Still riding the high from their flawless performance at Neighbourhood Weekender last Sunday, indie four-piece The Lathums teased a very special announcement – and it didn’t disappoint.
On Monday, the band revealed they’ll be headlining the Empress Ballroom at Blackpool’s famous Winter Gardens on Saturday 9 April 2022 and tickets are on sale right now.
Performing beneath the delicate chandeliers and ornate ceiling of the world famous ballroom, the show is intended to be a ‘seaside celebration’ of the band’s stellar progress over the last two years.
Though, the choice of venue is no accident. They’ll be joining the ranks of fellow Manchester bands Oasis and The Stone Roses who have also performed in this iconic setting over the years – and not to mention the Rolling Stones, too.
But the boys are no strangers to Blackpool themselves. Their last visit in October 2020 was to play a unique live-streamed show in Blackpool Tower’s Circus Room. It pulled in more than 4,000 views and even got the band trending on Twitter.
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The Lathums played a special live-streamed gig at Blackpool Tower last year. Credit: The Lathums/Twitter
For this latest Blackpool date, they’ll have support from Jamie Webster. The singer-songwriter from Liverpool burst onto the scene with his debut album ‘We Get By’ last year, reaching number six in the Official UK Album Charts.
Jamie’s folk-fused style landed him the title of being the first ever number one in the Official UK Folk Charts, too.
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This Blackpool announcement also comes ahead of The Lathums’ debut album ‘How Beautiful Life Can Be’ which is due for release on Friday 24 September.
The band say the album is a story of resilience, youth, and a brother and sisterhood told through 12 uplifting and optimistic tracks. One of which lead singer Alex Moore wrote with his mum during lockdown.
We’ll have more on the album in the coming weeks. But for now, tickets for The Lathums Empress Ballroom show are on sale from today.
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It’s expected to sell out extremely quickly, so grab them quick here.
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For more Manchester music and events, head here and don’t forget to follow The Manc Audio to stay up to date.
Featured image: The Lathums
Music
Fans are preparing to pay tribute to Mani from The Stone Roses ahead of his funeral service
Danny Jones
Stone Roses fans and Greater Manchester locals alike are getting ready to pay their respects to the late, great, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, following his tragic passing last month.
As well as details surrounding his funeral being announced earlier this week, the iconic Manc musician’s cause of death has also finally been revealed.
While Hatton’s service featured a high-profile cortège which started all the way from his hometown of Hyde, past multiple landmarks and ending at the Etihad Stadium, those local to Mani’s family home on the edge of Stockport are also being welcomed to help send him off.
It's the funeral of Mani of the Stone Roses on the 22nd. He lived locally. This poster is asking people to line the route of his funeral cortege to "show that he truly was adored". pic.twitter.com/X0DYHl10Hp
He had been struggling with emphysema for some time; he was declared dead at his home in the suburb of Heaton Moor, and is said to have died peacefully in his sleep.
As you can see from the posters put in various places around the area, residents wishing to pay their own tributes to Mani before his private funeral service at Manchester Cathedral are encouraged to line the long street leading down from St Paul’s and Heaton Moor United Church as he heads towards the city.
Departing Parsonage Road from 10am on Monday, 22 December, before turning right onto Heaton Moor Rd, then Wellington and eventually on to the Cathedral, you can expect plenty of people to show up.
One of those people will be his former bandmate and another influential guitarist, John Squire, who is one of many famous musical names to have honoured him in their own way over the last few weeks.
Other members of The Stone Roses, as well as Primal Scream (who he joined in 1996), are expected to join the close family and friends at the service itself.
Nevertheless, we have no doubt that plenty will be observing the funeral in their own way.
So, for those of you also looking to honour him, you know what to do; and to quote the poster itself, “together we can show this local legend and his family that he was truly adored.”
Boyzone to reunite for exclusive New Year’s Eve special on the BBC
Danny Jones
2025 has very much been the year of the comeback – be it Oasis, Britpop fashion in general, or short bobs and pixie cuts – so it’s only fitting that we round off the calendar with one last reunion, as throwback boyband Boyzone are set to feature on a TV special on the BBC this New Year’s Eve.
Turns out ‘All That I Need’ to make a year memorable is a load of 1990s nostalgia.
Now, obviously, despite plenty of other music names enjoying a second renaissance over the past 12 months or so, nothing is ever going to be quite as big as the Oasis Live ’25 reunion tour.
However, if you asked us to guess which group from the era were also going to reunite this year back in January, there’s not a chance we would’ve said Boyzone.
Boyzone are telling us about coming back together for one final run in their most unforgettable concerts yet 🎤
After news first began circulating earlier this week, it has now been confirmed that musician turned presenter Ronan Keating will be getting back together with two of his former bandmates.
Joining the 48-year-old for ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’, ex-Boyzone members Keith Duffy and Shane Lynch are part of an exciting live music lineup.
Other names include actor and singer, Shona McGarty, who recently starred on season 25 of I’m A Celeb, as well as fellow 90s pop artist Louise Redknapp and singer-songwriter Calum Scott.
The exclusive reunion comes after the success of the recently aired Boyzone: No Matter What documentary show.
Spread across three parts on Sky, the docuseries (named after their hit song from 1998) looks back on the career and journey up the charts back in their heyday, all the way up to the present. After seemingly striking a chord with fans and the lads themselves, it looks like they’re not done after all…
Yes, not only is the festive TV special going to see three of the original members performing alongside each other again, but
Here’s hoping that turns into a springboard for something even bigger, and we get a Manchester arena show sometime soon.
As for the programme itself, ‘Ronan & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Party’ will be broadcast on BBC One and made available on BBC iPlayer from Wednesday, 31 December 2025.
Hannah Starkie -
10th September 2021 
