Elvis Costello and His Father Were Blackpool Favourites

Elvis Costello has graced Blackpool with his performances on multiple occasions. On 13 June 2013, he appeared at the Blackpool Opera House as part of his “Revolver Tour.” This distinctive tour featured a giant spinning wheel that determined the setlist, allowing audience members to influence the selection of songs performed each night. He returned to the same venue on 9 March 2020, this time accompanied by The Imposters for their “Just Trust” tour, which highlighted tracks from their 2018 album Look Now, alongside timeless favourites from Costello’s expansive repertoire. Looking ahead, Costello and The Imposters are set to perform at the Winter Gardens Blackpool on 17 April 2025. This forthcoming show forms part of their latest tour and is expected to offer a dynamic blend of fresh material and much-loved classics.

Ross McManus was a British musician, singer, and trumpeter, best known as the father of Elvis Costello (born Declan McManus). His connection to Blackpool stemmed largely from his early career as a performer. During the 1950s and 1960s, he was active on the British seaside circuit, performing regularly at popular holiday destinations—including Blackpool, which stood as one of the UK’s foremost centres of entertainment at the time. In 1955, McManus joined the renowned Joe Loss Orchestra, one of the leading dance bands of the era. The orchestra held a strong presence in Blackpool, frequently performing at iconic venues such as the Blackpool Tower Ballroom and the Empress Ballroom in the Winter Gardens, particularly during the peak summer seasons from the 1940s through the 1970s. Joe Loss himself had a long-standing relationship with the town, having first performed as a violinist at the Tower’s Chinese Restaurant in 1929. Given Ross McManus’s prominent role in the orchestra during these years, it is highly probable that he took to the stage at these celebrated Blackpool venues alongside Loss.

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Costello performing in 2006