Be it a bloke with a guitar in the pub, countless buskers on the street or even big names touring in Manchester, we’ve come across a lot of Oasis covers in our time and plenty of takes on ‘Champagne Supernova’ too – but this one by Middle Kids is up there with the best we’ve ever heard.
Alternative Australian band Middle Kids have been going since 2015 and we hear at Audio North have been enjoying the Sydney export for a good long while now.
Released back in 2019, their debut album Lost Friends had us hooked from the off, as have their two follow-up records, Today We’re The Greatest (2021) and Faith Crisis Pt 1, which dropped earlier this year.
The latter was recorded right here in England by Jonathan Gilmore, who has famously worked with The 1975 and other artists on the Dirty Hit label, so there’s no surprise you can hear some of those UK influences in their sound – but we weren’t expecting them to nail such an iconic Britpop song so easily.
Middle Kids perform a very different kind of cover of ‘Champagne Supernova’ by Oasis.
What do you reckon – pretty bloody good, right?
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Now, imitating a song well is one thing but reimagining it in a totally different way is another and, in our opinion, often what makes a really good cover stand out.
Plenty of music fans tend to agree too as the comments underneath the video speak for themselves. One person wrote, “Her voice is entrancing, this sounds great”, while another added: “Classy cover, brings new meaning to the track for me. Melancholy magic.” High praise indeed.
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To be honest, most of the comments are just various different ways of saying, “We must have this on Spotify immediately” – and if you enjoyed it too, you’ll be glad to know they listened and added it to the streaming platform right off the bat, where it’s already boasted countless plays in less than a fortnight.
By the way, this isn’t their first ‘Like A Version’ cover for the national radio station and popular online channel that has impressed, having previously done their own takes on everything from Crowded House and even Olivia Rodrigo.
A good triple j cover – which often go viral on social media – can do wonders for a band’s profile.
The Aussie indie rockers clearly have a real penchant for covers and not just trying to recreate what’s gone before but actually put their own twist on stuff.
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As for Middle Kids’ version of ‘Champagne Supernova’, we’ve had it on repeat for the past week; we’re not sure whether it’s lead singer Hannah Joy’s soft and soothing vocal take on the classic Manc hit or the cleverly vocoded keys creating those harmonica sounds underneath everything, all we know is we love it.
It’s more pared-down and stripped back than the original as you can often expect from the likes of triple j and Live Lounge sessions but it turns out a lo-fi version of the legendary song is something we never knew we needed.
More importantly, if you’ve never given the talented trio a listen before then we urge you to give their own discography a go when you come up for air from all the Oasis excitement of late.
It’s not the only cover involving a Greater Manchester band we’ve enjoyed recently either…
Featured Images — triple j (screenshot via YouTube)
Audio
Popular grassroots music festival to return to hidden Manchester street with new fringe events
Emily Sergeant
Manchester’s much-loved grassroots music festival is back next month, and this year, there’s some new fringe events too.
Set across a handful of popular venues up on Deansgate Mews – including The Lion’s Den, Low Four Studios and The Mews Bar – Deansgate Mews Festival is returning for its sixth year this late May bank holiday weekend.
More than 40 music artists will be performing on a mix of outdoor and intimate indoor stages.
But that’s not all, as in what’s set to be an exciting new chapter for 2026, the festival is expanding beyond its core programme with the launch of the first-ever Mews Fest Fringe too.
Popular grassroots music festival Mews Fest returns this late May bank holiday / Credit: Supplied
The inaugural Mews Fest Fringe will be hosted in a large unit within Great Northern Warehouse, which will be transformed into a ‘vibrant’ hub celebrating music, art and independent culture.
Designed as a platform for Manchester’s creative community, the festival space will welcome artists, designers, collectors, and creative entrepreneurs to showcase and sell their work while connecting with festival-goers.
At the Fringe event, you can expect everything from record sellers and vinyl collectors, to vintage clothes, arts and crafts makers, independent creatives, and even bands selling merchandise.
This year there’s also the addition of the Mews Fest Fringe / Credit: Supplied
Already known for its strong grassroots ethos and growing reputation, Mews Fest continues to champion local talent and independent culture – but now with the addition of the Fringe event, the stage is set for its most ‘ambitious and inclusive’ edition to date.
Oh and the best bit? Both festivals will be free to attend, with no need to book tickets beforehand.
Mews Fest and Mews Fest Fringe will take over Deansgate Mews next month on late May bank holiday weekend from Friday 22 – Monday 26 May.
Featured Image – Supplied
Audio
Fans stunned as indie band The Reytons announce Co-op Live gig
Daisy Jackson
The Reytons have just announced their biggest shows to date – and fans can’t quite believe the size of venue they’ve gone for in Manchester.
The indie group will be playing at Co-op Live later this year as part of their very first world tour.
It’s comfortably the biggest indoor music venue in the UK, and will be the largest gig on the entire tour, which also includes shows at Alexandra Palace, plus venues across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.
The Reytons have most recently been out touring with a headline slot at Tramlines Festival in Sheffield, as well as pulling Gary Neville up to play with them on stage.
The Rotheram-formed group recently announced their fourth studio album ‘A Love Letter To A Broken Town’ – due for release in July.
Frontman Jonny Yerrell said: “I honestly feel like this album is the best we’ve ever done!
“A lot of bands and artists like to change direction later in their careers, but that’s just not us. We absolutely love the style of music we make, the social commentary aspects and the people who turn up to jump around with us. Why would we change?
“Expect more, just bigger and better with a few surprises on the side!”
This latest announcement for The Reytons sees them booking an incredibly ambitious jump in venue size – the 23,500 capacity Co-op Live, compared to last year’s 5,000 capacity Aviva Studios.
And now a load of fans are bickering online about whether they’ll be able to sell it out, with one person writing: “Everyone said they wouldnt sell out sheffield arena, clifton park, tramlines or wembley arena… they sold out all 4. I know 3 are local shows but people will travel to see them as well as proven by the Wembley gig.”
Another said: “People will follow them, doesn’t matter where they go. When it sell out, ill make sure to come let you know.”
Even their own press release described it as an ‘against all odds’ rise to success, describing the band as ‘UK music’s biggest underdogs’.
Tickets for The Reytons world tour, including their Co-op Live gig in Manchester, will go on sale at 10am on Friday 24 April HERE.
Danny Jones -
30th October 2024 
