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9 hours ago
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All around the world, you’ve gotta spread the word. And if the lyrics to the song are right, the word is well and truly out. Behind the bar at an Oasis-themed pub in Manchester’s buzzy Northern Quarter, fans from across the world have planted their flags in a giant map of the globe to show the extraordinary international appeal of the city’s most famous musical sons.
They stretch from New Zealand to Kazakhstan, Greenland to Sudan, with a deluge from the US, South America and China. Most have descended on the bar this week before the band’s first concert in the city in 16 years this Friday.
“We had our first Russians in the other day. The Americans are mad for it – they mither us to death for Wonderwall,” said Paul Gallagher, who owns Definitely Maybe bar with his brother Mark (Manchester’s other Gallagher brothers).
It is impossible to escape Oasis fever in the music-mad city before the five sold-out homecoming gigs. Every other pub is hosting an after party – and a pre-party. Bars blast out Supersonic at lunchtime, while signs outside advertise “Beer Here Now”. Even Aldi has got in on the act, temporarily rebranding one of its stores “Aldeh”.
Luke Dolan, 24, was making the 8,600-mile round trip from their home in Baltimore, US, with his brother John-Bryant Dolan, 23, and their friend Zack Schutz, 28.
Clutching an Oasis fanzine, Dolan was almost in tears as he described their transatlantic odyssey to Heaton Park for the band’s first homecoming gig: “I’ve definitely had a couple of moments where I’ve been almost crying tears of joy and we’re not even at the show yet. I’ll probably be crying. It’s not going to feel real.”
The three have been avid Oasis fans since they were little – marking them out as unusual in their tiny Maryland suburb of Perry Hall – and are visiting the UK for the first time.
They have Schutz’s father to thank for their Manchester music obsession: Stone Roses, New Order and the Smiths were constantly playing at home. “Being here is just surreal because it’s felt like a dream for a very long time,” said Schutz.
The trio have spent almost £3,000 on flights and a hotel for their week-long trip, when they will visit Liverpool, London and the Cheshire town of Macclesfield – the home of the Joy Division singer Ian Curtis. “I’ve never seen buzz for a band like this, ever,” said Dolan. “It’s absolutely incredible.”
The Gallagher brothers are not the only ones profiting from the most lucrative tour in British music history. Hotel and tourism takings soared by nearly 300% in Cardiff during last weekend’s two gigs at the Principality stadium, according to SumUp, a tech firm that tracks card transactions.
At The Manchester Shop, an independent store dedicated to all things Mancunian, sales of Oasis-related products were up 129%, said its owner, Miki Christi. “We’ve been in this game for 10 years and Manchester’s been on such an up, but I’ve never seen anything on this scale,” she said.
Christi is hosting a Liam Gallagher lookalike competition in Manchester on Saturday, while fans from across the world are trying out their broadest Manc accents. “A Japanese guy came in recently and was like: ‘All right, r kid?!’,” she said.
“It’s not just about Oasis. It’s about Manchester being alive. By Saturday afternoon, this street will be like a champagne supernova. And for God’s sake – it’s not raining.”
While Christi’s shops sells everything from Oasis beermats to postcards, badges and wall art, some have purchased longer-lasting mementos.
Ticket-holders from Australia to America have visited The Studio tattoo parlour, in Afflecks indie emporium, to be inked with their favourite lyrics in the run-up to the gigs.
Colin Thompson, The Studio’s manager, said the excitement in the city was comparable only to the Stone Roses reunion in 2012 but even then “this is a different scale”, he added. “There’s never been so many people in Manchester. It’s going to be absolutely insane,” he said.
Oasis will play five nights at Heaton Park, which neighbours the school attended by the band’s guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, before moving on to London, Edinburgh, Dublin and then north America.
Although the band kicked off their 41-date tour in Cardiff last week, for many the Manchester homecoming is the only show in town.
“Cardiff was seamless, it was faultless, honestly it was unbelievable – but it was just a dress rehearsal for Manchester,” said Dave Foran, a music promoter whose Lions Den pub has ordered double its usual quantity of beer for the occasion.
“Everyone you talk to is tingling. Look at that,” he said, showing goosebumps on his forearm. “And that’s just at the thought of it. It’s a phenomenon. Years ago the buzz was amazing but obviously this is what everyone’s been waiting 16 years for.”
