Music
Johnny Marr helps Salford 12-year-old achieve his dream
‘It’s a pleasure and privilege to give some assistance to a young musician.’
Music legend Johnny Marr has helped a 12-year-old boy from Salford to achieve his dream of following in his footsteps after he won The Salford Foundation Trust Johnny Marr award.
John Denton, 12, began his music career busking on the rainy streets of Manchester city centre and became quite a sensation on social media through videos of him performing on Market Street.
The ambitious lad has already held a gig at the iconic Salford Lads Club — where The Smiths posed outside for an album cover photo in 1985.
With a little help from the guitar hero, John is hoping to make it in music as the next Marr. He he told the Manchester Evening News: “I’d love to be the next Johnny Marr and just keep going to see where music can take me.
“It all started when my dad took me to a birthday party for one of his friends, and there was a karaoke machine. People were singing Highway to Hell by AC/DC.”
“I went home and just listened to them over and over and it all came from there. I started singing, took guitar lessons and then did my first gig at a coffee shop in Eccles when I was nine, where I also sang two of my own songs,” he added.
Now the former member of The Smiths is helping young John to kick start his career. John was selected for funding by the charity The Salford Foundation Trust, which operates the Johnny Marr Award to support talented youngsters in the city. He has been awarded £1,000 funding to pay for extra singing and guitar lessons to help him perfect his performances.
John and Johnny have already met once before – when John chatted to him at a record signing event at Manchester’s Piccadilly Records for the release of Johnny’s new album ‘Fever Dreams Pts 1-4’, where he asked him for advice about forming a band.
John has since gone on to form his own group called ‘The Height’ – named after Irlams o’ th’ Height, an area in Salford near where he lives – and the group released their first single just before Christmas.
He was selected for the award by a panel at the Salford Foundation Trust, a local charity which supports talented young people in the city. The Johnny Marr Award will run for three years, selecting another young musician from Salford each year for financial assistance.
His dad Phil said: “John’s ambition is to have a career in music. He will be using the funding to have music lessons to help both his guitar playing and his singing. In these tough times it’s a massive help and means that he can progress in his passion.”
“Music is not a hobby for John but just who he is and a creative outlet he hopes to enjoy for the rest of his life. He is incredibly grateful to Johnny and the Salford Foundation Trust who have provided this opportunity. It is a real privilege to get this award and he is determined to make the very most of the opportunity he has been given,” he added.
Johnny said: “It’s a pleasure and privilege to give some assistance to a young musician especially when they’re as dedicated as John. Well done brother.”
Peter Collins CBE, from The Salford Foundation Trust, said: “There couldn’t be a more worthy recipient of the Johnny Marr Award. Even though John is only 12 he’s already proven he’s committed to making a future in music and we’re delighted the Trust can give him a helping hand on this journey.”
Music
Liam Gallagher reveals son Gene’s band to open for him on Definitely Maybe anniversary tour
He revealed the news responding to a fan on social media – as you do!
Liam Gallagher has said his son Gene and his band Villanelle will support him on his upcoming Definitely Maybe anniversary tour.
The indie-rocker took to X (formerly Twitter) to reply to a fan who said they like Gene’s band and asked what Liam thought of them.
In his response, Liam said he thinks the band are ‘good’ and announced they will be ‘first on’ for his Definitely Maybe tour.
Gene, 22, is Liam’s youngest son and is the frontman and guitarist for the recently formed band Villanelle.
The band is set to hit the UK festival scene this summer, releasing their new music along the way, and will also be first up to support LG alongside the likes of music legends including Cast and The View.
Although the newbies haven’t officially released any tracks just yet, they have recently been spotted supporting Brummie band the Overpass on tour, and performed at King Tut’s in Glasgow on March 21st.
Clips online hint that Gene will most likely take after his dad and go on to create some classic British indie-rock tunes.
Aside from the upcoming Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour, Liam has a big year and is currently touring with John Squire, formerly of the Stone Roses, to support their joint, self-titled album. The pair performed live at Manchester Apollo last month and reviews are looking pretty positive for these two rock legends.
Liam will be coming to Manchester’s brand-new Co-op Live arena on his Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour on June 15th and 16th, with a final Manchester date on June 27th.
It’s not clear which tour dates Gene will be supporting his dad on but we look forward to seeing him live.
Music
Liam Gallagher says Noel ‘turned down’ reunion for Definitely Maybe tour
There’s no sign of them burying the hatchet yet
Liam Gallagher claims he asked Noel to reunite for the Definitely Maybe 30th Anniversary tour later this year but that he ‘refused’.
The former Oasis frontman shared details of his upcoming tour – to celebrate 30 years of Oasis’ seminal 1994 album – back in October.
So, a solo Liam will play their iconic debut album in full, including tracks ‘Live Forever’, ‘Supersonic’, ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’.
The indie-rocker also teased he’ll be playing ‘naughty’ B-sides from the era.
He’ll be kicking off the 12-date tour in Sheffield on June 2nd, heading to Cardiff for a night, then onto London for four, followed by three dates in his native Manchester at the Co-op Live arena.
From there, Liam will play two dates in Glasgow and two in Dublin, before heading back to Manchester for the finale.
Speaking to MOJO recently, Liam said that his brother refused to put aside their differences and join him on the 30th anniversary tour. He said: “Noel? He ain’t f**king doing it.”
“I did call him! Well, my people called Noel’s management team,” he told the publication.
“We put an offer on the table for an Oasis thing – because we got offered it – and he said no. It was a big tour, a lot of money. He turned it down. I get it, he’s got a divorce going down. I’ll do the ‘Definitely Maybe’ thing and have a nice time without him.”
On whether next year could see the feuding pair finally make amends and reunite for the anniversary of second album ‘(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?’, Liam said: “It’s down to the universe. It’ll happen when it happens, it’s not in our hands anymore.”
Either way, it seems Liam is up for the tour with or without him as he added: “Me, I love nostalgia though. I’m doing the lot. Every album, even… what was the last one?”
It’s not the first time Liam has claimed his estranged brother has turned down his offer to get back together.
Back in October, a fan asked whether he’d give us the surprise of joining him on the DM tour, to which Liam responded: “He’s been asked and he’s refused.”
It comes after Noel told talkSport radio back in May that he was ‘open to a phone call’ from Liam but said that he wouldn’t dare and accused him of being a ‘coward’.
He continued: “He doesn’t have to speak to me. He won’t speak to me, he’s a coward. So he should get some of his people, his agent, to call my people and say, ‘Look, this is what we’re thinking.’ And then we’ll have a conversation about it. Until then, he’s being a little bit disingenuous.”
He added that Liam is guilty of getting ‘people’s hopes up’ with his post on social media.
But Liam hit back with a string of posts on social media saying it wasn’t true and that Noel just ‘hates Oasis fans’.
The band parted ways in 2009 and ever since, the bickering brothers have exchanged spats publicly while being asked about whether a reunion may be on the cards one day.
Regarding the 30th Anniversary of Definitely Maybe, Noel confirmed in April last year that an Oasis reunion would not be happening any time soon but did confirm plans of a reissue of the record to mark the occasion.
The singer-songwriter also added that there had ‘never really been a serious offer about ‘The Big O’ getting back together’.
Earlier this year, as he reflected on their split, Liam accused Noel of throwing him ‘under the f**king bus’ at the time.
Liam is now focusing his attention on his much anticipated collaborative, self-titled album with Stone Roses guitarist John Squires, which is out on March 1st. The pair will also announce details of an upcoming tour.
Music
Wigan Casino to celebrate 50th anniversary with Northern Soul all-nighter
The rarest Northern Soul record was recently sold for £100k
The legendary Wigan Casino will celebrate its 50th anniversary with a special Northern Soul all-nighter after its last song, Frank Wilson’s ‘Do I Love You (Indeed I Do), played in 1981 and it shut its doors for good.
The all-nighter will play on BBC Radio 6 Music, featuring all the – often B-side – bangers discovered in Motown vaults from the likes of The Supremes, Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons, Dobie Gray, Yvonne Baker, and many more.
From its opening in 1973, Wigan Casino saw crowds of music lovers desperate to dance the night away to all of the latest vinyl records, getting dropped off by the coach load outside the venue – the former Empress Ballroom.
Several DJs including Russ Winstanley, Ian Fishwick, Kev Roberts and Richard Searling would take turns in spinning the decks for clubbers who would queue for hours just to get a taste of the action in the main dance hall.
Wigan Casino’s very last all-nighter was played on December 6th 1981 from midnight to the early morning, played by DJ Russ Winstanley.
Now, 50 years after the legendary night began, a special edition of Northern Soul programming dedicated to Wigan Casino will kick off on Saturday September 9th until 8pm on Sunday September 10th, on BBC Radio 6 Music.
The tracks will be played across The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show alongside a broadcast of Stuart Maconie’s Northern Soul Prom, which was recorded at the Royal Albert Hall in July.
Kicking off the programme on Saturday, from 6pm to 9pm, Craig’s show will feature a ten-piece soul house band – The Signatures – and special guests including Wigan Casino DJ Richard Searling and R&B group The Flirtations.
Craig will also be going in search of the rarest Northern Soul record, which was recently sold for £100,000 – can you guess which one it was?
Then, from 9pm-12am, Craig will join Stuart to introduce a broadcast of the Northern Soul Prom – recorded with the BBC Concert Orchestra.
It features Brendan Reilly, Darrell Smith, Frida Mariama Touray, Natalie Palmer, Nick Shirm and Vula Malinga as they perform the likes of You’re Gonna Make Me Love You, Open the Door to Your Heart and Hold Back The Night.
Stuart Maconie says: “Northern Soul was and is one of the most thrilling and vital music subcultures ever.
“It’s a dynamic, sympathetic union of the sounds and dreams of generations in the industrial heartlands of the North and Midlands of the UK and their counterparts in New York, Detroit, Philadelphia and beyond.
“At the heart of the scene is this wonderful, dramatic, vibrant and inspirational music, as well as the passion and knowledge of its devotees.
“They brought the communal rapture of the Northern Soul clubs and dancehalls to the Royal Albert Hall, which was on its feet on every tier for the Prom. It was a night the like of which that grand and esteemed old building has never seen before.”
From 12am-4am, 6 Music begins an audio tour of the UK’s iconic all-nighter venues, with hour-long playlists by DJs who were there at Golden Torch (12am-1am), Wigan Casino (1am-2am), Twisted Wheel (2am-3am) and 100 Club (3am-4am).
These key figures from the scene share stories and songs, taking listeners back to the dance floors of these legendary spaces.
From 4am-7am, 6 Music’s Morning After Mix, Northern Soul Special, brings listeners a playlist of mellow soul numbers, featuring classic ballads and as well as contemporary selections.
Stuart returns to the airwaves an hour earlier than usual at 7am on Sunday morning (September 10th) to present Lights On With Stuart Maconie.
He’ll bring the party to a close and bring listeners the original versions of Wigan Casino’s famous Three Before Eight – Time Will Pass You By by Tobi Legend, Long After Tonight Is All Over by Jimmy Radcliffe and I’m On My Way by Dean Parrish.
The Wigan Casino 50th anniversary special on BBC Radio 6 Music can be listened to via BBC Sounds from 6pm on September 9th – 8pm on September 10th. You can also tune in via DAB Digital Radio, Freeview, Sky TV, and supported mobile devices.
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