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.
Sky News caught up with Ryder and Bez, whose real name is Mark Berry, at the MTV Europe Music Awards, which were held in Manchester for 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.
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.
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.
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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”.
