Amid all the buzz of Manchester Pride 2025, the latest series of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK also returns this August bank holiday, and fittingly a Canal Street has joined the lineup for series seven.
The parade and Gay Village Party aside, we genuinely can’t wait for the cult favourite TV show to be back on our screens.
Already a classic among the queer community following many years on the air over in America, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK is set to debut its seventh season, and part of the fun is always meeting the cast.
While there’s often a Northern name or two, including multiple Mancunians in the past, we believe this year’s contestant has a good shot at winning the whole thing. Manchester, meet Bonnie Ann Clyde.
Who is Manchester’s adopted 2025 Drag Race star, Bonnie Ann Clyde?
Now, aside from having a fabulous and very classic drag name, the other twist when it comes to this Drag Race debutant is that she’s not technically a Manc.
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What gave it away? Was it the accent?…
Born in Dublin and dubbing herself “Ireland’s best export”, the 30-year-old Bonnie Ann Clyde has been here for the past 12 months, and it’s her time around Canal Street – The Goose and Cruz 101, specifically – that has seen her grow in reputation.
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Speaking to the show’s British broadcasters, she told fans old and hopefully soon to be: “You could say that I’ve been around the block a few times, but I prefer to say that I’m an international queen!
“Bonnie Ann Clyde was created in Dublin, [during] the mid-2010s, when drag was starting to get popular again. I performed in Dublin for six years, then I did a Summer in San Francisco, and after that I moved to Gran Canaria, where I performed for two and a half years.”
Quite the CV, we’re sure you’ll agree, but it’s only since she started gaining a following here in 0161 that she got the call to be the next series of Drag Race UK. After all, we do know a thing or two about the scene in these parts.
— KaMorian (Sparkling Alien 💫) (@ka_morian0121) August 22, 2025
Why we think she should and will win
Aside from being the resident Greater Manchester representative (be it as an ex-pat or not), it’s this kind of globetrotting experience of LGBTQIA+ entertainment culture, pulling knowledge from all manner of drag queen circuits, that we think she’s odds on to push for the crown this year.
Detailing why she thinks she deserves to be named champion in 2025, whilst doing an impression of Holly Jervis from X Factor, she said: “‘This is MY moment’.
“I’ve worked for years doing jobs I didn’t want to do, and I’ve worked so hard. I deserve this crown, I deserve that sceptre, I deserve that £25k, and you know what? I’m going to get it because I’m fabulous, I’m fantastic, I’m Bonnie Ann Clyde, and I’m going to win!”
You’ve got to love that self-confidence, and while there are some other Northern faces among the lineup this year – including the Yorkshire favourite and the first ever contestant from Leeds, Silllexa Diction – there’s no question about who we want to win.
Once again, series seven of RuPaul Drag Race UK gets underway at 9pm this Sunday, 24 August, on BBC Three, as well as iPlayer in case you’re busy partying at Manchester Pride 2025.
Manc music legends James announced MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
What's On
Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Danny Jones -
22nd August 2025 
