March 2020 was one of the worst times to start a band. At least on paper, anyway.
The world pressed pause on live music and gigs last spring – physically splitting music groups and bringing an abrupt halt to rehearsals, recordings sessions and stage performances.
For many, it marked the end. When it became clear that COVID wasn’t going away, thousands of artists decided to call it a day – fearful that their next payslips would be permanently postponed.
But whilst most bands chose to unplug, four lads in Failsworth were only just getting started.
Vocalist Tom Smith, guitarist Daniel Ashcroft, bass player Steve Jillings, and drummer Alex Amidulla proceeded with plans to form a new group – unperturbed by the pandemic-sized hurdles being added to an already-challenging route to success in music.
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The quartet – who are Mancunian to the bone – made a bid to embody the oft-cited catchphrase that ‘Manchester does things differently’.
Naming themselves The Haciendas, the group began creating energetic, alternative rock anthems that carried the same kind of swaggering energy and braggadocio of the Madchester era – defying the deflated sensation that consumed the city during quarantine.
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The band took inspiration from Manchester’s musical heritage to create something new – and they did it during the most testing time for music in recent memory.
Even their breakthrough was different. Whilst most groups first get recognised on stage at a local pub, The Haciendas turned heads online.
The group played their first show together on a livestream for MMTV in July – proving such a smash that they sold out their first in-person headline show (which was subsequently cancelled due to a second Stay At Home Order).
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The Hacienda’s unique brand of lockdown rock even secured them an interview in Manchester United fanzine United We Stand. For four huge Red Devils’ supporters, this achievement probably would have been enough in itself. But the group have ploughed on regardless through the rolling restrictions – releasing two singles and building an astonishingly large fanbase without playing a single real-life show.
Their first single, ‘It’s Not Too Late‘, was released on December 11 – reaching #6 in the iTunes Alternative Charts. Their second track, ‘Joker’, featured as ‘Record of the Week’ on XS Manchester.
It’s been an opening chapter that’s defied all expectations. But the next part of the story is the biggie.
The Haciendas’ first headline show has been scheduled for October 9 at The Bread Shed in Manchester – with the group (hopefully) finally set to play a debut live gig in front of packed hometown crowd.
“We entered the music industry together at what turned out to be a very strange and unfortunate time,” says lead singer Tom.
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“Although we took it in our stride and without the chance of getting out there in front of crowds, we have managed to build a fan base and release two singles.
“We can only imagine what it is going to be like once everything has blown over.”
New data estimates that 7.3m Oasis fans are set to miss out on 2027 tour tickets
Emily Sergeant
New data has revealed that as many as 7.3 million Oasis fans could be set to miss out on tickets to the band’s 2027 tour.
In case you need bringing up to speed a little, it was announced earlier this week that, following the unprecedented success of the reunion tour, Oasis Live ’25, last year, including five nostalgia-drenched gigs at Manchester’s Heaton Park, Oasis would be hitting the road once again in 2027, and this time around, they’re going BIG.
We’re talking 11 nights at the Etihad Stadium and a return to the iconic grounds of Knebworth for four special shows there too, kind of ‘big’.
The iconic Manchester band will also be taking to a range of other world-famous stages across the globe, including five nights at Glasgow’s Celtic Park, and major cities like Barcelona, Amsterdam, Paris, Rome, and Las Vegas.
But despite the elevated number of dates the Gallaghers and co will be performing, some new data has unfortunately revealed that millions of fans may still not be lucky enough to snag a ticket.
The ticketing system for Oasis Live ’27 is not what it was for the last tour, nor will it be similar to many other tours of a similar scale in the past either, as this time, the band and their promotors are taking necessary measures to ensure ‘genuine fans’ get their hands on the tickets and that dynamic pricing doesn’t creep in.
Instead of going into detail on that now though, you can read our full guide on how to get tickets for the Manchester and Knebworth shows here.
Experts at online ticketing platform TicketSource have analysed the scale of demand for Oasis tickets by comparing the 10 million fans worldwide who queued for the initial release of 1.4 million tickets for their 2025 tour, with the newly announced 2027 tour dates and stadium capacities.
With an estimated 2.67 million tickets available across 38 dates and 11 locations between 21 May and 19 September 2027, Oasis could still face huge demand from fans hoping to see them live.
But research reveals the band would need to play 112 Wembley-sized shows to accommodate everyone who tried to get a ticket in 2025.
The 2027 tour would accommodate just 26.7% of those who tried to get tickets last time, meaning almost three-quarters (73%) of them could miss out, leaving a shortfall of more than 7.3 million fans.
Fingers crossed you’re among the lucky lot that secure tickets, though.
Featured Image – Joshua Halling (Press Image – Supplied)
Music
Iconic Manc movie 24 Hour Party People is set to return to cinemas for its anniversary
Emily Sergeant
One of Manchester’s most iconic movies is set to return to the big screen next month.
Remastered in 4K and returning to UK cinemas to mark 24 years since its original release, Michael Winterbottom’s 2002 biographical comedy drama film, 24 Hour Party People, tells the story of Manchester‘s popular music community from 1976 to 1992 – specifically about Factory Records‘ founder Tony Wilson.
The film begins with the punk rock era of the late 1970s, before moving through the 1980s into the rave and DJ culture, and of course, the ‘Madchester‘ scene of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
The narrative largely follows the career of Tony Wilson, played by Middleton-born actor Steve Coogan, while also covering the careers of the major Factory Records artists – especially Joy Division and New Order, as well as A Certain Ratio, The Durutti Column, and Happy Mondays.
If you haven’t seen 24 Hour Party People before, it’s a dramatisation based on a combination of real events, rumours, and urban legends, as the film is sure to make clear.
Coogan is joined by a cast by a mixture of big names and, at the time, rising stars like Paddy Considine, Shirley Henderson, Lennie James, John Simm, Ralf Little, Andy Serkis, Sean Harris, John Thomson, and even Peter Kay, alongside cameos from other figures connected to the Manchester music scene.
Before it returns to cinemas, the film will first open music and media festival/conference, Beyond The Music, at MediaCity in Salford on 6 October.
The screening at the festival will also be followed by a Q&A with Coogan, Winterbottom, and producer Andrew Eaton.
24 Hour Party People will then be re-released in UK cinemas from 9 October, and you can check your local cinema for screening times and book tickets online now.
The Manc -
15th April 2021 
