Legendary Salford poet and musician Dr John Cooper Clarke has been awarded the freedom of his home city.
With a stellar and multi-award-winning career spanning nearly four decades, and after firmly cementing his place as a true local legend within Greater Manchester culture, it was only right that the 74-year-old Salfordian be given the prestigious honour of the Freedom of the City of Salford.
Cooper Clarke has been chosen for the honour in recognition of “his contributions to the world of poetry” and for his “unwavering commitment to the arts”.
If you’re unfamiliar with his work, Cooper Clarke was born in Salford and grew up in the Higher Broughton area, where he became interested in poetry after being inspired by his English teacher, and eventually went on to become an affectionately-named ‘punk poet’ in the late 1970s.
Legendary Salford poet John Cooper Clarke awarded freedom of his home city / Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Since then, he has toured with major musical artists throughout his career – including Sex Pistols, The Fall, Joy Division, and New Order – and has undoubtedly captivated audiences worldwide with his distinct vocal style, wit, and social commentary.
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Sir Paul McCartney, Peter Hook, and Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys – who notably covered one of his most famous pieces, I Wanna Be Yours, on their 2013 album AM – are just some of the famous names Cooper Clarke is able to name as fans and admirers of his work.
Great day today as we proudly honoured Salford born punk poet and all round legend Dr John Cooper Clarke @official_jcc with the Freedom of the City of Salford. A well deserved accolade for a man who truly embodies the #SpiritofSalford. pic.twitter.com/HxdC5TzKqY
— Salford City Council (@SalfordCouncil) July 19, 2023
Cooper Clarke was presented with the honour of the Freedom of the city of Salford during a meeting with Ceremonial Mayor of Salford, Cllr Gina Reynolds, and other members of Salford City Council yesterday (19 July) in the council chamber.
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It was also attended by local councillors and officers, and of course, Cooper Clarke’s friends and family.
The legendary poet described his latest honour as “wonderful”, adding in his acceptance speech: “I’ve circumnavigated the globe 10, count em 10 times, reciting poetry all the way and coming back here to my home town of Salford is always a treat…
“But this one, wow – thank you everyone.”
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He was chosen for the honour in recognition of his contributions to the world of poetry / Credit: Salford City Council
Ceremonial Mayor Gina Reynolds described Cooper Clarke as “an icon not only in Salford but throughout the country”.
She added: “His remarkable literary contributions, infused with his unique Salfordian charm, have made a lasting impact on the world of poetry and beyond [and] he has inspired countless artists, musicians and writers with his incredible talent and has given a voice to the working-class spirit within his verses.
“John’s words have inspired us, challenged us and been a motivator for change.”
Cooper Clarke joins an impressive notable figures who have been honoured with Freedom of the City of Salford for their “outstanding achievements and contributions to society” – including Nelson Mandela, Harold Riley, LS Lowry, and Alan Henning.
Featured Image – Salford City Council
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Harry Styles announced as latest performer at the 2026 BRIT Awards
Danny Jones
Yes, in what is set to be his Co-op Live debut (yes, the venue he’s literally invested in), Harry Styles has been confirmed as the latest blockbuster performer at this year’s BRITs.
The lineup for the 2026 BRIT Awards was already pretty stacked, but this just takes the cake.
Not long after FINALLY announcing his fourth album, Kiss All the Time. Disco, Occasionally and releasing the new lead single, ‘Aperture’, the Cheshire-born singer-songwriter is coming to the Co-op Live arena for the very first time as part of the ceremony’s live music lineup.
Absolute scenes. Screaming, crying, throwing up.
we've got news… Harry's coming home 💋🪩@Harry_Styles will be making his live TV performance debut of music from his new album 'Kiss All The Time. Disco, Occasionally.' at The BRIT Awards 2026
Watch the performance live Saturday 28th February on ITV1 & ITVX in the UK and on… pic.twitter.com/Aax3lV03xM
The 31-year-old former One Direction member turned solo artist and global megastar recently revealed a raft of live shows this coming May (and there’s been plenty of discussion surrounding ticket prices), but he’s sadly overlooked Manchester for now.
However, anyone who already secured a seat at the first-ever BRITs here in Manchester will no doubt be doing cartwheels now following the announcement.
As if that wasn’t a mega enough name, he will be joining the likes of the wonderful, already award-winning and fellow multi-time nominee, Olivia Dean.
As quite literally two of the biggest musicians on the planet right now, we couldn’t pick a better roster if we dreamed it up ourselves.
Speaking of Ms Dean, she is also one of several acts confirmed to be playing a series of intimate acts across the country – and her’s is right here in Manchester.
You can see the full lineup of gigs HERE – all we’ll say is that there’s some seriously big hitters playing very small capacity venues on this list.
What a great few weeks for music, eh?
Taking place on Sunday, 28 February, public tickets for the show unfortunately sold out some time ago for what will also be his first-ever live musical TV performance.
Perhaps his booking is at least partly why we haven’t got a standalone Harry Styles Manchester gig on the ‘Together, Together’ tour, but we’re still keeping everything crossed that he’ll announce a second leg of shows here in the UK.
You’d think he’d fancy properly headlining the gaff he helped pay for, or maybe a return to the Etihad Stadium across the way, right?
Find the complete shortlist of nominees, as well as the rest of the live music lineup for the 2026 BRITs ceremony here in Manchester, down below; and if you see on screen trying to clutch at Harry’s ankles, we’re sure you’ll understand…
Featured Images — Leticia Moraes (via Flickr)/Press shots (supplied)
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Sounds From The Other City releases 2026 lineup with 100+ acts playing on 17 stages across Salford
Emily Sergeant
More than 100 exciting artists are set to perform on 17 stages dotted across Salford this spring.
In case you hadn’t heard, 2026 is the year Salford is celebrating 100 years since it was first declared its own city, and to celebrate such a monumental occasion, the popular Sounds From The Other City (SFTOC) festival has now released its full lineup ahead of its return on the early May Bank Holiday weekend.
Salford’s long-running independent festival of new music is known for its genre-spanning showcase of new artists from across the UK and beyond.
This year’s festival is curated by some of the most exciting promoters, record labels, radio stations, magazines, and tastemakers in the North.
Music lovers will get the chance to see artists in a wide range of independent venues and unconventional spaces across the city – with 17 stages around Chapel Street and The Crescent, from pubs and churches, to concert halls and galleries.
Artists announced today include the uncategorisable masked provocateur Lynks, South African ‘future ghetto funk’ trailblazer Moonchild Sanelly, Manchester-based artist jasmine.4.t, who has recently been named BBC 6 Music Artist of the Year 2025.
Other artists to look out for include Grey Lantern, FaT OuT, ambient pop artist Pollyfromthedirt, genre-straddling South London six-piece, Blue Bendy, South London trio ashnymph, and Manchester quartet Pyncher.
The Sounds From The Other City festival has released its 2026 lineup / Credit: Breige Cobane (Supplied)
One of the undeniable highlights of the lineup is that the spiritual home of the festival, Islington Mill, will be programmed day and night by the legendary Band on the Wall, multi-award-winning Reform Radio, Manchester’s infamous queer day-rave BENT, and the LGBTQ+ POC collective Swagga, with performances from Sorvina, Renee Stormz, and Chimpo.
“This year, we’re shining a spotlight on Salford’s independent venues and the selectors in the North who shape our programme,” commented Emma Thompson, Co-Director of From The Other, as the lineup was announced this week.
“Giving these organisations the space to showcase the artists they champion is vital, not just for discovering emerging talent, but to recognise how important these spaces are for our scene.”
Sounds From The Other City 2026 takes place on Sunday 3 May, and tickets go on sale this week – with Early Bird ticket access available to mailing list subscribers from tomorrow (Thursday 29 January) and the remaining tickets going on general sale from Friday 30 January.
Prices remain unchanged from 2025 with tiers at £30/35/40/45, and you can get tickets when they go live here.
Emily Sergeant -
20th July 2023 
