That’s just about as good as it gets for a Manc; not to go over the top right from the off but Liam Gallagher’s first night at the Co-op Live arena is comfortably up there with one of the best gigs we’ve ever been to.
We could end the review right there and we’re sure you’d understand (we don’t think it needs explaining why seeing Definitely Maybe played live in full to a home crowd all these years later is so special) but we’re going to carry on anyway.
We also could spend time bigging up the supports and how great they were, which is entirely true – there’s also a lot of understandable excitement about Liam’s son Gene Gallagher and the opening warm-up act, Villanelle – but, honestly, we just want to relive last night.
First things first, it’s probably fair to start off by saying that regardless of the palava when it first opened or rather struggled to, Co-op Live is quite a sight to behold.
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There are plenty of people who have taken aim at the ‘big black box’ now sitting right next to Manchester City’s stadium and the wider Etihad Campus, but once you see it in the evening, lit up with its digital hoardings and especially in the bowl itself, it’s pretty impressive, it has to be said.
Obviously, the location felt fitting for such a massive Blue and LG made sure to have his beloved football club represented on stage, however, it more just highlighted how this man could fill a room of pretty much any size.
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As we waited for his arrival whilst the roadies rolled back the years (quite literally) and recreated the Definitely Maybe album cover for the set, you couldn’t help but be blown away by the scale of everything as roughly 23,5000 people poured in to celebrate Oasis‘ timeless debut album 30 years on.
People were jumping to rock classics and cheering a clock ticking backwards before the gig had even started. (Credit: The Manc Audio)
And that’s what it was: a pure celebration. From the moment he kicked the arena into gear with ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’, the place barely stopped bouncing except for the likes of ‘Whatever’ and ‘Half The World Away’, as they were too busy being a choir in those moments.
He even dedicated the latter to its original singer and his big brother Noel, as well as tackling the likes of ‘D’Yer Wanna Be a Spaceman?’ and ‘Lock All The Doors’, which the older Gallagher already dug out of the archives with High Flying Birds – though it was interesting to see how the two versions differed.
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We will always be envious of those who were there at the very start; for the likes of the Knebworth and Maine Road gigs, as we can only imagine how nuts the atmosphere must have been at the very height of Britpop, but if this is the closest we ever come to recreating that we will absolutely take it.
Getting to hear those “cheeky” B-sides from that seminal record was a treat too, mainly because as was often the case with Oasis, they were just as popular as the official tracklist and not a single lyric was missed. Manchester hasn’t even come to moving past its best-ever band and probably never will.
Liam Gallagher celebrated everything we know and love about rock and roll on his first night at Co-op Live. (Credit: The MancGroup)
What made this gig even more staggering is that we’d just seen Foo Fighters light up the Emirates Old Trafford on Thursday and knew they were playing again at the same time we were all doing our best ‘sunshyiiiiiine’, but there wasn’t a single part of us wondering which was the better gig. Sorry, Dave.
Is the local bias taking a good chunk of the wheel here? Absolutely. Do we care one bit? Not even a little.
We’ve seen Liam play his own stuff and some old favourites before; we’ve seen Noel fill Wythenshawe Park and play as many Oasis tracks as he likes, but nothing comes close to seeing the album that started it all being played in Manchester at its newest and biggest venue.
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Liam said that he wanted to “put this arena on the map” before he kicked into ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ and he didn’t just do that, he blew the roof off the place. And that’s an expensive bloody roof…
Not exaggerating when we say Liam Gallagher at Co-op Live Night One felt like a cultural moment for Manchester. (Credit: The Manc)
What’s more, the 51-year-old proved two things: this is exactly why he’s one of the greatest frontmen of all time, even if his voice isn’t quite as crisp as it once was (it’s still one of the most distinct on the planet), and that Oasis are still the best thing since sliced bread. The bee’s knees. The absolute b*****ks.
We’re not going to start arguing over where they fit among the greatest of all time – we know even Liam Gallagher himself would say, ‘Don’t talk daft, it’s The Beatles’ and so on – but we’re not sure we’ll ever be able to describe just how much Oasis are intrinsically part of what makes Manchester what it is.
Banging on about a reunion year after year feels pretty useless as we know it would take some extraordinary circumstances for it to happen, but all we’ll say is that at this point Noel is just missing out on playing some of the best shows you could ever hope for.
That being said, watching Liam Gallagher give Co-op Live its biggest gig yet was a privilege and until they both kiss and makeup to give the fans what they want, we’re here for these nostalgic nights and you best believe we’ll be going to the (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? anniversary tour if it happens too.
Miles Kane announces massive European tour, with multiple big Northern gigs
Danny Jones
Miles Kane has just announced a massive UK and European tour and has listed a healthy number of Northern dates for us to enjoy.
TOP la’.
The Merseyside musician recently released his latest album, Sunlight In The Shadows, and it’s gone down a treat with fans a critics alike; you can consider our Audio North firmly in the camp, too.
His sixth studio LP to date, the record was produced by the prolific Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys, and sees psychedelia rolled into classic rock and more, with plenty of the usual Miles Kane swagger that we’re looking forward to hearing live.
At 39 years old – and looking incredible for it, by the way – we constantly have to remind ourselves that the Birkenhead hero is no longer the unsung underdog that we first fell in love with, but is now arguably one of the coolest and iconic artists to come out of the North West in the past decades or so.
Confirming a dozen domestic dates, including one supporting Kasabian at Finnsbury Park in London next summer, Kane is due to play a total of 37 gigs across Britain and mainland Europe in 2026.
That being said, with a pair of sensational shows scheduled for Sheffield‘s Crookes Social Club alone (a cult favourite 500-cap venue), we’re hoping even more gigs will be added as we expect the demand for this tour to be just a huge as the run itself.
Note there is currently no Liverpool on the list…
More cause for excitement is the fact that, as well as East Yorkshire singer-songwriter Fiona-Lee joining as the tour opener, the other main support act is Villanelle, fronted by Liam Gallagher’s son Gene.
Other chosen cities up in the best end of the country include Newcastle, Leeds, Glasgow and, of course, us lot here in Manchester.
Mancs will be treated to what we guarantee will be a sell-out show at the beloved Albert Hall on Saturday, 31st January.
UK & EU Tour 2026
Sign up to the mailing list by tomorrow, Tuesday 28th 11pm GMT for pre-sale access.
Pre-sale opens Wednesday 29th 10am GMT. General on sale Friday 31st 10am GMT.
There’s nothing like a tour announcement for next year when most of the gigs are slated for the first few months, don’t you think? Suddenly, the early but dark days of 2026 don’t sound so bad.
Speaking on the new material, he said: “All roads, over 20 years, have led here. Dan and I love mixing T. Rex, Motown and The Easybeats, and the result is this record.”
“When we were chatting and sharing references, we were so similar in taste it was frightening and you can hear that shared passion through the music. I can’t wait to take it out on the road. It’s an album that needs to be played live.”
We actually had the pleasure of chatting to Miles ahead of the upcoming UK and EU tour ourselves recently, and if you already thought the Kane clothing style was the peak of chic, you’re absolutely right – keep your eyes out for when the full interview drops soon.
As for tickets to see Miles Kane on the road, fans can sign up to his mailing list by 11pm GMT this Tuesday, 28 October, for exclusive pre-sale access, which will open from 10am the following day, and you can get ready to grab general admission when they go live at the same time on Friday, 31 Oct HERE.
Featured Images – Press shots (supplied)/The Manc Group
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Gig tickets, signed merch and more up for grabs in important Headstock charity fundraiser
Daisy Jackson
Some huge music-related prizes have been announced as part of a major charity fundraising campaign for the music industry.
Headstock, a Manchester-based music and mental health social enterprise, is running a Crowdfunder campaign with prizes including tickets to huge arena shows, signed merch, and loads more.
Headstock has announced the campaign to raise funds for the support of MUSIC 85258, a 24/7 confidential text support service launched last year to support those working in the music industry.
The text support service is run in partnership with Music Minds Matter and delivered by Shout.
Headstock’s mission since its inception has been to deliver music-led solutions to tackle the growing mental health crisis, both within the music industry and beyond.
The dedicated mental health text support service has already drummed up loads of support, including being signposted back-of-house in key venues like the AO Arena, Co-op Live, and Warehouse Project.
Now, Headstock is running a fundraiser campaign to keep this vital service thriving, pulling together some major prizes across multiple prize draws.
These prizes have been donated by local Manchester bands and venues, and include VIP Parklife tickets, VIP to shows at the AO Arena and Co-op Live, season passes for WHP, and signed merch from the likes of Elbow, Courteeners and New Order.
To enter each prize draw, make a donation to the Crowdfunder – the bigger your donation, the more entries you will receive.
You can see all the prizes up for grabs and make a donation below – or you can just donate to Headstock HERE.
All the prizes in the Headstock fundraiser
Aitch – A pair of tickets to see Aitch’s headline show at Mayfield Depot + 4x signed albums – HERE
Parklife – 2x pairs of VIP tickets to Parklife 2026 – HERE
All money raised will be donated to mental health charity, Shout, who deliver MUSIC 85258 – a free, confidential and 24/7 text support service for anyone working within the music industry.
MUSIC 85258 is a de-escalation service for anyone working in the music industry who is struggling with their mental health. It is a partnership between Headstock, Music Minds Matter and Shout, with Mental Health Innovations providing the underlying service through Shout’s network of trained volunteers. To use the service, anyone that is struggling simply needs to text the word “MUSIC” to 85258 to connect with a volunteer for in-the-moment support.
Danny Jones -
16th June 2024 
