You just can't make these things up. When two Stone Roses fans from Coatbridge near Glasgow stopped off at Warrington train station ahead of the band's show at the Etihad stadium in Manchester, the last thing they expected was to meet their lifelong idol just standing on the platform. 

Ian Brown of The Stone RosesIan Brown of The Stone Roses shocked a group of concert goers at Warrington station

However, that's exactly what happened to Paul and Elizabeth Clinton, who were travelling from Scotland on Saturday (June 18th 2016) with a few of their friends when singer Ian Brown showed up just hours before his Manchester show.

Elizabeth was about to make a quick stop at the station toilets when she heard a familiar voice. 'Nice t-shirt', said the voice. 'Where did you get it?' When the fan looked, she found herself staring at a grinning Ian Brown who was gesturing towards her Stone Roses top.

'I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked over and he was sitting there on the platform with his boy', she told the Daily Record. 'He was great about it. I got a few pics then asked him if I could buzz the guys so they could meet him.'

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Brown even stuck around to meet her husband Paul and her friends, who were in the station shop at the time. 'She came running back saying she just met Ian Brown and we thought, 'Aye, very good', until she revealed her phone', said Paul.

It's safe to say that it marked one of the more memorable Stone Roses gigs the Clintons had been to, though in all the excitement, Elizabeth never did finish her bathroom trip. 

The Stone Roses' next show will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on June 30th with support from Rodrigo Y Gabriela who will also join them for their Dublin show at Marlay Park on July 9th.