If you happened to be at The Castle Hotel pub in the Northern Quarter on Tuesday evening, you’ll likely have been counting your lucky stars when you saw The Lottery Winners wander for a little surprise set.
The indie-rock four-piece from Leigh, Wigan, are playing Kendal Calling again this year and they decided to head over to an NQ favourite to make a special announcement.
As it turns out, not only will they be playing the popular Lake District festival but after revealing that frontman Tom Rylance will be serving as the pub landlord for their brand-new on-site boozer, ‘The Stagger Inn’ (very, very good), they also decided to treat some Mancs to a little post-work treat.
Sneaking in through the back door, The Lottery Winners appeared behind the bar and began pouring a few pints for the local punters before kicking off a surprise pub quiz and getting out the acoustic guitar for a quick little ditty.
Finally, we were actually in the right place for once.
ADVERTISEMENT
As you can see, the fun didn’t stop there; the pub quiz wasn’t just for a laugh (although we did have fun even from all the way at the bottom of the leaderboard), it was actually to win VIP passes to Kendal Calling this August and after ending in a tie-break, it all came done to ultimate decider: necking a pint.
We might have fancied our chances if we made it this far but, alas, twas not to be and the winning team proudly collected their well-earned prize.
ADVERTISEMENT
But once again, they still had another surprise up their sleeve, as Tom then revealed to the other two finalist that they would also be getting tickets to Kendal 2024.
We can’t wait for this year’s festival – it’s genuinely become one of our favourite festival full stop and the prospect of quite literally falling through the door of The Stagger Inn to be served by Tom Rylance is top funny an opportunity to pass up.
ADVERTISEMENT
There are still tickets left is you’ve never been before and fancy giving a go, and trust us, you won’t regret it one bit.
You can see the full lineup for Kendal Calling 2024 down below:
Grammy-winning disco legend Purple Disco Machine is heading to Manchester for a huge gig
Daisy Jackson
Legendary German nu-disco and house producer Purple Disco Machine has a huge Manchester gig on the horizon, hot off the back of the release of his Paradise album.
The Grammy Award-winning artist’s latest release is packed with collaborations from some of the biggest names in music, including Nile Rodgers, Metronomy, Jake Shears, Duke Dumont, Sophie and the Giants, Nothing But Thieves and more.
And now he’s bringing his unforgettable disco vibes to a dance floor on our home turf, with a massive gig lined up at O2 Victoria Warehouse.
Set to take place on Friday 7 March, Purple Disco Machine will promise an incredible night of sizzling dance and house music, with support from Dan Shake, Oden & Fatzo Live!, and Urbi.
His irresistible sound includes hits like Hypnotised, Dished (Male Stripper) and, never one to miss a trend, an addictive remix of I’m Just Ken from the Barbie soundtrack.
His other remixes have included tracks for Dua Lipa, Sir Elton John, Mark Ronson, Calvin Harris, Fatboy Slim and Britney Spears.
And of course there’s that Grammy win for his remix of Lizzo’s About Damn Time.
On Paradise, he’s released tonnes more addictive disco beats, notably Substitution with Julian Perretta, and Honey Boy with Nile Rodgers.
And live, Purple Disco Machine has cut his teeth on the British festival circuit, including recently joining Fisher at his headline Gunnersbury Park show in London.
Now a multi-platinum-selling artist, with more than two billion streams worldwide, the Paradise tour is set to take Manchester by storm.
Purple Disco Machine will be at the O2 Victoria Warehouse in Manchester on Friday 7 March – you can get tickets HERE.
A club night dedicated to the emo anthems of your youth is heading to Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Manchester, prepare to dust off your stompers and dig out your fingerless gloves, and get ready to party to the biggest emo anthems into the early hours.
A club night dedicated to 00s Emo Anthems is heading back to one of the city’s most iconic venues this spring.
Black Parade will be taking over the O2 Ritz Manchester for a night of pure noughties punk, running all the way from 9pm until 1am.
That’s four hours packed with party anthems from the likes of My Chemical Romance, Paramore, Fall Out Boy, Blink-182 and loads more.
On Friday 11 April, Black Parade will promise a playlist that’s filled with hits from the biggest names in emo.
That list also includes Taking Back Sunday, Bring Me The Horizon, Panic! At The Disco, The Used, All American Rejects, Jimmy Eat World, Linkin Park, Enter Shikari, You Me At Six, Pierce The Veil and loads more.
Black Parade has been running for eight years in venues all over the UK, even featuring at the mighty Download Festival for all that time, taking the prime spot in The Doghouse.
Black Parade, a club night dedicated to 00s emo music, is heading back to Manchester
And now it’s Manchester’s turn to rock out like it’s 2005 again.
I can’t be the only one who still remembers all the words to I Write Sins Not Tragedies, surely…
If you spent your teenage years sleeping beneath a poster of Gerard Way and scouring the shops for that perfect checkerboard belt for your skinny jeans, or if you just developed a love for this elite genre of music at any stage of life, this is the club night for you.
Maybe just step away from the boxed black hair dye this time around…
Black Parade – 00s Emo Anthems will take place at the O2 Ritz Manchester on Friday 11 April, from 9pm to 1am.
Danny Jones -
10th July 2024 
