Liam Gallagher and John Squire have finally dropped their first track off their upcoming collaboration and it’s even more nostalgically Manc-sounding than we could have hoped for.
Being two of the biggest music legends to have ever come out of the UK, let alone just Manchester, there were a lot of eyes (and ears) on this project and Gallagher himself didn’t exactly play it down by declaring that “it’s going to be the best record since Revolver” by The Beatles.
Now, while we’re not going to vouch for such a bold claim after just one track, we have now heard ‘Just Another Rainbow’ for the very first time and are now feeling pretty confident that fans are going to get the exact kind of vibe they were hoping for.
It’s so Manc the only thing it’s missing is Morrisey twirling flowers front and centre.
From the familiar sonics of that thick, distorted, almost drowning and quintessentially John Squire guitar sound and the low but steady bassline in the background, you’d genuinely be forgiven for mistaking this for a Stone Roses tune.
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Then the instantly recognisable vocals of LG come in, who sings in arguably the best register we’ve heard him in post-Oasis times, and it feels like a marriage of some of the most unmistakable Manc music signatures that you can’t help but reminisce to and enjoy for what it is.
For balance, Squire is undoubtedly the star of the show, not only with the groove that scores the song throughout but also an interesting breakdown down in the bridge that allows for snare-driven drums to break through but an old-school solo that you’d expect from one of the best leads Britian’s ever seen.
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Meanwhile, it’s fair to say that Liam’s lyricism still isn’t on a par with Noel and this certainly isn’t his strongest effort — hearing him literally recite the colours of the rainbow on first listen was a bit surreal, to say the least — but it’s by no means bad and the simplicity almost highlights shine.
Although the Gallagher brothers made no secret of their love for The Beatles and the influence they had on their own music (pretty much like everyone else), we don’t think you’ll find much in the way of Revolver-esque similarities but that doesn’t mean it couldn’t go on to be just as succinct a record.
Having already proclaimed Squire as “the best guitarist of his generation and in the world in my opinion”, it looks fairly likely that he’s going to let his songwriting skills and psychedelic guitar-playing breathe as much as possible on this new album, whatever it ends up sounding like in full.
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There’s no release date for this joint album as yet, nor is there a title, but all we will say is that we like what we’ve heard so far.
We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves but this pseudo-‘Stone Rosasis’ project could end up being very, very good.
Embrace announce intimate live show in beloved Bury music venue
Danny Jones
British alternative veterans Embrace have announced another intimate show here in Greater Manchester, only this time it’s over in Bury at a stunning small-cap arts venue.
It’s not often you get to see such a long-standing band play outside of the city centre so far into their career, especially in gorgeous grassroots spaces like this one.
A fellow Northern outfit, they’ve often been lumped in with that ‘post-Britpop’ era of music, and plenty throw around the so-called ‘dad rock’ label, but honestly, we couldn’t care either way: they remain among the UK’s perennially underappreciated underdogs that never get old, as far as we’re concerned.
Revealing a handful of new live dates for their album launch this summer, they’ll be making just two appearances in the North West on the run.
Writing in the post, the group said: “We’ve lined up a run of exclusive UK dates in venues that are some of the smallest we’ve played in years. It’s going to be special, but capacity is extremely limited.”
As you can see, besides the Jacaranda Baltic in Liverpool, the only other place in this region where they’re set to play for this mini tour is The Met over in Bury.
One of the most beautiful gig spots, not just in the town but in all the 10 boroughs, for our money, the room only holds around 400 standing and roughly 250 seats.
For seasoned artists like this lot, who are more used to playing big festival stages and big domestic headline tours – which they’re also doing later this year – it’s sure to be a special night.
Toasting the release of their ninth studio LP, Avalanche, this spin-off on the tried and tested in-store format wouldn’t be possible without the help of local record store, Wax and Beans, who are promoting and hosting the show.
But we can’t lie, there’s something about the idea of seeing them decades on from when they first tightly-packed out crowds of this size.
If you want to be part of the Embrace album launch tour, you can get ready to grab your tickets at 10am this Friday, 27 March, right HERE. And speaking of great record shops…
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
Daisy Jackson
Niall Horan will be back in Manchester this year on a huge newly-announced European arena tour.
The former One Direction star (and chart-topper in his own right) has just announced his Dinner Party Live On Tour tour.
The tour comes in support of his upcoming fourth solo studio album, Dinner Party, which promises to be ‘cinematic and organic’.
Niall Horan will be performing at the Co-op Live in Manchester this September, along with gigs in other UK cities including Sheffield, Glasgow, and Newcastle.
He’ll then head right across Europe, playing music from his multi-Platinum-selling songbook.
Niall first shot to fame as one-fifth of One Direction, but has one of the group’s strongest solo careers, with three chart-topping albums and massive hits like Slow Hands, Heaven, and Our Song.
Niall Horan is heading back to Manchester with a massive arena show just announced
He’s also worked on some exciting collaborations with the likes of Anne-Marie, and most recently Myles Smith.
£1 from every ticket sold for Niall Horan’s Dinner Party tour will be donated to the LIVE Trust, which is dedicated to protecting, expanding, and supporting grassroots music across the UK.
Niall Horan will be at the Co-op Live in Manchester on Friday 25 September.
Tickets will go on sale from 10am on Thursday 2 April HERE.
Danny Jones -
5th January 2024 
