John Denton speaks exclusively to United In Focus about hearing his music played at Old Trafford on matchday, his love for Manchester United and discussions with Johnny Marr over football.
The 15-year-old musician from Salford has already received encouragement from legendary artists such as Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Marr from The Smiths, which suggests the sky is the limit for Manchester’s latest musical gem.
John Denton released ‘Someone Else’s Game’ in January and it has already been played several times at Old Trafford.
In an exclusive interview with United In Focus, Denton explains how it felt being a Manchester United fan and hearing his track played through the speakers on matchday in front of over 75,000 people.
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Michael Carrick celebrates after the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at the Hill Dickinson Stadium in 2026 in Liverpool, England.
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Old Trafford from outside the stadium
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John Denton shares his love for Man Utd and joking with Johnny Marr over Man City
Hey John! You’ve released new material recently and have a tune playing at Old Trafford. Tell us a bit about that and how the opportunity came about to have a song played before matches at Old Trafford?
“I played my first gig at United a few months ago. I met Alan Keegan there; the ‘voice of Old Trafford’. He’s been there for about 20, 30 years, a long time. I met him before and he recognised me from a game that I’d been to previously and I met him there. Just bumped into him.
“We started chatting about that and then I just started pushing my luck by asking, ‘can you play my tune at Old Trafford?’ That was months before the recording of it, actually. So, he said, ‘yeah, yeah’, just make sure to remind him. Then a few months went by and I’d recorded the songs and sent him the pre-release. I just said, ‘listen, this is my new single, Someone Else’s Game. It’s coming out on January 29th’.And he said, ‘I’m going to play it before it’s released’, actually. And I think it was the week of the West Ham game where they drew one all.
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“Luckily enough, I already had tickets for that game. So, I was at the game. It was great. Just a surreal experience. And I think after that, I kind of like just came to the conclusion that, it’s over, you know, it’s happened. That’s great. You know, bucket list.
“But then my phone just started, honestly. My phone was just ringing all over the place from just tons of people the week after.
“It was Bournemouth next and I got tons of things on my phone. All my mates and people from social media were texting me and calling me saying it’s just been played again. I was like, wow, amazing. So, that was great.
“Then I was there the week after against Newcastle and it got played again. And that was just amazing. Like, most of them weren’t like, I didn’t know it was going to get played. You know what I mean? It was only the first game where I knew it was going to get played. And up to now, it’s been played six times. So, yeah, I think it’s on the half-time playlist, I think. And it just gets put on shuffle, which is just like amazing.”
How does it feel to be a Red and have your song – Someone Else’s Game – played at Old Trafford, the home of the football club you support?
“You know, honestly, I can’t really put it into words. It’s a dream come true. I think it’s just mad, really, because I was having a similar conversation with my cousin, because he’s from Wigan, so I don’t see him too much. He was asking about it last week. I just said it’s a great feeling, but it’s a weird feeling as well because you feel like you’ve altered something, if you know what I mean. Because you’re so used to being at United games and hearing it on TV, and you’re not involved in anything. But then you kind of listen to it on the speakers, your own song, and you’re like, oh yeah, I decided to do that guitar part, and I did so-and-so, all this stuff. You know, backing vocals with the harmonies.
“You’re just thinking about everything at once. You’re thinking, I’ve altered this. And it’s just a weird feeling, but it’s great at the same time.”
Have you got extra feedback on the song since it was first played at Old Trafford?
“Totally, yeah. I had loads of messages. I think it was because it’s been played about two or three times after its release. There’s like a Shazam thing on your phone where you press a button and it shows you what song it is. There were tons more streams after that, tons of people messaging me saying, ‘oh yeah, I keep hearing your song all the time’. So I mean, the actual engagement back from it has been really good. I’ve had loads of United fans following me, messaging me. It’s been great, honestly.”
Tell us about your background as a United fan from Salford?
“I’ve been supporting United all my life. My first game was Liverpool a few seasons back. They won. You know what, it was so long ago, I’ve forgotten the score. But yeah, they won. And I just remember just supporting United from there, really. I mean, my dad’s a Tranmere fan, so I’ve always kind of supported Tranmere as well, if you know what I mean.
“It was kind of weird because I’ve just got proper big memories of watching Tranmere on TV and not going as much. So I didn’t get the proper football experience. But I went to United, and I was thinking, like, ‘God, this is my team’. This is where I’m from. And yeah, that was me, really. Obviously, I still go to the Tranmere games quite a lot, but I’d say United. They’ve got the one-up, haven’t they? And yeah, I guess they’re easy to support as well.”
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Your work has already been acknowledged by legendary guitarist Johnny Marr from The Smiths. It’s just a shame he’s a Blue. Have you reminded him that Manchester is red?
“I did, you know, yeah. So I met him backstage. I think it was the second time I met him. I met him backstage at the Peace Hall in Halifax.
“I think he’d obviously looked at all this stuff anyway. He went, ‘oh yeah, you’re red, aren’t you?’ And I went, ‘yeah, yeah, I’m supporting the right team, unlike you’. He found that funny. Yeah, it was good.
Speaking of which, how much of an influence has Johnny Marr had on your career to date?
“I think if there’s anybody who’s influenced it, the most it’s him. I think especially from a guitarist perspective, I think he’s just one of those people who like, as soon as you hear that tone, you just know it’s him. You know what I mean? The Smiths are my favourite band.
“For me, they’re just the perfect band for what I like to hear in a band. You know, Andy Rourke, great bass player. I think we have to compliment him on his playing, because it’s like a crazy way of playing, really. It’s all over the place, but in a good way. Mike Joyce just served the song perfectly. You couldn’t get a better drummer, really, in terms of serving the song. And Morrissey’s just one of the best lyricists of all time.”
‘This Is The One’ is played at Old Trafford for every home match. As a musician from Manchester, how much have The Stone Roses inspired your taste in music?
“This isn’t me exaggerating, The Stone Roses’ debut is my favourite album of all time. Like, it’s just the perfect album. I think the phrase, ‘no-skip albums’, gets brought up quite a lot on social media, and you’ve got people arguing but, for me, that’s a no-skip album.
“I hear a lot of United fans, like, complaining about it, because it’s not necessarily like a sing-along song, but I don’t see it from my perspective, honestly.
“I’ve got a season ticket now, and every home match, it’s just blasting it out. I don’t think that we could have a better song in terms of what it means. It’s an exciting-sounding song.
You were very young when United last won the Premier League in 2013. How much would it mean to you to see the Reds win the title in the future?
“Everything, honestly. I mean, because I think I’m one of the rare generations, really, and I think my friends at school would say the same because I’m 15 and in year 11. Like, we’re one of the only generations who haven’t seen United do, like, do as well as they could have done.
“Obviously, I don’t remember them winning the Premier League. I mean, I was three, so you can’t really count me a fan, can you?
“It would just mean the world. I think it’d be a big statement to see the world about Manchester as a city. There’s so many contributing factors to why that would be amazing. I think we’re further than people think we are. I can give it two years and we’ll be in the title race. A proper one.”
What does the future hold for John Denton?
“Well, I signed my first record deal a few months ago with Modern Sky UK. They’re one of the biggest record labels in the country. They’ve got the Royston Club, The Lottery Winners, Jamie Webster, The Farm, Rhian Downey, Brooke Coombe as well. She’s a big one. She was on Jimmy Kimmel a few weeks ago.
“So, I think I’m around good people, and I’ve got good influential artists around me to kind of aspire to. So I’d like to end up like, you know, one of them really in the future. I see Sam Fender as a big influence, as somebody who’s just persevered through all the hardships of music.
“I don’t want to be one of those people just kind of like trying to be famous and trying to be successful and all that. I want to write songs. I want to write some of the songs which mean something to me and obviously make a living that way, really. Because I mean, what more do you want?”
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Eric Cantona to launch debut album
United legend Eric Cantona has reborn himself as a singer-songwriter to add to his resume of artistic contributions.
The 59-year-old dominated the headlines during his playing career and proved to be a catalyst for success at Old Trafford.
Cantona, who released his debut EP in 2023 before embarking on a tour, has produced a debut album called ‘Perfect Imperfection’ which features 11 songs.
It is understood that The King wrote and composed nine of the songs himself.
Fans will have to wait until March 13 for the official release of Cantona’s first studio album.
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