Mancs were surprised last week by a very special, intimate appearance from grime superstar Bugzy Malone at JD.
The rap sensation hosted a private lock-in event at JD in Manchester, just ahead of his massive homecoming gig at the AO Arena.
Fans got to get up close and personal with Bugzy at the event, where he took part in a Q&A with fellow rapper Specs Gonzalez.
The Resurrection Tour is Bugzy’s last – he’s confirmed that he’ll step back from the touring circuit to focus on music, his acting career, and (of course) his budding fashion line, B.Malone.
Speaking of the sold-out tour at the JD event, Bugzy said: “It’s an emotional thing, you get what I’m saying, it’s The Ressurection Tour and it’s my final tour.
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Bugzy Malone with Specs Gonzalez in Manchester. Credit: JD Official
“A lot of people have gone out their way to support me and it’s a big deal to me.”
He said that performing at the Arena in front of a crowd of 20,000 was, quite simply, ‘sick’, adding: “People that are fans of me are connected to me, so when I get to stand up and perform in front of pure people that I’m connected to, it’s a bit spiritual. It’s mad.”
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He’s a proud Mancunian too, saying: “People never used to take Manchester seriously and then when I started breaking records and making serious money, they take us seriously now.
“So now I’m breaking down doors in the clothing industry so that people behind me can come through and get took seriously.
“People underestimate Manchester, it’s a talented place. There’ll be waves and waves that come through.”
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His foray into fashion has seen him launch his own clothing line, B.Malone, which is stocked in JD.
On the day of the in-store lock-in, he was unveiling his new Skeleton kicks, inspired by the anatomy of a scorpion.
Bugzy said: “Fashion’s obviously something I’m interested in. As I kid I used to like drawing and all that. I’m just trying to do things that I enjoy and that I’m passionate about.
“My fans, the people that message me on Instagram that I connect with, I feel like a lot of them are like younger versions of me, so I try and design them something that they’re going to like, from my perspective.”
He also touched on his accident, which saw him seriously injured after a quad bike crash in early 2020.
It changed his mindset, he said, telling the crowd: “I’m not afraid to die. I’m willing to give it everything to go where I’m trying to go.
“I think sometimes we get a little bit shy in life when you’re trying to believe in yourself whereas now, I don’t give a f***.”
Featured image: JD Official
Music
The biggest rock band on Earth is coming to Manchester, with hundreds of musicians on stage
Daisy Jackson
Rockin’1000 will be heading to Manchester next spring, with the biggest rock band on Earth performing timeless anthems.
And when we say it’s the biggest rock band on Earth, we’re not being sensationalist – there’ll be 300 musicians performing together.
Guitarists, bassists, drummers, keyboardists, singers, and even an orchestral section will all play together for a rock concert on a scale the UK has never seen before.
The AO Arena is set to host Rockin’1000 in March next year – and musicians of all skill levels are being invited to apply to perform.
There are more than 100,000 musicians as part of the band worldwide, and if you’d like to be one of them before the show arrives in Manchester you can register HERE.
Rockin’1000 began in 2015 with a viral performance of 1,000 musicians playing a Foo Fighters song in Cesena in Italy.
Since then, it’s grown into a worldwide community of musicians and has sold more than 300,00 tickets to large-scale and ambitious rock concerts in 20 different countries.
Rockin’1000 will come to the AO Arena in Manchester
Despite being one of Europe’s largest venues, the indoor nature of the AO Arena means that the number of performers will be reduced to 300, who will fill the floor of the arena.
Fabio Zaffagnini, Founder of Rockin’1000 said “The UK’s music culture is unrivalled, and Manchester is one of the world’s great music cities.
“Bringing 1,000 musicians together under one roof creates a powerful emotional connection for everyone involved, on stage and in the crowd.
“We cannot wait to share this experience with UK fans.”
Rockin’1000 will be at the AO Arena in Manchester on Saturday 7 March, with 300 musicians performing together at once.
Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Friday 5 December HERE.
Peter Hook announces special career-spanning city centre show, with a veteran Manc band supporting
Danny Jones
Local music legend Peter Hook and his live touring partners, ‘The Light’, have announced a special career-spanning anniversary gig right here in Manchester, chronicling his incredible music career.
The former Joy Division member and subsequent New Order co-founder is celebrating 50 years in the business next year, and is marking the occasion with a comprehensive and retrospective live show come the summer.
Arguably one of the most influential musicians to have ever come out of the region, the Salford-born bassist and now lead singer of his own solo outfit (still playing countless hits from his extremely lengthy discography, of course) is now 69 years old and still going strong.
In fact, that’s exactly what they’ll be doing for the landmark live show: playing some of the biggest and best tunes from his various projects over the decades he’s spent in the studio and on the stage.
Suitably shared in Haçienda/Sex Pistol-coloured announcement poster, not only will Hook be revisiting Joy Division’s seminal debut album, Unknown Pleasures, but he’ll be going back through everything from Power Corruption & Lies by New Order to his lesser-known works.
Be it his 1995 side project, Monaco, or the recently unearthed Freebass collab with the likes of Andy Rourke, Tim Burgess, and the late, great ‘Mani’ from the Stone Roses, fans of the avid audiophile and prolific live performer are in for a real treat.
Having toured this storied material extensively, Peter Hook and the Light have now amassed over 800 concerts as a band. For the Greater Manchester native himself, it’s an incredible feat to make in the music industry, full stop, let alone reach half a century in it.
As for the Pistols connection, ‘Hooky‘ just happened to be one of several future Manc icons like half of The Smiths and The Fall, Factory Records’ own Tony Wilson, John Cooper Clarke, and even his then-soon-to-be Joy Division bandmate turned New Order lead singer, Bernard Sumner.
It’s a fairly safe bet you’ll find the post-punk veteran and plenty more of his peers in the crowd for another major music milestone in 2026.
It’s this particular date the group are toasting that motivated Hook to go out and buy a guitar.
Even more fittingly, this 50th anniversary gig will also see the group joined by another veteran rock band from the region, as fellow local punk sons, The Buzzocks from Bolton, who also formed after THAT very same gig at Lesser Free Trade Hall in ’76.
Early access tickets for the exclusive show at Manchester Academy next June go on pre-sale this Wednesday, 3 December; general admission will be available from Friday, 5 December.
We had the honour of chatting with the man, the myth, the legend, once again back in February 2024, when our Audio North arm was still known as ‘The Manc Audio’.
Daisy Jackson -
13th December 2021 
