There were tearful scenes on stage at The Lottery Winners’ album launch party after lead singer Thom Rylance spotted his old school teacher in the audience.
The frontman of the Wigan band started crying while talking about his struggles at school.
Thom explained that only one person ‘had ever believed in him’, pointing out his old teacher, a Mr Asbury, in the audience.
And while he walked to the back of the stage to wipe away his tears, the entire venue got to its feet to applaud the ‘life-changing’ teacher.
A visibly emotional Thom was comforted by fellow bandmate Katie Lloyd… who then also burst into tears.
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The star addressed the audience at St George’s Church in Tyldesley, where they hosted an intimate album launch party for their fifth studio release, Anxiety Replacement Therapy.
He said: “I didn’t do very well in the school environment. Didn’t really fit into that. ADHD Tommy Rylance.
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The standing ovation for Mr Asbury. Credit: Twitter, Lottery WinnersAn emotional Thom. Credit: Twitter, Lottery Winners
“They didn’t know what to do with me right. And I say that apart from one person actually, and he’s right there… Oh man I’m gonna cry.
“The only person that ever believed in me is sat right there.”
At this point, while Thom takes a moment to recoup with his bandmates, a standing ovation begins for the teacher in the crowd.
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“Mr Asbury, my music teacher,” he continued. “Never gave up on me, and he gave me a bass guitar, and I didn’t know what the f*** it was, and he was like ‘You’re in the big band son, got and get it.’
When you spot the person that is responsible for you being a musician at your album launch gig to maybe get a number 1 album, it all gets a bit emotional.
Rick, Mr. Asbury, Sir. Thank you for believing in me when nobody else did. You showed me my purpose in life.
“And I’ve never looked back, and it changed my life. So thank you, sir. Thank you so much.
“Now I’m crying again! In church!”
Since sharing the beautiful video on their social media channels, some seriously heartwarming messages have been flooding in.
One person wrote: “And this is why we love you. The honesty, and the inspiration for all of the other #ADHD kids who are and have been failed by the education system.”
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Another said: “Ah man, dusty in here isn’t it! Beautiful moment. You never forget a good teacher and they may never know the impact they can have. Mr. Asbury, well done.”
On Instagram, someone commented: “So wholesome. This is why the arts are so important in school. Some of us just don’t mesh well with maths, and that. Our paths to what we see as success in life can look so different to most, especially when neurodivergent. We need more like Mr Asbury.”
The Lottery Winners released three albums in quick succession during lockdown, with their latest release, Anxiety Replacement Therapy, racing towards the number one spot.
The Leigh-formed indie group are currently leading the charge to the top of the UK Albums Chart, ahead of heavyweights like Jessie Ware and The National.
They’re also performing a huge gig at the O2 Apollo in Manchester on 1 December, with tickets on sale now.
Featured image: The Lottery Winners
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Miles Kane announces massive European tour, with multiple big Northern gigs
Danny Jones
Miles Kane has just announced a massive UK and European tour and has listed a healthy number of Northern dates for us to enjoy.
TOP la’.
The Merseyside musician recently released his latest album, Sunlight In The Shadows, and it’s gone down a treat with fans a critics alike; you can consider our Audio North firmly in the camp, too.
His sixth studio LP to date, the record was produced by the prolific Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, and sees psychedelia rolled into classic rock and more, with plenty of the usual Miles Kane swagger that we’re looking forward to hearing live.
At 39 years old – and looking incredible for it, by the way – we constantly have to remind ourselves that the Birkenhead hero is no longer the unsung underdog that we first fell in love with, but is now arguably one of the coolest and iconic artists to come out of the North West in the past decades or so.
Confirming a dozen domestic dates, including one supporting Kasabian at Finnsbury Park in London next summer, Kane is due to play a total of 37 gigs across Britain and mainland Europe in 2026.
That being said, with a pair of sensational shows scheduled for Sheffield‘s Crookes Social Club alone (a cult favourite 500-cap venue), we’re hoping even more gigs will be added as we expect the demand for this tour to be just a huge as the run itself.
Note there is currently no Liverpool on the list…
More cause for excitement is the fact that, as well as East Yorkshire singer-songwriter Fiona-Lee joining as the tour opener, the other main support act is Villanelle, fronted by Liam Gallagher’s son Gene.
Other chosen cities up in the best end of the country include Newcastle, Leeds, Glasgow and, of course, us lot here in Manchester.
Mancs will be treated to what we guarantee will be a sell-out show at the beloved Albert Hall on Saturday, 31st January.
UK & EU Tour 2026
Sign up to the mailing list by tomorrow, Tuesday 28th 11pm GMT for pre-sale access.
Pre-sale opens Wednesday 29th 10am GMT. General on sale Friday 31st 10am GMT.
There’s nothing like a tour announcement for next year when most of the gigs are slated for the first few months, don’t you think? Suddenly, the early but dark days of 2026 don’t sound so bad.
Speaking on the new material, he said: “All roads, over 20 years, have led here. Dan and I love mixing T. Rex, Motown and The Easybeats, and the result is this record.”
“When we were chatting and sharing references, we were so similar in taste it was frightening and you can hear that shared passion through the music. I can’t wait to take it out on the road. It’s an album that needs to be played live.”
We actually had the pleasure of chatting to Miles ahead of the upcoming UK and EU tour ourselves recently, and if you already thought the Kane clothing style was the peak of chic, you’re absolutely right – keep your eyes out for when the full interview drops soon.
As for tickets to see Miles Kane on the road, fans can sign up to his mailing list by 11pm GMT this Tuesday, 28 October, for exclusive pre-sale access, which will open from 10am the following day, and you can get ready to grab general admission when they go live at the same time on Friday, 31 Oct HERE.
Featured Images – Press shots (supplied)/The Manc Group
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Gig tickets, signed merch and more up for grabs in important Headstock charity fundraiser
Daisy Jackson
Some huge music-related prizes have been announced as part of a major charity fundraising campaign for the music industry.
Headstock, a Manchester-based music and mental health social enterprise, is running a Crowdfunder campaign with prizes including tickets to huge arena shows, signed merch, and loads more.
Headstock has announced the campaign to raise funds for the support of MUSIC 85258, a 24/7 confidential text support service launched last year to support those working in the music industry.
The text support service is run in partnership with Music Minds Matter and delivered by Shout.
Headstock’s mission since its inception has been to deliver music-led solutions to tackle the growing mental health crisis, both within the music industry and beyond.
The dedicated mental health text support service has already drummed up loads of support, including being signposted back-of-house in key venues like the AO Arena, Co-op Live, and Warehouse Project.
Now, Headstock is running a fundraiser campaign to keep this vital service thriving, pulling together some major prizes across multiple prize draws.
These prizes have been donated by local Manchester bands and venues, and include VIP Parklife tickets, VIP to shows at the AO Arena and Co-op Live, season passes for WHP, and signed merch from the likes of Elbow, Courteeners and New Order.
To enter each prize draw, make a donation to the Crowdfunder – the bigger your donation, the more entries you will receive.
You can see all the prizes up for grabs and make a donation below – or you can just donate to Headstock HERE.
All the prizes in the Headstock fundraiser
Aitch – A pair of tickets to see Aitch’s headline show at Mayfield Depot + 4x signed albums – HERE
Parklife – 2x pairs of VIP tickets to Parklife 2026 – HERE
All money raised will be donated to mental health charity, Shout, who deliver MUSIC 85258 – a free, confidential and 24/7 text support service for anyone working within the music industry.
MUSIC 85258 is a de-escalation service for anyone working in the music industry who is struggling with their mental health. It is a partnership between Headstock, Music Minds Matter and Shout, with Mental Health Innovations providing the underlying service through Shout’s network of trained volunteers. To use the service, anyone that is struggling simply needs to text the word “MUSIC” to 85258 to connect with a volunteer for in-the-moment support.
Daisy Jackson -
2nd May 2023 
