In case you missed it, the star-studded lineup for Manchester’s biggest annual celebration of music was finally unveiled last night.
Following a year of cancellation due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Parklife is returning to Heaton Park on the slightly later dates of 11th – 12th September, and there’s a jaw-dropping selection of artists set to play across the two days, including some familiar faces back to finish what they started after being booked to play the cancelled 2020 edition last June.
Headlining the bill is multi-award-winning rapper Dave, in an exclusive UK festival appearance for 2021.
Meanwhile, “WAP” star Megan Thee Stallion will make her Parklife debut and will be joined by some of the finest grime, rap and hip-hop artists including Skepta, AJ Tracey, slowthai, Burna Boy, Mist and DaBaby.
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There’s also a stellar selection of world-class DJs, drum and bass artists and more.
With all the big-name acts set to provide the soundtrack to this year finally revealed, it’s not hard see why social media went into meltdown last night, especially as Parklife also announced the lineup alongside the launch of an exclusive competition to win x4 weekend VIP tickets.
PARKLIFE 2021 IS HERE 🥳
@ tag 3 mates & RETWEET for your chance to win x4 weekend VIP tickets 😍 🎁
All the hopeful festival-goers had to do to be in with a chance of bagging the free tickets was retweet the lineup announcement tweet and tag the three friends they want to take with them in the comments thread below.
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The winner would then be picked by the festival’s organisers at random.
And after over 8,000 entries came flooding in just a matter of hours, the lucky winner was chosen and informed of his win over DM.
Things then took a bit of a turn though.
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After securing the highly-coveted tickets for free, the winner – who we have chosen not to directly name here – was seen trying to re-sell his winnings to other people desperate to get their hands on tickets during this morning’s pre-sale.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he was attempting to sell them at £350 each, which is an extortionate mark-up considering Weekend General Admission tickets are only retailing at £155.
After exchanging back-and-forth tweets with another member of the public who called out his behaviour and staggering re-sale prices, the lad finally revealed that he was the competition winner.
“I won tickets for me and my pals, so why wouldn’t I sell them?” he said.
His gloating didn’t get him very far.
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Parklife was alerted to the conversation happening between the two under their recent tweet, and very swiftly confiscated his winning tickets, without even a second thought.
“Lol, your tickets have just been cancelled pal.” Parklife responded.
Unsurprisingly, the hilariously savage response and decision by the festival organisers to confiscate the tickets from the former winner has been highly-praised on Twitter, racking up thousands of retweets and likes.
We love to see it.
Featured Image Credit – Parklife Festival
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Question Time audience stunned as first-time buyer says mortgage quote DOUBLED
Danny Jones
Thursday night’s Question Time audience could be heard audibly gasping after a fellow crowd member revealed that her mortgage quote had doubled followed the recent mini-budget.
Taping in Manchester on 29 September, the current events and politics programme was discussing property when would-be first-time buyer Rabia revealed that her mortgage offer had jumped from an initial amount of 4.5% interest to a shocking 10.5% in just a matter of days.
As you can see in the incredible clip, both the audience and the panel are taken aback at the revelation.
The gasps from the audience as this woman reveals she’s received a revised mortgage offer of 10.5%. pic.twitter.com/a5Nb1co8al
The Greater Manchester resident said she is desperate to know what the government’s plan for mortgages is as following the latest revision, she says she simply cannot afford to put the money down on her first home.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer weighed in on the social media reaction, quote tweeting the clip from his party’s own account and stating that “the Tories must get back to Parliament and reverse their kamikaze budget” as the current economic mess is being “paid for by working people”.
The government’s economic chaos is already clobbering those like Rabia who're trying to get a mortgage or to re-mortgage.
This crisis was made in Downing Street but it’s being paid for by working people.
The Tories must get back to Parliament and reverse their kamikaze budget. https://t.co/bw8B2TOUgl
To make matters worse, Rabia was given no clarification from her lenders, only that they were pulling her offers. Conservative MP and Minister for Local Government, Faith and Communities, Paul Scully had little information to offer her either, simply stating it is a short-term effect and that the market will stabilise.
Scully was subject to an entirely different reaction from the audience as well after his blind attempts to defend Prime Minister Liz Truss and Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng were met with laughter. Conversely, Richard Bacon was met with applause after he labelled the mini-budget “absurd”.
As if the anti-Tory sentiment wasn’t already at a high, the chancellor’s mini-budget – which saw the corporations, bankers and the generally wealthy benefit ahead of the working class – has seen fresh calls for a general election to be held as soon as possible.
Beyond declaring a so-called £2,500 limit on energy bills (which many have warned isn’t a guaranteed cap), there was seemingly very little in the way of policy that
For those still unclear as to what was announced in the divisive mini-budget, here is a quick summary:
Speaking in a speech at the Labour conference in Liverpool on Tuesday, Starmer said that the government “haven’t just failed to fix the roof, they’ve ripped out the foundations, smashed the windows and now they’ve blown the doors off for good measure.
First images of King Charles III on new coins revealed
Danny Jones
The first images of King Charles III‘s likeness on the next 50p coin have been unveiled by the Royal Mint as the nation prepares to transition into a new form of currency.
Revealed on Friday, 30 September, the UK’s official coin maker unveiled the first piece of legal tender. The incoming 50p features Charles’ face in the classic profile position and a new design on the reverse that harks back to the design featured on Queen Elizabeth II‘s 1953 coronation coin.
As you can see, the new coin includes the four quarters of the Royal Arms depicted within a shield and in between each shield is an emblem of the home nations; a rose, a thistle, a shamrock and a leek.
Credit: Royal Mint
Martin Jennings, Designer of His Majesty King Charles III’s effigy, said in a press release: “It is a privilege to sculpt the first official effigy of His Majesty and to receive his personal approval for the design.
“The portrait was sculpted from a photograph of The King, and was inspired by the iconic effigies that have graced Britain’s coins over the centuries. It is the smallest work I have created, but it is humbling to know it will be seen and held by people around the world for centuries to come.”
Jennings is also responsible for designing the new commemorative £5 coin, customary for marked occasions such as the change over of monarchs.
Credit: Royal Mint
The limited edition £5 coin will form part of a wider memorial coin collection following the passing of Britain’s longest-reigning monarch.
There is an estimated £4.5 billion worth of existing currency – approximately 27 billion coins of various denominations alone – thought to be in circulation, not to mention things like stamps, meaning that we will likely have to get used to carrying both old and new coins.
This isn’t the only significant change Britons can expect either, as earlier this week the Royal Family revealed the new King’s new cypher which will replace the Queen’s ‘EIIR’ seal across the UK, such as on the gates of Buckingham Palace and on postboxes.
Emily Sergeant -
24th March 2021 
