Harry Styles has beaten Beyoncé, Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and more to clinch the coveted Album of the Year win at the 2023 GRAMMYs.
On what was a record-breaking night for the US Recording Academy and in the music world as a whole, Cheshire‘s finest Harry Styles claimed the somewhat shocking win for Album of the Year – which is largely-considered to be the biggest award of the night – at the 65th GRAMMY Awards, and he fought off some tough competition for the trophy.
Beyoncé, Adele, Kendrick Lamar, and Lizzo were just some of the heavy-hitting names that the local lad beat out to take home to beat the title.
The former One Direction member won for his 2022 smash-hit third solo album Harry’s House.
The 29-year-old called making the album the “greatest experience” of his life.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’ve been so, so inspired by every artist in this category with me at a lot of different times in my life,” Styles gushed as he accepted the award on stage alongside the album’s producers, “I think, like on nights like tonight, it’s obviously so important for us to remember that there is no such thing as best in music.”
Styles added: “This doesn’t happen to people like me very often and this is so, so nice.”
ADVERTISEMENT
The coveted Album of the Year title isn’t the only award Styles took home from last night’s ceremony, as the the celebrated singer and actor also won Best Pop Vocal Album too.
Styles was just one of several Brits who won big last night.
Singing superstar Adele took home the Best Pop Solo Performance trophy to add to her ever-growing GRAMMYs collection, while previous multi-award winner Sam Smith took home the Best Pop Duo Performance for the song Unholy, alongside Kim Petras – who became the first transgender woman to win the award.
ADVERTISEMENT
Isle of Wight indie rock duo Wet Leg took home both Best Alternative Album for their self-titled album and Best Alternative Music Performance for the smash-hit single Chaise Longue after their breakout year in 2022.
Ozzy Osbourne also clinched the win for Best Rock Album.
Harry Styles wins Album of the Year at the 2023 GRAMMYs / Credit: GRAMMYs (via Twitter)
Aside from Brits, Beyoncé became the most decorated GRAMMY award winner of all time after claiming multiple trophies, Kendrick Lamar also took home several, Taylor Swift won Best Music Video, and Lizzo, Steve Lacy, and Willie Nelson all won big, while jazz singer Samara Joy saw off competition to be crowned Best New Artist.
One of the most surprising wins of the night, though, came as for 73-year-old blues singer Bonnie Raitt beat the likes of Adele, Beyonce, Styles, Lizzo, and Taylor Swift to win the award for Song of the Year for her single Just Like That.
This Manchester hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package for pets to help keep them calm
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most luxurious hotels is transforming into the ultimate pet refuge again over the firework season.
Bonfire Night is loved across the UK for the spectacular firework displays and all the festive-themed activities that go along with it, but the November annual event isn’t so fun for our four-legged friends, as fireworks can be frightening to pets due to loud bangs, flashing lights, and the unpleasant strong smell of spent explosives.
With multiple bangs occurring from numerous displays too, pets are rarely able to pinpoint where the booming explosions are coming from, only making it more terrifying for them.
This is why, after becoming a huge success following its launch last year, Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in the heart of the city centre has brought back its special ‘Bonfire Night Escape’ escape package, turning the already pet-friendly hotel into a firework-free sanctuary.
The hotel‘s year-round ‘PAWfect Stay’ package includes any dog staying at no extra cost, plus a pet tuckbox, a guide to the best dog-friendly places in the city, and a toy waiting for them in the room, but this fireworks season, pet owners will also get a luxury hamper including Pet Remedy’s ‘Party Season Survival Kit’
The kit comes together with a range of fast-acting products to help immediately in stressful situations such as fireworks, and includes calming spray, a plug diffuser, and some calming wipes too.
On top of that, dog owners can also take advantage of the hotel’s Music Concierge service, which allows guests to request a record player and vinyls to be placed in the room ahead of check in – with lots of classical and relaxing music records available to distract anxious pets from the noise of Bonfire Night celebrations.
Kimpton Clocktower Hotel has a Bonfire Night ‘escape’ package to help keep pets calm / Credit: Elisha Terada (via Unsplash)
The award-winning The Refuge Bar and Restaurant inside the hotel also offers a menu of carefully-curated dog treats throughout the week, as well as doggy Sunday roasts all Sunday.
David Lockhart, who is the General Manager at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, said he likes to think of the hotel as a “home-away-from-home for our guests”.
“Our top priority is making sure everyone is feeling safe and comfortable,” he added. “We can’t wait to welcome our November guests and help them care for their four-legged family members, giving them everything they need.”
The Bonfire Night Escape package at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel is available to book from Friday 1 November, subject to availability, and you can request the package via the hotel concierge or by emailing [email protected] to book.
Scissor Sisters confirm reunion after more than a decade ahead of massive Manchester gig
Danny Jones
Still a firm cult favourite from the 2000s, Scissor Sisters are officially back and are bringing a special reunion tour to Manchester and the UK and Ireland at large.
The American outfit were one of the biggest and most well-known pop groups on this side of the Atlantic during their heyday, notching three BRIT Awards and two number-one albums.
Starting out in New York, like many bands in an oversaturated music market, they ended up proving to be much more popular here in Britain than they ever did in the US, not to mention becoming real icons among the LGBTQ+ community.
And now, over a decade later, the Scissor Sisters are set to repay the likes of Manchester, Leeds, London and more with a series of comeback shows, including one at Co-op Live arena – a gig which the venue has already teased earlier this week.
Confirming the reunion on social media on Thursday, 10 October, the band said: “Exciting news, for the first time in over a decade, we will come together again, live next May across the UK and Ireland.
“And for the first time ever, our debut album Scissor Sisters will be performed in full in celebration of its 20th anniversary – alongside all the other Scissor hits from along the way… See you very soon. Jake, Babydaddy, Del.”
Long-time fans were quick to notice that there was no mention of fellow founding member Ana Matronic nor former drummer Randy Real; the band themselves told BBC that the current lineup following their indefinite hiatus is by no means a way of replacing anyone but does give them a chance “to get some people on stage and ask some friends to do fun things.”
Frontman Shears’ 2023 Cabaret co-star, Rebecca Lucy Taylor, was also teased with a possible appearance on the Scissor Sisters reunion tour. Either way, they’ve promised a “little bit of chaos, anarchy” and an “‘anything can happen’ energy again.”
It’s been 12 whole years since we last saw them out on the road, so it’s only fitting that they give us a dozen UK/IE dates, starting at Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena before bringing the comeback party down the home stretch in Dublin.
Scissor Sisters are set to stun the Manchester crowd with their Co-op Live debut on Wednesday, 21 May 2025, with special guest support from Alison Goldfrapp of the iconic electronic music duo, and we truly really can’t wait to roll back the years with them.
Pre-sale goes live on Wednesday, 6 November at 10am which you can access via their website and general admission tickets will be available from the same time the following Friday, 8 November.
We can’t wait to hear all the favourites – ‘Filthy/Gorgeous’, ‘I Don’t Feel Like Dancin”, ‘Take Your Mama’ and more – but, until then, the announcements coming out of Manchester’s biggest new music venue just don’t stop…
Emily Sergeant -
6th February 2023 
