Copyright manchestereveningnews
Courteeners frontman Liam Fray stunned crowds at the big Radio X 10th anniversary gig in Manchester with a surprise set on Monday night. The indie rock radio station hosted the huge celebration at Manchester Apollo, with its star DJs including Chris Moyles, Johnny Vaughan and Toby Tarrant all introducing acts on stage during the night. Music fans had been treated to sets at the start of the night from Circa Waves, Hard-Fi and Jake Bugg as part of the Radio X is Ten Live with Škoda event. Then just after 9pm, Johnny Vaughan headed onto stage to reveal a surprise act would be joining the party. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE Johnny said: "He's one of your own, no matter where you are in Britain, but particularly here, I love him. "He's doing a surprise set for us here, the man, the legend, Liam Fray." When the Courtenners star was announced, it sparked huge cheers and led to a frenzied chant of "Liam, Liam, Liam" from the crowds. He played an acoustic set including No You Didn't, No You Don't before a huge singalong finale of Not Nineteen Forever. It set the mood for an explosive headline set from Blossoms , who headed out on stage to the strains of Your Girlfriend, before a breathless set of some of their biggest hits culminating in Charlemagne and Gary. Frontman Tom Ogden thanked fans and Radio X for all their support over the past ten years, after being introduced on stage by the station's Adam Brown. The Stockport band had huge support in the crowd, who sang along to every track. After celebrating their own milestone this year – 20 years of their 2005 debut album Stars of CCTV – Hard-Fi brought their nostalgic sound to the O2 Apollo Manchester stage. Meanwhile Jake Bugg prompted crowd singalongs with hits including Zombieland and Lightning Bolt, and Circa Waves started proceedings with a set including T-Shirt Weather and Old Balloons. Presenter Sunta Templeton was DJ throughout the night, which was introduced on stage by Radio X's Issy Panayis. Radio X bosses chose Manchester for the gig as they said it "brought Radio X listeners to a city renowned for its influence on modern rock and indie culture." They added: "For decades, Manchester has continued to shape British music, producing iconic bands like Oasis, The Smiths, Joy Division, The Stone Roses, and countless other artists whose legacy Radio X proudly keeps alive today." Fans who did not get tickets for the event will be able to catch up with all the highlifhts from Radio X is Ten Live with Škoda on Radio X and Global Player.
