By Adam Maidment
Oasis once sang about how ‘you’ve gotta spread the word’, and that’s exactly what they’ve done in the build-up to their huge Live ‘25 tour. Around every corner of the city, there are many not-so-subtle nods to the Gallagher brothers. Whether it’s through murals, merchandise, shop fronts or even redesigns of the trams, it’s clear that Oasis fever has well and truly hit Manchester – and we’re still a week away from their homecoming shows. Tonight, the whole tour will begin in Cardiff and speculation has been rife about every element of what will be involved in the show. In fact, fans will never truly know for sure until Liam and Noel step onto the stage together for the first time in 16 years. Exactly a week today, Oasis will then kick off their first show at Heaton Park . It’ll be the first of five shows the band play between July 11 and 20 and are expected to be attended by thousands of fans both from Manchester and beyond. BE HERE NOW! Win last-minute Oasis tickets to the Heaton Park homecoming gigs by clicking HERE … and join our Oasis WhatsApp group while you’re at it HERE. To coincide with the shows, there will be a host of parties and events across Greater Manchester – with some of the city’s fellow music legends, like Bez and Clint Boon, also getting involved in the action. So, how has the city been celebrating Oasis fever so far and what else is still to come as we gear up closer and closer to those big Heaton Park shows? We’ve rounded up some of the fun Oasis things you can discover around town to get you hyped. It felt apt that Manchester became the first location for the official Oasis fan stores, with the venue opening in Spinningfields at the end of last month. Situated opposite the Oast House, it is home to a host of exclusive and limited-edition merchandise, including special vinyl records, t-shirts and even water bottles and gaffer tape. Whatever you want in Oasis form you’ll find there, including the new Oasis and Adidas collaboration, which includes a line of bucket hats. But you’ll want to set aside a bit of a budget – as you’re likely to spend quite a bit. The Manchester Shop, in Afflecks, has perhaps done the most Manc thing to mark Oasiamania by unveiling a shop front display with its very own bingo card based on the band. Full of predictions of what will happen during the Heaton Park shows, like the appearance of a bucket hat and the presence of rain, it’s garnered a lot of chuckles from people passing by who have stopped for a photo along the way. And the shop continues the theme inside, with lots of Oasis-inspired hats, t-shirts and merch available to buy. It seems like Oasis returning to their hometown is reason enough to host a pop-up festival and marketplace in celebration of the city’s rich and thriving music scene. There will be a host of music-themed markets, pop-up shops, a festival bar and impromptu performances, as well as exhibitions taking over the city’s streets, squares, shop windows and other venues, including an Oasis-themed festival at Central Library. Not only that, but there will also be a pop-up bar at Piccadilly Gardens , as well as “block parties” with lots of outdoor seating in the Northern Quarter. More info here. With a focus instead on the fans that made Oasis even possible, a Manchester exhibition is delving deep into the archives with photos from the band’s sold out shows in Manchester in 1996. Taking over the walls of Refuge at Kimpton Clocktower Hotel, on Oxford Road, the exhibition features photos of fans queuing up outside Maine Road, buying merchandise and making friends over their shared interest of the Gallaghers. The exhibit features works from photographer Jon Shard and a series of new and unseen pictures from Amelia Troubridge. There is also Fan Wonderwall, made of general public submissions and curated by the British Culture Archive. It is free to attend, and runs until August 31. From Monday (July 7), there will also be a music trail taking place across the city where a number of guitars donated by famous musicians and given a revamp by artists will be dotted around for visitors to find. Whilst not completely Oasis-themed, it was only right that the trail got the Gallagher brothers involved and they donated a Epiphone Riviera, signed by them both, which will go on display in Selfridges on Exchange Square as part of the trail, which runs until August 31 Car giant Defender unveiled a mural of their own earlier this week tying into the Oasis tour. An official automotive partner of Oasis Live ‘25, a fleet of vehicles will be transporting the band as they make their way to each date on the tour – and they’ve made their presence known in the Northern Quarter . Proclaiming their latest Defender OCTA Black as the ultimate ‘Rock N Roll Star’, the giant 18.5m by 11.4m artwork is now on display at 60 Shudehill. Unless you’re skipping public transport altogether, it’ll be hard not to have missed the bus and tram which have been lovingly decked out with the faces of Liam and Noel. Oasis have given their permission for the Bee Network to use their image and song title on the Bee Network’s Manchester bus, tram and e-bike throughout the month. The Oasis Live ’25 tram will be operating on the Bury line which stops off at Heaton Park, while the branded bus will be out on different routes across Greater Manchester in the coming weeks. The Printworks has transformed its indoor digital ceiling (the largest in Europe, by the way) to feature an ode to Britpop and Oasis. The visual display is a vibrant homage to the golden era of 90s British music and culture featuring animated sequences with Union Jack motifs, kaleidoscopic colours, and recognisable fashion. It also features a voiceover from Happy Mondays legend Bez. The ceiling will be running until July 20. Back at Afflecks, a mosaic of the Gallagher brothers has been added to the shopping emporium’s now-iconic wall of art on the exterior of the Tib Street side of the building. Created by artist Mark Kennedy, the artwork features the Oasis lads in front of a blue background and was made in partnership with the Definitely Maybe bar, which is the UK’s only Oasis-themed bar. The venue features a treasure trove of memorabilia and rare items on display, serving as a museum as well as a bar. There’s also a merch stand inside to get any Oasis-themed items ahead of the shows. . Not content with just an Oasis collection or a new store opening, Adidas has also gone all out with their very own mural to the band. Three days in the making, the artwork in the Northern Quarter was unveiled to the public on Thursday afternoon (July 3) ahead of Oasis’ first 2025 gig in Cardiff. The two-walled piece features an illustration of the brothers, alongside the Adidas x Oasis logo that also appears on the capsule collection.