Liam Gallagher has announced a super-intimate gig in Blackburn this month.
The former Oasis frontman will take to the stage at King George’s Hall to promote a Spezial trainer partnership with Adidas.
The gig on April 27, supported by Blackburn band The Illicits, will also raise money for local homeless charity Nightsafe.
It’s taking place ahead of his stadium gigs this summer, which includes two nights at Knebworth and one at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester.
Liam is set to release his third solo album, C’mon You Know on 27 May.
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Liam Gallagher will perform a gig in partnership with Adidas in Blackburn. Credit: Supplied
This will be the first time the rocker has performed at Blackburn with Darwen, which is recognised as the birthplace of Spezial.
The venue itself has previously welcomed music legends like David Bowie, The Beatles, The Clash and The Stone Roses.
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The gig will announce the launch of a new trainer collaboration with Adidas Spezial, called the LG2SPZL.
The Adidas Spezial range was founded and curated by lifelong three-stripes fan Gary Aspden, who is from Darwen, and who is good friends and long-time collaborator with Liam Gallagher.
Liam Gallagher will perform a gig in partnership with Adidas in Blackburn. Credit: Supplied
Liam said: “I’m glad to announce my new collaboration with Adidas Spezial. It’s our take on the one and only Barrington Smash and it’s absolutely incredible.
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“And if that’s not enough to blow your wig off, I’m going to be playing The King George’s Hall in Blackburn, Lancashire. All proceeds from the gig will be in aid of Nightsafe, a local homeless charity.”
Gary was the driving force behind the hugely popular Adidas Blackburn SPZL shoes and the Blackburn Spezial exhibition – which drew in thousands of visitors from around the world to the town.
This was followed up with the C.P. Company 50th anniversary event in an underground car park in Darwen last year – attracting a string of famous faces from Dynamo the Magician to Goldie and Shaun Ryder.
Gary said: “I could not be happier that Adidas agreed to support this event in east Lancashire and am super made up that Liam has agreed to come and perform here.
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“He has never performed in Blackburn before and given how the roots of Spezial are connected to the town it feels like an appropriate location to announce the forthcoming LG2SPZL trainer collaboration.
Liam Gallagher will perform a gig in partnership with Adidas in Blackburn. Credit: Supplied
“This should bring some great energy and positivity to Blackburn and will hopefully give Nightsafe a much needed boost after what have been a difficult few years for everyone.”
Denise Park, chief executive of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: “We’re grateful to Gary and his team at Adidas for once again backing Blackburn with Darwen and working so hard to host such a high-profile event here – in King George’s Hall’s 100th year too.
“It’s an opportunity for us to again showcase what we have to offer in the borough as well as raise vital funds for Nightsafe – a fantastic charity.
“Gary is passionate about regenerating towns through culture and he is making a real difference to the place which he is proud to call home.
The Warehouse Project announces fallow year and events on ‘far smaller scale’ from 2027
Daisy Jackson
The Warehouse Project has just announced that it will take a ‘short breather’ next year, with a fallow year on the cards.
The enormous clubbing series has cemented Manchester’s position as a leading nightlife city, drawing hundreds of thousands with its curated lineups and live sets.
Over the last 20 years, The Warehouse Project has transformed venues including a disused brewery, an underground car park (the iconic Store Street), and Victoria Warehouse.
Since moving into Depot Mayfield in 2019, the scale and magnitude of the clubbing series has rocketed, attracting huge names like Fred Again, Disclosure, Skrillex, Bicep, Four Tet, and plenty more.
There have also been massive nights curated by the likes of Annie Mac, Worried About Henry, Jamie XX, and more.
Plus huge recurring events every year, like the brilliant Homobloc and WHP’s almighty New Years closing parties.
But now, after two decades, the founders have announced ‘something of a fallow year’ in 2027.
While they’ve assured fans that there will still be events, these will be ‘on a far smaller scale’ – and will definitely not be returning to Store Street.
Reflecting back, they wrote: “The idea was simple: find a space that existed for a finite period each winter and create a series of totally unique musical moments – each unique in its own right, reaching different audiences, but all coming together under one roof for one unmissable season. A whole new format in which to experience this culture.
“Those early years had a particular energy. There was huge risk at every turn and, at times, unimaginable chaos that could easily have ended the whole thing before it had really begun. Amongst it all though, there was a feeling we were onto something special. We just needed to keep going.”
The statement continued: “Over the last two decades, almost everything aroundus has changed. Music has changed. Manchester has changed.
“The way people discover artists and experience nightlife has changed. And The Warehouse Project has kept evolving alongside it. We’ve moved through different homes and chapters. Each night leaving its own mark on the story.
“We’ve welcomed our heroes to play stages in train depots, old defunct brewerys and underground car parks. And we’ve seen multiple generations create cherished memories on that dancefloor.
“We spoke at length about how to mark 20 Years. After all this time, how do we make this 2026 season feel like the landmark moment it should be? We think the answer is to dial things back the following year. So, in 2027 WHP, in its current format, will take a short breather.”
The Warehouse Project added: “The Warehouse Project as you currently know it takes something of a fallow year in 2027.
“To the artists who trusted us; the agents, managers, promoters and partners who backed that crazy idea; and all the unsung heroes who have worked so incredibly hard behind the scenes, year after year – thank you.
“And to everyone who has ever bought a ticket, stood in a queue in the Manchester rain, discovered a new artist, lost their friends, found them again, stayed until the lights came up, or walked out into the morning knowing they’d just experienced something special. You are the reason we are still here.
Legendary pop duo Erasure announces huge Manchester arena gig on 2027 UK tour
Emily Sergeant
Legendary pop duo Erasure have announced a UK arena tour next spring, and they’re set to stop off in Manchester.
Andy Bell and Vince Clarke – better known by their duo name, Erasure – have announced details of their long-awaited upcoming 20th studio album today, titled Radio!! Radio!!, alongside details of an arena tour in spring 2027 across the UK and Europe.
Described as a ‘deeply personal’ project, the BRIT and Ivor Novello award-winning duo’s first new studio album in six years sees Bell and Clarke continue to refine and deepen the pop catalogue they’ve been building over the past 40 years.
The album will be comprised of a set of songs about love, loss, and injustice that they hope speaks to our ’empathy-starved times’.
Erasure will take to the road in 2027 for an arena tour that kicks off at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on 25 April before travelling throughout the UK, including a stop in Manchester at the AO Arena on 1 May, before finishing off in London and heading over to Europe, with more dates to follow.
Vince Clarke will be Musical Director for the tour, but will not be appearing onstage alongside Andy Bell, it has been revealed.
Bell says: “I’m so pleased that we were able to find a way for the tour to work for Vince. He’s always too modest but he’s so much more than the Musical Director, Vince is one of the great loves of my life and everything we do as Erasure we decide together.”
Erasure will be performing at the AO Arena in Manchester on 1 May 2027, and tickets go on presale this Thursday 1 October at 10am, before general sale begins a day later (2 October) also at 10am.
Daisy Jackson -
19th April 2022 
