A woman who was kicked out of Peter Kay’s show last weekend has spoken out, after the beloved comedian shared a rare public statement about the incident.
Myar Curran, 25, was the second person to be removed from the Bolton comic’s show at the AO Arena after repeated interruptions and heckling.
The first heckler had reportedly been shouting ‘garlic bread’ at the stage, and after he was evicted, Myar shouted ‘We love you Peter’ and was also removed from the venue.
Peter Kay, who normally remains fairly silent on social media, unusually issued a full statement on the incident, saying the hecklers were disruptive ‘from the very start’.
He added: “As a comedian, you never want to eject anyone, but when repeated disruptions make it impossible to continue, it’s important to consider the experience of the rest of the audience, who’ve paid to see a show without interruption.”
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Addressing the ribbing he gave Myar during the gig, where he compared her to Lisa Riley, Peter Kay’s statement said: “The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don’t see how that’s an insult.”
Today, Myar has appeared on Good Morning Britain to say she feels ‘a bit humiliated’ and didn’t mean to ’cause any harm’.
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She said: “I feel like what I said was not abusive, wasn’t aggressive, it wasn’t anti-social, I wasn’t drunk.
“I was just standing up chanting ‘we love you Peter, we do’ and I feel like it’s just been taken a bit overboard and a bit over the top, his reaction.”
Peter Kay’s statement reads: “At the show on Saturday night, February 8th, in Manchester, I had two hecklers disrupting from the very start. I did my best to address the situation and made light of it, as any comedian would, but unfortunately, their interruptions continued.
“I then tried to ignore them, hoping they’d settle down, but when the disruption persisted into the second half of the show, I asked the audience around them if they were being bothered by the noise. They all shouted “yes,” and when I asked for a show of hands, at least forty people raised theirs.
“At that point, I had no choice but to take action.
“The lady who was escorted out did bear a striking resemblance to Lisa Riley, though I don’t see how that’s an insult.
“This was only the second and third time I’ve had to ask someone to leave during my 114 shows over the past three years of this tour.
“As a comedian, you never want to eject anyone, but when repeated disruptions make it impossible to continue, it’s important to consider the experience of the rest of the audience, who’ve paid to see a show without interruption.”
Tim Burgess pens touching tribute to ‘everyone’s mate’ Mani
Danny Jones
Legendary local musician Tim Burgess has written a touching tribute to the late, great Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield as people continue to pay their respects to the iconic Stone Roses bass player.
The Charlatans’ frontman, who recently got the band back in the recording studio for their stunning 14th studio album, is one of many who have taken the time to honour the influential Manc musician over the past few days.
Mani, 63, who also saw his career reignited as a regular member of Primal Scream after his time with the Roses, sadly passed away last week.
Penning a lengthy eulogy for The Sunday Times, Burgess was unaware that the digital version of the paper would be behind a paywall, deciding instead to share it publicly online.
Sharing the first few excerpts from the full article, the 58-year-old lead singer, solo artist and Salfordian said of Mani: “People have more stories to tell of their shared adventures with Mani than anyone else I know, often simply about enjoying a gig with him.”
The most striking part of his column is how much of it reiterates not just the Crumpsall native’s undying love for music but his raw obsession with the medium.
Perhaps most touchingly, however, is how he is positioned as “everyone’s mate” in the piece – a sentiment that seems to have been echoed all over social media, among the countless Manchester United fans that bumped into him at games, in the pub chat since and countless other corners.
Burgess is one of several high-profile artists to have honoured Mounfield in their own way; Richard Ashcroft and Oasis playing the ‘She Bangs the Drums’ riff and dedicating ‘Live Forever’ to their idol, The Membranes member and Louder Than War boss, John Robb, speaking via the BBC, just to name a few.
A particularly heartbreaking line is when he says, “On hearing the news of his death last week, I found solace in the idea that Mani lived life to the full. But at 63, it was a life cut lamentably short.” You can read more down below.
Since disclosing the Times write-up with his followers, it’s clear that the 58-year-old is going through a period of reflection following the death of not just a peer and role model but a close friend.
On Sunday, he summed up his feelings perfectly: “Go to that gig. Listen to that song, dust off that record player, learn to play that guitar. Music helps us through. Life can be overwhelming at times. Music can help, I promise you that.”
We couldn’t agree more.
Speaking of – we don’t know about you, but we’re going to be playing the best of The Stone Roses for the foreseeable future, and there’s a good chance we’ll also be heading to Chorlton for a special tribute DJ set by one of his friends and former colleagues.
Childish Gambino confirms shock stroke that caused him to cancel his world tour
Danny Jones
Donald Glover, a.k.a. Childish Gambino, has revealed that a stroke caused the cancellation of his Manchester gig and the rest of the shows on his world tour last year.
The multi-talented artist, actor, comedian, writer, filmmaker and jack-of-all-trades, who goes by the Gambino moniker in the music world, was scheduled to play a UK leg as part of his globetrotting series of live dates in 2024.
However, just over a month into the run, which kicked off in August, the 42-year-old musician didn’t just postpone the tour but had to cancel it altogether for the foreseeable future after falling ill on stage.
It has now been confirmed that the reason for this was a stroke, and also a serious problem with his heart, which required surgery.
At the time, he could only confirm an unknown ‘ailment’.
Detailing the incident to a crowd while playing at fellow rapper Tyler, the Creator‘s Camp Flog Gnaw festival this past weekend, ‘Gambino’ delivered the shocking news in a very matter-of-fact manner.
Confirming the stroke and a hole in his heart live to the LA audience on Saturday, 22 November, Glover began by stating that he was having a really good time on the tour, before adding: “I had a really bad pain in my head in Louisiana, and I did the show anyway.”
“I couldn’t really see well”, he continued, “so when we went to Houston, I went to the hospital and the doctor was like, ‘You had a stroke.'” Yep, as simple as that.
He even went on to joke that he was copying fellow actor and singer Jamie Foxx, who also suffered a stroke back in 2023, which presented as a bad headache – one of several sudden signs of a hemorrhagic (bleeding) stroke.
You can see the clip down below.
Childish Gambino reveals that he had a stroke and a hole was found in his heart and is why he had to stop his tour pic.twitter.com/YxeQYBWDBA
After visiting the hospital, it was then discovered that he had a hole in his heart, sometimes referred to as a septal defect.
The Stone Mountain-raised musician ended up needing two procedures to fix the problem and is now, thankfully, in good health and able to perform live once again.
Nevertheless, he’s not taking anything for granted after the severe health scare, telling fans on the night: “They say everybody has two lives and the second life starts when you realise you have one; you got one life, guys, and I gotta be honest, the life I’ve lived with you guys has been such a blessing,” he told fans.
His Manchester show at the AO Arena is still yet to be rescheduled, as are any of his UK dates, but we’re glad he’s not only back on the mend but back doing what he does best.
Daisy Jackson -
14th February 2025 
