CityLife

Oasis ready to rock Heaton Park over three nights

SET TO GO SOLO?: Noel 1 / 4 images

IF Noel Gallagher is to be believed – and, although he’s a master at the quippy one-liner, we at CityLife think this is gospel – these latest outdoor shows could be the last time you see or hear from Oasis in five years.

Speak to Ian Brown and John Squire and they can tell you from bitter experience the error of a five-year absence.

But apparently Noel is determined to have a go at this old rock ’n’ roll lark sans Liam and the rest of the Oasis boys.

Going solo is, quite frankly, something we at CityLife expected Noel to have a dabble at years ago.

Great solo album

Oasis may be the biggest survivors of the Britpop revolution, and are certainly the only ones that went the distance (at a time when reunions are all the rage, Oasis are a reminder that great things don’t have to come to an end because they’re going through a rough patch), but Noel has always sounded like he’s got at least one great solo album to get off his chest.

Whether Noel is truly a great songwriter or not is a point of huge debate, but you can’t argue with results; it’s not for nothing that Oasis recently stole four places in the Top 10 of an Xfm poll of the best British songs of all time – entering at number 10 and going on to grab the top three places too.

Pat on the back

Live Forever snatched the No1 spot over Wonderwall (at No2) and Don’t Look Back In Anger. Bringing up the rear at No10 was Champagne Supernova.

And yet, we suspect that even Noel would not agree with Xfm’s conclusions (although we’re sure he’d find a graceful way of accepting such an enormous pat on the back). 

Not one Beatles track made the Top 10, and Oasis pipped The Stone Roses, Joy Division and The Verve to conclusively take the crown.

Right enough, they’re iconic songs, and they’ve proven their lasting appeal on dance floors everywhere.

But nowhere do they stir a crowd more than at live shows; the band’s current tour of outdoor gigs will put them through the hardest acid test ever in front of more than 700,000 people in just nine days.

Which makes the 70,000-capacity Heaton Park shows the kind of gigs where only anthems will do. CityLife reckons we’ll hear them singing the tunes right at the very back.

Oasis at Heaton Park.  Kasabian, The Enemy and Twisted Wheel support. Free Peace will open on Sat/Sun. Thursday, June 4, Saturday, June 6, Sunday, June 7. £45. Call 0844 412 4638 to check availability.

*CHECK out the links to the right for an exclusive Liam interview, concert information, a Manchester gigography and other Oasis related news.

The city council has set up a helpline for residents near the park to express concerns or find out information about how the area is affected by the shows. The community information hotline number is 0161 954 9003.