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Liam Gallagher is making ‘surprise’ announcements on Manchester trams this week

Sod an Oasis reunion, let's make Liam the voice of the Metrolink on a permanent basis.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 11th October 2023

Music legend Liam Gallagher is making the launch of the new Bee Network that much better by surprising Mancs with a series of special announcements on Metrolink trams this week.

The former Oasis frontman has teamed up with Transport for Greater Manchester and the Bee Network to be the voice of the Eccles tram line for the entire week as commuters travel in and out of Manchester city centre to make their journeys more entertaining.

Acting as the announcer on the pink line from Eccles all the way to Ashton-under-Lyne via Salford Quays and Media City UK from Wednesday until Sunday, 15 October, the iconic Manc musicians will be updating passengers on which stops they’re arriving at plenty more.

And, of course, in true LG fashion, the youngest Gallagher brother has made his voiceover revolve exactly what you’d expect: him being effortlessly funny, as laid-back as you can imagine and bigging up his beloved treble-winners, Manchester City. Here’s a taster.

Here is just one of multiple Liam Gallagher’s tram announcements.

Also set up as part of the celebrations for Beyond the Music, a brand-new Manc music festival and conference taking place until Saturday, 14 October, aiming to spotlight new music and grassroots venues, they managed to get one of the biggest names in the business to lend his pipes for the week.

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Teasing the surprise announcements in a statement earlier this week, a spokesperson for Liam Gallagher said: “Liam’s doing his bit to get behind the festival and encourage people to get into the city and support new up-and-coming talent.  

“When the request was first made by Bee Network champion Andy Burnham, Liam loved the idea of surprising tram users by doing the announcements and he was given the chance to choose his favourite line. You’ll have to get onto a tram into the city to find out which it is!”

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We can now confirm that it is indeed the Eccles line, so if you’re heading that way or simply fancy a fun journey narrated by one of Manchester’s musical heroes, tap on to the tram sometime this week — just make sure to tap off!

Can he do this all year round, please?

Greater Manchester Mayor Burnham said it was “truly wonderful” to see the inaugural Beyond the Music finally taking place with such a strong line-up in venues across the city.

The founding member of the Beyond the Music co-operative, alongside Manchester City Council, CityCo and the city centre BIDs, AO Arena, Coop Live and Factory International, added: “We are supporting it all the way and are confident that it will become a fixture in the city’s calendar.

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“True to Manchester’s traditions, Beyond The Music is a cooperative endeavour which aims to give all players in the music industry an equal voice and equal say on the change it needs. By doing that, our aim is to strengthen one of Manchester’s, and Britain’s, most important exports.

“There surely can’t be any better way of marking the launch of the Bee Network and the first Beyond The Music than getting one of Manchester’s most famous voices announcing the stops on his favourite Metrolink line.

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“It means a lot to us that Liam has agreed to do this and show his support for his home city”, he continued. “Supporting our music venues and giving people cheaper and better public transport to and from our gigs is what we’re all about. 

“I am sure that Liam’s dulcet tones will wake up a few early-morning commuters, brighten up many a journey and produce a lot of smiles along the way.”

More than 100 artists will be performing at 17 different grassroots venues across the city for the inaugural Beyond The Music fest, and punters are being urged to make the most of the new Bee Network system to travel around the city to both enjoy and support Manchester’s incredible music heritage.

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You can find out more about Beyond The Music festival, including a select number of free live sets that you can enjoy around Manchester city centre down below:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Image — Wikimedia Commons

News

Deliveroo is set for a multi-billion dollar buyout from a takeaway rival

Danny Jones Danny Jones Deliveroo DoorDarsh takeover buyout

UK takeaway service Deliveroo is set for a massive takeover by a fellow delivery business rival, said to be worth several billion.

The British multinational is known nationwide, occupying one of the biggest market shares alongside competitors Just Eat and Uber Eats, but now the takeaway delivery service is set to be swallowed up by an even bigger brand based in the US.

As reported on Tuesday, 6 May, American delivery firm DoorDash – the biggest of its kind in the States – looks set to complete an estimated £2.9 billion buyout, which will see Deliveroo folded into their growing global portfolio.

This massive deal will see the company’s presence in more than 40 countries further consolidated, already serving somewhere in the region of 50 million customers every month.

According to the likes of Reuters, Bloomberg and BBC, DoorDash is offering 180p per share, which is a 44% increase on Deliveroo’s share price from the point when initial takeover talks were made public in April 2025.

Speaking in a joint statement on the impending buyout, the two firms said: “The combination with Deliveroo will strengthen DoorDash’s position as a leading global platform in local commerce.”

Founded by chief executive Will Shu back in 2013, Deliveroo is now considered one of the big three in the food delivery industry’s UK scene, but is set to get much bigger under the DoorDash umbrella.

As for DoorDash, CEO and co-founder Tony Xu went on to add: “Coming together with teams that have similar visions and values accelerates our work to achieve that mission. Deliveroo is just such a team and one that I have long admired.

“Like DoorDash, Deliveroo is obsessively focused on their customers – consumers, merchants, and riders. They work day in and day out to improve their consumer value proposition, bring new services to local businesses, and offer flexibility and support to riders.”

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This isn’t the only big move they’ve made even just this week; in fact, the giant not only purchased Deliveroo but also New York’s restaurant technology company, SevenRooms Inc., which means they have forked out over $5bn in roughly five hours.

Put simply, this seriously big business and even bigger money that could make a big impact on UK hospitality and culinary convenience.

Obviously, full ratification via the SEC and so on is yet to be announced, but it looks like pretty much a done deal already.

So yeah, be prepared to see the name DoorDash being advertised up and down the country a lot more moving forward.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — @shopblocks/Focal Foto (via Flickr)

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Two ‘quick-thinking’ GMP officers praised for saving baby’s life after suffering epileptic seizure

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant

Two ‘quick-thinking’ police officers have been praised for saving baby’s life after they suffering epileptic seizure.

After PCs Harry Moore and Alexandra Higginson were called to reports of a concern for welfare at an address in the Gorton area of Manchester, they managed to save the life of an eight-month-old baby who had suffered a seizure.

The two Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers recounted the events as they unfolded.

“When we entered the street, the baby’s father was already running towards us with the baby in his arms,” explained PC Moore.

“The baby was unconscious at the time with a very irregular breathing pattern, so I immediately took the child from the father and started performing CPR. Whilst performing CPR, I had to give the recovery breaths into the baby’s nose because he had a locked jaw, which I now realise was because of the seizure.”

The ambulance came roughly five minutes after police arrived on the scene.

After paramedics arrived, they took the baby into the ambulance, where he then proceeded had another seizure, but not long after, he started crying loudly which meant he was back to breathing again.

“I told the father, who was just outside the ambulance at the time, and he was so relieved and gave me a hug,” PC Moore continued. “This is a moment I will never forget.”

PC Moore also praised his colleague PC Higginson, adding: “I can’t state enough how much of a team effort this job was. My colleague did an absolutely fantastic job of passing important information along as appropriate and we worked together as a team.

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“Alex travelled to hospital in the ambulance with the mother and baby and I followed separately. Alex constantly relayed vital information and got the details of all parties involved, which was really helpful.

“We hope the baby and family they are all doing well and that the baby is happy and recovering.”

Featured Image – GMP

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