Lewis Capaldi had to pause his huge Manchester gig last night after a few audience members started fighting.
The beloved Scottish singer, who was performing to a sold-out crowd at the AO Arena, halted his bandmates after spotting a brawl in the crowd.
And even he had to acknowledge that it was ‘bizarre’ to see people throwing punches to the soundtrack of his love songs and ballads.
Videos have surfaced from inside the venue that captured the fight that broke out during Hold Me While You Wait.
In clips shared on social media, Lewis holds his hands up to his band to stop them and says: “There’s a scrap in the middle of the crowd there. Erm, we’re gonna have to get them out.”
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The star then switches to a sing-song voice and says: “You can’t be fighting at the gigs.”
Then as security work their way through the audience to the source of the commotion, the huge audience all collectively start to boo the disruptive fighters – egged on by Lewis himself.
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He then says: “What a weird song to fight to. Bizarre. Bizarre.”
In the videos, Lewis is seen miming a fight, throwing his fists into mid-air while singing lyrics from the song, which which include ‘Won’t you stay a while’ and ‘my love’.
On Twitter, one person wrote: “Only in Manchester do you need to stop the gig because there’s a fight during a ballad.”
Another said: “How someone managed to start a fight at a @LewisCapaldi concert is beyond me, even more so whilst listening to ‘Hold Me While You Wait’.”
Someone else posted: “People fainting, people being sick, and people starting fights. @LewisCapaldi has to be the most ‘rock’n’roll’ concert I have ever been to.”
At his other shows so far in Leeds and Sheffield, there have been much more wholesome scenes.
In Leeds, one excited gig-goer threw a bra on stage – which Lewis then proudly modelled.
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And then in Sheffield, it was a pair of knickers that were lobbed at the singer.
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
Daisy Jackson
Niall Horan will be back in Manchester this year on a huge newly-announced European arena tour.
The former One Direction star (and chart-topper in his own right) has just announced his Dinner Party Live On Tour tour.
The tour comes in support of his upcoming fourth solo studio album, Dinner Party, which promises to be ‘cinematic and organic’.
Niall Horan will be performing at the Co-op Live in Manchester this September, along with gigs in other UK cities including Sheffield, Glasgow, and Newcastle.
He’ll then head right across Europe, playing music from his multi-Platinum-selling songbook.
Niall first shot to fame as one-fifth of One Direction, but has one of the group’s strongest solo careers, with three chart-topping albums and massive hits like Slow Hands, Heaven, and Our Song.
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
He’s also worked on some exciting collaborations with the likes of Anne-Marie, and most recently Myles Smith.
£1 from every ticket sold for Niall Horan’s Dinner Party tour will be donated to the LIVE Trust, which is dedicated to protecting, expanding, and supporting grassroots music across the UK.
Niall Horan will be at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Friday 25 September.
Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Thursday 2 April HERE.