In a typically casual manner, rock legend Liam Gallagher has revealed that his son Gene’s band will be opening for him on the upcoming Definitely Maybe anniversary tour.
Celebrating 30 years since the seminal Britpop record was released, Liam’s sell-out tour is scheduled to kick off at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield in June and after simply replying to a comment on social media, he has now revealed it is the youngest Gallagher boy that will be taking one of the support act slots.
Gene, 22, is the frontman and guitar player for the recently formed band Villanelle, who are set to start playing across this UK’s festival circuit this year, releasing their first music as they go along.
Villanelle will join British indie veterans Cast and The View as supports for LG himself, who has promised to play the Definitely Maybe tracklist in full to mark the occasion.
As you can see, after being asked what he made of the still little-known rock outfit, Gallagher clearly thinks the young musician and his mates are good enough to join him and his band on the massive UK tour which runs until August.
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While we’ve only heard short clips of Villanelle, you can definitely hear some of that recognisable snarl that Liam became famous for in the vocals and the sound seems plenty reminiscent of what his dad and uncle made so popular back in the 90s and 2000s.
Not bad a bloke to pick up your music taste of, is he?
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Although it’s still unclear exactly how much of the tour Gene and his band will be joining the former Oasis frontman for, it’s a pretty cool thing for a father and fellow performer to be giving a fledgling artist a break like this.
Small glimpses of Liam Gallagher’s son’s band have been circulating online over the past few months (Credit: Gene Gallagher via IG)
It’s a truly massive year of music for Liam Gallagher in particular as not only is the DM 30th anniversary tour a big deal in its own right – playing three huge shows at the brand-new Co-op Live arena when it opens – but he’s got plenty of others shows in the pipeline.
Currently on tour with John Squire playing their first joint album, which went straight to number one, they played the Manchester Apollo just last month and the live reviews are just as strong as those for the album itself.
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Beyond that, the Burnage-born singer will also be playing his ‘Liam Gallagher and Friends Malta Weekender‘ shows in September, with the likes of Blossoms, Liam Fray, The Lathums and many other big Northern names joining him for the ride.
Oh yeah, and Live Forever has just retained the ‘best British song of all time’. It’s all coming up LG.
James Blunt announces huge Manchester gig on new European arena tour
Daisy Jackson
Singer-songwriter James Blunt is heading back out on tour next year, and has announced a massive Manchester gig as part of his run of arena shows.
The singer, perhaps best-known for his iconic 2005 pop ballad ‘You’re Beautiful’, is hitting the road again in 2027.
The newly-announced European tour is in celebration of his new album Airplane Mode, which is set for release this autumn.
James Blunt will kick off his tour in Leeds next spring, before heading over for a night at the almighty Co-op Live in Manchester.
Then he’ll head to more cities including Newcastle, Birmingham and London.
His new album, Airplane Mode, is being released on 6 November and will, according to his press release, be ‘exhilarating’.
James has already released the first single, ‘Tastes Like Summer’, and ‘Weight Of It All’, with 10 more songs to come on the record.
Airplane Mode was recorded with James’ brilliant long-standing live band, who’ll be back on tour with him next year.
Speaking of the new album, and recording in Pig Music Studios, he said: “Somewhere back there, I lost my way, but found it again in a studio in Banbury.”
James Blunt will be at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on 3 April, 2027. Tickets go on sale from 10am on 9 September.
Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
Danny Jones -
3rd April 2024 
