Andy Burnham has slagged off Liverpool while declaring Manchester as “the capital of the coolest music on the planet”.
And can you disagree? Manchester‘s music scene is as alive and thriving as ever in 2024.
While it may seem like a slightly unnecessary hit at our North West neighbours, the bold claims about our city’s musical excellence from the Greater Manchester Mayor haven’t entirely come out of the blue, as his comments are aimed at Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram ahead of the pair going head-to-head in another charity DJ battle tonight (2 February 2024).
In case you missed it, following what was the headline-grabbing showdown between the two Northern mayors last year here in Manchester, where both ended up claiming a victory, Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram announced last month that they would be going for round two.
This time around, Rotheram has invited Burnham over to his neck of the woods, and the pair will be taking to the decks at Camp and Furnace in Liverpool city centre.
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And of course, it’s all in the name of charity too.
Andy Burnham and Steve Rotheram are going head-to-head in another charity DJ battle / Credit: Shaun Peckham
Liverpool and Greater Manchester will face off in what is being described as a “good natured music battle for a worthy cause”, with all the proceeds from the event going to local homeless charities.
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It’s not just the two mayors in action tonight either, as there’s also some local and international stars set to make an appearance too.
Rebecca Ferguson, Peter Hooton, and LFC and England footballer (and rapper) John Barnes are some of the names joining the so-called ‘home side’, while Stockport indie favourites Blossoms, former Coronation Street actress Sally Lindsay, actor and DJ Craig Charles, M-People’s Heather Small, and BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Nihal Arthanayake will be on our Andy’s team.
The two Northern mayors will face off in Liverpool at the start of next month / Credit: Supplied
Ahead of the mega showdown tonight, Burnham and Rotheram have been getting into the lighthearted pre-match spirit of firing joking insults at one another.
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Speaking to the BBC on Manchester’s chances of clinching the win ahead of the event, Mr Burnham said: “It’s going to be pretty easy for us, because obviously, Steve Rotheram has only got one band, whereas we’ve got a wealth of talent, and a wealth of musical riches to choose from.”
He then went on to claim that Liverpool is “the home of cheesy music”, in reference to its hosting of the Eurovision Song Contest last year, whereas Manchester is “the global capital of the coolest music on the planet”.
Of course, Rotheram hit back, and said the statistics were on Liverpool’s side.
The DJ battle will be streamed live online from 7pm tonight / Credit: Shaun Peckham
“Liverpool’s bands and artists have produced more number ones than Manchester’s,” he claimed. “We have had more weeks in the charts, more global fame, and we’re a Unesco World City of Music. We’ve had many decades of chart success in comparison with ‘Madchester’, we beat Manchester to hosting Eurovision, and – and this is a big ‘and’ – we produced the greatest band ever to walk the earth.”
The Manchester v Liverpool Mayors DJ Battle is happening over in Liverpool tonight from 7pm, and is also being streamed live for anyone unable to make it down.
You can tune in to watch the pair live in action on The Manc’s Facebook page here.
Featured Image – Shaun Peckham
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Blossoms to play special ‘intimate’ 10th anniversary gig at The Deaf Institute, Manchester
Danny Jones
Local indie and alternative lads Blossoms have announced a special one-off anniversary show at none other than The Deaf Institute right here in Manchester.
Coming to the iconic small-cap venue this summer, the Stockport band will be marking the 10th birthday of their self-titled debut album by playing one of the smallest gig spaces in the centre, but one that was a massive milestone for them back in the day.
Now a full decade on from the breakout LP, released on 5 August 2026, Blossoms will be rolling back the years by playing the biggest hits from the record, along with a selection from the many other bangers that they’ve gone on to release since.
This is going to be one very special night for the SK natives.
We’re playing an intimate gig at The Deaf Institute on Weds 5th August to celebrate 10 years of our debut album! We’re going to record the show & release it as a special edition double CD of our new album. Pre-order it now for exclusive pre-sale access. https://t.co/ztAkh95RWspic.twitter.com/kuZNnJJBok
Blossoms have never shied away from championing their Stopfordian roots, but neither have they forgotten the city that helped establish them as one of the biggest bands in Britain.
For instance, this upcoming Deaf Institute show – which promises to be a much more intimate show than they’re used to doing these days – comes not even two years on from the mini Manc residency, when they played five nights here in Manchester over the course of a single week.
As we come up to the sixth studio project, Songs From The Wedding Cake, and already have two singles from the next release, we have no shame in admitting we still listen to those first tracks as much as ever.
With that in mind, it’ll be a surreal full circle for everyone, we’re sure, when Tom, Chaz, Myles, Josh and Joe take the stage in that hallowed hometown room with a capacity of just 250 next month; they’re even playing it EXACTLY 10 years on the precise date that maiden outing dropped: 5 August 2026.
Combine this with them pulling stunts like playing people’s weddings and popping up with a surprise set from inside a van outside 42s nightclub on Deansgate, and it’s hard to think of an artist nailing it as well as Blossoms are right now.
Fans can enjoy exclusive early access by pre-ordering the new Blossoms album on their website, and those who have already done so qualify for presale automatically – just keep an eye out for the code in your email inbox.
This limited window will open from 9:30am this Thursday, 30 July, with general admission tickets for their return to Deaf Institute going live at the same time the following Friday (31 July).
Oh, and in case you somehow missed it, they’re also set to play their biggest ever arena shows across the UK later this year, including a huge gig at Co-op Live. Find out all the info down below.
Luke Littler is challenging amateurs to beat him at darts as part of a live Netflix event
Danny Jones
In an unprecedented new sports event in the world of streaming, North West sports star Luke Little is offering people the chance to try and win a game of darts against him live on Netflix.
Best of all, he and the entertainment platform have put up a huge grand prize for anyone who can beat the Warrington wonder.
So, for any of you who fancy yourselves as Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor reincarnated when stepping up to the oche down at the local, or if you’re simply bold enough to throw your name in the hat, you’ll want to pay attention for this one…
Announcing the special one-off sporting event on Netflix later this year, Luke Littler has issued the call-out to see if anyone can best him in a game of 501 in front of millions watching at home.
Quite literally the opportunity of a lifetime for fans of the arrows, this exclusive livestream is like nothing that the media giants have done before.
Having dipped their toes into the likes of live boxing fights over the past few years, they’ve definitely got a few live events under their belt, but this exciting and crucially interactive series of matches feels like something genuinely new for Netflix.
Most notably of all, using the name of the popular darts game played not only live on telly at competitions throughout the year but also at countless pubs across the country to set the prize fee, a prospective winner could potentially win £501k this autumn.
Imagine: half a million pounds for one (admittedly very tough) game of darts.
The only major caveat aside from, you know, him being an absolute phenom and already a serial winner is he also happens to be in the form of his life – his words and virtually everyone else’s.
"This is the best version of myself… I'm playing SO WELL!"
Luke Littler listens to some of the records he's broken in his ridiculous World Matchplay campaign 🤯 pic.twitter.com/EVQSrHxSHf
Having smashed Gerwyn Price to defend his World Matchplay Darts title on Sunday evening, cruising to an 18-9 victory with so many 100+ visits and finishes that he broke the tournament’s record average, which has stood since 2010, anyone who does come up against him is currently praying for a miracle.
Price himself told Sky Sports that the youngster’s performance looked ‘effortless’, quipping, “I hope there’s nobody else like him coming through!”
Still only 19, the local lad is the toughest of tasks for even the best on the pro circuit, but if you still somehow fancy your chances, heats will be taking place in Manchester and London, where the top 20 players will get their shot at the man himself on Friday, 30 October.
You can find out all the important information and sign up right HERE.
For now, why not see just how good Littler is playing at the minute and watch back his highlights from a record-breaking final this weekend?
Not that he’s ever truly cooled off, but he really is on fire at the minute.
Emily Sergeant -
2nd February 2024 
