What goes up, must come down: New BBC podcast charts the rise & fall of ecstasy in Manchester
Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave chronicles the rise of a drug that ultimately shaped a movement that made Manchester the city it is today; both for better and for worse.
Unemployment. Racism. Poverty. Hooliganism. Hopelessness. Communities at war.
1980s Northern Britain was a tortured place.
By the mid-point of the decade, the region was a bubbling pot teetered on a gas burner; a scorching, bewildered swirl of different ingredients thrashing around against one another.
But then ecstasy came along, and it was like someone simply turned the heat off.
Temperatures cooled, waters soothed, and the contents relaxed; rising to the top together whilst softly entwining.
A new BBC podcast, part-written by Danny Brocklehurst, is about that moment the cooker dial twisted down, and the music cranked up.
Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave chronicles the rise of a drug that ultimately shaped a movement that made Manchester the city it is today; both for better and for worse.
The project sees Danny – the Hyde-born writer of The Stranger, Brassic and Safe (along with credits for Clocking Off and Shameless) – teaming up with Chris Warburton from BBC 5 Live to examine how multicoloured capsules set a momentous cultural shift into motion.
Staring down the camera lens during his Zoom call with The Manc, Danny begins throwing fingers up in front of the monitor as he recounts the ways in which ecstasy remoulded the country.
“It changed crime, it changed policing, it changed culture, and ultimately it changed government policy,” he tells us.
“This was the biggest and most radical cultural youth movement in this country since the sixties… possibly ever.”
But Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave isn’t, as Danny reaffirms, an ode to “saucer-eyed, hands-in-the-air sweaty club nights”.
It’s a story about what this drug gave to Britain. And what it took away.
Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave is built up of six documentary episodes featuring marquee names of the era; including Shaun Ryder and Graeme Park.
But tucked between each of these eps are five ‘Secret Voices of Ecstasy’; a quintet of fictional characters built from research and real interviews.
According to Danny, this allowed him to retell the kind of stories that are rarely recited on the record, be it for fear of exposure, revenge or even incarceration.
A stellar UK cast steps in to fill the shoes of a raver (Meera Syal), a dealer (Ian Hart), an undercover cop (David Morrissey), a DJ (Monica Dolan), and an opportunistic party-organising entrepreneur (Adrian Edmondson) – who got rich by arriving on the crest of a wave.
“I think what the drama does is hopefully gets you inside peoples’ heads,” Danny reveals.
“[This lets us] tell their story very honestly, very emotionally, very truthfully in a way that you wouldn’t necessarily always get from someone who’s on the record in a documentary.”
Intriguingly, Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave follows the same arc of the drug which bears its name.
It reaches up to revel in the unparalleled highs – a glittering world of dilated pupils, flashing lights and giddy bliss – before diving back down to Earth to showcase the devastating, almost subterranean lows that came afterwards.
“We’re trying to be honest about the range of experiences that people had at that time,” Danny explains.
“If there’s a pattern to the story of ecstasy and acid house, it mirrors the drug.
“You’ve got the initial euphoria – which most people you speak to involved in this scene experienced – then you’ve got the levelling out where it’s becoming the norm.
“Then, you’ve got the comedown.
“The good times were so good and [people] felt alive. It was very vibrant. But that’s not to say this didn’t come at a cost.”
As the podcast ascertains, ecstasy undeniably altered music, values and even society.
But it didn’t do it all alone. It had a companion. A partner in crime.
“In the eighties, MDMA found its moment,” Danny states.
“The collision [with acid house] created this amazing cocktail… and to add to that there’s this youth culture in Britain that feels like it needs that escape.
“Ecstasy responds more to the situation you’re in. That’s why people take it at festivals.
“If you took ecstasy and got on a bus, for example, it probably wouldn’t quite have the same effect!”
According to DJ Graeme Park, ecstasy and acid house were the perfect match because the pills would raise your heartbeat to 120bpm… which happened to be exactly the same speed as the tempo of many tracks.
For the first time, people felt completely in tune with the music around them.
Most parts of Britain had a home for ecstasy and acid house. But in Manchester in particular, the pair were welcomed into the city by thousands of open arms.
The nerve centre for rave here was, of course, The Hacienda – the black-and-yellow hedonistic hive that would spawn the ‘Madchester’ scene.
But the podcast makes another big revelation in that the first rumblings of the movement actually started at Stuffed Olives – a little nightclub smuggled away down South King Street off Deansgate.
If FAC51 was the place that ecstasy and acid house realised they were destined to be soulmates, Stuff Olives was where they first clapped eyes on one another.
Shaun Ryder describes the movement as taking Manchester from ‘black and white’ to ‘teknicolour’.
People of all races were coming together. Different classes were mixing. Football hooligans from rival firms were hugging on dancefloors.
“It [ecstasy] had a real capacity to heal and make us love one another,” Danny chuckles.
“Whether you think that’s naive or not; that was the feeling.
“A lot of what happened at that time came out of what people were experiencing; Thatcherism, unemployment, no palpable future that appealed to them.
“This movement, this freedom, this drug, this music offered them something that was a bit like a ‘screw you’ to the system.
“The system hated that – because they couldn’t control it.”
During the nineties, ecstasy wore out its welcome as greed took over.
The drug was increasingly cut with dangerous substances so dealers could enjoy a bigger slice of the pie, and police were increasingly raiding parties to take down the culprits.
Raving undoubtedly has an ugly side. It’s one we’ve seen as recently as this year; as crowds have flocked to makeshift illegal gatherings during a pandemic.
As police continue to tackle parties that put the wider public at risk, it’s an interesting time for a podcast about raving to be released. But Danny says the current climate had no real influence on the final edit.
“We’ve been writing this for a long time,” he informs us.
“We couldn’t have anticipated we’d be living through a pandemic… or that young people’s primal need to get together would result in a resurgence in illegal raves.
“At a time when people are supposed to be social distancing; that’s a very interesting contradiction.
“Obviously, COVID is a very different scenario [to the 80s/90s] because it’s [about] people responding to being trapped in their homes.”
But for the most part, the nightlife scene in Manchester currently remains under lock and key.
Nonetheless, Danny believes the shutdown could potentially result in a new wave of nightlife that may bring a resurgence to the city.
“There was a period in the early nineties where Manchester was the centre of the universe for a little bit,” he reflects.
“It felt like a very vibrant, lively, amazing place to be living and working.
“Obviously that doesn’t last. The Hacienda has gone now and lots of the big famous clubs have gone.
“But it’s still a very lively place and it’s got that ability to be a great city for people going out.
“But everything’s under a shadow of COVID right now.
“It could go one of two ways. Some places will wither and die. Or the scene will come back with a bang because people will be so desperate to come together and live and be with other people.
Danny pauses and thinks about it for a second or two.
“It could have a really positive effect, ultimately.”
You can listen to Ecstasy: The Battle Of Rave on BBC Sounds now.
A new series of Brassic is also in the works – with Danny working on plans for a third and fourth installment of the Sky comedy-drama.
There’s also discussions taking place to create a new show with Harlan Coben; whom Danny collaborated with on Safe and The Stranger.
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What we know about Oasis’ Heaton Park reunion shows based on their first comeback gig in Cardiff
Danny Jones
Ok, so there’s no more need to pinch ourselves or double-take every time we check our phone: Oasis aren’t just back together, they’ve now kicked off the reunion and following those incredible Cardiff scenes, we’re already thinking about what this means for their Heaton Park homecoming.
There simply isn’t a brick-and-mortar Manchester venue big enough to hold as many Manc fans as want, need and deserve to see them back on stage after waiting all this time, so it’s only fitting that barely a month on from Parklife, the massive outdoor space will welcome us all back to witness history.
Quite literally millions of people tuned into various livestreams on Friday evening to see Oasis return at the Principality Stadium, so lots of you will have already seen plenty from the colossal concert – including that bald bloke balancing a pint on his head – but there was, understandably, a lot to take in.
So, with that being said, here’s what we hope, we think, we know about Oasis’ highly anticipated Heaton Park shows based solely on the details we gleaned from Cardiff night one.
The timings (roughly)
For starters, one of the most important things fans will be hoping to know is when Oasis got back on stage, as well as the set times of the other ‘Live ’25‘ support acts.
Liam, as per usual, was the mouthier of the two Gallagher brothers and let the cat out of the bag early on X (Twitter), before being clearly told off by management and deleting the details shortly after; still, it was confirmed that the main event for Friday and Saturday night gets underway at 8:15pm.
However, these things are always subject to change, as both Richard Aschroft and Cast were slightly premature on night one in Cardiff, and who knows what other arenas will be like for the rest of the reunion tour?
Another big debate online that has raged ever since the Oasis reunion was confirmed is the subject of what they’re going to play from their extensive catalogue.
Obviously, most people could rattle off most of the all-time favourites and cobbble together a pretty decent ‘greatest hits’ of Oasis setlist, but people have been more concerned with what the opener, closing track, and encore will be.
Having watched all of these moments back multiple times already, we can confirm the first track was the classic intro ‘F***in’ in the Bushes’, as many fans suspected, followed by ‘Hello’ as the first full song, rather fittingly.
As for the last track in the main running order, the crowd got to bounce up and down to ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ before the legendary ‘Champagne Supernova’ beckoned the very end of the first night in Cardiff.
— The Rock Revival (@TheRockRevival_) July 4, 2025
They’ll still be reactive
That being said, this inaugural comeback show was somewhat of a pilot for the rest of the ‘Live ’25 world tour, which now totals more than 40 dates, and any good artist knows that tweaking the setlist from show to show can be key to not only to success, but keeping things fresh for you and the audience.
As a result, we wouldn’t be surprised if you see Oasis mix things up as the nights roll on, especially when playing multiple gigs in the same city as they’re doing pretty much everywhere for this reunion.
That flexibility isn’t just limited to song choice either: Liam did his famous twist on the ‘Wonderwall’ lyrics and told the crowd, “There are many things that I would like to say to you, but I don’t speak Welsh”, and in case you haven’t seen it already, they also took a moment to honour a late Liverpool star.
There were lots of little details on night one in Cardiff, but this was a very nice touch from Oasis.
A bigger focus on production than ever
The glimpse at the AV presentation seen above is just a small taster too. From the various clips we’ve seen on social media over the last 24 hours or so, Oasis aren’t just back playing music together, but they’ve levelled significantly in terms of production and stage design.
Now, if you’ve ever been to see either of the brothers’ solo shows, you’ll know that football and, more specifically, references to Man City, often feature at some point.
Noel, in particular, has maintained a strong City presence in his set, be it the blue colour palette, the MCFC badge, or even a tall cut-out of manager Pep Guardiola half during most High Flying Birds gigs.
Cardiff night one was no different as his LG instructed the crowd to turn around and do the familiar ‘Poznan’ celebration regularly seen up in the stands of the Etihad Stadium.
Gallagher brothers kick off Oasis world tour with Cardiff show, as Liam tells fans 'do the poznan'.
It was bits of comedy like this that’s been one of the biggest part we’ve missed about Oasis; both Liam and Noel have always been very humorous in their own ways over the years, but they were never funnier than in those old clips you see of them cracking each other up in their younger days.
Despite being estranged for more than a decade and a half and who knows how many years of bad blood overall, they look to have at least put it to one side and what was once a combative back and forth from a distance has circled back around to brotherly banter – or at least we hope it has.
We’re not going to pretend they absolutely adore all of a sudden, but they’re at least trying and recognising each other’s roles.
As you can see, those snaps of them smiling during the first reunion photo shoot back together don’t appear to be just for show.
Seeing the two of them walk out holding hands sent the internet into an absolute frenzy of emotion and had people joking that they were finally going to message their own troublesome relative and at least try to mend fences.
But that was just one small moment.
The duo have always admired and respected their respective talents, but for the first time in even longer than the 16-year hiatus itself, it seems like there’s some genuine love there again. See for yourself:
They’re still as massive as they ever were – if not more so
All this is to say that, in short, Oasis’ first comeback show in Cardiff isn’t just the start of the ‘Live ’25 reunion tour that will span the globe, it’s also confirmation of something people began to question in their lengthy absence…
They really are the biggest and, in so many people’s opinions (including our own), the greatest rock band of all time.
From what we can tell, it feels like one of those watershed music moments where you have be there in person to truly see and believe it – not to be part of some exclusive ‘I was there’ comeback, but because we can’t thing of any other reunion that has had this kind of impact.
Roll on the five nights at Heaton Park and strap in, folks, because you will never forget it.
I've never felt so excited about a gig I didn't even have a ticket for! I'm so glad you had a great time, the clips I've seen looked INCREDIBLE.
Featured Images — Oasis (via X)/Finnlay K (via Instagram)
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Gallagher brothers pay touching tribute to Diogo Jota on first night of Oasis reunion tour
Danny Jones
It’s official, Oasis are actually back, and during the first date on their reunion tour in Cardiff, the Gallagher brothers paid a touching tribute to Liverpool FC player Diogo Jota.
News of Jota’s passing broke on Thursday morning, after it was confirmed that the Liverpool forward was involved in a car crash along with his brother, Andre Felipe Silva.
Using the iconic track ‘Live Forever’ as the perfect opportunity to pay their respects, the screen behind them flashed up with his shirt.
Here’s the moment it happened:
At Oasis' first concert for 16 years, Live Forever is dedicated to Diogo Jota ❤️pic.twitter.com/tZriAhqVpm
A lovely touch from the Burnage boys and die-hard Blues, not to mention done rather cleverly given the song choice.
Taken from their legendary debut album, Definitely Maybe, the 1994 track is regularly voted ‘the best British song of all time’ – and moments like these only reaffirm why it connects with people so strongly.
What’s even more moving is the slight swell of noise you hear from the crowd; even on a night where quite literally all eyes were on them and the inaugural night of the ‘Live ’25’ tour, they made sure to shed some light on the bigger picture.
You could even see some fans in the crowd holding up Portugal flags in honour of the late LFC star.
Manchester City themselves – who boast a number of Portuguese players like Bernardo Silva, Ruben Dias and Matheus Nune – were among countless clubs who shared their condolences with Liverpool in the aftermath of the 28-year-old’s tragic death.
Scouse support band Cast also dedicated one of their songs to Jota earlier in the evening.
Cast frontman John Power just dedicated Walkaway to Diogo Jota. Power: “This is Walkaway. This one’s for Diogo Jota. Take it easy brother.” #Oasis25#DiogoJotapic.twitter.com/BEGuLaOTaR
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) July 4, 2025
Put simply, Friday, 4 July 2025, at the Principality Stadium was always going to be one that went down as one of the biggest concerts in decades, but this small gesture from a pair of footy fans no doubt made it even more special for any supporters who happened to be in the crowd.
And, indeed, the thousands watching at home, as even before the tidal wave clips began to appear online, there were multiple livestreams of the show on YouTube and various other platforms.
While most of these were ultimately taken down (not before we saw that legend balancing a pint of blue WKD on his head), there was no chance of keeping this one in the building.
We saw the setlist, we heard the noise; we saw them holding hands, and we even saw them hugging as they walked off. On a night were they chose to spotlight family in more ways than one, Oasis and those who are sadly no longer around to see them ‘Live Forever’ in the memory of millions.
The Manc -
17th September 2020 
