Stormzy has been grabbing headlines after taking on the role of football pundit following Manchester United‘s win over Liverpool yesterday.
The trailblazing London-born rapper – who is just one of Manchester United’s famous fans – has being going viral on social media after he jubilantly gatecrashed a live TV interview on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football (MNF) programme and shared his views about the Red Devils’ 2-1 impressive victory over Liverpool last night.
While the usual MNF cast of Gary Neville, Jamie Carragher, and Roy Keane stood in front of an empty Old Trafford in the classic Manchester rain to give their post-match verdict of United’s first Premier League win of the 2022/23 season over fierce North West rivals, the 29-year-old chart-topping grime MC was spotted at the side of the pitch off camera.
He was then ushered in by Neville, and greeted the three former footballers and host with a hand shake.
Dressed in a Manchester United top with his hood up, and stood alongside his young nephews who also appeared on camera, Stormzy waved at some fans who recognised him from the stands and then admitted that he was “a bit flustered right now”.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’ve never met these guys before. We were just walking past and we were starstruck and someone gave me a mic and I’m up here like ‘Mum, I made it’,” he added with a smile
“This is sick though. Man’s on telly with the boys.”
After getting over initially being starstruck and settling into the role of would-be football pundit, the MNF team wanted to make the most of having the former Glastonbury headliner with them, and continued to ask him a couple of questions.
When asked to offer his opinion of Manchester United’s star striker Cristiano Ronaldo – who was actually dropped from the starting lineup by new manager Erik ten Hag for the Liverpool clash, Stormzy continued: “You know what it is with Ronaldo, when he’s that great, you can’t speak on him man.
ADVERTISEMENT
“You’ve just got to let the man be great, do you know what I mean? There’s been a bit of a fuss but that’s a GOAT.
“You just have to let the GOATs be the GOATs.”
For fans of the Vossi Bop singer, his presence at Old Trafford might not come as much of a shock, but not everyone understood what was happening, with United’s former captain Roy Keane appearing quite shocked, adding: “I thought this was a football show, what’s happening?”
Manchester United fan Stormzy appeared on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football programme to share his thoughts on the 2-1 win over Liverpool / Credit: Sky Sports (via YouTube)
After the interview aired live on Sky Sports, clips have been circulating on social media and racking up tens of thousands of views and interactions from football fans – with many commenting how funny it was to see a famous person still able to be starstruck.
“Stormzy headlined Glastonbury at 25 but is flustered by being interviewed on MNF – what a man,” one person said on Twitter.
ADVERTISEMENT
Another said: “Stormzy’s MNF cameo was surreal.”
“I love that Stormzy is always a natural fan and ain’t too proud to express it,” a third added.
Stormzy on Monday night football in socks & sliders with his hood on what a G even brought on his nephews 😂😂
Monday night football. Continues to be the benchmark in sports broadcasting (outside USA) absolutely top class. Stormzy ended up on it this evening as he was dandering by. Gary Neville is majestic & Roy Keane is literally, footballing royalty- Ronaldo coming up to him. Beautiful
Stormzy’s appearance on Monday Night Football was fresh off the back of him getting up on stage with Coldplay as the band finished up their finished their sell-out six-night residency at Wembley Stadium on Sunday night.
He performed his 2018 hit ‘Blinded by Your Grace Pt. 1’ alongside the band
Formula 1 fans will also know this isn’t the only time Stormzy has given an unsuspecting sporting TV interview in recent weeks either, as he also went viral after being interviewed during Martin Brundle’s grid walk at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone last month too.
Neighbourhood Festival’s return to the city centre is looking great with after revealing second wave
Danny Jones
Neighbourhood Festival’s city centre all-dayer is returning to Manchester for 2026 after a year off, and with the second wave of the lineup having just dropped, it’s looking very promising.
Following teasers over the past month or so, it didn’t take long for us to figure out that NBHD Festival was coming back, especially with the Weekender in Warrington having taken a similar hiatus in 2024.
However, when festivals like these take time out, it can be easy to worry whether or not they’ll lose momentum or come back stronger.
Judging by this follow-up batch of acts alone, there’s no doubt NBHD Fest ’26 will be another cracker.
As you can see, as well as the fast-rising grungey alternative and garage rock quartet, KEO, being announced as one of the first big hitters on the list, there are some other familiar names on the lineup.
Especially for us Mancs.
With both Bolton and Altrincham youngsters, Florentenes and The Guest List, both joining the roster, as well as the likes of Bury-born ‘rockabilly’ revivalist Elliot James Reay also featuring on there, there’s a good deal of local talent to be enjoyed as always.
That goes for the regional delegation in general, too, with the likes of Jos River heading back up this way from her base in London, and Leeds’ fittingly named indie four-piece, The North, also booking a slot.
We’ll admit there are plenty of bands and artists coming up from the capital for the all-day festival, but at least they know where the UK’s real home of music is.
For instance, we’re buzzing to see the Red Rum Club boys returning to the NBHD stage once again – they never disappoint, and there are so many other guaranteed top performers on the bill. And that was just this year’s Weekener…
It’s worth reminding, once again, that since its inception in 2016 (yes, it really has been a decade now), Neighbourhood Fest has continued to serve as a proper launchpad for the next wave of superstars, not just here in the North West but across the country.
We still remember seeing the likes of Sam Fender, Holly Humberstone, Declan McKenna, Mahalia, The Lathums and more – some for the very first time – on these city centre stages, and it’s crazy to see how big some of them have gone on to become.
Set to take over some of Manchester’s most iconic venues along the Oxford Road Corridor once again, this is, without a doubt, one of the best dates for independents on the annual live music calendar.
Hosting a total of 11 stages on Saturday, 17 October, for a full day of live music, tickets for this year’s Neighbourhood Festival are on sale now right HERE.
And if you’ve already sorted yours, why not read our review of NBHD Weekender ’26 down below to get you in the mood for the next two editions.
Major DJ forced to pull out of Parklife festival on doctor’s orders
Thomas Melia
A well-known techno and trance DJ will no longer be playing at Parklife this weekend, he’s announced, with just one day to go until his major set.
Anyone heading to Heaton Park over the weekend for Manchester-based festival, Parklife, may notice the lineup looks a little different after one distinctive DJ has pulled out due to doctor’s orders.
Marlon Hoffstadt, who also goes by the moniker ‘DJ Daddy Trance’, was expected to play out on the Matinée stage on Saturday 20 June from 6.30pm – 8pm.
The Germany-based act was taking to the decks right before Manchester’s own Morgan Seatree, who has become recognised for his material which is an ode to house music and is likely to be one of the busiest sets of the weekend.
Hoffstadt had two gigs this weekend; the first being Parklife in Manchester and the second Fête de la Musique in Paris, both of which he has since pulled out of in a newly-published social media announcement.
The Berlin-born music maker has reluctantly called off these upcoming appearances and justified his decision by saying: “As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first”.
To much dismay, Hoffstadt received doctor’s advice who deemed him ‘currently not fit to fly’ following surgery, urging him to rest and recover.
Marlon posted today: “I’m so sad to have to share this, but unfortunately I won’t be able to play Parklife in Manchester and Fête de la Musique in Paris this weekend.
“I recently had a surgery and, following my doctor’s advice, I’m currently not fit to fly and need rest and recover.
“I know many of you made plans and were looking forward to it, and I’m so sorry to let you down.
“As much as I hate missing shows, I need to put my recovery first so I can get back to doing what I love as soon as possible.”
As much as the presence of this world-class performer will be missed, there’s still plenty of notable names set to make their mark on Parklife including Zara Larsson, Calvin Harris, Skepta and more.
The outdoor big music weekender has established itself as a rave haven with mainly dance artists and DJs making up its lineup through a variety of curated b2b sets and live performances.
If you’re after immersing yourself in some jungle music, Bradford-native Nia Archives will have you transfixed over at The Valley with her jungle-heavy tunes from 6.30pm – 7.30pm or there’s three more stages to take your pick from.
We’re sure that anyone eager to see the ‘Hands Up In The Sky’ producer live may be frustrated by this brand-new social media announcement however as Hoffstadt mentions it’s so he can “Get back to doing what I love as soon as possible”.
Emily Sergeant -
23rd August 2022 
