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metromagazine
17/ 3/2006

SAMUEL Preston has definitely benefited from the Pete Doherty effect.

The former Libertines singer had previously been a favourite among those who read the NME but was completely unknown to anyone who didn't.

All it took was a dalliance with an international catwalk star to transform him into a full-on, tabloid baiting media sensation and people would be lining up to write about his new band The Babyshambles long before they'd even played a note.

In the same way, Preston's ska monkeys had been music press darlings for about a year before he made the smart decision to enter the Celebrity Big Brother house, leading most viewers to wonder who he was.

A couple of weeks later, after knocking about with a politician in a catsuit, a washed-up actress and a disgraced light entertainer, and having a fling with someone who wasn't even a grade A-abusing millionairess, and nobody was left asking that question.

The mockney geezer leapt from the front page of the NME to the front pages of Heat, Hello, Take A Break and the Daily Mirror and The Ordinary Boys reaped the benefits.

Although the Worthing-based band, named after a song by their hero Morrissey, had always had a small but dedicated group of followers named the Ordinary Army, their sales had been almost entirely based on online downloads.

The Preston and Chantelle phenomenon meant CDs of their single Boys Will Be Boys had to be pressed and the re-released version jumped from number 33 to number three in a few weeks.

Maybe their gig at the Academy would have been sold out regardless of Preston's new-found celeb status, but then again, maybe not.

The Ordinary Boys play The Academy on Monday.

ONLY eye gouging, head butting and groin strikes are illegal in the World Cage Fighting Championships.

The brutal event comes to the MEN Arena tomorrow and will see fighters battling it out in a caged octogen with the winners decided by knock out, submission or judge's ruling.

The rules seem a bit strange. You can beat seven shades out of an opponent; kick, punch and elbow them into an irreversible coma, but a swift kick to the balls - now that's out of order.

There's also no mention of ear biting in the rules, which is somewhat surprising given that former heavyweight world champion Mike Tyson will referee the bouts.

Surely biting isn't allowed, is it? Perhaps one of the organisers should have a quiet chat with the "baddest man on the planet" before he presides over the bouts. Tyson, of course, famously took a chunk out of Evander Holyfield's ear when they fought each other as both their careers were on the slide.

Maybe I'm wrong and biting is a legitimate technique. Cage fighting is known for its "anything goes" attitude. The event will include an eight-man tournament, two heavyweight super fights and "the battle of the M62" - which sees Rusholme's Ozzy Haluk taking on Terry Etim of Liverpool.

In all 20 fighters will be competing, including Ultimate Fighting Championship legend Jeff "the snowman" Monson, who goes up against Russian monolith Ibragim Magomedev.

It's called a mixed "martial arts" event by some, and human cock fighting by others. Boxing, wrestling and martial arts are Olympic sports as the organisers point out, and all competitors wear protective gear.

Whatever the outcome of the bouts, one thing is certain. Come Sunday morning there will be bloodstains, bruises and a few irate local councillors.

Tickets range from £35-£375 and are available from ticketline on 0870 4445556 or ticketmaster on 0870 1908000.

MANCHESTER'S theatre bosses certainly know a thing or two about timing.

Two of the year's biggest theatrical events are starting in the city next Monday.

While the headline-grabbing Jerry Springer - The Opera sets off at the Opera House, the slightly less controversial Chitty Chitty Bang Bang opens across town at the Palace, at the start of its mammoth three month run.

With classic show tunes like Truly Scrumptious, Toot Sweets, and Hushabye Mountain, eye-popping special effects, and of course, the winning cheesy grin of the show's star, all-round entertainer Brian Conley, the big-budget musical cannot fail.

It looks like Manchester audiences are set to snap the show up. Bosses at the Palace Theatre announced last year that Chitty was likely to become the highest-grossing show the city has ever seen.

Five months before the opening night, they had already taken a staggering £2m at the box office, meaning the musical extravanganza looked set to beat the record previously held by Miss Saigon which played to Manchester audiences in 2001.

While Conley will win hearts as Professor Caractacus Potts, the show will also see former Coronation Street actor Kevin Kennedy returning to the stage.

Although known to many as the unassuming Curly Watts, he will now be exploring his dark side playing the character which gave nightmares to whoever saw the original 1968 film - the terrifying Child Catcher.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is on at The Palace Theatre from Monday until June 10.