Noah Kahan, the man behind the folk-pop obsession sweeping the music scene right now had every single corner of Europe’s biggest indoor arena, Co-op Live, singing every word back at him last night.
The Grammy-nominated chart-topping overall-wearing ukulele-playing superstar has been on the up and up for the past couple of years since his viral sensation ‘Stick Season’, and his cult following is only growing.
Not taking the traditional route of songs about heartbreak (well not all of them anyway), his music addresses bigger topics like mental health and self image. And despite one popular song literally being about decomposing bodies being eaten by worms, his lyrics resinate with his audience in a way unique to his fellow popular artists.
The singer sold out the 23,500 capacity venue in one of the final shows of his “We’ll All Be Here Forever” World Tour. As my first time seeing the new arena in all of its glory i have to say it’s very impressive, particularly the fact that the seats have cup holders – truly revolutionary.
Noah Kahan performing two acoustic songs at Co-op Live. Credit: The Manc GroupCredit:Luke Brewin
Supporting Kahan was an artist on her own fast-track path to super stardom, Maisie Peters. Just days away from supporting the queen herself, Taylor Swift, at Wembley Stadium the talented singer got the audience going with a medley of top hits from her album ‘The Good Witch’. The blonde pocket rocket is one to look out for, and trust me ladies if you’re reading this in the depths of heartbreak this album is just what you need.
Spot on nine o’clock, and I’m a real stickler for punctuation, the band appeared on the stage followed by Noah and they dived straight into a crowd favourite ‘Dial Drunk’. Now I won’t be the only person in that room hoping for a surprise appearance from Post Malone but even without the tattooed American hunk it was the performance to get the evening going.
Not only an incredible lyrisct, a lot needs to be said for Kahan’s vocals because wow can that man sing. What was even more impressive was his ability to take on a such a huge venue but make the show feel so intimate, the sea of fans hanging on to every vulnerable lyric.
Noah Kahan performing at Co-op LiveCredit:Luke Brewin
The Vermont-born singer-songwriter made his way through more popular songs, next with ‘New Perspective’ and ‘Everywhere, everything’ which I’ll be honest with is when the tears started for me. Fans were then pleasantly surprised by a performance of one of the singer’s original songs, ‘False Confidence’ and seemed equally surprised by how many people were his day ones.
After a few emotional acoustic moments and a lot more bangers, 21 songs in total which was a real treat, Noah teased us all with an abrupt ending before springing back on stage for ‘The View Between Villages’ and of course the viral sensation ‘Stick Season’.
And with that, a few tears and a lot of confetti the evening came to an end and I can’t imagine anyone could have a bad word to say about the evening. As someone who has been a fan of Noah Kahan for years it’s amazing to see someone with such genuine talent climb so quickly to the top and I can’t wait to see what he does next.
As we left the arena, Chappell Roan’s ‘HOT TO GO!’ blasted out getting everyone doing our generations version of the ‘YMCA’ ending the night on a high. Nice touch Co-Op Live.
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Oasis merch prices as huge flagship stand opens in Manchester city centre
Daisy Jackson
An official Oasis merch stand has opened in the heart of Manchester, selling all the Gallagher-printed wares your heart could desire.
The Oasis Live ‘25 Touring Flagship Stand has sprung up on St Peter’s Square today, where it will remain for the duration of the Manchester reunion shows.
Stacked with everything from band tees to bucket hats, plus posters, tote bags, and that exclusive adidas x Oasis collection, the merch stand is already pulling in some serious queues.
And with a few days still to go until Oasis Live ‘25 hits Heaton Park (those dates, if they aren’t burned into your brain, are 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July) there’s still plenty more time to shop.
The merch stand has opened in addition to the official merch fan store across town in Spinningfields.
And it’s at the heart of the Music for the Senses art trail, which has seen painted guitar artworks installed all over the city centre.
Back to that Oasis merch stand in Manchester though – there are pieces from their adidas collection, including a sky blue (obviously) three-stripe long-sleeved jersey for £55, a tour jacquard football jersey for £85, and a classic Firebird track top for £90.
Event-specific merch like t-shirts in various colours emblazoned with the Oasis Live ‘25 artwork will set you back £40, and you can choose from photos of the brothers back together in 2025, or back in their pre-split heyday.
Oasis merch prices as huge flagship stand opens in Manchester city centre
There’s also a £70 black hoody with the tour dates on the sleeve, plus a What’s The Story blue-tone hoody for £70, and a blue tone sweatshirt for £50.
A range of posters starring Liam and Noel are priced at £40 apiece.
There’s an Oasis Live ‘25 tote bag for sale at the merch stand in town, which costs £20.
Then the most Manc item of all – a reversible bucket hat (black on one side with the Oasis logo in the centre, or a collage of Oasis logos on the other side) – is £35.
The stand is home to city-specific event items, exclusive adidas lines, and other exclusives.
The Oasis Live ’25 Touring Flagship Stand is open from 10am to 8pm Monday to Saturday, and 11am to 6pm on Sundays, then 10am to 7pm on Oasis show days.
Levi’s are the latest fashion brand to launch an Oasis collection
Danny Jones
In case you missed it amid the tidal wave of merch currently flooding our feeds and shops everywhere, global fashion brand Levi’s has become the latest label to launch an Oasis collection.
With the Live ’25 world tour now officially underway, it feels like not only are Oasis back on top, but that there’s a large-scale Britpop revival happening here in the UK and overseas.
In terms of fashion, the 1990s and early 2000s style has been steadily making its way into contemporary culture once again in recent years, but with seemingly every big name trying to hop on the marketing machine that is the Oasis reunion bandwagon, you can’t move for crossover.
Be they official collaborations like the one with Manchester City, adidas Originals; American fashion brand Abercrombie & Fitch bashing out merch, or a local t-shirt maker on Bury Market, that famous logo is absolutely everywhere – cue Levi’s latest launch:
Releasing just five or five main pieces (not including individual item variations), Levi’s Oasis gear has been kept pretty straightforward, simply relying on a less is more philosophy and the quality that the denim specialists are renowned for.
Nevertheless, there is an undeniably 90s feel to the approach.
As well as the standard Oasis band tee design, available in the brand’s main red, white and blue colour, as well as black, white and light blue – the Manchester City influences never stray too far, after all – there are a couple of other types of tee.
However, while we’re sure plenty of people might have a penchant for the parka, the undeniable star of the show for us is the Type II Trucker Jacket with the group’s name and ‘Live Forever’ stitched on the breast pocket.
Still, at £170, these sure-to-be collectors’ items don’t come cheap, and that’s not even the most expensive in the Levi’s x Oasis collection. Regardless, if you fancy treating yourself, you can find them here in Manchester and at the likes of The Trafford Centre.
Any of it pique your interest?
Don’t worry if not because, as mentioned, there is absolutely tonnes of Oasis clobber at various different price points all over the place at the minute.
Abbie Bartlett -
14th August 2024 
