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The Streets announce big change for Castlefield Bowl gig in Manchester amid World Cup clash

'Fear not...'

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 7th July 2026

One of the biggest gigs taking place in Manchester this summer has announced a pretty major change to its plans.

The Streets are set to perform two nights at Castlefield Bowl this weekend, taking to the magnificent outdoor stage in the heart of the city.

But one of those shows happens to clash with a pretty major event – England’s quarter final World Cup match against Norway.

But The Streets have got the nation’s interests at heart, and have announced a plan to make sure fans can watch both their gig and the football.

Mike Skinner et al will be shifting their entire Saturday gig forward by a full hour, which means gig-goers should be able to escape Castlefield Bowl and peg it to the nearest pub in time for the footy.

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“Fear not,” they wrote in an update on Instagram today. “Saturday’s show will begin early to accommodate England vs Norway at 10.”

It also means their support acts – Mancunian artist Antony Szmierek, and rap and grime MC CASISDEAD – will be playing an hour earlier than planned.

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The Streets’ gig on Friday will remain at the time originally planned.

Doors to Castlefield Bowl will open earlier ahead of Antony Szmierek’s performance at the revised time of 5.50pm.

Then CASISDEAD will perform at 6.15pm, with The Streets on stage at 7.45pm.

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Fans have been delighted with The Streets’ decision to move their Manchester Saturday show forward, with one writing: “THANK YOU CASTLEFIELD BOWL AND MIKEYYYY. We had a very difficult decision on our hands today, this is what dreams are made of. See you Saturday!!!!”

Many more are calling for the England games to be screened at Castlefield Bowl, but no plans have been confirmed for that just yet. Watch this space…

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Featured image: Ben Cannon

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Liam Gallagher says he’s ‘ready’ to make a surprise appearance at the World Cup final

Danny Jones Danny Jones Liam Gallagher 'ready' to sing 'Wonderwall' at World Cup final if England make it

Liam Gallagher has said that he is “ready” to play at the World Cup final should England make it all the way to the last two later this month.

He may have just been having some fun on social media as usual, but you never know – after all, we never actually thought we’d see him and his brother reconcile, but look how that turned out…

Yes, much like incessant posts about getting the band back together over the past few years, the legendary Oasis frontman has been enjoying seeing Three Lions fans and players alike singing to ‘Wonderwall’ after every game, and hasn’t shied away from embracing the co-option by supporters.

In his words, he may have “Irish blood”, but the Manchester-born Britpop and rock icon has an English heart, and after one person online said it’d only be right for him to fly out for the conclusive fixture if Thomas Tuchel’s side make it all the way, he gave a typically off-the-cuff response:

You could argue there’s not much in this besides an impromptu comment from a famously keyboard-happy lead singer, but stranger things have happened.

For instance, it may have come after a gradually increasing barrage of old tweets, pestering and a bit of positive peer pressure in full view of the public eye, but we did at long last get to witness an Oasis reunion with the ‘Live ’25’ world tour; however surreal it felt, it’s soon set to be relived in a documentary.

This reply comes as a response to LG’s initial post on X, in which he wrote: “It’s hard work that singing Harry Kane cmon ENGLAND cmon WONDERWALL.”

It also isn’t the only time he stoked the fire of this still only pie-in-the-sky idea, either, as after another user similarly asked if he’d fly out and sing it at the final, he simply responded, “Oh I’ll show Harry how it’s done.”

He’s not the only one to have made a rather big public proclamation this tournament, either.

Wayne Rooney ‘agrees’ to bizarre bet ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup quarter-finals
The England and Man United legend set himself up for a fall.

As for the 53-year-old musician, he also jokingly quipped at the expense of those less keen on the idea with just as straightforward a clap-back: “Stop crying your heart out.”

Now, obviously, we’re taking this one with a big pinch of salt (enough to season ‘some lasagneee’, you could say), but who knows? There’s been plenty of big and strange showbiz stuff happening at this year’s competition in North America.

Maybe we all need to just keep tagging the Burnage boys, FIFA, England and the official World Cup page as much and hope for at least some kind of Oasis-centric surprise.

Come on, just imagine how much this would go OFF if even one of the Gallagher brothers was in the crowd, let alone this unthinkable hypothetical…

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Featured Images — Press shot (via Warner Music Sweden)/ITV (screenshot)/Audio North

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Kings of Leon at Co-op Live, Manchester – blinding in every way

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson Kings of Leon at Co-op Live, Manchester

Will Kings of Leon ever lose their ability to sell out enormous arenas in the UK? Based on the cup-slinging, sat-on-shoulders, full-pelt-singing crowd that rushed the Co-op Live on Saturday night – nope.

The American rockers are back out on a short tour, but rather than plugging a new album, this feels like a greatest hits, remember-how-good-we-are-live tour.

It’s a setlist that will please those of us who loved their twangier, garage-rock earlier albums, Youth & Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak, with live highlights including The Bucket, Molly’s Chambers, Four Kicks, and King of The Rodeo (my personal favourite).

But there’s plenty of their more recent, stadium-worthy rock anthems thrown in too, like the inescapable Sex On Fire. Love it loathe it, you can’t deny its impact when played in a venue of adoring fans.

Kings of Leon arrived in Manchester on 4 July, and dress for the occasion. Jared Followill strolls on stage in a faded, cropped Stars and Stripes tee. Caleb Followill opts for double denim. Nathan Followill is behind the kit in a ‘wife-beater’ vest.

They look every bit the all-American rock band. They must stick out like sore thumbs wandering around the UK between tour dates.

Less impressive is the slightly maddening stage design. The band spend much of the night silhouetted against enormous banks of blinding lights. If you’re looking straight at the stage, it’s like staring directly into the sun for two hours, or accidentally walking into a scrum of paparazzi just as Taylor Swift arrives. Once you accept that you’ll spend the evening partially blinded, though, there’s very little to fault.

Musically, they’re immaculate. Every song sounds as polished as the record, but never sterile. They make it all look absurdly easy, which is hardly surprising given they’ve been playing together for more than 25 years.

Nathan’s especially nonchalant – in the middle of intricate drum fills, he’s chewing bubble gum as if he’s waiting for a bus rather than holding together one of rock’s biggest bands.

There’s an instinctive chemistry between the Followill family members that’s impossible to manufacture. Unlike the Gallagher brothers, who always seem on the verge of putting each other in a headlock, Kings of Leon perform with complete harmony. Every glance and transition feels effortless, the product of decades spent sharing stages together.

The band have been changing their setlist throughout the tour, but nobody expected a heartfelt rendition of America The Beautiful. Unsurprisingly, it’s the only song of the night the British crowd doesn’t sing along to, and it even draws a few boos before the band move swiftly on.

There are reminders throughout of where they came from. Caleb’s unmistakable Tennessee drawl still gives the songs that loose, bluesy Southern character that first set them apart, even as arenas sing every word back to them. During ‘Use Somebody’, he happily hands the chorus over to the crowd with a simple, “Alright, you sing it then,” barely needing to touch the microphone.

When the set finally ends, the band don’t rush off. They linger on stage, tossing guitar picks and sweat-soaked handkerchiefs into the crowd, waving from every corner of the stage and soaking it all in with broad smiles.

After all these years, they still look genuinely grateful to be there. For a band who’ve been doing this for more than two decades, it’s reassuring to see the novelty hasn’t worn off.

Kings of Leon setlist at Co-op Live, Manchester

  • Find Me
  • Taper Jean Girl
  • King of the Rodeo
  • On Call
  • Fans
  • Revelry
  • Manhattan
  • Use Somebody
  • The Bucket
  • Radioactive
  • Closer
  • Supersoaker
  • Molly’s Chambers
  • Four Kicks
  • My Party
  • The Face
  • Back Down South
  • Cold Desert
  • Pyro
  • Black Thumbnail
  • Encore:
  • America the Beautiful
  • Waste a Moment
  • Knocked Up
  • Sex on Fire

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Featured image: The Manc Group

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