British music royalty Robbie Williams has come out to declare Matty Healy the only pop/rock star “who is willing to be something other than beige” in a recent social media post.
The former Take That singer and pop icon has come out with plenty of big claims of late – including that he believes he’s being targeted by aliens to be a messenger for them on Earth due to his fame – but his latest Insta-rant has also seen him give Matty Healy a bit of a peculiar compliment sandwich.
Crafting a lengthy paragraph on his page, Williams not only called Matty Healy “the only commercially viable pop/rock star that I can see who is willing to be something other than beige” but also “unhinged” and “willing to upset”.
Reiterating that he believes The 1975 frontman is “super smart and super talented”, he also went on to say that the local artist has a propensity to be “upsetting for a cause”. We’re not going to pretend we know exactly what Robbie’s on about but the gist seems to be that he thinks he’s good and provocative.
The 50-year-old, who has been no stranger to a headline or two himself over the years, went on to add that he sees Healy as prone to “Upsetting for a cause. The cause being a complicated inner life a rebellious streak and boredom.”
2023 was very much the year of The 1975 not only in terms of the music industry and their commercial success within it but also because of Healy’s multiple controversies.
From sucking fans’ thumbs in the crowd and being labelled sexist and racist by Rina Sawayama for insensitive jokes made on a podcast, to beefing with Noel Gallagher after he told him to “stop marding” with his brother; dating the other biggest name on the planet in Taylor Swift and more, he’s been absolutely everywhere.
Even in his apologies for comments such as those flagged by labelmate Sawayama, he still couldn’t resist the urge for some added pageantry and turned his response into a fake mental advert for the BetterHelp online therapy company. It’s this kind of stuff that we’re guessing Robbie is referring to.
Elsewhere in his speech, the Stoke-born singer solo artist asked, “How boring is the music scene right now?”, caveating that while he’s not attacking the music itself, he does believe there’s been a “death of friction, danger, personality”.
Holding his hands up to becoming more ‘vanilla’ in an attempt to stay with the times, he conversely said: “No one knows what you’ll say that will get you cancelled. So many people to offend… I’ve gotta get some of that energy back in my musical life… I hope I have time to fit them all in. It’s time to take the p*ss again… and I’m looking forward to it.”
While we by no means advocate anyone making art simply for the sake of trying to ‘p*ss people off’ and we make no qualms about the likes of Matty Healy being a divisive figure in music, to say the least, it’s impossible to deny there aren’t some seriously huge fans of The 1975 as creatives and performers.
Do you agree that most modern pop/rockstars are ‘beige’ or are there any performers you think are also pushing the boundaries in the contemporary music scene?
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.
Danny Jones -
4th April 2024 
