An L. S. Lowry painting depicting people attending a football match has sold at auction for £7.8m.
The beloved 1953 artwork has been saved by the Salford theatre and gallery that shares the artist’s name.
The Lowry successfully bid to buy and keep Going to the Match, where it will remain on public display with The Lowry Collection.
It’s been part of The Lowry’s display since 2000, when it arrived as a loan by owners the Professional Footballers Association.
Once the PFA decided to sell the painting, there was no guarantee that the new owners would ensure it would be free to access for the public.
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Salford Quays and The Lowry. Credit: Unsplash
The painting shows crowds of people milling towards a football ground and has been praised for capturing a ‘quintessentially Northern experience’.
The purchase was made possible by the support of The Law Family Charitable Foundation.
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Julia Fawcett OBE, CEO of The Lowry, said: “We firmly believe that this iconic artwork must remain on public view, so it can continue to be seen by the broadest possible audiences, for free.
“This evening, thanks to an incredibly generous gift from The Law Family Charitable Foundation, we are delighted to have purchased the painting for the city’s collection of LS Lowry works.
“We look forward to bringing it home to Salford, where it can continue to delight and attract visitors to the Andrew and Zoë Law galleries at The Lowry.
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“A great deal of work has been needed to make this intervention possible – I’d like to thank Andrew and Zoë Law, our Chair Sir Rod Aldridge, Salford’s City Mayor Paul Dennett and our Trustees for all of their support.”
Andrew Law said: “Zoë and I are delighted to have facilitated The Lowry’s purchase of Going to the Match. This LS Lowry painting belongs in Salford on public view, close to his birthplace, where he was educated and where he lived.
“Place matters. L. S. Lowry’s depiction of people attending a football match is just one of his many incredible genres of work, but it is undoubtedly his most iconic.”
Paul Dennett, Salford’s City Mayor, said: “L. S. Lowry, Salford’s greatest and most iconic artist, made his name depicting working-class life – as such we emphatically believed Going to the Match should remain on public view free to access where everyone can see it.
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“I am delighted our campaign to save this critical and important painting has successfully resulted in The Lowry securing it tonight, for the city of Salford in perpetuity for generations to come, for residents and visitors to our great City.”
Featured image: Supplied
Art & Culture
Courteeners set for huge hometown event at Wythenshawe Park in Manchester
Danny Jones
The latest artist due to play Wythenshawe Park has been announced, with hometown heroes Courteeners set to take the stage in Manchester.
Now that is a big booking.
The Middleton-formed Manc band remain one of the biggest contemporary names to come out of Greater Manchester, and having already played to record-breaking crowds at Heaton Park, Old Trafford, and most venues in the region over the last two decades, this is just the next one to tick off.
Better still, they’re bringing some brilliant acts along with them for Live From Wythenshawe Park 2026, with the one-day festival becoming more established every year.
Courteeners, Wythenshawe Park, Manchester. Saturday 29th August 2026 +special guests @thevaccines(performing debut album 'What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?' in full),@thecoralband,Getdown Services & Girl In The Year Above. Tickets:10am Friday 24th Oct https://t.co/AYk3UlTdlkpic.twitter.com/vQAw2ZEpd0
Who is supporting Courteeners at Wythenshawe Park?
As well as openers, Getdown Services and Girl In The Year Above, who’ll be representing Bristol and the Irish delegation respectively, there’s no chance of the warm-ups not doing their job before the headliners get underway.
The two big support acts scheduled to join the St. Jude stars for the massive outdoor gig are none other than Merseyside veterans, The Coral, as well as fellow indie favourites, The Vaccines.
Get. IN.
As if that lineup wasn’t already one of the best Live From Wythenshawe Park has seen to date, the latter are set to play their debut album, What Did You Expect From The Vaccines?, in full – 2026 marks a whole 15 years since it was first released, if you can believe that.
You won’t be surprised to hear that their headline UK tour celebrating the same milestone has sold out pretty much across the board, with a second Manchester date added AND now an extra chance to see them live supporting Courteeners.
General admission for the show goes on sale 10am on Friday, 24 October 2025, with tickets available via Gigs and Tours.com as well as Ticketmaster; Courtneers are also donating £1 from every ticket sold directly to the Music Venue Trust, the UK charity protecting and improving grassroots music venues.
That’s what we like to hear.
Contributions like this really do go on to help keep local venues open, support up-and-coming new artists on tour, not to mention it serves as an investment in the future of live music in what is an increasingly challenging industry.
With Courteeners set to follow another big and even more iconic indie rock band already confirmed, Live From Wythenshawe Park 2026 is shaping up nicely.
DMA’s add extra Manchester gig to highly anticipated Hills End 10th anniversary tour
Danny Jones
Indie favourites DMA’s have finally confirmed their highly anticipated Hills End anniversary tour, celebrating 10 years since their breakout debut album with several UK dates, including not one but now TWO here in Manchester.
The Aussie band beloved by Brits and music fans all over have been teasing a reveal of some sort over the past weeks, but now the news is official.
Up there with the Sydney music scene’s finest exports right now, DMA‘s have always had a strong following over here, but especially so up North and Manchester in particular, with their youthful, uplifting and moving style often striking up similarities to our own indie rock roots.
Revealing details of the Hills End 10th anniversary shows on social media earlier this week, the talented trio confirmed a number of Northern gigs – and then quickly had to add a bunch more…
Besides us Mancs being the first stop on the run of live shows (honoured, of course), we’re one of three UK cities getting an additional live show after fans lapped up the pre-sale.
Perhaps the most exciting part about this announcement is that this will be the very first time that DMA’s will be performing their much-loved maiden LP live in full.
At this time, we’re not sure whether or not they’ll be playing from start to finish in order, but either way, fans are understandably very excited; you can consider us here at Audio North firmly included in that group, by the way.
We’re sure we don’t need to remind you lot reading this per se, but cherished tracks from the record obviously include ‘Delete’, ‘Lay Down’, ‘In The Moment’.
They’ll also be playing working-class outposts like Newcastle and Glasgow (make that twice), as well as paying a visit to our friends over at The Hoot in Yorkshire. You can see the full list of shows down below.
DMA’s Hills End 10th anniversary tour 2026 – UK dates
Speaking on the initial announcement, the band said: “The UK has always felt like a second home for us. Hills End was where our story really began overseas, so it feels right to come back and celebrate it with the fans who’ve supported us from day one.”
Literally almost a full decade on from its release, the DMA’s anniversary tour kicks off at O2 Victoria Warehouse next February and, as of yet, no support act has been confirmed.
Johnny Took, Matt Mason and lead singer Tommy O’Dell will then be coming back to Manchester for round two on Sunday, 15 February.
Tickets go on sale at 9am this Friday, 17 October; you can get ready to grab your tickets HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
20th October 2022 
