Andy Burnham surprised festival-goers at Kendal Calling last night by popping up on the main stage.
The Greater Manchester Mayor briefly swapped the political stage for a music one to introduce Blossoms for their massive headline performance.
Blossoms have gained a few famous pals over the years, from Liam Fray of the Courteeners to the legendary Rick Astley – but they turned to their old mate Burnham for this job.
The Stockport five-piece have worked with the Mayor in the past, including at his Raise the Roof charity concert, raising money for Greater Manchester Mayor’s Charity #BedEveryNight campaign.
So it wasn’t a total shock when Andy Burnham rocked up to introduce them, dressed in cargo pants and a shacket.
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And before anyone starts commenting that he should be doing his day job – it’s the weekend. Have a day off.
Burnham asked the crowd where the coolest place in the north west is, dismissing his home city of Liverpool and his adopted city of Manchester.
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He then said the Stockport is, in fact, the coolest place in our region – which was welcomed with a fair few disagreeing boos from the huge crowd.
Burnham said: “Kendal Calling how we doing? This is the Mayor of Greater Manchester reporting for duty.
“I’m just here to check that you’re all okay, yeah? You all okay? You having a good time?
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“Isn’t the north west of England the best place on Earth? It is, isn’t it. And d’you know where the coolest place in the north west is right now? It’s not Liverpool. It’s not even Manchester. It’s Stockport!
“Stockport! Honestly, it is! And do you know why Stockport is the coolest place in the north west?
“It’s because 10 years ago, five lads got together, and they formed a band, and they named it after the local pub. And 10 years later, they smashed Glastonbury, and now they’re headlining the biggest festival in the north west.
Andy Burnham introduced Blossoms to the stage at Kendal Calling. Credit: The Manc GroupAndy Burnham introduced Blossoms to the stage at Kendal Calling. Credit: The Manc Group
“Kendal Calling, give it up, for Stockport’s finest, the north west’s finest, give it up for Blossoms!”
Reaction to his appearance has been a little mixed, to say the least.
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One person labelled him ‘The king of the north’ while another said the was actually ‘the c*ck of the north’ – so that’s nice.
Someone else said: “He can p*ss off, along with his CAZ proposals too.”
Then he was defended by a few saying: “He’s a great Mayor. Only the Tory scum hate him.”
And then there’s the comment we all saw coming a mile off – “Stockport is still sh*t!”
Billie Eilish reveals the reason why chose Manchester to film her new movie
Danny Jones
Global superstar Billie Eilish has revealed the reason why she chose Manchester, of all places, to film her upcoming new movie.
The answer won’t surprise you, but we were buzzing with it nonetheless.
In case you were unaware, Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft: The Tour is the new documentary and live concert film directed by Billie herself, along with some help from none other than James Cameron.
Being screened not only in cinemas but also in 3D (yes, that’s still a thing), the performance-based movie captures content taken from her run of gigs right here in Manchester. Here’s why she picked us:
Though it’s still no surprise, really, we always find it so surreal seeing some of the world’s most famous artists speaking so highly about our city.
As you can see, while she did quip that the schedule lined up production-wise, it was an easy decision to pick her four – yes, FOUR sold-out nights at Co-op Live, as the place to film the project based on the atmosphere alone.
“I fricking love Manchester”, said the 24-year-old, going on to add, “Honestly, Manchester is one of my favourite audiences ever.”
Manc fans simply couldn’t get enough of her, hence why she was able to book so many big dates at the massive arena.
Here’s the big surprise she brought out for the show we were lucky enough to be at:
We love Billie and, as it turns out, she feels the same about us.
The release date for Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft tour movie is coming around early next month, with the film set to be screened in selected cinemas across the UK and beyond on May 8, 2026.
Speaking in the recent interview on the red carpet with the BBC, she also detailed how fellow Academy Award-winner Cameron contacted her first about the prospect of creating this immersive music project.
Imagine just picking up the phone to James Cameron – as you do…
Will you be watching? Better still, were you at one of the shows and plan to look out for yourself in the crowd, which is now soon to be splashed on the big screen?
Manchester’s very own Interplanetary Criminal announces major headline Warehouse Project show
Daisy Jackson
Interplanetary Criminal will play a major headline show this autumn, taking the stage at Warehouse Project in his hometown.
Manchester’s very own rising star producer, who has been a driving force behind the global resurgence of UK garage, will play his biggest headline show to date.
Interplanetary Criminal will be joined by a huge line-up that includes ANZ, Joy Orbison, Jyoty, HAAi, and more.
He’ll be returning to his home city for a Warehouse Project gig on Saturday 10 October – his only Manchester appearance of the year.
As well as taking over the illustrious Depot Mayfield, including Depot, Concourse and Archive stages, there’ll be a special WHP Records takeover at the iconic Star & Garter pub too.
Manchester’s very own Interplanetary Criminal announces major headline Warehouse Project show
The line-up has been curated by Interplanetary Criminal himself and spans house, garage, techno and beyond, with a series of surprise B2Bs in the works too.
There’ll be key names on the bill like ANZ, Joy Orbison, Jyoty, DJ Seinfeld, HAAi and Skin On Skin, alongside a deep roster of emerging and established talent.
Pre-sale tickets for Interplanetary Criminal at Warehouse Project in Manchester go on sale from 10am on Thursday 30 April, priced at £35 plus booking fees – you can sign up HERE.
General sale is from 10am on Friday 1 May.
Interplanetary Criminal at Warehouse Project A-Z line-up
Daisy Jackson -
30th July 2023 
