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Liam Gallagher says Co-op Live is ‘up there’ with Madison Square Garden

And LG is no stranger to MSG.

Danny Jones Danny Jones - 17th June 2024

Manc music legend Liam Gallagher has had his say on Co-op Live after his first two visits to the brand new arena, saying it is on a par with Madison Square Garden.

We had the privilege of going along to review Gallagher’s opening night in Manchester at the newest and biggest music venue and it definitely lived up to the billing – Liam certainly seemed to think so too.

He might have joked that he’d happily play a local Lidl if the building wasn’t ready in time amidst their admittedly chaotic opening week, but now he’s been in there and blown the roof of it, it turns out he was just as blown away by as it we were.

Hopping on social media after night two of his Definitely Maybe 30th-anniversary shows, the 51-year-old is “up there with [New York’s] MSG in my opinion as you were LG x”.

Being mentioned in the same breath as one of the most iconic venues not just in the US but the world is no mean feat, especially having only been open for a month. Quite the glowing review indeed.

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Reacting to the review online as well, the venue said just as much, responding to his post by adding: “High praise from a legend”.

Having now graced both state-of-the-art venues – playing Madison Square Gardens with the band back in the day and now Co-op Live as a solo artist (even if it was basically an Oasis gig minus Noel) – we think it’s fair to say he can speak with some pretty good authority on the subject.

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For context, Madison Square Garden was built all the way back in 1968 and after multiple renovations over the years, it has a max gig capacity of 20,000; in contrast, Co-op Live tops out at roughly 23,500 people and is now the largest indoor entertainment venue in all of Europe.

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As you can see, it really is quite impressive.

Liam Gallagher still has another pair of Manchester shows left to play at Co-op Live later this month and you can find our full gig guide HERE.

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What about you lot: for those of you who’ve had the pleasure of visiting Manchester’s shiny new venue, how was it compared to your favourite all-time gig spaces?

Hey, there’s still time for Lidl to step up their game too…

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — The Manc Audio/Warner Music Sweden (via Wikimedia Commons)

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Review | Leigh-Anne at Albert Hall, Manchester – the best version of her

Thomas Melia Thomas Melia

Leigh-Anne visits Manchester for her second gig since becoming a solo artist, dominating Albert Hall as part of her My Ego Told Me To Tour.

Opening with lines like ‘You want a revival?’, before commanding Manchester to ‘look into my eyes’ and ‘tell me what do you see’, Leigh-Anne isn’t just walking onto stage – she’s setting a precedent. 

The start of the show sees the rebirth of Leigh-Anne, from former Little Mix member to solo pop act, and Dead and Gone helps deliver this with its powerful message.

The choruses are simple but impactful, especially when paired with harder hitting lines like ‘Five fingers to your face ’cause you know it slaps’, and ‘Can’t keep a good woman down’. 

Leigh-Anne performing songs from her My Ego Told Me To Tour at Albert Hall, Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Leigh-Anne performing songs from her My Ego Told Me To Tour at Albert Hall, Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group
Leigh-Anne performing songs from her My Ego Told Me To Tour at Albert Hall, Manchester / Credit: The Manc Group

Don’t Say Love gives the Manchester crowd major Throwback Thursday energy (even though it’s Wednesday), taking fans right back to where it all started with her drum and bass-pop debut single.

As soon as the intro to Most Wanted starts, it awakens something in the crowd and the 2,000 capacity of Albert Hall Manchester intuitively get ready to bust a few moves. 

This is a song that’s been on repeat for me since the album’s release and it certainly lives up to the high-energy of its studio recording in a live setting.

After hearing this track live and witnessing some of the shapes me and the crowd were throwing as a result, the song’s title makes a lot of sense – Sorry Mum. 

Been A Minute is exhilarating with the “What you’re waiting for? / Put your back in it” background vocals courtesy of its Denise Belfon ‘Work’ sample. 

Albert Hall in Manchester got to witness the 'Revival' of Leigh-Anne as she played her second gig as a solo artist last night / Credit: The Manc Group
Albert Hall in Manchester got to witness the 'Revival' of Leigh-Anne as she played her second gig as a solo artist last night / Credit: The Manc Group
Albert Hall in Manchester got to witness the ‘Revival’ of Leigh-Anne as she played her second gig as a solo artist last night / Credit: The Manc Group

The dancehall-pop track is the catalyst for Leigh-Anne’s independent artist journey as well as the first taste fans got of her debut album My Ego Told Me To.

This almost four-minute banger set the precedent for the whole project, establishing the album’s soundscape as a fusion of the star’s Jamaican heritage and pop prowess. 

On her latest LP My Ego Told Me To there’s a cute interlude which features the voices of Leigh-Anne’s grandparents titled ‘You ARE a Star’ and it’s safe to say the crowd agrees. 

The High Wycombe-born singer ends her show on a high, playing one of her biggest tracks to date, My Love, a collaboration with Afrobeats artist Ayra Starr. 

For fans like myself, closing with this will come as no surprise as Leigh-Anne originally intended for this to be her first ever single as a solo artist, but was deterred by her label at the time.

Now, the former Little Mix star gets to set the record straight and enjoy her music career just how she intended – or in her words, how her ego told her to.

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Five Greater Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this past month | March 2026

Danny Jones Danny Jones New Manchester music artists April 2026

Don’t look at us like that… It was a bank holiday, and we had a lot of stuff to sort before the long weekend – and a good chunk of that was spent listening to loads of Manc music, new and old, so just shut your trap and get ready for another batch of fantastic artists.

Seriously, though, we’re sorry you had to wait a few extra days than usual to get your latest fix of local tunes, but good things always come to those who wait.

If you happen to be new to this regular series of ours in 2026, it’s pretty much what it says on the tin: every month, we round up the stuff from in and around the Greater Manchester region that we’ve been listening to of late.

Simple as that. Let’s crack on, shall we?

1. Freak Slug

Born in Italy and now based in Manchester after studying in London, Xenya Genovese – a.k.a. ‘Freak Slug’ – is mixing trippy, shoegazey, alt-pop and rock sounds to great effect, which is even more impressive when you find out she produces pretty much everything herself.

There are notes of everything from Slow Pulp and Mazzy Star, to bits of Hazel English and Soccer Mommy; if you were thinking NewDad, too, you’d be absolutely right. In fact, the rising star is currently on tour with them over in North America after having played some domestic and European shows.

If you’re just getting started, we’d recommend two of her biggest hits, ‘Radio’ and ‘Friday’, as you’ll get a good broad strokes idea of her style, but we do love the slightly more Northern attitude and almost Kate Nash-esque no-nonsense of recent single ‘Honest Man’. You can find a snippet of her latest down below.

@freakslug Miss June 🤍 #newmusic #indie #fyp ♬ Miss June – Freak Slug

2. Katie Rigby

In at number two is Manchester’s answer to the country music scene – specifically, the growing host of fantastic female artists who are becoming increasingly influential in the space. If you’re a fan of Lainey Wilson, Ella Langley, Ashley Cooke, Alana Springsteen and the like, she’s right up your alleyway.

One of our own, if you’re a fellow British country fan who often suffers from a dash of impostor syndrome, you’ll be glad to hear she does her best work when she leans more into that some of that self-awareness and self-deprecation, highlighting what makes her different rather than trying to blend in.

It’s a trap that plenty of UK artists can fall into when trying to tap into a sound, but instead, this is what sets it apart; there are no better examples than ‘Past Life Cowgirl’ and ‘Don’t Give Me Hope’, which still show a pop sensibility that could see her playing arenas. And if you don’t like it, as the girl says, you can ‘Kiss [Her] Accent’.

Review | What we made of Country 2 Country 2026, and why Manchester should be very excited
We spoke to her at our first taste of C2C music festival.

3. Ishango Bone

In at number three up is an up-and-coming band that technically has only one Spotify release as yet, along with a smattering of other raw recordings from gigs, etc. online, but they’re nonetheless one that has quickly caught our attention – and not least because of that moniker.

Taking on the same title as a 20,000-year-old ‘calculator’ found near the Nile River in the Democratic Republic of Congo (fall down the rabbit hole at your peril), choosing to name themselves after this gives you a little bit of insight into this curious, interesting, experimental and admittedly odd project.

Even their social media is pretty unique and eccentric, mirroring that somewhat detached, third-person voice used by the likes of Sleep Token, and talking about the project as if it were research into some new alien entity. Bit weird, but so are we, and we like it. New single ‘The Agency’ out on 24 April.

4. John Denton

Next up is John Denton, once tipped by the one and only Johnny Marr as a guitar-playing prodigy destined for greatness. Funnily enough, that rather famous, successful Stone Roses songwriter and national music icon might have just been on to something, you know.

The Salford kid is still very early in his career. It was only back in February 2023 that a then 12-year-old Denton won Marr’s eponymous award from the Salford Foundation Trust. However, since then, the young man has clearly got the right people around him as his sound is already coming across well-developed.

He doesn’t have tonnes out yet, so you might as well complete his discography. Thus far, you can hear influences of Britpop legend Richard Ashcroft, but also fellow Wiganers, the Stanleys, but it’s still too early to tell where he’ll go. All we know is it’s uplifting indie that’s perfect for a spring soundtrack.

5. The Cavs

Last but not least, we have The Cavs, who feel like they’ve been around forever because, well, it has been a good seven years or so since their very first song. We feel like we’ve caught them at festivals here and there, but never quite seen them have their one breakout moment. Could it be coming this year?…

The local lads are back after a little break, having last released music this time last year, but there feels like a fresh wave of momentum might be about to take them onto that next level, as we’re once again seeing them all over our algorithm. They’ve always had a big sound, but it deserves a bigger following.

We might still have a soft spot for the anthemic, 90s/early noughties feel of ‘Find A Way’, and we still maintain that ‘Headshot’ has one of the most addictive intros and recurring riffs we’ve any contemporary rock band could hope to write, but their new release ‘Hallowed Ground’ is well worth a listen to, as well.

So there you have it: another round-up to wrap up Q1 of this year’s journey through Manchester’s musical scene.

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As always, we’re looking for new suggestions all the time, so let us know who you’re listening to at the minute – or rather who we should be – down in the comments.

Oh, and since you’re here, why not check out last month’s list?

Five Manchester artists we’ve been listening to this month | February 2026

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For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — Audio North/Press shots (supplied)

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