You might recognise these two from the programme Waterloo Road, first moving into the public eye as Rhona and Shona Mansfield in the popular high school drama.
But twin sisters Millie and Hope Katana – a.k.a. The KTNA – have done A LOT of growing up since then.
Now two strong independent women, the self-titled ‘Sisterz of Darkness’, with their edgy style and alluring sound, couldn’t be further away from the school ties and blazers that kickstarted their career.
First of all, we’re too curious about the nickname. So The KTNA tell us how it came about – amongst all the other things that the duo have got going on right now.
“The ‘Sisterz of Darkness’ came to be, originally, because we wear a lot of black and a lot of black high shine leather and PVC – think trinity from the matrix,” said Millie and Hope. “That coupled with the fact we write with a lot of melancholy and sadness, it became the perfect nickname for us and it stuck. We actually love it.”
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With this, The KNTA have managed to forge a strong image and brand that works seamlessly together with their music. The girls are the full package, brimming with passion and a raw honesty.
A strong sisterly bond
The music industry is a tough nut to crack, everyone knows this. But no one knows it more than those who are working tirelessly to make a break. Luckily, the KTNA are there – and they’ve got each other. And as twin sisters, their bond runs even deeper than your typical duo or band, producing a whole new level of trust.
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“We’ve been singing together in harmony since before we could talk. I think it’s subconsciously something we always knew we wanted to do,” they said. “However the reality is, it’s really difficult.”
“To know your sister is as disappointed or heartbroken sometimes is awful. That said we wouldn’t change it for the world. There’s always someone for me to trust, somewhere safe and that’s with my sister. That’s pretty amazing.”
They’ve got their mum to thank for their taste in music, who has fed them on a diet of purely “the finest music of the past” throughout their childhood. Because of this, the girls cite Stevie Wonder as their biggest inspiration, describing his song writing as “other-worldly”. This is all thanks to their mum’s music time machine.
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Though, as they’ve got older, they’re into soft rock and classical a bit more. This shines through in their music today, and is clearly what gives them their refined soulful yet punky edge – the signature The KTNA style.
Empowering music
With over a year spent in lockdown, they were able to put plenty of time aside to lay down the foundations of their brand-new EP ‘Resurgence’ which is out on 24 November.
As long-time fans of The KTNA, we know they produce empowering music time and time again. And this new project will be no different. Except we might be seeing a new era of The KTNA.
“‘Resurgence’ is slightly more up-tempo but we’re still dark-sided chicks,” Millie and Hope tell us. “It’s entirely self-written and produced – and as women, we are so, so proud of being able to put out work that hasn’t been dictated by men. Resurgence is our re-birth.”
Ahead of the release of Resurgence, they’ve released a couple of from the project, like ‘Can’t Stop It’ which is a sultry R&B track, accompanied by some amazing leather and chain-clad visuals.
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Now you’ll see why the nickname “Sisterz of Darkness” makes sense. But more importantly, the playful metaphor of the chains explores the idea of breaking free from things are holding you down. This is what the girls are all about. Building strength and hope through their song writing, to help others through their own experiences.
On the road
As well as new music, the KTNA have just announced their first ever headline tour for next year. Which if you’ve seen these two perform live before, you’ll know they come into their own and are bursting with personality.
So the tour kicks off on Wednesday 30 March at Headrow House in Leeds. Then they’ll visit Bristol and London before winding up back in Manchester on Saturday 2 April where they’ll play YES’s Pink Room.
Millie and Hope admit one of their favourite things about touring and performing in front of crowds is making people cry.
Okay, not actually cry like that, obviously. But what they mean is seeing people get emotional over their music means here job here is done. They’ve created something that means that much to someone.
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“Looking out into the crowd and seeing people singing along or crying is the best feeling in the world. It still blows our mind that people know our songs to be honest.
“There’s nothing better than going to see a great show with great music and we cannot wait to do that every night. Being on stage is our most favourite thing to do, so we are going to give it some right welly!” they said.
Tickets are on sale now, grab them whilst you can here.
The future
With new music and touring all in the pipeline, The KTNA are still looking beyond that. With plans for a third EP already in motion to complete the trilogy, the girls will finally make a start on an album after that.
But above all else, they’re just ready to play more shows, make more beautiful music and keep growing as artist, producers and people. And we’re looking forward to seeing where The KTNA go.
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If you’re a fan of music in Manchester, head here to read more – and make sure you’re following The Manc Audio for updates on music and events in the city.
Ed Sheeran at Co-op Live, Manchester – tickets, times, setlist and more for ‘intimate’ UK tour
Thomas Melia
The red-headed, guitar-strumming, lyrical genius, also known as Ed Sheeran, is back, and he’s heading to Co-op Live for one night only as part of his current UK tour.
‘Bad Habits’, ‘Shape of You’, ‘Thinking Out Loud’, Sheeran has built quite an impressive music catalogue over the years and amassed a whopping 60 billion streams while doing so.
The UK music heavyweight scored his ninth number one album with Play, all while adding two more top ten hits to his discography with ‘Azizam’ and ‘Sapphire’, driving his overall top ten singles total to 43 – that’s ‘Perfect’.
Last week, Sheeran dropped his latest musical addition, Play (Deluxe), which features 14 brand new tracks, and lucky fans who have tickets to these upcoming shows will be eager to see which ones he adds to his setlist.
Ed Sheeran at Co-op Live, Manchester – all the key info you need to know
Ed Sheeran is performing a run of ‘intimate’ shows in the UK (Credit: Press Shots via Petros Studio)
Now he’s bringing his huge hits to Manchester’s biggest indoor entertainment venue, Co-op Live, just across from the ‘Castle on the Hill’, Etihad Stadium, which Sheeran has performed at on eight occasions.
If you’re patiently trying not to get your hopes up, thinking about tickets for Sheeran’s latest gig while simultaneously saying ‘I Don’t Care’, think again.
All you ‘Beautiful People’ after tickets to go see Ed Sheeran when he plays out at Co-op Live on 7 December, you’re in luck as there’s a handful waiting to get snapped up HERE.
Ed Sheeran setlist
Prepare yourself, but with 43 top ten hits next to his name, it’s no surprise Sheeran’s setlist is quite a lengthy one; here’s what he performed at his Paris show earlier this month:
Give Me Love
Castle on the Hill
Shivers
Sapphire
The A Team
Don’t
Boat / Life Goes On
Galway Girl
Nancy Mulligan
Old Phone
Celestial
One / Photograph
Thinking Out Loud
Eastside / 2002 / Cold Water / Little Things / Love Yourself
I See Fire
River / Peru / Beautiful People / I Don’t Care
Camera
Slowly
Perfect
Symmetry
Bloodstream
You Need Me, I Don’t Need You
Shape of You
Azizam
Bad Habits
Afterglow
Merry Christmas
What are the stage times for Ed Sheeran in Manchester?
Co-op Live has a strict curfew of 11pm, meaning you can ‘2step’ to this chart-topping superstar’s tracks and get tucked up in bed before the early hours of the morning.
Anyone attending can expect the doors to open from 6pm, and not one but two very special guests as the support acts: contemporary Irish band, Biird, and folk duo, Nizlopi, who Ed Sheeran has been a big fan of for a long time now.
You can hear more about his connection with the group down below.
For those of you heading to Co-op Live, you’ll be glad to know it’s right next door to a rather famous big blue stadium and its integrated Metrolink stop.
Head along the light blue or orange lines directly to the Etihad Campus or Ashton-under-Lyne, and you can get off the tram literally spitting distance from the arena. You can find the full map HERE.
Trams run frequently on the Ashton-Eccles line to the Etihad stop, with services leaving every six minutes from the city centre and until 1:00am on Fridays and Saturdays.
Bus
You can find the full list of bus routes HERE, with the one in closest proximity to the venue being the 53 bus, which runs from Cheetham Hill through to Higher Crumpsall, Old Trafford and Pendleton, leaving just a two-minute walk to Co-op Live. You also get free Bee Network travel with any valid event ticket.
Getting there by car and parking
If you’re driving, there is limited parking available at the venue, but this must be pre-booked ahead of time, and there are designated drop-off areas.
The postcode is M11 3DU, and you can follow the signs towards the wider Etihad Campus as you get closer; directions to the adjacent drop-off points will also be signposted.
Keep in mind that congestion on the roads close to the stadium is expected to gather around two hours prior to any event, so if you are travelling on the road, these are the suggested times they provide come event day, though estimates will obviously vary:
Alan Turing Way (both directions): plan an additional 20 minutes into any journey by road.
Hyde Road (eastbound): expect an additional 15 minutes to be added to your journey.
Mancunian Way (westbound): plan for an extra 10 minutes of travel time.
There are also three park-and-ride facilities near Co-op Live, but be advised that the Velopark and Holt Town stops will be closed post-event to help safely manage crowds:
Ashton West (Ashton line) – 184 spaces and 11 disabled spaces
Ladywell (Ashton-Eccles line) – 332 spaces and 22 disabled spaces
Walk/cycle
Lastly, Co-op Live is only a half-hour stroll from Manchester Piccadilly, and you could even walk along the canal all the way to the front door if you fancy taking the scenic route.
Greater Manchester now also offers the option to hire bikes through the Beryl app, with riders able to locate, unlock, get to their destination and then safely lock up the bike all through an easy-to-use app. There are hire points just near the south-west corner of the Etihad Stadium on Ashton New Road.
For more information on all travel options, you can check out the enhanced journey planner.
Featured Images — Petros Studio and Mark Surridge (via Press Shots)
Audio
Hazlett at Manchester Academy 3 – some of the best ‘sad and depressing songs’ you could ever ask for
Danny Jones
On Thursday evening, we finally got to see Hazlett in a small, tightly-packed room here in Manchester and have maybe never heard so many people sing so expertly quietly so as not to even remotely dullen the stunning voice of this rising solo artist.
For anyone who isn’t aware of Hazlett, he’s an Australian singer-songwriter who has been gradually growing in popularity over the last couple of years, but his journey to where he is dates back much further than that.
Noticing a few familiar faces in the crowd from his last visit to the city for a performance at The Deaf Institute just over a year ago – one we sadly missed and have been kicking ourselves ever since – he acknowledged that many may already know his story, but it’s nevertheless worth sharing with the class.
After self-deprecating (how oh-so British) about gigging in pubs when he was younger, and being told to stick to covers rather than try any of his own material, he moved to Sweden in 2019 and fell in love with not only a much more seasonal European but winter, specifically. No wonder he looked at home here.
Here’s our review of Hazlett at Manchester Academy 3, 4/12/2025. (Credit: Audio North)
Kicking off with one of his best-known tracks, ‘Please Don’t Be’, it immediately struck us how full and mournful it all felt in the flesh – arguably even more so than the studio version we’ve been playing in our headphones since 2023.
The atmospheric but not over-produced engineering is an aspect we’ve always admired about Hazlett‘s discography, and we were so relieved it came across on the night, with the Brisbane-born ex-pat crediting his talented live band with helping bring that same sound to life on stage.
It’s a regular trapping, we’ve found, when it comes to acoustic-led music; that instinct, perhaps, for an artist and/or a producer to use seemingly as many of the tools at their disposal as possible just because they’re available to them.
Sadly, this easy pitfall often ends up taking away from what makes those tunes so beautiful to begin with – but not in this case.
The rising solo star seemed to have an expert command not only of his vocals, but the second mic that added those subtle and yet stirring layers, and built those moving, almost ethereal effects on top of the words themselves.
Honestly, we were literally in awe of him just whistling…
Admittedly, it’s hard to put a finger on what exactly made this such a special show, but we think it is THAT same appreciation and embrace of colder months and how it’s inspired his music.
Just bear with us for a minute, it’ll make sense soon.
He actually said it was one of the things he loves the most about people in this country, and this specific part of the world, as well as other parts of Europe, such as his now beloved Sweden, where he says he found his creative spark.
It’s that feeling of the weather and the mood it brings so intensely that he says it helped him write ‘Bones Shake’, which was fittingly chilling as he played it to the spellbound, would-be choir, and could hear the soft sibilance of people gently repeating those S-sounds back to him.
There’s a genuine sense of being able to chart the slight sorrow in the passing of time through the seasons, and while some may not be afforded that same feeling from the sun-soaked shores of his homeland, it’s a concept he’s really run with – especially on his most recent LP.
Simply titled, last night you said you missed me, it’s almost something he kind of tried to resist, confessing that he wrote and finished the album in the space of about a month, fearing that it couldn’t be good enough/ready purely because it came together so quickly.
Given that two specific tracks from this record made a lady standing with us well up and eventually shed several tears (you know who you are), we’d say he absolutely nailed it.
Our only minor gripe was not getting to hear ‘Tell Me What You Dream About’. (Credit: The Manc)
He did joke that his set is filled with nothing but “a bunch of sad and depressing songs” and had a laugh at the idea of people being “dragged along” without any real idea of who he is or the kind of stuff he makes, but having now witnessed him play live, we can assure you it’s much more than that.
Bloom Mountain was an emotional, magical debut that found us in a particular place and time in our lives that we’ll always appreciate, but hearing him knit it together with his newest material confirmed to us that his music has to be more than listened to – it has to be felt.
Like the changing of the seasons. Like the winter. Like the cold.
We unfortunately didn’t manage to make it in time to watch the support act, Hans Williams, but judging by the reaction from the audience who did get in there early enough, the authentic but inventive stylings of the Americana, folk and soul-infused indie-pop artist, he definitely won over plenty of new fans.
As Mitchell Hazlett Lewis, to use his full name, he’s had our hearts since the very start and will continue to do so for however long he keeps bringing his relatable lyricism, delicate but impressive guitar-picking and gentle charm to Manchester.
Please check out his tour dates and see him the next time he’s in town. You can guarantee you’ll find
Please enjoy the song from his latest album that he says his mum likes best.
Hannah Starkie -
5th November 2021 
