Happy Mondays stars Shaun Ryder and Bez have joked about being their own ticket touts back in the band’s heyday.
Pioneers of the “Madchester” sound of their home city in the 80s and early 90s, they rose to fame alongside the likes of The Stone Roses and Inspiral Carpets, a few years before Oasis.
The pair are now Gogglebox favourites and live a quieter life. But back in the day, Happy Mondays were known for their hard partying and not always doing things by the book – including the time they headlined Glastonbury Festival in 1990 when they infamously printed out their own backstage passes to squeeze as many mates in as they could.
Image: ‘Manchester royalty’ Bez and Shaun Ryder were VIP guests at the MTV Europe Awards
Image: Happy Mondays stars Bez (left) and Shaun Ryder performing at Glastonbury in 2000. Pic: Toby Melville/PA
Sky News caught up with Ryder and Bez, whose real name is Mark Berry, at the MTV Europe Music Awards, which were held in Manchesterfor the first time this year.
They talked pop and politics, as well as Taylor Swift – and following the dynamic pricing controversy surrounding the Oasis reunion tickets earlier this year, we wanted to get their thoughts.
“It’s like being your own personal tout, isn’t it?” Bez said. “It’s like touting your own tickets. Which is better than the touts doing it.”
“We used to tout our own tickets,” added Ryder. “Do side merch and all that lot, print out passes backstage.”
“Don’t tell everyone,” Bez joked.
Image: Liam and Noel Gallagher, pictured in 2000, announced the Oasis reunion earlier this year. Pic: PA
Following the backlash over the dynamic pricing surrounding the initial Oasis reunion ticket sale, the band put a stop to it for extra dates added to the tour.
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In October, promoters warned that thousands of tickets being listed on unauthorised sites, to sell for a profit, would be cancelled.
The repercussions from the ticket-buying process have led to a proposed new law to improve pricing transparency and prevent fans from being ripped off.
The UK competition watchdog is also looking at the dynamic pricing system, which sees prices change according to demand.
Despite Liam Gallagher winning an award at the MTV Awards for best rock act, he was not there in person to collect his prize.
“I love and adore you,” he told fans the following day in a message on X.
Ryder and Bez were there to represent their home city, though, hailed as “Manchester royalty” by host Rita Ora during one segment.
The night’s big winner was Taylor Swift, who did not attend the event but picked up four awards, including best artist.
Ryder told Sky News he is a fan. “She’s great,” he said. “An excellent songwriter.”
And on politics, the Happy Mondays frontman said he did not usually get involved, but following Donald Trump’s re-election, said:“I think we should do with that lunatic getting back in, because the world’s going to go f***ing mad”.
Austria has won Eurovision 2025, with Austrian-Filipino singer-songwriter JJ taking the glass microphone.
The 24-year-old singer, who originally trained as a countertenor, represented his country with his operatic ballad Wasted Love, staged on a storm-tossed ship.
The song, which was not dissimilar to that of last year’s winner Nemo, told the story of unrequited love, with a techno breakdown near the end. Austria has won Eurovision twice before, the last time in 2014 with Conchita Wurst’s pop hit Rise Like A Phoenix.
Image: JJ singing Wasted Love for Austria. Pic: Reuters
Israel’s Yuval Raphael, who survived the October 7, 2023, attacks which were the catalyst for Israel’s ongoing offensive in Gaza, was the runner-up with piano ballad New Day Will Rise, performed in Hebrew, French and English.
The singer was left “shaken and upset,” after two pro-Palestinian protesters rushed towards her during her grand final performance.
Organisers confirmed a backstage crew member was hit with paint but was not hurt.
A spokesman for SRG SSR said: “At the end of the Israeli performance, a man and a woman tried to get over a barrier onto the stage.
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“They were stopped. One of the two agitators threw paint and a crew member was hit. The crew member is fine and nobody was injured. The man and the woman were taken out of the venue and handed over to the police.”
Israel has won Eurovision four times, and last year finished in fifth place with Eden Golan’s Hurricane.
Image: Yuval Raphael performs New Day Will Rise for Israel. Pic:AP
Just as the grand final began broadcasting, Spanish broadcaster shared a message of Palestinian support which read: “When human rights are at stake, silence is not an option. Peace and justice for Palestine.”
The broadcaster had already received a warning from the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) over political statements reported by Israeli broadcaster Kan.
The EBU said in response to the latter incident: “We can confirm that we have spoken to RTVE regarding this matter and made it clear that commentators are expected to maintain neutrality within the broadcasts of the Eurovision Song Contest.”
During the evening, there were also pro-Palestinian protests near the centre of Basel, as well as a small group nearby protesting with Israeli flags.
Israeli National Security Council had issued a warning to Israeli civilians in the city to keep a low profile during the competition.
In a change from last year’s contest in Malmo, Sweden, the ban on certain flags being waved by the audience was relaxed which meant Palestinian symbols could be seen in the arena.
Image: Remember Monday perform What The Hell Just Happened for the UK. Pic: AP
The UK’s act – country pop trio Remember Monday – who performed in colourful Bridgerton-style outfits – avoided the dreaded “nul points”, coming in at 19th place with song What The Hell Just Happened?
However, for the second year running, the UK received no points in the public score.
The UK has had five wins at Eurovision, but in recent years have struggled to rank, with the exception being Sam Ryder with Space Man in 2022, who came second.
Last year, Olly Alexander placed 18th at Malmo, and Mae Muller was second to last the previous year in Liverpool.
The Eurovision grand final took place in the St Jakobshalle arena in Basel, Switzerland, with the winner from among the 26 performing nations decided by a mix of public voting and points from national juries.
The four-hour-long show was presented by an all-female team – stand-up comedian Hazel Brugger, TV presenter Michelle Hunziker and Eurovision veteran Sandra Studer.
There were performances by previous Eurovision runners-up Croatia’s Baby Lasagna and Finland’s Kaarija, as well as last year’s winner Nemo during the night.
Image: KAJ perform Bara Bada Bastu for Sweden. Pic: AP
Sweden had been widely tipped to win with their sauna-themed entry Bara Bada Bastu (Just Sauna), but ended up coming fourth.
Ukraine, who have made a strong showing each since they first entered the competition in 2003, and who won in 2023, came ninth.
Last year protests and politics overshadowed the singing event amid the outbreak of war in Gaza, with some calling for Israel to be kicked out of the contest.
Last year also saw Dutch singer Joost Klein kicked out of the competition by the EBU over alleged verbal threats to a female production worker, which he denied.
Next year’s competition, Eurovision’s 70th, will be held in Austria.
A second man has been charged with grievous bodily harm with intent after an incident at a London nightclub that allegedly involved US singer Chris Brown.
The Metropolitan Police said Omololu Akinlolu, 38, will appear at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Saturday.
Better known by his stage name HoodyBaby, the American rapper has been charged in connection with an alleged assault at the Tape nightclub in central London in February 2023.
Brown, 36, was charged on Thursday with grievous bodily harm with intent and was remanded in custody by judge in Manchester until 13 June.
He is accused of attacking music producer Abraham Diaw with a bottle during the incident in February.
During a hearing at Manchester Magistrates’ Court on Friday, Brown watched intently as brief details of the case against him were outlined by prosecutor Hannah Nicholls.
She accused Brown of committing “an unprovoked attack with a weapon in a nightclub full of people”.
Brown spoke to confirm his name and date of birth, but did not enter a plea.
He will appear for a plea and trial preparation hearing in London on 13 June.
Brown – known for hits such as “Loyal”, “Run It” and “Under the Influence” – was arrested at a hotel in Manchester in the early hours of Thursday by detectives from the Metropolitan Police.
The Grammy Award-winning singer was due to tour the UK in June and July, with dates in Manchester, Cardiff, London, Glasgow and Birmingham.