The Charlatans’ Tim Burgess has taken over the tannoys at Manchester Metrolink stations this week and become the voice of our tram network.
Commuters since Monday have been hearing Tim’s friendly voice piped over the speakers.
Mancs are loving the cheery announcements from the Salford-born singer and DJ, which occasionally captures him bursting into song.
It’s all ahead of the Vinyl Adventures Record Fair on December 5, held at multiple venues and shops in the region.
A live gig will be taking place close to a city centre Metrolink stop at the weekend.
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Tim will also be revealing the locations of 500 hidden lanyards right across Greater Manchester, which grant whoever finds them free weekend tram travel.
“I always fancied being a station announcer when I was a kid so a big thanks to Metrolink for making that dream come true,” said Tim.
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“We have a brilliant weekend lined up, with a Charlatans gig on the Saturday and Vinyl Adventures on the Sunday is going to be amazing with live sets, DJs, interviews, podcasts and more records than you can shake a stick at – and if you’re lucky enough to find a lanyard you can travel for free thanks to our friends at Metrolink.”
On Twitter, one person said: “I’m enjoying @Tim_Burgess voicing @MCRMetrolink stops! Thought someone had hacked the mic!”
Another tweeted: “This is awesomeness! Bet there will be many #Charlatans fans riding round trips on @MCRMetrolink this week”
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Someone else posted to Tim: “Just heard you on @MCRMetrolink to brighten up a drizzly Manchester morning!”
The Vinyl Adventures Record Fair is taking place at venues including Piccadilly Records, Mars Tapes, Vinyl Resting Place, Clampdown Records, Eastern Bloc Records Vinyl Revival, and Wax and Beans in Bury, with gigs, podcasts and talks.
Artists such as Pete Doherty, We Are Scientists, Badly Drawn Boy and the Lovely Eggs will be hosting their own stalls, while Clint Boon will be selling his vintage organ and synth collection.
Manchester Piccadilly station will also be hosting three musical performances on Sunday, with Apollo Junction taking to the mezzanine at 11.30am, followed by a very special guest at 12.45pm and Cold Water Swimmers at 1.30pm.
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Danny Vaughan, head of Metrolink at Transport for Greater Manchester, said: “This year Tim Burgess’s Vinyl Adventure Record Fair is back, better than ever and we are delighted to support him.
“It’s the only thing I know that’s definitely worth checking out this weekend. Whether you’re a vinyl hobbyist or just looking, it’s going to be a great experience for everyone.”
Featured image: Supplied / Unsplash
Music
Liam Gallagher says what everyone’s thinking about SNL’s Oasis sketch dubbed ‘the worst skit ever’
Danny Jones
Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has responded to the recent SNL sketch about the band’s reunion and, like virtually everyone else on the planet, he struggled to find it funny.
Put it this way, his reaction was much more short and sweet than most people’s.
In case you missed it, the legendary US comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live (more commonly known as SNL) recently tried to hop on the bandwagon of the worldwide Oasis buzz following the announcement of their comeback.
With no exaggeration, it’s one of the biggest pieces of news not only in music but that the entertainment industry has seen in a long while so, naturally, the long-standing satirical comedy show felt like they had to comment on it. We just kind of wish they hadn’t…
There is a very good chance that this Oasis skit from SNL is the worst thing you will see today, perhaps this week and quite possibly ever. It is grim.
The Saturday Night Live Oasis sketch is bafflingly and embarrassingly bad. I implore you not to watch it, as I did, thinking people were exaggerating its awfulness. Forget the lack of any humour, what were those accents? Essex?
Let us caveat this by assuring you that there have been plenty of genuinely great SNL sketches down the decades and there’s a reason the series has been going for nearly half a century – this just sadly isn’t one of them. Brace yourselves.
Panned by both native and British viewers alike, the attempt to tap into the excitement and poke fun at the ever-amusing Gallagher brothers wasn’t just a swing and miss, it was a complete strike-out as the Yanks would say.
As just one of countless people put it on social media: “Don’t even know where to start with this. Legitimately one of the worst skits I’ve ever seen. Even worse than that Sydney Sweeney dog cheerleader one they did, and that’s saying something.” Seriously, people hate it.
Despite the fact that there’s always been a rich vein of comedy around Oasis – be it the Burnage boys’ perpetual squabbling and unwavering egos, the caricatured look plus the almost overly performative Mancunian persona of the band and their fans – they couldn’t tap into it any of it convincingly at all.
Naturally, Liam Gallagher himself obviously saw the sketch, which has now been dubbed “excruciating”, “beyond cringe” and perhaps “one of the worst ever” online, and when asked his opinion replied in typically dismissive LG fashion:
Put in the nicest way possible, the whole thing just feels like a skit written by someone who clearly isn’t much of a fan and has very little real knowledge of Oasis whatsoever, but who also fundamentally has no real grasp of any real British culture, let alone anything to do with Manchester.
Nevertheless, the Oasis reunion has seemingly brought joy to most of us here in the UK and indeed many other countries around the world including the US, as Manchester’s most famous sons have also sold out all over their North American tour dates despite never quite making it quite as big there.
You can watch all three minutes and 27 seconds of the now infamous Oasis SNL sketch down below but we will warn you now, as good as some of their skits have been over the years this one is genuinely like pulling teeth…
Featured Images — SNL (via YouTube)/Stefan Branding (via Wikimedia Commons)
Music
PlayStation ‘The Concert’ is coming to Manchester’s Co-op Live next year
Danny Jones
Coming to Manchester and the rest of the world for the very first time, PlayStation™ ‘The Concert’ descends upon the Co-op Live in 2025.
The industry-leading entertainment venue is the largest of its kind in Europe and is already welcoming a whole host of incredible events in its first full calendar year, with countless gigs, the UFC, WWE Live and even Salford poet John Cooper Clarke set to play the arena.
But now Co-op Live is expanding its debut programme with even more variety, including Sony and PlayStation’s ‘The Concert’ World Tour, which will see live orchestras perform some of the platform’s most soundtracks in front of your very eyes.
Landing in Manchester next April, this is one of just six UK dates named as part of the landmark new show and whether you love gaming or simply enjoy a good movie/TV score, this one is for you.
Kicking off in Dublin, it does exactly what it says on the tin: each evening will see the music and soundscapes from some of the most iconic games ever made brought to life by fully-fledged live orchestras like never before.
Bolstered by a state-of-the-art sound system and the level of high-fidelity visuals gamers have come to expect from Sony Entertainment and generations of PlayStation titles, they’re promising a groundbreaking experience.
The first iteration of this live event came with an initial one-off event at the Royal Albert Hall back in 2018 and after growing concept and production value since then, PlayStation The Concert is now coming to over 200 different cities around the globe.
An innovative multi-screen design, combining advanced LED and projection technologies, will enhance the event and deliver the most iconic moments and imagery from these games. Coupled with surround sound, the show delivers breathtaking visual and audio depth, creating an immersive experience that will allow the audience to relive their gaming adventures like never before.
Set to deliver legendary scores from composers like Gustavo Santaolalla (The Last of Us), Joris De Man (Horizon), Ilan Eshkeri (Ghost of Tsushima), and Bear McCreary of the rebooted God of War franchise will reach new heights, offering fans a unique, deeply immersive live concert experience.
2025’s PlayStation The Concert world tour starts its British leg in Birmingham before arriving here in Manchester on 22 April.
General admission tickets for the tour go on live this Friday, 18 October at 3pm but, as per with events at this venue, Co-op Members can access pre-sale from today (Wed, 16 October).
VIP packages are also available. You can get ready to grab yours HERE.