Liam Gallagher concludes his celebratory run of shows in honour of Oasis’ 1994 debut, Definitely Maybe. We were there.

VILLANELLE

With no music officially released, Villanelle have created a stir since their inception earlier this year. They have played shows as guests to the likes of Seb Lowe, Overpass and Pastel.

“Manchester, for the last time,” says Gene Gallagher as Villanelle stroll onstage. A grungy opening sets the tone for a thirty minute set. Sonically, the band are still finding their way. They mix elements from many parts of the rock spectrum; a little like his father. The sound is deep and earthy; it’s powered by a solid rhythm section and a vibrancy in the guitar work.

Villanelle hit the road on their own in November 2024. You can bet that plenty of the folks in attendance will throw their support behind Villanelle.

CAST

Cast are having a little bit of a resurgence in 2024. They never really went away, however they have released a brilliant new record this year and toured the hell out of it already. It is no surprise to see them throwing their weight behind it in this special guest slot.

Love Is The Call (review here) and Faraway allow the band to display material from their new album without losing the gradually growing crowd. A quartet of newbies is made up in the form of The Rain That Falls and Tomorrow Call My Name. 30 years ago, these songs could have been chart botherers. Jon Power sounds great on vocals and Liam ‘Skin’ Tyson shreds his guitar brilliantly.

Tyson shines with a mid set highlight in History. Usually reserved for later in the bands live set repertoire, it is short and sweet here. The electric opening darts around the huge arena and the band show great energy in delivering one of their finest cuts.

As for the bands finest, they have a crop of classics. Sandstorm and Finetime are brilliant openers and show that the band mean business as well as reminding people what they have up their sleeve. A huge cheer greets the Britpop anthem, Walkaway. Alright closes out the set in rambunctious style, setting things up perfectly for Liam Gallagher to take the stage.

LIAM GALLAGHER

As Cast leave the stage, a huge ‘2024’ adorns the huge stage. It spends the next thirty minutes counting back to 1994 whilst the PA ramps up the atmosphere with a song selection taken straight from Liam Gallagher’s jukebox. A full run through of I Am The Resurrection allows the crowd to fully limber up as they make the Stone Roses song a part of the show. It is an apt walk on song for Liam as well; he has toured with John Squire this year already, and if anyone in Manchester has a messianic complex, it is certainly the boy from Burnage.

Opening with Rock & Roll Star tees up a night of pure nostalgia and joy. The entirety of the sold out crowd are on their feet from the get go. Liam sounds excellent; he has certainly nurtured his voice and he is reaping the benefits. His snarl and swagger are laid bare and Manchester is already in the palm of his hand.

Shakermaker is dedicated to Sheik Mansour, the Manchester City owner. A chorus of boos ring out from supporters of the red side of Manchester. Visually, the crowd are treated a psychedelic trip down memory lane to Sifters Records, Mr Benn and Mr Soft.

THERE WE WERE, NOW HERE WE ARE

For all the huge songs on Definitely Maybe, there are still a few that slip under the radar. Columbia is one such track. It is a great song in amongst even greater songs. It’s dancy beat really wows and the shoegaze glory of the guitars is emphatic. Liam also drops in his little ‘rap’ verse from the recently released Sawmills Outtake of the song.

Bring It On Down is an early highlight. Pounding drums and a guitar attack full of bluster blow the cobwebs away. When Liam steps up to the mic, he gives voice to the attitude. “You’re the outcast – you’re the underclass. But you don’t care – because you’re living fast.” Superb. Up In The Sky has Liam speaking the ‘I can feel you? Can you feel me?’ lyric. Predictably, the screams show agreement.

With a couple of shows left on this run at Leeds/Reading in August, you have to think that some of these songs will not be played live again. One such cut is Digsy’s Dinner. Written about a musician friend and his nonsensical lyrics, Oasis ended up writing a song in honour of his desire for lasagne. Liam dedicates it to any Italians in the crowd. Not sure of Italian attendance, but there were two chaps both with lasagne shirts on outside the venue before the gig! The song is greeted well and the visuals accompanying the song are comical and to the point.

THE DREAMS WE HAVE AS CHILDREN FADE AWAY

An enduring thing about Definitely Maybe is the misty eyed optimism; the hopes and dreams of young people growing up. Thirty years on, many of the songs on Oasis’ debut still resonate. Hearing the full Definitely Maybe songbook in one show highlights the level of output that Oasis had. More importantly, it also shows the amount of songs that were deemed only good enough to be B-sides.

Liam has dusted off Cloudburst, I Will Believe and Fade Away for this tour. The latter might be more familiar, but the former two tracks are pure deep cuts. In the 90’s, buying a single for £3.99 on CD from Our Price meant that you got 4 songs. Oasis were, and are kings of the B-side.

Take Half The World Away. It is a song that has become synonymous with the brothers Gallagher. Mobile lights flash on as the Co-op Live is transformed into a mystical maelstrom of a choir for one of the most endearing songs in the Oasis/Gallagher canon.

D’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman is dedicated to all the glue sniffers before another gem in the shape of (It’s Good) To Be Free. Like Half The World Away, it is a song that has gone on to create its own legacy. Both the songs were B-sides to single only track, Whatever. Lyrically, it again packs a punch in the chorus; “The little things they make me so happy. All I want to do is live by the sea. The little things they make me so happy. But it’s good, yes it’s good, it’s good to be free.”

Liam finishes the ‘songs found down the back of the couch’ with Lock All The Doors. Never released as an Oasis track, the song has its history from this era of the band. Its dedicated to Gareth; potentially Southgate. Who knows?

YOU GOTTA MAKE IT HAPPEN!

If some of the B-side selections were testy for the audience, Liam certainly knows how to switch it up. Cigarettes & Alcohol is one of Oasis’ biggest anthems. Liam asks the crowd to “put the venue on the fucking World map.” When the opening hits, the Co-op Live comes unglued. A sea of arms, beer, girlfriends on boyfriends shoulders, mates on mates’ shoulders and people with arms around each other. It is a special atmosphere. An atmosphere that many will have experienced in the past. In all honesty, it is truly emotional to see what is happening. “Un-fucking-believable” comments Liam as the song ends. Seconded, Liam.

Married With Children is given full band treatment before the main set ends. Naturally, the band reappear, walking on to an extended drum intro to Supersonic. By this point, Manchester is feeling truly supersonic (and a little damp from flying pint pots). Liam is too. He stands fists aloft just back from his mic; an iconic pose that Liam has perfected. He oozes charisma just by simply standing there. Has there been, or is there, anyone of the ilk of Liam Gallagher? You’d be hard pressed to find anyone to hold a torch to him.

LET ME BE THE ONE WHO SHINES WITH YOU

When Liam played at the Etihad Stadium to ‘warm-up’ for his Knebworth shows in 2022, he closed out with one of the finest encores ever. With Supersonic already raising the stakes, Slide Away takes everyone higher. Again, the emotion in the room is palpable. Could be the booze? Could be the end of the weekly grind? Whichever way, Slide Away is monolithic. Those hopes and dreams paint a picture in time and whether you are ‘new’ to the songs or a lifer, this is glorious.

Sly Stone wanted to ‘take us higher.’ Liam does just that. Live Forever is dedicated to his mum, Peggy, who is in the audience. Again, that 90’s atmosphere comes flooding back, save for mobile phones replacing lighters. The twinkling crowd know every single word, so much so, it is hard to know who is louder; the audience or Liam.

It wouldn’t be an early 90’s show like this without a run through I Am The Walrus. Itself a crazy song, it works perfectly as the set closer as Mancunians depart from seeing one of the finest spectacles of the year.

Springsteen in New Jersey. U2 in Dublin. Primal Scream in Glasgow. Seeing Liam Gallagher in Manchester fits perfectly in that bracket of seeing a band on their home turf. Since leaving Oasis, Liam has grafted to keep the dream alive. As of 2024, and 30+ years in, he shows no signs of slowing. Rock and roll needs Liam Gallagher.

The songs of Definitely Maybe soundtracked a generation. They are still soundtracking generations. Those in attendance will surely attest to that.

All photography by Mike Ainscoe – don’t nick without permission please…just ask.

Liam Gallagher: Website / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram

Cast: Website / Facebook / X (formerly Twitter) / Instagram

Villanelle: Instagram

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