Luke, Dan and Mike from Libero. Image: Madeleine Penfold
Known around the world for its music and club scene, Manchester has led the way with a forward-thinking approach to clubbing for decades.
At its peak, the Hacienda was at the forefront of shaping not only Manchester’s music but the entire UK’s – and because of that, the Madchester era will go down as one of the most iconic in music history. But being too young for the Hacienda days, us younger ones can only imagine the scenes and atmosphere that it brought to Manchester.
It’s true that we’ve still got some of the biggest, best and most successful club nights in the UK right here in the city. But that’s just it – they’re so big.
I’m often told by older generations that Manchester has lost its club spirit. They say the huge lineups and big money headliners are swallowing the smaller venues to a point where they don’t stand a chance. And we have seen this happen in the past.
The Hacienda
But for me, something that often makes a night so enjoyable is the intimacy of it. Just a few hundred people – if that – there for the music. When the room is small enough that you’re close enough to the speaker and are at risk of blowing an ear drum. Or when don’t have to queue for 30 minutes for a £12 vodka Red Bull. And when you don’t constantly lose your mates amongst a thousand-strong crowd after you’ve nipped to the loo.
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This is something that DJ and Libero head honcho, Luke Welsh, has come to realise.
He runs the Manchester-based tech-house label Libero with fellow DJs and producers Mike Morrisey and Dan Costello. Collectively, they want to bring back the old club culture that the city was made famous for.
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Luke Welsh at Viadux last year
“We founded Libero as an idea in 2018 whilst playing at Hideout festival,” said Luke. “We are from the same area in Manchester, and we’ve been great friends since we were young. To have two other like-minded DJs, promoters and producers who have a passion for the same sound and passion for events is very lucky. I wouldn’t change the team for the world.
“Mike and Dan who have played all over the UK are two of the hottest producers in our sound at the moment. They both attended Leeds college of Music but they’re Mancunians – we’re all North Manchester.”
Being born and bred in Manchester, Luke started on the Manchester club scene way back. With residencies at Sankeys, Warehouse Project and with Kaluki over the years, he knows the scene well.
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The boys playing The Warehouse Project
However, Libero also takes inspiration from Ibiza, particularly Marco Carola’s Music On event, which has somewhat of a cult following. With a Music On night, you know what to expect – a familiar roster of DJs will be playing, and the chances are you’ll see the same faces bobbing about the crowd.
But because of this, the insanely popular house night has developed its own community. One that creates a no nonsense, no frills and pure love for the music atmosphere. This idea has formed part of Libero’s ethos, as it also mirrors the famed Manchester club community from back in the day.
“The label started based on a mutual passion and love for Ibiza club night Music On. The Amnesia terrace – and now Pacha – have really put us in the lane we’re in today,” said Luke.
“We strictly take inspiration [from Music On] though, we’re not looking to replicate someone’s else model, we’re looking to carve our own out. The main ethos is producing consistently high-level events, label releases and travelling the world playing the Libero sound. Our events went from strength-to-strength pre-pandemic and we’re coming back stronger than ever.”
“If there was one thing we could bring back to the city, it would be the small club scene. Sankeys was the last club Manchester had that the Mancunians actually loved. The spaces we have now are cool, but the city is missing some top-level small clubs in the city.”
So, for Luke, maintaining the Manchester-centric ethos means gone are the days of flying in big name DJs from around the world. With their Libero events, the boys hope to draw attention back to Manchester’s very own talent. By using a residencies model, they want to scale back production whilst giving local DJs and producers the chance to showcase their music in their hometown. With this, comes familiar faces, familiar DJs and a strong reputation we’ll learn to expect from them. Consistency is key.
Mike Morrisey at Social Avenue
With the roadmap out of lockdown announced last week have come lots of possibilities. Although he can’t say what, Luke tells us there’s plenty in the pipeline for him and Libero later this year, with indoor and outdoor events in the planning.
But one thing’s for certain, I can’t wait to get back to it. I particularly can’t wait to rage when someone barges past me in the crowd, to be honest. Oh, how I miss it all.
Soon guys, soon.
Keep up to date with Libero’s events and releases here.
Music
Inside Sifters Records, the time capsule record shop that inspired Oasis
Harry Quick
The date the world never thought was coming is set. Manchester’s most famous brothers have against all the odds put their differences aside for music’s greater good. Oasis are BACK.
I suppose it is only good news at the moment if you were one of the lucky few who managed to secure a ticket to one of the 17 gigs (actually, now 19 with two new dates added) in the Oasis 25′ Tour. If you didn’t – hard luck – but there is arguably one shop owner who deserves one more than most.
Fans of our most iconic band from all around the world should show their gratitude to a little record store in Burnage for helping to make that happen. Some might say, Sifters Records is the home of the Gallaghers’ love for music. The two brothers were brought up just a stone’s throw away from here on Cranwell Drive and were regular visitors of Sifters throughout their teenage years.
Noel has previously mentioned how he used to stroll around to Sifters on Fog Lane and pick up records by the likes of The Smiths, Joy Division and The Happy Mondays, which would help inspire some of the world-renowned anthems Oasis would later go on to create. The relationship between the Gallaghers and Sifters Records is emblematic of their deep roots in Manchester’s music scene.
If you feel like you’ve heard the name before, you probably have as Liam mentions the store in the song ‘Shakermaker’. In the final verse of the song – before the closing Shake Along with Me / Them interlude – he gets his special mention.
The lyrics “Mr Sifter sold me songs when I was just sixteen, now he stops at traffic lights but only when they’re green” pay homage to its main road location and the lads’ musical upbringing before the international stardom.
Sifters Records inspired Oasis’ love of music – and gets a namecheck in Shakermaker. Credit: The Manc GroupSifters Records inspired Oasis’ love of music – and gets a namecheck in Shakermaker. Credit: The Manc Group
If the lyrics alone don’t put an image in your head, the official music video for the song pictures Liam stereotypically swaggering towards the shop front in a parka and shades on the hunt for some new music. After flicking through a few 12″ vinyls he shows Red Rose Speedway to the camera by Paul McCartney’s – Wings. I wonder if he bought it that day or could it still be in there?
In a brand new 30-minute interview filmed ahead of the 30th anniversary of Definitely Maybe, Noel revealed how he wrote the infamous lyric in an off-the-cuff moment directly outside the shop.
“I have to say this shop has not changed a bit. I bought a lot of my records in here, it’s where I discovered my love of ‘best of’ albums.
“Every time I hear Shakermaker I remember pulling up in that car and looking over and seeing the song.”
It’s no wonder this was Noel’s favourite place to scope out new tunes growing up. It’s still one of Manchester’s most impressive collections with hundreds, if not thousands of vintage LPs.
Most of these are from the personal collection of ‘Mr Sifter’ himself Pete Howard who has run this musical mecca since 1977. The building itself has an unchanged charm – a time capsule of fading band posters, windows of unrelated local advertisements and well-trodden carpet from the thousands of feet on a pilgrimage from far and wide.
Fans from across the globe have rocked up for a word with Pete and the admiration for his store only keeps growing, which he sometimes struggles to believe how fortunate he got. If you pop in looking for any Oasis discography, good luck, it doesn’t stick around long.
When ‘Definitely Maybe’ dropped in ’94 he said he recognised the members of the band straight just from the album cover.
Now, with a deluxe edition re-release 30 years later, and a reunion tour around the corner, it’s undeniable that the whole world does – let’s just hope they stay mates this time!
When tickets for the original shows went on sale last Saturday, demand was so great that several ticketing platforms crashed and people spent up to six hours in virtual queues.
And then as the day wore on, Ticketmaster suddenly utilised ‘dynamic pricing’, removing the general admission tickets from sale and replacing them with ‘in-demand tickets’.
With that came a jump in price from £148.50 to £355.20. Ouch.
Oasis have faced a lot of criticism for the use of dynamic pricing – but in a new statement, they have stressed that they did not have ‘any awareness’ that it would be used.
They said that decisions on both pricing and ticketing are ‘left entirely to their promoters and management’.
Oasis said in a statement released on their behalf yesterday: “As for the well reported complaints many buyers had over the operation of dynamic ticketing: it needs to be made clear that Oasis leave decisions on ticketing and pricing entirely to their promoters and management, and at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used.
“While prior meetings between promoters, Ticketmaster and the band’s management resulted in a positive ticket sale strategy, which would be a fair experience for fans, including dynamic ticketing to help keep general ticket prices down as well as reduce touting, the execution of the plan failed to meet expectations.
“All parties involved did their utmost to deliver the best possible fan experience, but due to the unprecedented demand this became impossible to achieve.”
As for those final two Wembley shows going on sale, Oasis has said that tickets will be sold by an ‘invitation-only ballot process’ to manage the phenomenal demand.
They wrote: “Applications to join the ballot will be opened first to the many UK fans who were unsuccessful in the initial on sale with Ticketmaster. More details to follow.”
Oasis claims that they “at no time had any awareness that dynamic pricing was going to be used” for their reunion tour.
The band has finally spoken out about the fiasco surrounding the handling of ticket sales for Oasis Live ‘25, which saw Ticketmaster implement their… pic.twitter.com/1rbrEMWupf