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Emotional standing ovation as son of late Inspiral Carpets drummer performs with band in Manchester
Levon did his dad proud.
The son of the late Craig Gill, drummer of Inspiral Carpets, set off a moving standing ovation in Manchester when he performed with the band.
The legendary local band performed a sold-out gig at the Albert Hall on Saturday night, their first tour since 2015.
It’s also the first time they’ve played live since the death of their drummer in 2016, leaving a huge presence to fill.
So it was a particularly touching move when Inspiral Carpets invited Levon Gill, Craig’s son, to join them behind the drum kit.
The young talent played during the encore while a video tribute of his dad was screened behind him.
His performance had the entire venue on its feet, which included Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham.
Andy said: “What a triumphant homecoming for @inspiralsband at @Alberthallmcr last night!
“And so emotional to see Levon Gill take centre stage in memory of his dad, Craig. Manchester at its finest. Privilege to be there.”
Others described it as a ‘beautiful tribute’ to Craig, who tragically took his own life as a result of debilitating tinnitus at the age of just 44.
Another person wrote: “Not gonna lie, this broke me a bit… The energy and emotion in The Albert Hall was pretty special – Levon was epic x”
Sharing a touching video, one person wrote: “Albert Hall on their feet after Levon Gill finished drumming”
And someone replied: “A beautiful moment it was too, very emotional.Well done young man, and all the band.”
Another user Tweeted: “An amazing gig tonight by @inspiralsband. Always so good to see them live. But seeing Craig Gill’s son, Levon, drumming with them was truly special. Beautiful tribute.”
At the time of announcing the tour, Inspiral Carpets said: “Craig’s death had a profound effect on many people. The outpouring of love from around the world at the time gave some comfort to his family and friends as we all tried to come to terms with what had happened.
“We know this will be an emotional journey for a lot of people, not least Craig’s family. We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate some of the music we created, and which has brought so much joy to people over the last 34 years.”
Featured image: Instagram, Inspiral Carpets
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Fontaines D.C. announce massive return to Manchester on new European tour
Daisy Jackson
Fontaines D.C. have just announced their biggest headline tour to date, including a massive arena gig here in Manchester.
The wildly popular Irish rock band are set to play a whopping 20 arena shows across Europe and the UK this autumn.
The tour has been announced in celebration of their upcoming fifth studio album, Dopamine Chamber, which is set for release this October.
Fontaines D.C. will hit the road just five days after the album drops, kicking off their European tour in Lisbon on 21 October.
Then they’ll make their way over to the UK, with shows in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool, Glasgow, Birmingham and London.
Fans in their home country of Ireland are told to stay tuned for live news very soon.
As we speak, Fontaines D.C. are warming up to play one of the country’s biggest festivals, with headline slots at Reading & Leeds Festival.
They’ve already released Marianne, the first single from their new album, and frontman Grian Chatten says of the album: “The album itself is a dopamine chamber. You step inside and we test these different mind- or mood-altering pieces of music on you.”
The new record has been recorded between London, the English countryside, and Palermo, where Chatten recorded vocals in a makeshift booth built from mattresses and cushions.
He said: “There’s a poignant sense of us being on the brink of some other kind of form of humanity, or non-humanity.”
Tickets will go on general sale at 10am on Thursday 3 September, with pre-sale live from 10am on Tuesday 1 September.
You can access tickets for Fontaines D.C. in Manchester HERE.
Fans who pre-order Dopamine Chamber from the official store by 6pm on Monday 31 August will gain access to the UK pre-sale.
Fontaines D.C. UK tour dates in full
- Friday 20 November – Liverpool, UK – M&S Bank Arena
- Saturday 21 November – Manchester, UK – AO Arena
- Sunday 22 November – Glasgow, UK – OVO Hydro
- Tuesday 24 November – Leeds, UK – First Direct Bank Arena
- Wednesday 25 November – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena
- Friday 27 November – London, UK – The O2 Arena
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Featured image: Elizaveta Porodina
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Major headliner pulls out of Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson
One of the Manchester Village Pride headliners has had to pull out of their scheduled appearance, just one day before the celebrations begin.
Nadine Coyle was supposed to be headlining the LGBTQ+ event on Friday 27 August.
But in a statement shared by Manchester Village Pride today, they announced that the former Girls Aloud star is ‘under the weather’.
Nadine will be pulling out of her headline slot to ‘rest and recuperate’, but added that she hopes to see Manchester for Pride again soon.
Thankfully, Manchester Village Pride has already found a suitably fabulous replacement for the main stage on Friday – B*Witched.
The iconic Irish girl group will be encouraging ticket-holders to dig out their double denim and dance to hits like C’est La Vie and Rollercoaster.
In the statement shared by Manchester Village Pride, Nadine’s team said: “Nadine is so sorry to have to step out of Manchester Village Pride this year. It was her very first Pride many years ago and she loves getting to spend time with you all.
“Nadine’s voice has been under the weather and she only wants to give absolute best to you all which sadly won’t be possible this weekend as she needs time to rest and recuperate.
“We hate to do it so near the day. Nadine was really hoping she was going to be well enough and hopes she can see you in Manchester for Pride again soon.
“Thank you for being so kind and understanding and we hope you have a wonderful weekend.”
Manchester Village Pride added: “We know how excited many of you were for a massive hit of 2000s pop nostalgia, and we promised you a party. We’ve been working around the clock, and we are beyond thrilled to announce that pop royalty B*WITCHED are stepping in at the eleventh hour!”
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Featured image: Manchester Village Pride
Daisy Jackson -
3rd April 2023 
