Just days after COVID-19 found its way into the fabric of British society, medical experts presented a sobering conclusion: This virus would not be going away on its own any time soon.
The government scrambled to slow the spread by locking everything down, and whilst this proved something of a success, scientists continued to warn that the reprieve was only temporary.
Our only route back to normality, we were routinely reminded, was a vaccine.
An arduous nine months followed; littered with mass closures and tier systems enforced by hastily-written legislation.
People were forced to make lifestyle changes and sacrifices like never before, with little else to do but cross our fingers and wait for the cure.
The chimes for 2021 had barely finished ringing out before vaccine sites right around Britain were administering jabs left, right and centre.
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Britain, suddenly, had multiple pathways back to the blissful pre-COVID days.
But some people decided they didn’t want to take either.
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Recent surveys have revealed that as many as 14% of people would consider refusing the offer of a proven coronavirus jab – believing that fighting off the infection naturally is a better way to combat the illness.
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An alarming amount of misinformation has spread across social media as a result – and one doctor has now stepped forward to dispel the myths.
Dr Michael Barnish, Head of Genetics & Nutrition at REVIV Global Ltd – a worldwide health and wellness organisation with a HQ right here in Manchester – explained that he “wanted to share some information on what vaccines are and why people should not be frightened of, or against them.”
In Barnish’s words, vaccines are designed to “generate an immune response” that will protect us from future exposure to a particular disease.
The key concept behind vaccination is herd immunity – whereby if the majority of people have immunity, then the virus or bug cannot infect others easily and will die off easier.
“Vaccination offers the opportunity to eradicate particular diseases across the entire population, protecting the individual and the community,” explains the doctor.
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“Vaccination can also help reduce the occurrence of other diseases as well. Children that are routinely vaccinated against meningitis have the added benefit of a reduced risk of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, the most common childhood cancer.
“Similarly, the measles vaccine actually helps protect from other dangerous infectious diseases, such as rubella and mumps and therefore the vaccinated immunity would be more advantageous than naturally made immunity following this dangerous infection.”
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For some, taking vaccines appears to be a no-brainer. But naysayers have argued that jabs can cause side-effects due to the presence of toxins and damaging ingredients in particular solutions.
“Like any medical intervention [vaccines] do have risks,” explains Dr Barnish.
“However, they are usually minor and short lived.”
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For Dr Barnish, the greater concern is the misinformation being spread about inoculations.
“Unfortunately, the possibility of side effects, alongside media-fuelled fraudulent research has created a growing population of anti-vaccination people,” he says.
“If current anti-vaccination trends continue, the number of measles cases, this year, will be the highest in decades.
“Vaccines are vigorously tested and most those routinely given have large amounts of safety data over many years.”
There have been occasions in history when vaccines have proven less robust than experts had initially hoped – such as the 2018 flu vaccine turning out to be just 23% effective.
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And with the COVID jab being developed at record speeds, some have rushed to the conclusion that the necessary checks might have been skipped; or the vaccine itself could miss the mark.
But Dr Barnish doesn’t think so.
“These are absolutely warranted concerns and I think everyone should question and educate themselves fully when it comes to their health or immunity,” he says.
“However, the laboratories and science institutions of the world collaborating and working together on a vaccination, sharing important findings about the virus with each other on a mass scale, really for the first time, I have every faith that this collaboration and teamwork [has created an] effective and safe vaccination for COVID-19.
“We live in a safety obsessed world and creating vaccines is no exception. A vaccine is only ready when it is deemed safe and effective.”
With the most serious risks – such as severe allergic reactions – apparently being extremely rare, Dr Barnish concludes that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks; claiming they are essential to the wellbeing of the wider world.
The doctor summarises: “Vaccination plays such an important role in the fight against infectious disease with little risk to us as children or adults, whether in early-life, travelling abroad or protecting your body from seasonal flu attacks.
“No vaccination will be given to the population if it causes any harm.
“They are created to help us, not harm us.”
Learn more about the work that Dr Barnish and REVIV do for Manchester by visiting the REVIV website.
Feature
Gig review | Catfish at Heaton Park, Manchester – are the Bottlemen properly back?
Danny Jones
10 months on from their last gig and more than a year since they officially ended their hiatus, Catfish and the Bottlemen finally returned to Manchester for a sold-out show at Heaton Park, and while the reviews online have been mixed, we had a blast heading back to the fields again.
Making their Manc comeback just hours before this year’s Parklife Festival got underway, the beloved Welsh band had stirred lots of worry leading up to the day itself and, in truth, even in the moments leading up to (and after) their stage time.
Apart from their huge headline slot at Reading and Leeds, 2024 was the year of cancellations and controversy, so their fans had plenty of reason to be concerned. Nevertheless, we had faith and kept our spirits high, especially with the weather holding out.
Local legends and indie rock veterans James certainly helped on that front, delighting both die-hards watching from up on the hill and younger gig-goers who may have only heard a few of the big hits like ‘Sit Down’ – though they certainly didn’t heed that message, there was merely jumping up and down.
Some great computer-generated imagery backdropped the set.We watched this thing like a hawk.You can read our recent interview with them HERE. (Credit: Audio North)
Once the main support act had wrapped up their pretty perfectly timed set, we’ll admit, standing on that grass felt like an eternity, especially considering Catfish had us waiting an extra 15 minutes beyond their expected arrival at Heaton Park.
You could call it fashionably late, but in this case, it saw several people around us uttering, ‘they’re not coming on any time soon’, and some even beginning to walk off.
However, they did eventually arrive just over a quarter of an hour past schedule, and the eruption of cheers from the crowd and a fair few screams from those nearest the barrier signalled what summed up the entire night: we were just so happy to have them back.
We’ve heard people debating the sound quality and taking issue with parts of Van’s performance, but we’ll just leave this here and let you decide for yourselves:
One thing’s for sure: the energy was immaculate from start to finish.
From kicking things off with ‘Longshot’ for a limb-worthy intro, to hearing a fully acoustic version of ‘Hourglass’ as the lead singer stood alone on the dramatically lit main stage, soon to be followed up by a plethora of Parklife acts, we’d wager you they’ll remain a tough act to follow all weekend.
Other highlights included an entire park’s worth of people belting every word to ‘Kathleen’, ‘Fallout’, ‘Pacifier’ and pretty much every track they played, as well Van having the crowd repeat the chorus of ‘Cocoon’ as he hung up his guitar from the stand to deliver an ice-old mic drop.
We would’ve loved to hear a fuller set filled with the extended live versions of ‘Oxygen’, ‘Heathrow’ and ‘Glasgow’ too, especially given how many sections of pure instrumentation felt like they were going to transition into another track, but you can’t have everything, I guess.
Inflatable crocodiles and cracking flagsCredit: The Manc GroupEyes and arms wide openWe’re here to urge you not to be drawn in by TikTok reviews – as far as we’re concerned, Catfish were made to headline Heaton Park.
Sure, there might have been a few minor fluffed vocal notes and slightly over-lengthy solos here and there, but after all, it’s a rock show: we want a bit of mess.
The same goes for Van McCann himself, too; we worry that people are starting to forget what a proper rockstar is, and we’re not talking about contriving some kind of Hollywood lifestyle, but certainly getting lost in the music and trashing your guitar so hard that your face is draped in nothing but hair and sweat? Absolutely.
All in all, we think Catfish and the Bottlemen‘s massive outdoor show at Manchester’s Heaton Park and de facto ‘comeback after the last comeback’ was a triumph and even when they’re not absolutely 10/10, they’re still bloody good value live.
As for the question of ‘are they back?’ We think so and certainly hope that ‘Showtime’ wasn’t just released as a way of signalling fans to come along for one last ride before the final curtain call.
Gig review | Lionel Richie leaves Manchester dancing on the ceiling after Co-op Live debut
Thomas Melia
American multi-hyphenate Lionel Richie paid Manchester a visit last night and gave the 23,500 fans in the crowd all of his ‘Endless Love’.
Richie needs no explanation, being a household name, this artist had the crowd in the palm of his hands as soon as he stepped foot onto the stage, just like he has been doing since he burst onto the music scene over 50 years ago.
When you’re about to watch a legend strut his stuff in various tailcoats ‘All Night Long (All Night)’, you know you’re in for a mini workout.
We tried out Co-op Live’s Backstage Club before the show to fuel up with a pizza and grab a drink to ensure that we could dance ‘All Night Long (All Night) as much as the main man himself.
‘Breezy like a Sunday Morning’.Soaking up the fun at Co-op Live’s Backstage Club.You really do get the VIP treatment.Credit: Audio North
As well as boasting an intimate area with music history covering all four walls, this location had a photobooth, pool table, its own merchandise vendor and a live band.
For tonight’s show, it was only right that the band soundtracking Co-op Live’s Backstage Club were aptly named The Pennies and the signature drinks were equally fitting, ‘Say You, Say G&T’ and a cocktail offering labelled, ‘Breezy like a Sunday Morning’.
Glasgow solo star Brooke Combe – a favourite of ours from past Neighbourhood Festivals – gave the crowd our first taste of music for the night, playing highlights of her debut album ‘Dancing at the Edge of the World’, which only dropped back in January.
Her songs ooze soul, from the infectious ‘Shaken by the Wind’ to the instantly catchy ‘The Last Time’ and fan favourite, ‘Are You With Me?’. Combe’s stage presence was nothing short of contagious.
It’s no surprise, really, considering she’s already practised and perfected her craft at Glastonbury back in 2022 among countless other massive slots. Make sure you catch her the next time she’s in Manchester.
The legendary performer knew he had to kick things off in true Lionel Richie style, it’s only obligatory that he opened the show with his greeting-titled hit ‘Hello’.
Lionel welcoming fans with ‘Hello’ and being greeted with equally impressive roars from the crowd.Richie slowing it down for a moment, performing Commodores classic, ‘Easy’.Credit: The Manc Group
As the chorus approached, the American superstar hailed “Hello” and the audience immediately exclaimed in synch, “Is it me you’re looking for?”.
Social media might’ve been non-existent when the performer first reached our ears, but this didn’t stop Lionel Richie from inadvertently turning last night into a mini ‘Throwback Thursday’ playing his 1977 Commodores swooner ‘Easy’.
If you had told me that Lionel Richie would directly address me and my brother mid-performance, I would’ve laughed in your face, but last night the star adopted the both of us. Life complete.
The American singer came up the catwalk, soaking up all the cheers and love from the Co-op Live crowd, and then pointed directly at me and my brother and gave us a little shoutout.
Before playing the anthem that is ‘We are the World’, Mr. Richie expressed, “Alright, I’ll just tell ‘em” before admitting to the whole arena, “These are my cousins right here”.
I guess when we sang “Hello, is it me you’re looking for?” earlier in the show, it really was me (and my brother) he was looking for.
Getting called 'cousins' by @LionelRichie was not on our 2025 bingo card, but it has made our entire year. 😭💀
Just like his opening track, the final slot also has its fixed placement in Richie’s setlist; of course, that song is none other than the essential party number, ‘All Night Long (All Night)’.
Richie recites the line, “We’re going to party, Karamu, fiesta, forever”, and the crowd understood the assignment as by the time he sang, “Come on and sing along / All night long”, everyone was up.
This tune is nothing less than cathartic, and for the five minutes it played, everyone was side-stepping, swaying, singing, dancing, not a single inhibition in sight.
Lionel Richie might know his way around writing smash hits and commanding a crowd, but it’s the audience’s joy for the music that made this concert such a special night.
Did we tell you? Lionel Richie called us his cousins.Richie amidst a flurry of flashlights from the Manc crowd.Credit: The Manc
The Manc -
8th January 2021 
