No one sits on the fence in the great ‘Blur or Oasis’ debate – and now one of music’s greatest rivalries will be brought to the stage in a brand-new theatre show.
Heading to Manchester next year will be the brand-new comedy play, The Battle.
Audiences will take a trip back to 1995, when Britpop heavyweights Blur and Oasis were battling it out on the airwaves – and throwing more than a few jibes at each other along the way.
The Battle follows that moment in time where both bands – one our beloved Northern brothers, the other that clean-cut art-school band from the South – released singles on the same day.
The ensuing ‘battle of Britpop’ saw rivalries flare, friendships fracture, and a media mania that defined the era.
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Highlights of the play will include the Brit Awards, the war on the charts, and legendary personalities.
The Battle promises ‘filthy language and razor-sharp dialogue in this cut-throat new comedy that puts you right at the heart of the feuding, the fame, and the fallout’.
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The Battle is the debut stage play from screenwriter and Sunday Times best-selling novelist John Niven, and will be directed by Matthew Dunster.
John Niven said: “1995: a time long before music splintered into a billion different Tik Tok feeds. When music was so central to the culture that two pop groups could dominate the entire summer, the evening news and the front page of every newspaper in the country.
“We’re going to take you back there. I’ve never written for the stage before, and it has been an absolute blast to do so for the first time with a producer as supportive as Simon and a director as talented as Matthew.”
Director, Matthew Dunster, added: “I remember the Battle of the Bands. I remember the charts that week. Music mattered.
“I remember being in my twenties in 1995. What a wild time. Full of energy, naughtiness and hilarity. Just like John Niven’s play.
“I’m so delighted to be working with John on such a punchy, hilarious and revealing comedy about two of the best bands of all time, Blur and Oasis.”
Producer, Simon Friend, continued: “Throughout my sister’s teenage years, she had an enormous poster of Damon Albarn on her wall, and I remember her falling out with friends over which band they loved more.
“Ever since, this story has been in the back of my mind, and I was delighted that John Niven agreed to write it because there is no more qualified or hilarious chronicler of this world, and combined with Matthew Dunster directing, we have a fearless team recreating the sweaty mid-‘90s carnage of The Battle of Britpop.”
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The Battle will make its world premiere in Birmingham next year before heading out on an extensive UK tour, including a run of shows here in Manchester.
The Battle will be at the Opera House Manchester between 17 and 21 March 2026.
Tickets go on general sale on Friday 2 May at 10am – grab yours HERE.
Salford is celebrating 100 years of being its own city with FREE community events throughout 2026
Emily Sergeant
Salford is marking 100 years of city status this year, and to celebrate is launching a programme of free community events.
The city-wide celebrations – which are set to weave in the true character of the city and its communities – will launch on 21 April to coincide with the date Salford was officially granted city status in 1926, and they will run throughout the year culminating in a spectacular finale moment in the autumn.
Salford City Council has appointed renowned creative organisations Walk the Plank and From The Other as co-creative producers for the programme.
The partnership will explore the past, celebrate the present, and imagine the future through a cultural programme spread across all eight neighbourhoods in Salford.
Salford gained city status 100 years ago — it’s time to celebrate 🙌
From a monumental living portrait of the city projected onto local buildings in Salford Everywhere, to Songs of Salford where emerging and established musical collaborators are brought together, and The Wagon Train, a pop-up festival shaped by each neighbourhood it visits, each event is set to amplify the city’s cultural community.
The programme is also hoping to help ensure the arts and world-class culture is accessible to all.
“We’re immensely proud of Salford’s thriving cultural sector and it’s fantastic that two of our most renowned cultural organisations will be delivering the Salford Centenary Cultural Programme,” commented Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett.
Salford is celebrating 100 years of being its own city with free community events / Credit: Chris Payne | Walk The Plank (Supplied)
“Both organisations bring a wealth of experience, creativity and unrivalled local knowledge to this project, and I’m extremely excited to experience the unique activities they will deliver as part of our centenary year.
“2026 promises to be a truly special year for the city, with this cultural programme at the heart of the celebrations.”
There’s also plenty of different ways to get involved too, and you can find out more on the Salford 100 website here.
Featured Image – Breige Cobane (Supplied)
What's On
A new ‘disco den’ nightclub is opening in the Northern Quarter
Daisy Jackson
A brand-new nightclub is set to open in Manchester city centre next month, as our city’s late-night scene ramps up a gear.
Following on from the announcement of the return of Sankeys, this new ‘disco den’ will be an intimate loft space in the Northern Quarter.
As with Sankeys, the location of this new venue is being kept strictly under wraps for now, but they have teased some details to get us started.
It will be a New York-style loft club space, which wants to bring ‘the essence of Studio 54’ to Manchester.
The venue will be taking over the top floor of one of the Northern Quarter’s ‘most famous’ bars, and will have a maximum capacity of 150 people – pretty intimate for a nightlife venue.
The first two nights have been announced too – up first will be ‘Lollipop’, a new night of self-expression, freedom, disco, and drag dancers.
On Saturday 28 February, Mancs will be able to dance to the best house and disco music, from Jon Fitz, DJ Dave Cooper, Electric Emma Eden Binks, and Libby Nolan, with supporting performances from Gisele.
Then on Saturday 14 March, ‘Discolicious’ will take over – an inclusive club night founded by Jemma Bolt and Denise Van Outen.
The event is back from a summer-long residency at Ibiza’s UNVRS superclub.
Expect sequins, feathers, platforms and pure disco ball energy, with a line-up that includes Jemma Bolt, Laura Pradelska, Pips Taylor, Jules Pinkney and Manchester’s own Electric Emma.
Tickets for both events are available from Skiddle, with a password reveal three days before the event.
Discolicious tickets are on sale now HERE, and Lollipop tickets are available HERE.
Daisy Jackson -
29th April 2025 
