Major pop star CMAT pops up for surprise performance in Gay Village bar

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson CMAT on stage in Via in the Gay Village in Manchester

CMAT, one of the world’s hottest artists right now, popped up and did a surprise set inside a legendary Gay Village bar last night.

The Irish singer (who is a bit of an adopted Manc at this point) is about to play two massive sold-out shows in Manchester.

She’s set to play at the O2 Victoria Warehouse tonight and tomorrow, performing hits from her chart-topping third studio album Euro-Country.

But before that, it was a night out on Canal Street for CMAT, who stunned punters inside Via by hopping up on stage.

CMAT jumped on stage along with drag queen Ginger Hunter, resident queen Amy Laqueefa, and Dahliah Rivers and belted out a rendition of her smash hit single, Take A Sexy Picture Of Me.

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The group – and the delighted audience – all joined her in nailing the choreography to the song too.

Sharing a couple of videos, Via wrote: “What a Night! Ireland’s Pop Princess @cmatbaby paid us a visit and gave us a very special rendition of Take a Sexy Picture! We love Cmat.”

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She’d also been spotted earlier in the evening at Lily Allen’s West End Girl show at Aviva Studios.

Dahliah Rivers commented: “A fever dream!!! What a gorgeous evening”

Amy LaQueefa wrote: “Obsessed that CMAT wanted to come and get up with us tonight”

Fast-rising alt-pop favourite CMAT relocated to Manchester as a 17-year-old back in 2013 to pursue her career in music, and it’s fair to say the move turned out to be a positive one.

She’s supported the likes of Sam Fender, and played massive festival slots like Glastonbury last summer.

And now CMAT will head straight from the stage at Via to a much bigger platform, with two sold-out gigs at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on 11 and 12 March.

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Featured image: Instagram, @via_canal_street

The full 2026 MOBOs Fringe programme for the first-ever awards in Manchester has been revealed

Danny Jones Danny Jones MOBO Awards Fringe Festival full lineup and programme events for 2026

Now the BRITs have been and gone, it’s time to switch our focus to the next big awards show: the 2026 MOBOs, which is also coming to Manchester for the very first time, and they’re bringing the popular Fringe event along with it.

Get ready for more big showbiz hustle and bustle to hit the city centre before you know it; we, for one, are so ready.

Similar to the aforementioned BRIT Awards, the MOBOs also hold a regular ‘Fringe’ music, arts and cultural festival with each annual edition.

You can see the full range of this year’s largely free-to-attend MOBOs Fringe lineup and the extensive schedule in its entirety down below.

As you can see, there’s a lot on the cards this year, with different activities and activations happening all over central Manchester.

Featuring everything from exclusive live sets, sport and other entertainment, to various selectors and even a creative summit, it’s jam-packed with countless aspects beyond just that music that help make the industry as a whole tick.

Venues involved include The Whitworth Gallery, faithful Green Island Festival partners, the Niamos Centre, multi-purpose bars and events spaces like Side Street and Renae, as well as important music venues like The Deaf Institute and Aviva Studios – a.k.a. the home of Factory International.

Each hosting a variety of different dates over the course of its nearly week-long duration ahead of the MOBO Awards themselves, there’s something for everyone and anyone interested not just in Black music and entertainment but Black-British culture and more.

For instance, we already heard about the exclusive basketball match between Manchester and a fellow European competitor, and tickets are live as we speak. You can see the full Fringe programme in more detail online.

MCR Basketball to play special knockout game for the 2026 MOBO Awards in Manchester
It’s an important one, too.

Running from Thursday 19 to Tuesday 24 March, the event week is shaping up to be a cracker.

As for the inaugural Manc MOBOs ceremony at Co-op Live, it gets underway just a couple of days later on the following Thursday (26 Mar).

serving as the perfect way to close the Fringe and this year’s edition as a whole.

Tickets for the MOBO Awards Manchester debut are live as we speak, with general admission prices starting from less than £30. You can grab yours HERE.

As for those expected to be in attendance, the likes of Olivia Dean and local rapper Aitch have already been confirmed for the live music lineup, and to see the full list of nominees, look no further…

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Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied via MOBO Awards)

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