The Beautiful Mancs are a Manchester tribute to the songs of Paul Heaton: a full live band built around the voices of Ben and Jakki, with bass, guitar, drums and keys behind them.

From the jangly righteousness of The Housemartins through The Beautiful South’s wry, bittersweet pop to Heaton’s acclaimed work with Jacqui Abbott, the set covers forty years of one of British music’s most distinctive voices.

About Ben

Ben has been performing live since his early teens, starting out as a guitarist and vocalist in covers bands with a lean towards 90s alt-rock and acoustic pop-rock. Over the years he took up drumming too, standing in for various bands in the UK and, on more than a few occasions, in France. The most unlikely item on his CV remains representing the United Kingdom on handbells in Adelaide in the 1990s.

He grew up on The Housemartins and The Beautiful South, and considers Paul Heaton among the finest songwriters this country has produced. With a good ear for vocal harmonies, he had covered the odd Heaton track over the years – always with the feeling that performing full sets properly was something worth doing.

That ambition took shape after a charity gig in early 2025 grew, with some speed, into something considerably more substantial. Ben now fronts The Beautiful Mancs as lead vocalist, leading the duo with Jakki and heading up the full band. He has also quietly noted that vocalists carry considerably less gear to each gig than he was used to.

About Jakki

Jakki had always dreamed of singing but, for years, lacked the confidence to pursue it. The loss of her mum to dementia brought the songs they had both loved back to the centre of her life, and it was that renewed connection with music that quietly set everything in motion.

It was through their mutual friend Rachel that she and Ben ended up at a Paul Heaton gig together, and it was Jakki who first suggested doing something. What followed was meant to be a one-off fundraiser for Manchester Pug Thing, the pug rescue Jakki had founded herself back in 2018. Neither of them expected what would come next.

Since joining The Beautiful Mancs, she has taken her growing confidence on stage to dementia cafes, care homes, and events alongside adults with learning disabilities – using music to reach people in ways that go well beyond a typical tribute night.