Following the ongoing palaver with Co-op Live, Liam Gallagher has joked that he’d happily play his scheduled gigs in a Lidl if the arena still isn’t ready – at least we think he’s joking…
With Liam Gallagher having been named as one of the first acts booked to play Co-op Live last year, many are now wondering whether the venue will even by June, with the former Oasis frontman set to play four Definitely Maybe 30th-anniversary sets. That being said, he’s come up with a solution if not.
Turns out Liam Gallagher isn’t an Aldi man, he’s team Lidl.
Vintage LG, we’ll give him that.
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Obviously a bit of a tongue-in-cheek quip at the venue being sponsored by a supermarket and convenience store chain, it could have been any other competitor that the ever-witty youngest Gallagher brother picked but it somehow made it extra funny that he chose a budget brand like Lidl.
However, with the 51-year-old already having fun with stunts like voicing the tannoys on the Metrolink last year, for instance, we wouldn’t put it past him to take this joke a little further.
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Better still, not that we’re getting carried away or anything but Lidl themselves seem pretty keen on the idea too; they even spent the time to build an entire setlist for the fictional show. Fair play.
Liam Gallagher @ Lidl Arena – Setlist:
– Lidl by Lidl – Champagne Superoffer – Super(market) Sonic – The Importance of Being Lidl – Tiger Roll With It – Don’t Look Back in Hanger – Some Might Save
Can you imagine? Liam Gallagher swapping the occasional tambourine shake for beeps from a barcode scanner as he moves back and forth on the conveyor belt. We know it’s absolute nonsense and we definitely shouldn’t be even remotely considering it… BUT it’s the stuff of dreams and strange things have happened.
A lot of stranger things have happened this week alone. As for the latest with Co-op Live, the Chairman and CEO of key-backers Oak View Group, Tim Leiweke, issued a full statement sharing his “sincere apologies”and insisting that they understand “there is work to be done to rebuild your trust in us.”
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With the likes of Olivia Rodrigo, Peter Kay, The Black Keys and more having their gigs pulled by the venue due to numerous issues, including an air conditioning unit falling from the ceiling, fans are understandably fearful that other upcoming events could face delays or general misfortune.
Much like the venue itself, we imagine we’ll be playing catch-up on this whole saga for the foreseeable, but here’s a recap of the story so far:
Featured Images — Lidl GB/Exit Festival (via Flickr)/The Manc Group
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The Bridgewater Hall is hosting a free dementia-friendly music festival this week
Thomas Melia
A festival which is all about being dementia-friendly is happening at a renowned Manchester music venue this week.
The So Many Beauties Festival – which is presented by and titled after charity organisation, So Many Beauties – has been curated for the Bridgewater Hall, and will see 30 organisations, all of which offer support to people living with dementia across Greater Manchester, descend on the international concert venue for the special music event.
So Many Beauties was founded in 2016 with the goal of championing creativity and helping to make people living with dementia’s voices be heard.
Throughout the duration of the festival, visitors can enjoy many interactive opportunities.
There’ll be live performances, workshops, arts activities, and more – with the event even having support and advice provided by professional organisations who work in dementia care.
The main aim of this musical experience is to use music to better connections, creativity, and wellbeing for people living with dementia.
Visitors can try their hand at screen printing festival tote bags and making themselves a lovely flower crown, while there are also workshops and performances giving people the chance to sing, dance, and make their own music, or just sit back and enjoy some great live shows from professional musicians.
There’ll even be a showcase of new music composed by people living with dementia on the day too.
Outside The Bridgewater Hall at night / Credit: The Bridgewater Hall
Speaking ahead of the event this week, Andrew Nesbitt, who is the Community Engagement Manager at The Bridgewater Hall, said: “Showcasing and celebrating the amazing creativity and music of dementia groups from across Greater Manchester is really special for us.
“We can’t wait to welcome So Many Beauties and the hundreds of participants, performers and festival-goers to The Bridgewater Hall”
So Many Beauties Festival is coming to The Bridgewater Hall this Friday 20 September, and those interested can find tickets here.
Featured Image – So Many Beauties (via Supplied)
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Rising stars FLO announce intimate gig at iconic Manchester music venue
Thomas Melia
London trio FLO are visiting some of the UK’s most intimate live music spots on their next tour – including a night here in Manchester.
The Brit Award winners have announced their record store tour, which coincides with their debut album release.
Jorja, Stella and Renée, better known as Brit girl group FLO, are checking out what Manchester has to offer as they visit our lovely city for the third time in their musical career.
The girls’ music typically sits in the R&B genre and they’re known for their insane runs and intricate harmonies. This more private tour offers fans a chance to appreciate this, up close and personal.
The band are heading out on their ‘AAA: Intimate Acoustic Shows’ ahead of their debut studio album ‘Access All Areas’ out on 15 November.
The girls are visiting Gorilla Manchester on 21 November to perform singles and tracks from their debut album and if they’re lucky enough, crowds might even hear some older songs intertwined throughout the gig.
FLO have seen much appraisal over the years with two MTV VMA nominations and even managed to scoop a BRIT award for ‘Rising Star’ in 2023.
Fans have already had a taste of the upcoming album with four songs steadily releasing since March this year starting with, ‘Walk Like This’, ‘Caught Up’, ‘Check’ and the soulful ‘Bending My Rules’ being the most recent release in August.
Gorilla is the ideal setting for this series of gigs with a small but mighty capacity of around 600, the Manchester crowd will still be louder than ever.
Tickets to the gig also include a Q&A with all three vocalists where you can ‘Access All Areas’ of FLO, like their album title states.
Their first single ‘Cardboard Box’ started their musical journey in 2022 and in July of this year, the track is now BRIT-certified silver for amassing over 200,000 units.
The UK trio are currently touring North America with fellow R&B artist Kehlani on her ‘CRASH Tour’ which kicked off at the start of September and finishes at the top of November, two weeks before their album drops.
Kehlani has collaborated with the superstar trio on her latest mixtape ‘While We Wait 2’, where the girls feature on a remix of the track ‘8’ which dropped not too long ago in late August.
Danny Jones -
3rd May 2024 
