Without music, there is no Manchester as we know it because the buzzing atmosphere in our great city was built by roaring guitars, scratching vinyls, shimmering strobe lights and booming microphones.
It’s no secret that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has flipped life as we once knew it on its head, and the satisfying, rhythmic hum that once used to echo through the city air on a daily basis has been ground to a halt over the past couple of months.
Not only has it been sorely missed by Mancunians, but it’s also come at an unfortunate cost.
Live music in Manchester and across the UK is on life support and the industry needs our help. Without it, 30-50% of the live music workforce will become unemployed, 90% of grassroots venues will close, and the industry will lose at least £900 million.
A coalition of live music artists, venues, concerts, festivals, production companies and industry figures successfully launched the campaign last month to highlight the importance of the sector to the UK’s economy and it’s recieved widespread support on social media.
Today we join together once again with our friends & colleagues in the music industry to call for action to help protect the live music industry. Please show your support and share the message #LetTheMusicPlaypic.twitter.com/wMx6eEG951
We're proud to continue supporting the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign, highlighting the importance of the live music sector to the UK Government. We need to protect our venues, our workforce, and the infrastructure and companies that make up this business. pic.twitter.com/K8pZSfzqwQ
Today we once again join together with our friends and colleagues in the music industry to call for action to help protect the live music industry. Please show your support and share the message #LetTheMusicPlaypic.twitter.com/CE1GwEWDne
Let The Music Play is hoping to achieve the following three aims:
A clear conditional timeline for reopening venues without social distancing.
An immediate comprehensive business and employment support package and access to finance.
Full VAT exemption on ticket sales.
And they’re working – but the fight is still a long way from over yet.
After witnessing the traction that this campaign has been gaining over the past couple of weeks, and with the intent to keep the conversation continuing, it prompted us to begin reflecting. Here at The Manc, we always want to know where you stand and in this case, we want to experience the wonders of our city’s live music culture through your eyes.
A chance to fondly reminisce.
So, we took to our social platforms this week – Facebook, Twitter and Instagram – to ask you, our loyal audience of Mancunians – ‘What’s your favourite Manchester gig memory?.
Here’s what you said:
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Facebook
Live music is a staple in Manchester and the entire industry needs our help getting through this crisis. Show your support and share your favourite moments with us ? #LetTheMusicPlay
Live music is a staple in Manchester and the entire industry needs our help getting through this crisis. Show your support and share your favourite moments with us ? #LetTheMusicPlaypic.twitter.com/lddpG83bDS
We received hundreds of replies to our question across all social platforms, so we unfortunately haven’t been able to include every single one in this article. Instead, we chose to feature a few that seemed to resonate the best with our audience and received the most interactions overall.
Are you keen to have your say? Do you have a different view? Got a musical memory you’d like to share?
Well, there’s still time to chip in, so make sure you head on over to The Manc on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to take part, leave your thoughts and discuss with other Mancunians in the same position as you.
Don’t forget to follow The Manc Audio – @TheMancAudio on Instagram – for all the latest musical news in Manchester.
Find out more and keep supporting the #LetTheMusicPlay campaign here.
Audio
What we know about Oasis’ Heaton Park reunion shows based on their first comeback gig in Cardiff
Danny Jones
Ok, so there’s no more need to pinch ourselves or double-take every time we check our phone: Oasis aren’t just back together, they’ve now kicked off the reunion and following those incredible Cardiff scenes, we’re already thinking about what this means for their Heaton Park homecoming.
There simply isn’t a brick-and-mortar Manchester venue big enough to hold as many Manc fans as want, need and deserve to see them back on stage after waiting all this time, so it’s only fitting that barely a month on from Parklife, the massive outdoor space will welcome us all back to witness history.
Quite literally millions of people tuned into various livestreams on Friday evening to see Oasis return at the Principality Stadium, so lots of you will have already seen plenty from the colossal concert – including that bald bloke balancing a pint on his head – but there was, understandably, a lot to take in.
So, with that being said, here’s what we hope, we think, we know about Oasis’ highly anticipated Heaton Park shows based solely on the details we gleaned from Cardiff night one.
The timings (roughly)
For starters, one of the most important things fans will be hoping to know is when Oasis got back on stage, as well as the set times of the other ‘Live ’25‘ support acts.
Liam, as per usual, was the mouthier of the two Gallagher brothers and let the cat out of the bag early on X (Twitter), before being clearly told off by management and deleting the details shortly after; still, it was confirmed that the main event for Friday and Saturday night gets underway at 8:15pm.
However, these things are always subject to change, as both Richard Aschroft and Cast were slightly premature on night one in Cardiff, and who knows what other arenas will be like for the rest of the reunion tour?
Another big debate online that has raged ever since the Oasis reunion was confirmed is the subject of what they’re going to play from their extensive catalogue.
Obviously, most people could rattle off most of the all-time favourites and cobbble together a pretty decent ‘greatest hits’ of Oasis setlist, but people have been more concerned with what the opener, closing track, and encore will be.
Having watched all of these moments back multiple times already, we can confirm the first track was the classic intro ‘F***in’ in the Bushes’, as many fans suspected, followed by ‘Hello’ as the first full song, rather fittingly.
As for the last track in the main running order, the crowd got to bounce up and down to ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ before the legendary ‘Champagne Supernova’ beckoned the very end of the first night in Cardiff.
— The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) July 4, 2025
They’ll still be reactive
That being said, this inaugural comeback show was somewhat of a pilot for the rest of the ‘Live ’25 world tour, which now totals more than 40 dates, and any good artist knows that tweaking the setlist from show to show can be key to not only to success, but keeping things fresh for you and the audience.
As a result, we wouldn’t be surprised if you see Oasis mix things up as the nights roll on, especially when playing multiple gigs in the same city as they’re doing pretty much everywhere for this reunion.
That flexibility isn’t just limited to song choice either: Liam did his famous twist on the ‘Wonderwall’ lyrics and told the crowd, “There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don’t speak Welsh”, and in case you haven’t seen it already, they also took a moment to honour a late Liverpool star.
There were lots of little details on night one in Cardiff, but this was a very nice touch from Oasis.
A bigger focus on production than ever
The glimpse at the AV presentation seen above is just a small taster too. From the various clips we’ve seen on social media over the last 24 hours or so, Oasis aren’t just back playing music together, but they’ve levelled significantly in terms of production and stage design.
Now, if you’ve ever been to see either of the brothers’ solo shows, you’ll know that football and, more specifically, references to Man City, often feature at some point.
Noel, in particular, has maintained a strong City presence in his set, be it the blue colour palette, the MCFC badge, or even a tall cut-out of manager Pep Guardiola half during most High Flying Birds gigs.
Cardiff night one was no different as his LG instructed the crowd to turn around and do the familiar ‘Poznan’ celebration regularly seen up in the stands of the Etihad Stadium.
Gallagher brothers kick off Oasis world tour with Cardiff show, as Liam tells fans 'do the poznan'.
It was bits of comedy like this that’s been one of the biggest part we’ve missed about Oasis; both Liam and Noel have always been very humorous in their own ways over the years, but they were never funnier than in those old clips you see of them cracking each other up in their younger days.
Despite being estranged for more than a decade and a half and who knows how many years of bad blood overall, they look to have at least put it to one side and what was once a combative back and forth from a distance has circled back around to brotherly banter – or at least we hope it has.
We’re not going to pretend they absolutely adore all of a sudden, but they’re at least trying and recognising each other’s roles.
As you can see, those snaps of them smiling during the first reunion photo shoot back together don’t appear to be just for show.
Seeing the two of them walk out holding hands sent the internet into an absolute frenzy of emotion and had people joking that they were finally going to message their own troublesome relative and at least try to mend fences.
But that was just one small moment.
The duo have always admired and respected their respective talents, but for the first time in even longer than the 16-year hiatus itself, it seems like there’s some genuine love there again. See for yourself:
They’re still as massive as they ever were – if not more so
All this is to say that, in short, Oasis’ first comeback show in Cardiff isn’t just the start of the ‘Live ’25 reunion tour that will span the globe, it’s also confirmation of something people began to question in their lengthy absence…
They really are the biggest and, in so many people’s opinions (including our own), the greatest rock band of all time.
From what we can tell, it feels like one of those watershed music moments where you have be there in person to truly see and believe it – not to be part of some exclusive ‘I was there’ comeback, but because we can’t thing of any other reunion that has had this kind of impact.
Roll on the five nights at Heaton Park and strap in, folks, because you will never forget it.
I've never felt so excited about a gig I didn't even have a ticket for! I'm so glad you had a great time, the clips I've seen looked INCREDIBLE.
Featured Images — Oasis (via X)/Finnlay K (via Instagram)
Audio
Gallagher brothers pay touching tribute to Diogo Jota on first night of Oasis reunion tour
Danny Jones
It’s official, Oasis are actually back, and during the first date on their reunion tour in Cardiff, the Gallagher brothers paid a touching tribute to Liverpool FC player Diogo Jota.
News of Jota’s passing broke on Thursday morning, after it was confirmed that the Liverpool forward was involved in a car crash along with his brother, Andre Felipe Silva.
Using the iconic track ‘Live Forever’ as the perfect opportunity to pay their respects, the screen behind them flashed up with his shirt.
Here’s the moment it happened:
At Oasis' first concert for 16 years, Live Forever is dedicated to Diogo Jota ❤️pic.twitter.com/tZriAhqVpm
A lovely touch from the Burnage boys and die-hard Blues, not to mention done rather cleverly given the song choice.
Taken from their legendary debut album, Definitely Maybe, the 1994 track is regularly voted ‘the best British song of all time’ – and moments like these only reaffirm why it connects with people so strongly.
What’s even more moving is the slight swell of noise you hear from the crowd; even on a night where quite literally all eyes were on them and the inaugural night of the ‘Live ’25’ tour, they made sure to shed some light on the bigger picture.
You could even see some fans in the crowd holding up Portugal flags in honour of the late LFC star.
Manchester City themselves – who boast a number of Portuguese players like Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Matheus Nune – were among countless clubs who shared their condolences with Liverpool in the aftermath of the 28-year-old’s tragic death.
Scouse support band Cast also dedicated one of their songs to Jota earlier in the evening.
Cast frontman John Power just dedicated Walkaway to Diogo Jota. Power: “This is Walkaway. This one’s for Diogo Jota. Take it easy brother.” #Oasis25#DiogoJotapic.twitter.com/BEGuLaOTaR
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) July 4, 2025
Put simply, Friday, 4 July 2025, at the Principality Stadium was always going to be one that went down as one of the biggest concerts in decades, but this small gesture from a pair of footy fans no doubt made it even more special for any supporters who happened to be in the crowd.
And, indeed, the thousands watching at home, as even before the tidal wave clips began to appear online, there were multiple livestreams of the show on YouTube and various other platforms.
While most of these were ultimately taken down (not before we saw that legend balancing a pint of blue WKD on his head), there was no chance of keeping this one in the building.
We saw the setlist, we heard the noise; we saw them holding hands, and we even saw them hugging as they walked off. On a night were they chose to spotlight family in more ways than one, Oasis and those who are sadly no longer around to see them ‘Live Forever’ in the memory of millions.
The Manc -
7th August 2020 
