A Manchester city centre nightclub is set to host a fundraising memorial gig in honour of local DJ, Noxxic, who sadly died in a traffic collision late last year.
The aspiring drum and bass artist was cycling along Albion Way near the roundabout linking the M602 and A57 Regent Road when he collided with the HGV. Despite the best efforts of paramedics and emergency at the scene, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mourned not only by his family and countless friends but also by the Manchester music scene and local clubbing community at large, Kable Club on New Wakefield Street is now set to host a memorial night for charity as a tribute to the talent “gone far too soon”.
Set up with the help of friend, collaborator and DnB peer, Max Clarke, the fundraising memorial night is taking place this month and will aim to not only honour Lewis and the Simpson family but also remember and celebrate his life the way he would have wanted: with music and a good time.
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The Warrington-based artist and producer, who goes by ‘Clarkey‘, regularly played b2b sets with the 25-year-old over the years, including charity livestream performances to raise money for the homeless during the festive period. Noxxic was also a proud and well-known mental health advocate.
As well as the likes of Hedex, Sota and J Bookey paying tribute online following the tragedy, Clarkey and Noxxic’s ‘Blckhry – Bite’ remix was played on BBC Radio 1’s Drum & Bass Show with Charlie T, as well as ‘Tribute Get Lit Mix’ including all of his tunes featuring n 1Xtra’s Rave Show.
Manchester-based promoters, music label and all-round D’n’B brand, Hit & Run, said: “Really is such a shock to hear about the tragic and untimely passing of Lew Simpson aka Noxxic.”
The post continues: “He was a near-permanent fixture at the night and across the scene in the city – he lived and breathed D&B and his passion and dedication not just for production and DJing but also the community of this city is something [we] truly admired about the man.”
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“He’d made such great strides in his career these last few years so seems so very unfair that he’s been taken from us at such a young age – he had so much more to give.
So many people we know and care about will be hurting too too much right now – I know you will all make him proud and honour his legacy and friendship. Such very sad news.”
Clarkey himself shared a touching video of the pair playing together to rapturous applause:
Writing a lengthy statement underneath the charity event page on Skiddle, Clarkey wrote: “On 17 January, we come together to celebrate the life, passion, and legacy of Lew Simpson, known to many as Noxxic, a true champion of the jump-up drum and bass community.
“With a heart that beat for the wicked sounds of the genre he loved so deeply, Lew was more than just a fan; he was an advocate, a believer and an inspiration to everyone who shared his love for the music. This historic night in Manchester promises to be an unforgettable tribute to Noxxic, featuring a lineup of monumental talent.
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“From the legends who have defined jump-up over the past few years to the rising stars pushing it to even new boundaries, each artist on the bill represents everything Lew cherished about this incredibly unifying genre.
“Together, we’ll create a night that embodies the energy, spirit and passion he brought to the scene. This night is about more than music, it’s about making a difference to people’s lives like Lew strived to do. All proceeds from this event will go to Mind, a charity dedicated to mental health support, advocacy, and awareness.
“As a serious champion for mental health, Lew’s commitment to the well-being of others continues through this deeply meaningful cause. Come witness jump-up drum and bass in its purest form, as we honour Noxxic with the kind of night he could only have dreamed about: one filled with love, community and some of the finest music.”
Kable aren’t the only ones who have helped pay tribute with a club night in his name either, with London outfit North Base also dedicated their ‘& Friends’ show to the much-loved artist this past December.
Noxxic was a real up-and-comer on the scene.Manc DJs Kormz and Clarkey with Noxxic (right).Credit: Noxxic/Clarkey (via Facebook)
As mentioned, the proceeds from the show will go towards Mind (a charity close to Lewis’ heart) and are priced at just £11.25 including the booking fee. Alternatively, fans who can’t make the date can still make a total Noxxic donation of £6 to help do their bit.
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With the lineup for the memorial gig night now out – not to mention two special guests still yet to be announced – Clarkey, Kormz, North Base and many more will be giving fans a lively albeit emotional night to remember.
Clarkey signed off by simply adding, “Let’s come together to celebrate his life and legacy in the most fitting way possible!”
You can grab your tickets HERE. Rest in peace, Noxxic.
Blossoms credit Courteeners as ‘a big reason that we’re a band’
Danny Jones
High-flying indie five-piece Blossoms have credited Courteeners as a “big reason” that they became a band in a recent interview.
The Stockport outfit – who enjoyed an utterly stellar 2024 amidst the release of their critically acclaimed album, Gary – have not long finished their most recent tour, but they claim it may never have happened without the Middleton group.
And they don’t just mean in terms of inspiration: as they explained, it was the Courteeners’ generosity and support during their early days that helped them get a foot in the door.
Speaking to Radio X earlier this week, Blossoms were invited to look back on what was unquestionably a massive year for music and review it from A-Z; when they arrived at the letter C, there was only one answer that came to mind.
When you are supporting the Courteeners at 7 but have to set a fiendish riddle for Batman at 9.
Tom from @BlossomsBand pulling off some clobber that not many others could at Old Trafford this weekend!
— XS Manchester – 106.1 FM, DAB+ & App (@XSManchester) September 27, 2021
Drummer Joe Donovan said of the fellow Greater Manchester music icons: “They’re a big reason that we’re a band – having a band so close to home, that felt like we can do this.”
Speaking about the Middleton-based indie rockers, he went on to insist, “We can’t thank them enough for being so kind to us.”
Blossoms not only supported Courteeners at their massive 2023 Heaton Park show but have twice been warm-up acts for Liam Fray and co. at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground.
The first occasion came back in 2017 towards the start of their career, having not long released their debut record and still a year before they would release their sophomore outing.
All three gigs were obviously massive, both in helping put the local lads on the map and get their music out to new audiences and in helping nurture what is clearly a close relationship between the two bands.
During lockdown, Fray and the Blossoms combined for an ‘isolated’, stripped-back and ultimately viral cover of the classic 2008 Courteeners track, ‘Please Don’t’, from their first-ever LP St. Jude, which was recently re-released as a 15th Anniversary Edition.
Cut to a few years later and each band is still riding their own waves of popularity, with the Stopfordians only getting bigger as time goes on and Courteeners returning with their seventh studio album, Pink Cactus Café, back in October – on which Blossoms bassist Charlie Salt featured.
As they put it, their forerunners turned collaborators gave them “the belief” to not just play but keep making music and releasing it into the world, not to mention giving them the confidence to perform the kind of charismatic and much-talked-about live shows they’re known for today.
We have no doubt Blossoms x Courteeners connections will remain strong for years to come and you can almost bank on them sharing a festival stage or big headline billing again in the near future.
It won’t be long before the former are back on the road either, with plenty of gigs coming up this spring and summer, and we’re sure you’ll hear more live news from the Courteeners soon enough too.
Featured Images — The Manc Group/Press Image (supplied)
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Liam Gallagher sheds light on potential reunion setlist for Oasis Live ’25
Danny Jones
Liam Gallagher is perennially on social media these days and in his latest spell killing timeonline, the Oasis frontman has hinted at a potential setlist for the long-awaited reunion tour.
We’ve still got to wait until summer before the Oasis Live ’25 world tour fully kicks off, with Manchester’s Heaton Park set for five massive hometown dates in July, but people are already starting to lick their lips at the mere idea of what songs the legendary Britpop band might play now they’re back.
Now, of course, you can rightly assume we’ll hear the likes of ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, ‘Live Forever’, ‘Champagne Supernova’ and all the other hits, but it’s trying to fill in the blanks between the famous singles that people are having most fun with.
One Twitter—sorry, X user looks to have come pretty close in fact, as Liam Gallagher himself replied to a fan asking if a rumoured Oasis reunion setlist ‘leaked’ online was genuine – to which the 52-year-old had this to say.
As you can see, his reply to the heavily reshared mock-up of the suspected Oasis Live ’25 setlist looks to be one largely of confirmation, admitting that it’s not far off what the Burnage boys have cooking up.
LG himself confirmed that rehearsals had begun back in October which means that, yes, the Gallaghers haven’t just been in the same room as each other for a few quick pictures but they’ve actually played music together for the first time in over 15 years – and have been doing so for the past few months.
Whether or not the creator of this supposed setlist has managed to guess roughly the right running order or manage to guess a few of the less obvious album tracks that the Manchester icons, we’ll just have to wait and see.
If it’s even a little bit the latter then fans of deeper cuts like ‘The Hindu Times’ and ‘Shakermaker’ will be buzzing, but the greater likelihood is that the duo have just packed their upcoming performances with as many well-known and much-loved bangers as possible.
We’ll be happy with whatever they come out with, to be honest – we just want to finally see scenes like this in this flesh.
One of Oasis’ last-ever gigs.
Noel sings ‘Half The World Away’ with his brother Liam sitting down on stage looking on.
That being said, they were of course still touring the last album they put out, Dig Out Your Soul (2008), back then and, as much of a soft spot we have for some of the tracks on there, we expect much very few of the songs off that record will make the final cut.
What about you lot, then: what tunes would you most like to hear on the ‘Oasis Live ’25’ setlist when the reunion finally rolls around?
We’ve certainly got our favourites – and in order, no less…
Danny Jones -
7th January 2025 
