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.
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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’.
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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 release trailer for Don’t Look Back In Anger documentary – watch it here
Daisy Jackson
A new trailer for the upcoming Oasis documentary, ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger’, has been released today.
The highly anticipated documentary follows the iconic Manchester rock band as they reunited for a series of epic comeback gigs last summer.
The Gallagher brothers broke up the band 15 years prior to the Live ’25 shows, then returned in spectacular fashion for gigs including five sold-out nights at Heaton Park in Manchester.
The band were followed throughout their triumphant comeback tour by film crews, for the documentary film ‘Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger’.
Fans will see never-before-seen snippets of rehearsal, backstage, and onstage, as well as the first joint interview with Liam and Noel in more than 20 years.
It will also explores the profound impact that the reunion had on fans, and chart the global phenomenon that was Oasis Live ’25.
One of the people behind the new documentary is Steven Knight, of Peaky Blinders fame.
Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger will be released in the UK on Wednesday 9 September and you can book tickets HERE.
Watch the full trailer for Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger below:
Elbow get behind campaign to save Jodrell Bank from closure
Danny Jones
Manc band Elbow are among the latest to get behind the campaign to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from closing permanently.
The Greater Manchester natives famously played a sold-out gig at the important scientific and cultural landmark for a very special live album recording well over a decade ago, and know all too well the site’s national and, indeed, global heritage.
Choosing the Observatory and the rare chance to perform a show in the shadow of the world-renowned James Lovell Telescope, it probably remains one of their most significant standalone UK date ever.
With that in mind, the local lads have been left just as worried by the news of its impending closure as everyone else, and have therefore issued a fresh appeal to help keep it open.
Posting a timely statement on social media, the group wrote: “Jodrell Bank has long been close to elbow’s heart. In 2012, the band played beneath the Lovell Telescope for one of the most memorable shows in our history.
“The recent news that funding for the e-MERLIN radio telescope network is set to end in 2028 puts the future of the scientific work at Jodrell Bank under serious threat. It is a remarkable place, with an extraordinary history, and one that continues to play an important role in science, culture and education.”
In addition to reliving clips and images from the historic live set all the years later, they also pointed people towards their ‘elbow – Live at Jodrell Bank‘ album documentary, which has now been made available online for the very first time as part of wider efforts to raise awareness around the cause.
Directing people to key online resources shared by the institution and astrophysics centre itself following their unfortunate update late last month, the push to not only find the funding but sustain support for the facility continues to ramp up throughout the world of science, arts and industry.
For anyone who somehow missed the news – 2028 being the current deadline handed down as per budget cuts across the sector – concerned parties here in the North West and all over the country have since started petitioning to save Jodrell Bank Observatory from shutting down for good.
In addition to being described as a “huge blow” to the field by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS), some have even gone so far as to describe the decision as a form of “vandalism” when it comes to research and British culture as a whole.
Having also served as the host venue for the annual bluedot Festival since 2016, the multi-genre science and arts celebration could soon be forced to find a new home.
The battle is far from over yet, and the community has time to rescue Jodrell Bank Observatory from its fate, but it will take lots of money and more notable public figures to make it happen.
Once again, you can do your bit by signing the petition mentioned above right HERE.
Abbie Bartlett -
14th August 2024 
