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Faithless set for first return to Manchester since Maxi Jazz’s passing as part of huge new tour

It's been the best part of a decade since they were last here. (this article contains affiliate links)

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 23rd August 2024

British dance music legends Faithless are heading back out on a huge UK/EU tour later this year and are set to return to Manchester for the first time since the death of frontman Maxi Jazz.

One of the most iconic and influential electronic bands to have ever come out of the UK, the industry veterans had been off the road for a whole eight years until their first shows back on the circuit back this past June and even joined the lineup for Bestival 2024 earlier this month.

Following the huge success of the comeback gigs in the likes of London, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Amsterdam, Faithless have now confirmed a huge new 21-date tour which will see them returning to the likes of Manchester, Newcastle and more for the first time in nearly a decade.

News like this can only mean one thing: God really is a DJ.

Although bandmates Sister Bliss and Rollo Armstrong had performed sets of their own since the lead singer’s sudden death back in December 2022, it wasn’t until this year that decided to get together as a group once again.

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Revealing their return in April, the clamour for tickets to their initially limited number of tour dates was massive, especially with the news that they are also working on new music, but it now seems that the demand for more live sets was so much that they had to go back on the road properly.

Jazz is said to have died peacefully in his sleep, but with his passing coming at the age of just 65 it was no less tragic and shocking for the band and the countless fans all over the world.

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The performances earlier this year also landed right around his birthday and without them going down like the storm they did, this new Champion Sound – the name given to their forthcoming eighth studio album – this tour may not been confirmed to be happening so soon.

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Safe to say it’s going to be a momentous occasion for Faithless to see them back at some seriously iconic venues including Manchester’s O2 Victoria Warehouse on 15 November, plus a baker’s dozen of shows all across Europe.

General sale begins at 10am on Friday 30 August – you can grab your tickets for Faithless in Manchester HERE.

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If it looks anything like this, then we’re in for a treat. Long live Maxi.

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Press Images (supplied)/Jørund Føreland Pedersen (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Has Liam Gallagher just casually confirmed that a new Oasis album is coming?

Danny Jones Danny Jones

Liam Gallagher is playing his usual social media mind games to perfection as it looks like he might have just revealed that a new Oasis album is on the way.

Keeping close watch on his social media needs to be someone’s full-time job, honestly.

The younger Gallagher sibling and his older brother Noel have finally patched things up after a decade and a half and barring a big bust-up on the first day of their upcoming reunion shows, the world will soon be able to see them back touring again next summer.

A comeback on its own was something we never thought we’d actually live to see come to fruition but now it looks like not only will be once again seeing the Burnage boys performing their many hits but they may or may not have been working on a new Oasis album. It all started back in September, actually.

Liam, 52, has been enjoying some playful back-and-forth with Oasis fans ever since the comeback was confirmed in August and the talk of new/unreleased music has been rumbling for a while.

Responding to a fan on 7 September, who asked point blank if it was true that a new album was on the way, “Yep it’s already finished.”

Then, as the days rolled into November, LG began swapping out the usual ‘RASTAS’ and ‘BUMBALCART’ tweets with two very random on-brand and what we presumed were merely innocuous words: “SPIRITUAL” and, most recently, “CELESTIAL”.

For a man who’s said the word ‘biblical’ more times than he’s had hot dinners, we didn’t make too much of it initially, but it was in his response to other fans on Saturday, 2 November and earlier this week that’s started to grab attention, even responding to a so-called leak about the number of the track listing.

As always, take this stuff with a big ol’ pinch of salt.

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All that being said, the last time he did this sort of stuff it was about the support acts for the Oasis reunion tour and he wasn’t lying then, so who knows? Maybe we really are going to get the long-awaited eighth album from Oasis for the first time since 2008.

Elsewhere, the frontman has been joking that he and Noel are practically the best of friends nowadays and almost pretending that there was never any bad blood, adding that he’ll be on his “best behaviour” when they head out on the road for their first tour date at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff in July.

In the meantime, lots of fans are now in the awkward position of having to sort out new plans after more than 50,000 tickets purchased through resellers were cancelled and re-listed.

Liam has also made it clear he’d much rather keep the Oasis reunion train rolling after the ‘Live ’25 World Tour’ ends than return to a solo career – as for Noel, he could always go back to his High Flying Birds project or maybe even switch industries…

‘Game’s gone’: Manchester City had an unexpected commentator in the Champions League last night – Noel Gallagher

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Featured Images — Raph_PH (via Flickr)/Drew de F Fawkes (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Girls Aloud to release ‘Sarah’s Version’ of ‘I’ll Stand By You’ for BBC Children In Need 2024

Danny Jones Danny Jones Girls Aloud to release Sarah's Version for Children In Need 2024

Pop royalty Girls Aloud are set to release a special edition of their 2004 song ‘I’ll Stand By You’, simply dubbed ‘Sarah’s Version’, for this year’s Children In Need broadcast.

The iconic British girl group returned earlier this year with a huge comeback nationwide tour which obviously sold out and they also won over crowds with their touching on-stage tributes to late singer Sarah Harding during their live performances.

Harding, 39, sadly passed away back in 2021 following a battle with breast cancer and was mourned across the country, especially here in the North, with a commemorative plaque and large mural of the Stockport-born songstress thrown up in her hometown back in May.

And now, as a way to help raise money for the annual BBC telethon and honour her once again, Girls Aloud will be re-releasing the well-known ballad.

Originally a cover of the 1997 track by The Pretenders and given that they were still so early into their career, the Noughties hitmakers naturally did multiple takes before landing on their final edit.

That being said, a version that has been rediscovered in digging through the archived recording sessions features Sarah Harding on lead vocals and now the band are set to let her voice shine through.

Airing for the first time on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Wednesday, 6 November, ‘Sarah’s Version’ has already gone down an instant hit 20 years from its release, with the emotional punch of hearing Harding’s clearly hitting listeners hard.

‘I’ll Stand By You’ went straight to the top of the UK Singles Chart when it was first released and was their second-ever number one. We have a very strong feeling that the importance of this re-release will see it do exactly the same – just in time for Christmas, no less.

Fans were left spellbound during what was casually referred to as ‘Sarah’s moment’ on the Girls Aloud reunion tour, where they truly did allow her singing to become the star of the show:

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As if the charity single wasn’t a tear-jerking enough prospect already, ‘I’ll Stand By You – Sarah’s Version’ is also set to be released on 15 November, just two days before what would have been Harding’s 43rd birthday. We’re not crying, you are.

In aid of The Christie and the Sarah Harding Legacy Project, more than £1 million has been raised in the Stopfordian’s memory and for breast cancer awareness through initiatives like the creation of the mural and members of the hospital doing charity runs, bike rides, swims and more.

Speaking on social media, the band added: “The track played a key part in our ‘The Girls Aloud Show’ arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all.”

BBC Children in Need 2024 takes place next Friday (15 November) and highlights from their reunion tour, where ‘Sarah’s Version’ was first heard by the masses, will be shown on ITV at 8pm the following Sunday.

Credit: BBC/The Christie

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Featured Images — BBC Children In Need/The Christie

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