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Fans baffled as Arctic Monkeys spotted boozing in a Manchester Wetherspoons

Of all the pubs...

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 6th June 2023

We all know by now that Arctic Monkeys were in Manchester over the weekend, with two sold-out shows at the Emirates Old Trafford cricket ground.

But what many people weren’t expecting is for the rockstars to pop up in a pretty well-known pub in the city centre.

And they didn’t pick some cool trendy craft beer bar – nope, these lads went for the cheapest option possible.

Two members of Arctic Monkeys were spotted nursing pints outside The Moon Under Water, of all places, between performing to 50,000-strong crowds.

Fans stopped to take pictures with bassist Nick O’Malley and guitarist Jamie Cook, as well as touring band member Tom Rowley, at the Wetherspoons pub on Deansgate.

People have all been pretty bemused by their choice of watering hole, unsurprisingly.

One person wrote: “You’re not telling me Arctic Monkeys are having a booze in the Moon Under The Water on Deansgate hahahaha.”

Another said: “Imagine bumping into some of the monkeys in a Wetherspoons hahaha.”

Someone else pointed out: “Biggest band in the country and they’re drinking carling in spoons.”

It’s also drawn comparisons to the iconic ‘Four lads in jeans’ meme.

It’s the second weird celebrity sighting this week, after Pink was spotted swinging her way around Total Ninja in Trafford Park at her daughter’s 12 birthday party.

Pink is about to perform two huge shows at the University of Bolton stadium in Greater Manchester.

Arctic Monkeys were pictured over a sunny weekend in Manchester, where they’d performed two gigs in Trafford.

The Sheffield band’s triumphant return will peak later this week when they perform in their hometown at Hillsborough Park.

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Featured image: Instagram, @d0miniqs

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Manchester crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Live music crowd

Manchester has been crowned one of the world’s best cities for music lovers, even beating out New York along the way.

If there’s one thing Manchester is known and loved for over anything else, it’s music.

From Oasis and Joy Division, to Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The 1975, and even more modern-day acts, there’s no end to the amount of talented artists this city has produced or been home to over the years, all contributing to Manchester being one of the most prestigious music cities there is.

The city’s live music scene has always been thriving, and that continues right through to this very day, as you’ll see big-name musicians including Manchester as a destination in their UK tour schedules more often than not.

This summer is all set to be a sensational celebration of sound, as not only is an immersive art trail, Music for the Senses, taking over the city from this week, but this year’s annual Manchester Day will be music-themed too, marking one of the biggest years for Manchester music in a long time.

Manchester skyline
Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers / Credit: Manchester City Council | Eldhose Kuryian (via Unsplash)

Oh, and there’s also the small matter of Oasis reforming for a UK tour, including a run of gigs at Heaton Park this month.

So it’s no surprise that Manchester has been named one of the best cities in the world for music lovers, especially as the IFPI Global Music Report has revealed that the UK has the third largest music market globally – with the music industry’s contribution to the UK economy being £6.7 billion on average.

Taking this recent report into consideration, the experts over at SeatPick have collated data to uncover the best UK cities for music lovers, analysing factors such as the number of concerts, homegrown talents, music businesses, and the total number of music venues, to reveal each city’s overall music score out of 10. 

Coming in at second place with a music scene score of 8.97/10 is Manchester.

2025 is all set to be a sensational summer of sound in our city / Credit: Supplied

“Manchester remains one of the UK’s most iconic music cities and with 1,204 concerts between 2025-2026, 116 live music venues, and 380 homegrown acts, the city’s live music offering is as strong as ever,” SeatPick said of its findings.

“2025 is shaping up to be a historic year for Manchester, with Oasis reuniting for the first time in over a decade, with a massive comeback show at Heaton Park – the very spot where they played their last hometown gig in 2009.”

While Manchester may have missed out on the UK’s top spot, with that title going to London, in the global rankings, our city has claimed an impressive sixth place, beating out New York’s influential music scene.

Liverpool and Leeds are two of the other northern cities in the UK’s top 10, taking fifth and sixth place respectively.

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“Cities which have a larger number of music businesses are key in creating the perfect city for music fans, as this impacts the city’s cultural, economic, and social vibrancy,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO of SeatPick.

“A thriving music scene within a city means it can provide more artistic expression, support a wider range of genres, and enrich the cultural landscape, as well as attracting creative talent.”

Featured Image – Alex Bracken (via Unsplash)

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British rock and mod icon Paul Weller stars in advert for new Oasis x Bohemians football kit

Danny Jones Danny Jones Bohemians FC Oasis kit collab

The music and football shirt crossovers just keep coming thick and fast – and that’s just Oasis alone, as Bohemians FC have released a new collaboration with the legendary Britpop band, looping in none other than Paul Weller for the grand unveiling.

Bohemians share a strong connection with the Gallagher brothers due to their Irish roots, as do Manchester and the ‘Emerald Isle’ in general.

This, of course, isn’t the first big marriage with a major music act they’ve done, as last season’s third-place finishers in the SSE Airtricity Men’s Premier Division famously roped in fellow Dublin giants Fontaines D.C. for a collab that sold out in an instant.

However, it doesn’t get much bigger than Oasis and with the Live ’25 reunion shows now just days away (we can hardly believe it either), Bohemians have decided to hop on the bandwagon too and steal some of that ‘band with the three stripes’ buzz for themselves.

Not to be too keen, but can we have 10 of them, please?…

Is this another instant hit? We’d say so, yeah.

Shot by Jamie Goldrick to the sound of cult favourite Definitely Maybe track, ‘Married with Children’, the Oasis x Bohemians kit reveal video was filmed at Cross Guns Snooker Hall: the oldest snooker club in Dublin City, which still remains an important community cornerstone.

As well as starring UK rock and mod culture icon, Paul Weller, perhaps the best bit about the FAI Cup shirt and this whole partnership is the charitable element behind it.

Just like with their Fontaines shirt, which helped supply medical aid across Palestine, the limited edition jersey will help generate crucial money for two key causes.

The first of which is the domestic non-profit organisation, Music Generation Ireland, the country’s national music education programme, which helps children and young people access vocal and instrumental tuition locally.

Secondly, funds will also be diverted to the Irish Community Care Manchester, located along Stockport Road in Levenshulme – further strengthening the mutual support between us Mancs and our cousins across the water.

You can get a close look at the Oasis x Bohemians kit design down below.

The special edition and highly exclusive shirt is already available, with stock already disappearing rapidly thanks to Bohs die-hards, Oasis fans and footy kit connosieurs alike.

With the Burnage boys getting their seismic comeback shows underway with two nights at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff this Friday and Saturday (4-5 July), before heading for a double bill at Croke Park in Dublin this August, the excitement across the globe is already palpable.

It’s almost like this is a big deal or something…

That being said, everything from never-before-seen exhibitions and official Adidas x Oasis merch stores are popping up here in Manchester and, indeed, all over ahead of their sell-out world tour, which is set to be nothing less than the biggest music event of the decade.

Every single teaser trailer and social media post sends fans bananas, and god knows what the scenes are going to be like when they finally head to Heaton Park for the run of five homecoming nights.

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Featured Images — Bohemians FC (press images/screenshots via YouTube)

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