Harry Styles gave 50 pupils from his former school a free ticket with a plus one to his album release show in Manchester on Friday (March 6).
In total, 600 pupils from Holmes Chapel Comprehensive in Cheshire applied for the tickets and the lucky recipients were chosen at random, according to headteacher Nigel Bielby.
“As Harry’s ex headteacher I am so pleased that he has kept a place in his heart for his roots and for the village and school where he grew and thrived,” he told the BBC.
“Even given his incredible rise to fame and his immense talent and success Harry understands what it means to be successful but also to maintain his sense of personal identity, integrity and credibility.
“I am so grateful on behalf of all of the families I serve for the gift of allowing children from his old school to be part of an event that for some will be a once in a lifetime experience.”
Styles performed his new album ‘Kiss All Time Time. Disco, Occasionally’ in full at Manchester’s Co-Op Live, marking his first full show in almost three years.
Despite being held at the UK’s biggest arena, yesterday’s concert was a more modest affair than what we’ll see at Styles’ upcoming ‘Together, Together’ tour – which boasts a record-breaking 12-night stint at London’s Wembley Stadium, and a huge 30-date residency in New York. However, it has been scaled up from his previous ‘Only Night Only’ UK date at Brixton Academy to launch 2022’s ‘Harry’s House’. Tickets cost just £20, too.
The show was filmed by Netflix for a new concert film, Harry Styles. One Night In Manchester, which is out today (March 8). Fans were strictly banned from capturing any footage of the gig, and were made to secure their phones in a recyclable bag that obscured the camera. Upon entry, ticketholders picked up free disposable cameras so that they could still document “special moments and share them after the show”.
In a four-star review, NME described ‘Kiss All The Time…’ as “an album that you’ll really want to spend a lot of time with, letting all its layers envelope you”. It read: “It’s the most exploratory album of his career so far, trying out new things and steering his ship in new directions.”