News

Manchester drag artist addresses Tories being ‘thrown out’ of Gay Village bar

Their stories do not match up.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 3rd October 2023

A Manchester drag artist has addressed a news story which claimed Tories had been ‘thrown out’ of the New Union Hotel, a bar in the Gay Village.

Albie Amankona, an LGBT+ Conservatives board member, told GB News that a group of Conservative members were asked to leave the establishment on Princess Street.

The Conservative Party are in town this week for the Conservative Party Conference, which has seen huge barriers put up around Manchester Central.

And according to Mr Amankona, their post-conference celebrations took a turn after they were ‘thrown out’ of the beloved Gay Village bar.

He added: “A drag act was on making rude and derogatory comments about Conservatives and Suella Braverman, making them feel very uncomfortable.”

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He also reported that ‘some of the other patrons in this venue were being rude, aggressive and unkind’.

Another party member stated: “I was one of the people thrown out of this bar – for no other reason than being a @Conservatives. I’m a proud gay man and a proud Conservative. No one should be treated like this @LGBTCons.”

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But now a drag artist who frequents the stage of the New Union has clapped back at GB News for ‘broadcasting a story filled with lies and damaging allegations’.

According to Lara Stoned, the allegedly ‘unkind’ actions were some patrons ‘chanting “Trans Rights”.’

They also said that the group of Tories ‘threw an object’ at a New Union staff member.

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Lara Stoned posted on X, formerly known as Twitter: “@GBNEWS How DARE you broadcast a story filled with lies and damaging allegations towards the community within Manchester.

“Don’t you realise those kind of remarks HINDER and THREATEN the livelihood of self employed queer performers and queer venues. Shame on you.”

They added: “They were in fact politely asked to leave when they arrived, but then continued to be disrespectful, aggressive and dangerous to the staff AND customers of the establishment. Anyone who challenges the rights of my community is not welcome in my home.”

And Manchester’s New Union Hotel has received a flurry of support from people since the alleged incident took place.

One person posted: “Yes Manchester!! More of this please. The New Union has always been a good pub. Respect.”

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Another wrote: “Nice to hear it confirmed that the New Union is a Tory-free space, feel free to pay them a visit guys.”

Someone else said: “I will buy the drag queen, the 4 security guards and the New Union staff a drink next time I’m there.”

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Featured image: The Manc Group

News

The UK looks set for a ’30°C heatwave’ this summer, according to weather expert

Danny Jones Danny Jones UK set for 30C heatwave this summer

It’s been a bit of an up-and-down spring but the warm weather is finally starting to arrive here in Manchester, with temperatures reaching up to 21°C this week and the summery vibes only set to increase over the next month or so as meteorologists are predicting a 30°C heatwave soon enough.

March onwards has been a pure mix of blustery winds, grey skies and flashes of rainfall, with just a few glimpses of sun peeking through and the thermometer has still been struggling to get into double digits – until now anyway.

As we leave April behind, the forecast across the UK is looking a lot brighter and according to the likes of the Met Office, those numbers are going to keep creeping as we head deeper into the month.

In fact, some experts are predicting that Britain could be set for a heatwave with temperatures of 30°C and over in just over a month’s time. It better bloody hurry up, put it that way.

@the.manc What this week’s Manchester weather has been like in a nutshell 🤣 #manchester #weather #viral #trending #april @Tilly Young ♬ original sound – skdjhebe

According to Jim Dale, Senior Meteorologist at British Weather Services, while much of May will be a bit of a mixed bag, “towards the latter stage and into June and July… we will see climbing temperatures well into the 30s in the prone areas.”

As reported by Birmingham Live, while Dale didn’t detail the kind of heat Manchester can expect, specifically, the indication is that the region is beginning to dry and the country as a whole is now heading “in the right direction”.

Although it likely won’t be until the very tail end of May that we start to see the summer as we know rolling in, the trends around the continent are suggesting positive signs, adding that “a lot of Europe is getting the scorching hot temperatures” of late.

The Met Office’s Tom Morgan also warned The Guardian that we get anything close to a heatwave this month, so we’ll have to be patient and wait for the turn come June time, especially up North.

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While we did enjoy a heatwave in September of last year, hitting a top end of 33.5°C, the chances of the country challenging the most recent temperature record sat back in 2022 (40.3°C in July 2023) are still looking slim.

April has been described as a “month of two halves” overall and let’s just say we’re looking forward to a strong showing this May.

Where in Greater Manchester are you most looking forward to heading when summer finally arrives?

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

Featured Images — The Manc Group/Dunk (via Flickr)

News

Co-op Live assures fans arena WILL open this week in time for Olivia Rodrigo and other gigs

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Co-op Live WILL open this week, it has assured fans. Credit: The Manc Group

Manchester’s huge new arena the Co-op Live has assured fans that it will definitely, actually, for sure open this week.

The staggering new music venue beside the Etihad Stadium has been hit by a couple of high-profile delays in the last fortnight.

Although a test event with Rick Astley went ahead on 21 April, giving a small audience a glimpse inside the state-of-the-art arena, the brakes were slammed on soon afterwards.

Co-op Live pushed its opening date back while it ironed out some kinks, namely ‘power supply issues’, and underwent rigorous testing to ‘run all shows safely’.

That meant Peter Kay was rescheduled to 29 and 30 April… but then got postponed again, along with The Black Keys, who were meant to perform last weekend.

All the delays have left fans panicking that their shows will also be delayed, with some huge shows like Olivia Rodrigo, Take That, and Liam Gallagher lined up in the coming weeks and months.

But Co-op Live has now issued a statement reassuring gig-goers that they are full steam ahead and ready to open as planned this week.

The first act to perform here officially will now be A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie on 1 May (not quite as local a name as they were gunning for, but we move).

He’ll be followed by Olivia Rodrigo and her Guts Tour, who will perform two sold-out gigs on 3 and 4 May.

Olivia Rodrigo has announced a Manchester gig at Co-op Live
Olivia Rodrigo has announced a Manchester gig at Co-op Live. Credit: Nick Walker
Keane 20th anniversary Hopes and Fears world tour Manchester tickets
Keane – Photography by ALEX LAKE insta @twoshortdays WWW.TWOSHORTDAYS.COM
Olivia Rodrigo and Keane will both play Co-op Live in Manchester this week when it finally opens

Then Keane will play the Co-op Live on 5 May to mark 20 years since the release of Hopes and Fears.

Co-op Live posted: “Let’s do this! Less than 48 hours until we kick off our full opening season.

“Our scheduled shows with @aboogievsartist, @oliviarodrigo and @keaneofficial are going ahead.

“Ticket holders can expect an email with everything they need to know about this week’s events to land in your inboxes tomorrow!”

Fans have breathed a sigh of relief at the news, with one person writing: “YAY THANK GOD OMG THIS IS AMAZING WAS LITERALLY HAVJNG A MENTAL BREAKDOWN BOUT OLIVIA BEING CANCELLED.”

Another commented: “THANK GOD!!! 4th mayyyy.”

Someone else posted: “IM SO HAPPY AHHHHHH I’VE BEEN NERVOUS ALL WEEK BUT NOW I KNOW ITS GONNA BE FINE AHHH.”

Olivia Rodrigo fans are BIG believers in an all-caps comment, clearly.

Co-op Live will open in Manchester on Wednesday 1 May.

It’s going to be worth the wait, we’re pretty sure…

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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