One in two of us will develop some form of cancer in our lifetime, but until recently, the conversation around the disease was often kept hushed up, the narrative swaying towards the negative.
One of the people who has helped to change that narrative and break the taboos is Steve Bland, a journalist, broadcaster and podcast co-host.
He’s best-known for his work on You Me and the Big C, a BBC podcast he has co-hosted with Lauren Mahon and the late Dame Deborah James since 2018.
Steve was thrust into the public eye in the most tragic of circumstances, when his wife – journalist Rachael Bland, who founded the podcast – died from breast cancer at the age of 40.
While most of us would have hidden away from the world, Steve bravely stepped up to the mic – literally.
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Steve and Rachael Bland / Credit: Instagram, @mr_blandy
He took up his wife’s seat at the podcast table alongside Lauren and Deborah to talk about loss.
The trio discussed the impact Rachael’s death had on Steve’s then-two-year-old son Freddie, the catharsis of talking, and how it feels to begin grieving even before someone has died.
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He said: “We were told she had days – it was a proper sledgehammer. She died almost exactly a week later. Every night I’d be lying there at night and she’d be asleep, and I’d be looking at her, almost waiting for her to die, watching her breathing.
“Quite a few times she’d wake up and see me staring at her and be like ‘What are you doing, why are you just watching me?'”
Steve Bland recording the You Me Big C podcast / Credit: Instagram, @mr_blandy
Since that guest appearance, Steve has become a permanent fixture on the You, Me and the Big C podcast, taking the baton from his late wife and running with it.
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They were big, brilliant shoes to fill but Steve brought a new perspective to the cancer conversation, and talked with refreshing honesty about grief, and life after death.
The group have shown that even in the darkest of days, it’s okay to find light and laughter, including telling stories of getting the giggles at Rachael’s actual funeral and, more recently, remembering Dame Deborah’s funniest moments while paying tribute to her.
They’ve also opened up a conversation about cancer that wasn’t there before, talking about every aspect of the disease and encouraging people to do the same.
In the days after Rachael’s death, Steve talked about how he didn’t shy away from the subject with their son Freddie.
Steve said at the time: “There have been occasions where I’ve lost my temper with [Freddie] and I know I wouldn’t have done in normal circumstances.
“I shouted at him because he was being a right pain, (I was) trying to get him dressed. I started crying because it really upset me that I’d shouted at him.
“And he just turned to me and he said, ‘Daddy, are you crying because of Mummy?’ and I said ‘Yes’. And he said, ‘Daddy, don’t worry, it’s just us two now. It’ll be OK’.”
Since Steve has joined the podcast, they’ve welcomed in guests to discuss everything from death admin, scientific breakthroughs, treatment options, fertility, ‘scanxiety’, changing the language used around cancer, the way it’s portrayed in the media, and even sex and intimacy when you have or have had cancer.
Steve Bland with Dame Deborah James and Lauren Mahon / Credit: Instagram, @mr_blandy
More recently, he’s talked about finding new love, and about not feeling guilty for it (he’s engaged to marry new fiancée Amy, an NHS nurse).
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He said in an interview on ITV’s Lorraine: “Why should I feel guilty? I want to be happy, I’m 40 years old, I’ve got the rest of my life ahead of me. I want to be happy and Rachael wanted me and Freddie to be happy.
“That comes down to individual decisions – for some people they won’t want to meet someone, for other people they might do it within six months of someone dying, and that’s okay as well.
“I think the important thing is to break down the taboo and make it something that people don’t even have to worry about judgement for, there’s no need to feel guilty. All I’m trying to do and all people in my situation are trying to do is be happy and make the most of life.”
He once told The Telegraph: “She always said it would really upset her if she thought I was going to pack it in at 38. I’m determined not to live a second class version of what my life was.”
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Steve is a proud supporter of MacMillan and has run the London Marathon to raise money for the charity’s brilliant work, as well as advocating for other campaigns like Stand Up To Cancer.
So although he’s technically from just across the border in Cheshire, we think Steve’s podcast work based at MediaCityUK makes him a very worthy Manc of the Month for July.
Featured Image – Instagram (@mr_blandy)
Manchester
The K’s kick off Manchester’s BRITs Week celebrations early with jam-packed intimate gig
The Manc
If you were ‘Hoping Maybe’ to see The K’s at some point this year, this is your sign do it, as the rising indie band did not let the occasion of playing an intimate BRITs-backed gig get to them – they were buoyed by it.
Beloved city centre venue Gorilla was overflowing for The K’s last night, hosting an unreal small-cap set as part of Brits Week ‘26 for a very important cause: War Child.
Perfectly teed up by fellow nearby band, Florentenes from Bolton, The K’s took to a familiar stage many years on from their debut, and instantly had the crowd ready and raring for an hour of pure tunes and some very, very sweaty brows.
Earlestown’s finest certainly carried that Northern charm and energy throughout the whole night; their indie and almost nostalgic lyrical storytelling has you moshing one minute, whilst grasping your mate and ascending into live music heaven the next. There really aren’t many feelings like it.
Sobbing and swaying in the vast ocean of shoulders whilst screaming the lyrics to ‘Helen. Oh I’, I questioned how any compliment will ever compare to launching “thousand ships every time” from a kiss.
The K’s were yearning before Wuthering Heights made it vogue (again).
Musically, the band were seamless and a well-oiled machine, and so were the audience as they wholeheartedly echoed every lyric back at the lads and bounced it off the walls.
The K’s have come a long way since their first visit to Gorilla (Credit: Lucy Wagstaffe)
Every primary school assembly proudly led us to this moment, and it did not disappoint, displaying their increasingly seasoned and successful career, which I can only imagine is going to go from strength to strength this year.
I don’t think we even one more fan could have squeezed one more passionate fan into Gorilla on the night; it was heaving with people and pride; the sweat dripping down the walls indicated things are big for these local lads, and we couldn’t be prouder.
They are another prime example of shining a deserving light on Northern artists! And having the 2026 BRIT Awards up here with us is a testament to that.
Featured Images — Lucy Wagstaffe (supplied via War Child UK)
Manchester
Florence + The Machine at the Co-op Live, Manchester – the star has never been better
Clementine Hall
Florence + The Machine make a triumphant return to the stage in a thrilling exploration of female rage.
When you think of Florence Welch, you can’t help but picture her barefoot complete with flower crown and bouncy skirts racing around the stage in a fairy-like fashion.
And yes whilst she still is this, the band’s new era is suddenly a lot darker and haunting with their new album Everybody Scream exploring topics of loss and grief.
Florence and her coven-like quartet of dancers did not leave the stage once throughout the 21-track setlist, but not once did it feel tired.
Image: The Manc
The album’s title track kicked off the show before transitioning into fan-favourite anthem Shake It Out.
Florence’s voice is just as recognisable as ever, as is her long auburn hair that she swishes with her as she strides up and down the stage alongside her flowing sleeves.
Beneath the powerful vocals, the haunting atmosphere grew stronger as Seven Dials and Which Witch saw the dancers, coined as ‘the witch choir’, crawling up and down the stage in a Michael Jackson Thriller-style fashion.
Daffodils saw Florence interact with the crowd – embracing a woman pressed to the front of the barrier sporting a bright yellow flower crown.
It’s clear to see how much their music means to so many, and being at a Florence gig you feel as though you’re really part of something special.
A highlight came half way through the two-hour spectacle, as Florence dedicated Never Let Me Go to her sister in the crowd who she stated was “clever enough to marry a man from Manchester”.
Image: The Manc
We couldn’t agree more Florence.
Spectrum (Say My Name) really ignited a fire in the crowd, the entire arena was up and moving to the iconic track.
Her most vulnerable moment of the night comes as she returns for the encore, when she sings You Can Have It All which is written about her near-fatal ectopic pregnancy she experienced in 2013.
It’s raw and haunting, and we feel every note as she summons the strength to perform a song so revealing.
Of course, as the first two notes of Dog Days Are Over the crowd erupts into chaos.
Florence asks us to put our phones down, “you won’t get a good video and if you’re holding your phone, you can’t move” she states, and so we did what we were told.
It’s proof of the power that Florence holds over her audience, and from then on we were left to dance with complete abandon as the show ended in a feeling of pure joy and euphoria.
Daisy Jackson -
22nd July 2022 
