: Free Wilders
City Centre
The Maccabees’ Orlando Weeks on Gavin and Stacey, Glastonbury and comeback tour
Thomas Melia
UK indie band The Maccabees announced their comeback tour earlier this year alongside a very impressive All Points East headline date.
Since rocking into the music scene in 2007, The Maccabees have a Mercury Prize nomination to their name as well as three UK top 40 singles and one chart-topping album ‘Marks To Prove It’.
Just last year, the band ingrained themselves into UK pop culture for eternity thanks to the inclusion of their single ‘Pelican’ in the finale of the much-loved TV classic Gavin and Stacey.
The Maccabees have been a staple in British culture and indie music alike, and it’s safe to say fans were overjoyed when the news of a comeback tour was announced.
The Maccabees are coming to O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on 21 and 22 August.
After nearly a decade apart, the lads are ready to hit the road again with a string of UK tour dates, which are in preparation for their huge All Points East headline date at the end of August.
Lead vocalist for The Maccabees, Orlando Weeks, sat down with us to talk reuniting with fellow bandmates after almost a decade, as well as all things Glastonbury and the upcoming All Points East headline slot.
Orlando Weeks from The Maccabees | The Interview
The Maccabees have played Manchester almost 20 times since entering the music scene in 2007. What is it about our Manc crowds that keeps pulling you back?
Manchester has a musical heritage, which means there are enough venues that we can come back to so many times and people not be sick of us. The crowds are great, it’s always a good gig and always a good night out.
Having that kind of heritage and pride in your city makes it the kind of place [bands] want to come back to.
This will be the band’s first time playing O2 Victoria Warehouse, and after playing a variety of Manchester City centre music venues, how excited are you to be playing this one for the first time?
I’ve had friends that’ve played it, and everyone said that it’s a good gig. I have no doubt it’ll be good.
Due to incredible demand, you’ve had to add a second date after the first show sold out – what’s it like for you hearing news like this?
The original offer for us was to play All Points East, and so when we got that, it made up our minds to play these summer shows.
Getting to play once in Manchester will set us up [for this headline slot], and getting to play twice will set us up even better. I love being in Manchester anyway, so to have a little bit longer to have a wander and a drink is great.
What was it like getting back into the rehearsal process with the rest of the band after nearly 10 years of not performing or touring together?
It’s very odd how powerful muscle memory is. It’s crazy how quickly all of the songs, structures and playing came back to us.
When we used to play, I invented so many completely useless little triggers for me to help remember lyrics or a chorus that I’d get stuck on, and I still remember those foot taps and placements that bring it all back.
Felix [White] boasted before we even started rehearsing that he remembered everything off by heart, and he could go straight into a gig. To be fair to him, it’s amazing how much his brain has retained.
At your first show in nearly a decade at The Dome in London, you created artwork to raise funds for theMS (Multiple Sclerosis) Society. Will fans be able to buy your artwork and support this charity at both the Manchester dates?
There will be an MS charity stall as well as one for Doctors Without Borders. If you’re reading this or coming to either of the gigs and have anything that you can contribute to either of those charities, then we as a band would be extremely grateful.
This 2025 tour sees support from indie rock band, Sorry – how excited are you to head out on the road with this talented group?
The Maccabees have always been very lucky to travel around the world with other bands who are amazing, and Sorry are definitely part of that list.
You have a reason to get down early, because if you’re a fan of The Macs, you’ll be a fan of Sorry. I can guarantee that you’ll have a good time.
The Maccabees are taking part in some of the biggest events in the British music calendar[Glastonbury, All Points East]. How does it feel to have such immense support nearly 20 years into your career?
20 years in and 10 years off. There are a few people who aren’t in the band but have been such a big part of it, even through the 10 years that we weren’t really doing anything. They would say if you ever did wanna do something, there’ll be people there.
I just didn’t know that [The Macabees reunion] would be as popular as it has been. It’s very hard to explain or get your head around, really.
On the topic of Glasto, how surreal was it to be playing this major music festival for the third time?
I think we’ve been at least four times, maybe five times.
Headlining ‘The Park’ stage was special, and it was also the first time my son came and saw me on a stage singing. It was a great ‘take your son to Work Day’. We had Florence [Welch] coming out and singing with us, too.
I’ll remember all of The Maccabees’ Glastonbury experiences, but I think that’s the one I’ll hold onto for the longest.
Speaking of surreal moments, your song ‘Pelican’ featured in the finale of British favourite, Gavin and Stacey. How did this opportunity come about?
I think Matt might’ve texted me, but it was Christmas and I was swept up in all sorts of celebrations. We got a lot of messages after it aired because an insane number of people watch the show.
It’s all thanks to James Corden and Matt Horne, who have always been fans from early on. It was very flattering and very nice to be part of [Gavin and Stacey].
And finally, after playing Manchester so many times, are there any shops or special spots that you always make sure to visit when you’re in the city?
I remember when we were in Manchester last time for ‘The Farewell’ tour, I’d started running by then – and I loved the canals.
Usually, I defer to local friends and I’ll just let them take me to whichever pub or place they recommend – Wherever they go, I go.
The Maccabees are set to play two nights at O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester, and there are still tickets available for their second date HERE.
Richard Ashcroft to play huge headline show at Manchester’s Co-op Live later this year
Emily Sergeant
Richard Ashcroft will be playing a huge headline show in Manchester’s later this year off the back of supporting Oasis.
After embarking upon what is the biggest stadium tour of the year as special guest to Oasis on their Live ’25 reunion tour – which is currently in the middle of five nostalgia-drenched dates at Manchester‘s Heaton Park, of course – Richard Ashcrofthas announced that he’ll be playing a huge headline show of his own later this year.
The former The Verve frontman, turned solo artist, will be taking to the stage at Manchester’s Co-op Live in early November, and tickets go on sale at the end of this week.
Both with The Verve and as a solo artist in his own right, Ashcroft has become one of the most accomplished and influential songwriters to come out of Greater Manchester over the course of his career spanning three decades.
As well as claiming one of the biggest-selling albums in UK history with Urban Hymns, which claimed 11 x Platinum certifications, Ashcroft also won two Ivor Novello Awards and three BRIT Awards during his time with The Verve.
His solo career is just as decorated too, as all six of Ashcroft’s studio albums shot to the top five of the UK charts.
The announcement of Ashcroft’s upcoming Co-op Live gig will follow the release date of next brand-new album, Lovin’ You – which is set to come out on 3 October 2025.
Throughout the rest of the year up until late September, Ashcroft will continue to support Oasis on their sold-out reunion tour, but before he arrives in Manchester in early November, he will play a warm-up show down in Cornwall at Live at Scurrier House – tickets of which are also going on sale very soon.
Richard Ashcroft will be playing a huge headline show at Manchester’s Co-op Live / Credit: Paul Bachmann (via Flickr)
Richard Ashcroft 2025 tour dates
With Oasis
16 July – Manchester, Heaton Park (SOLD OUT)
19 July – Manchester, Heaton Park (SOLD OUT)
20 July – Manchester, Heaton Park (SOLD OUT)
25 July – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
26 July – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
30 July – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
2 August – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
3 August – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
8 August – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium (SOLD OUT)
9 August – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium (SOLD OUT)
12 August – Edinburgh, Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium (SOLD OUT)
16 August – Dublin, Croke Park (SOLD OUT)
17 August – Dublin, Croke Park (SOLD OUT)
27 September – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
28 September – London, Wembley Stadium (SOLD OUT)
Headline Shows
23 August – Cornwall, Live at Scurrier House
8 November – Manchester, Co-op Live
Richard Ashcroft will take to the stage at Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday 8 November, and tickets will go on sale – with Co-op Presale starting first tomorrow (16 July) at 9:30am, and general sale starting this Friday (18 July) again at 9:30am.
Daisy Jackson -
14th July 2022 
