Audio
Manchester audience left ‘sobbing’ as Olly Murs pays emotional on-stage tribute to Caroline Flack
'This is for you, Caz'
Olly Murs had the audience at the AO Arena Manchester sobbing last night after he paid tribute to his late friend, Caroline Flack.
The Heart Skips a Beat singer is best-known for his upbeat pop songs but took the time to honour his former friend with an emotional tribute.
He dedicated an acoustic version of Sweet Caroline to the presenter, who died in 2020.
Speaking to the crowd, Olly urged people to check in on anyone they thought might be struggling, saying: “Make the effort. Because you might be able to change what they decide to do.”
He described Caroline as ‘an amazing human’ and described her love for music and dancing.
Olly also said: “The fact that she’s not here any more is horrible. I miss her every single day.”
The star then introduced his version of Sweet Caroline, saying ‘this one’s for you, Caz’.
Fans who were there have reported sobbing their way through his speech and performance.
One person said: “Olly singing sweet Caroline had me sobbing. Cazza would be so proud of you @ollymurs!”
Another said: “Thank you so much for an amazing night! I cried and cried when you talked about Caroline, I lost my sister in April ’20 and I had tears streaming down my face when you talked about grief and loss. Thank you for a fab show! Good luck at your wedding.”
Someone else posted: “Olly Murs just did an acoustic cover of Sweet Caroline as a tribute to Caroline Flack and sobbed the whole way through it. Genuinely very lovely.”
Olly’s full speech about Caroline Flack said: “One of my good friends, in February 2020, took her own life. Miss Caroline Flack.
“It was a really difficult time for me. And it’s mad, because I was looking through some old Instagrams earlier, some old photos that we’ve got, and we used to spend so much time in Manchester because we used to do loads of filming for X Factor and loads of different things.
“So being here tonight is really really special.
“It was one of the lowest moments of my life. She was such an amazing human. We had our fights, we had our rows, we got on sometimes we didn’t, but she was always such a great person to be around, someone I loved very much.
“So the fact that she’s not here any more is horrible. I miss her every single day.
“When you’re dealing with something like that it’s super super tough, and the only way that I could deal with it, with grief my way, is by music – by singing, and performing.
“That’s what she loved to do. You guys must have watched her on Strictly. She was incredible on Strictly, and not only that she was an incredible singer. So I wanted to do something on this tour to dedicate to her, a tribute to my lovely friend Caroline Flack who I miss every single day.
“So I’m going to sing this song for her. Before I sing it, if you know anyone who’s struggling real bad, or even if you don’t know it, if you think something’s not right, please speak to them, please give them a call, go round there and see them, make the effort. Because you might be able to change what they decide to do. Please please do it.
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is my version of Sweet Caroline. This is for you, Caz.”
Featured image; Twitter, @emp_21x
Audio
Beloved British boy band Five are BACK in FULL for the first time in 25 years
Danny Jones
No, your eyes don’t deceive you: all five members of the beloved British boy band Five are set to reunite for the first time in a quarter of a century.
Formed way back in 1997 and dominating the charts throughout the period in and around the millennium, the iconic pop group was the UK’s answer to the Backstreet Boys and NSNYC, as well as a much-needed replacement for Take That just after their split.
And they did exactly that for a number of years, with hit tracks like ‘We Will Rock You’, ‘Keep On Movin”, ‘Everybody Get Up’, ‘If Ya Gettin’ Down’ and more still firmly stuck in our memories.
It doesn’t matter how long it’s been, we still remember all the words and the dance moves to go along with them – and we’ll be able to prove it when the Five UK reunion tour comes to Manchester.
Although the London-formed group has reformed every now and again in different configurations over the years for special occasions, anniversary events, etc., this is the first time that the original lineup has been together for 25 whole years.
That’s right, Abz Love, J Brown, Ritchie Neville, Scott Robinson and Sean Conlon will all be reuniting on stage for a limited UK arena tour – because anything less simply wouldn’t be enough to mark this throwback celebration.
More importantly, if you don’t think every single one of these massive rooms is going to sell out in a flash, then you clearly can’t count to five.
As for the Manchester crowd, fans will be welcomed inside the equally legendary AO Arena for the ‘KEEP ON MOVIN’ 2025’ Tour later this year and we can’t wait.
Fellow domestic DJ and producer Naughty Boy will also be joining them as the main support act. We’re rolling back all the memories this autumn.
You can see the rest of the tour dates below, including equally massive shows at The O2 in London, the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool, a First Direct Arena date in Leeds and more.
Scott says: “This has been a long time coming and it really does feel right for all of us now – 25 years on and we’re so ready for it. Reconnecting as a 5 over the last year has been special and I know I speak for all the boys when I say we can’t wait to do this all over again. Hope you’re ready!”
Another fifth of the throwback boy band, Abz, added: “We really can’t wait to get back on stage together & see the fans, it’s gonna go OFF! Buzzing to have Naughty Boy on tour with us too… 5 bad boys and a naughty boy, that sounds like a lot of fun. Let’s gooooo!”
General admission for Five’s 2025 UK reunion tour goes live on Friday, 7 March from 10am but die-hards can access the exclusive pre-sale window on Wednesday, 5 March by signing up for the mailing list.
You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
Read more:
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)
Audio
2000s indie rock icons The Enemy continue comeback trail with must-not-miss UK tour
Danny Jones
For fans of old-school indie and noughties contemporary rock, you do not want to miss the one because The Enemy are not just back making music but they’re heading out on a pretty big UK tour and, of course, they’ll be stopping right here in Manchester.
The Enemy first reformed back in 2022 for a limited run of shows, but it turns out the Coventry-formed trio were satisfied with a one-off reunion and a fifth studio album officially being worked on, the fierce Brit rock throwbacks have announced a series of pretty large UK tour dates.
Following on from some hugely successful comeback performances at TRNSMT, Isle Of Wight and a headline slot at Godiva Festival 2023, not to mention the instantly hit ‘Indie Til I Die’ shows last year – including an absolute stormer at Victoria Warehouse – they returning for more.
If you saw the scenes at that most recent gig, you’ll know that skipping this one just isn’t an option.
One of the few bands to make their way back to the live music circuit fully intact, with all three members still performing together, nothing has changed other than a few more grey hairs.
If you weren’t there at the outset, The Enemy’s debut LP We’ll Live And Die In These Towns (2007) was one of the most seminal domestic releases of its time, with songs like ‘You’re Not Alone’ going on to become indie anthems of the era.
To be honest, we’d argue their sophomore outing Music For The People just two years later is the better album, with tracks such as ‘Be Somebody’, ‘Elephant Song’ and ‘No Time for Tears’ still in plenty of our playlists to this day – but, you know, each to their own.
The point is, we’re very glad these lads are back and having played with everyone from Oasis and The Killers to even The Rolling Stones, we’d wager lots of other music lovers are too.
Set to play New Century Hall in Manchester as well as the legendary Leadmill in Sheffield, Beckett Students’ Union in Leeds, Rock City in Nottingham and more, it’s going to be a big tour.
Frontman Tom Clarke, who has put out two solo records of his own in past years, said of the announcement: “We’ve been working long days in the studio recording new material, so we’re really excited to get out on the road again.
“The plan is to experiment with some of the new tunes, maybe different ones on different shows to see how the crowds react and which ones connect with fans, and let that guide the track listing on the record which is nearing completion.”
Co-songwriter and bass player, Andy Hopkins, added: talking about the upcoming tour: “My favourite part of being in a band is having those nights with the fans where the atmosphere is electric – I think this tour is going to be really special for the 3 of us.
“It’ll be the first time we’ve been back to some of these cities in a long time, in venues we absolutely love and have been really important to us on the way up – Electric Ballroom was the first venue we ever played in London supporting The Fratellis, I drove us there with all the amps & guitars in my Fiesta!”
Read more:
The Enemy come to New Century, one of our favourite live music venues in all of Greater Manchester, on Saturday, 1 November.
Pre-sale has already been snapped up in the blink of an eye, which is no surprise whatsoever, but general admission will go live from 10am this Friday, 28 February.
You can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.
Featured Images — Emilie Cotterill (supplied)/Audio North
Daisy Jackson -
6th May 2023 
