Umbro and the stars celebrate in the Northern Quarter

This was one of those Manchester moments.

Umbro wanted an informal little gig before the fireworks today when they announce their ten-year brand partnership with Manchester City.

The pre-launch party took place on Wednesday night in the Northern pub and the Northern Quarter Bar and Restaurant (TNQ). As Umbro began 85 years ago in Manchester Confidential thinks they were making a point. ‘Born in the North, live in the North.....’ and all that.

Lots of famous Sky Blue fans turned up at the event including Badly Drawn Boy, Mike Pickering and some of the new kids on the block such as Bad Lieutenant.

It all began in the Northern pub, on Tib Street, and then moved over to the new Umbro space on Lever Street, all 5000 sq ft of it, for a kit preview.

Whilst in the Northern who should turn up but Primal Scream and ex-Stone Roses bassist, Mani? Mani is as red as they come. Redder.

Nobody would let him in.

He pleaded and eventually in a UN peace-keeping moment he was invited to join the group as long as he swore to behave honourably and not mention his team.

Eventually thirty revellers (all arguing with Mani because he wasn’t behaving honourably and was talking about United) made their way over to TNQ and ate pies. Very terrace.

If you were wandering past TNQ last night, this explains why the windows were covered. To keep the prying eyes of the Fourth Estate – us lot, the media scummers - out.

The party finally retired to the Northern again and bothered the bar staff until 3am chatting of the season to come, the meaning of Blue life and so forth.

Here is the picture proof of the proceedings.

By the way at Confidential we like a bit of referencing. So we like that the new City away kit is a nod to Manchester’s former industry and its coat of arms: the Apis Millifera – more commonly known as ‘the bee’. The shirt is black with yellow and gold inserts on the shoulders.

We also like a bit of togetherness.

Umbro first supplied Manchester City with kits 75 years ago for the 1934 FA Cup Final which the team won. And on the way they clocked up the highest attendance for a club football team in English history, when 84,569 watched them beat Stoke at Maine Road in the 6th Round. Not a lot of people know that.

Umbro’s new City home kit will go on sale on 18 July by the way.