Lidl agrees to stage gig for Liam Gallagher if Co-op Live can't

Former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher has said he’ll play a gig at Lidl in June if he can’t play Manchester Co-op live – and the supermarket has accepted. It comes as the venue has been marred by a series of setbacks, which has seen the likes of Peter Kay, Take That, The Black Keys and Olivia Rodrigo all having been forced to cancel gigs.

Take That were the latest act to say they will be moving their May shows from the Co-op Live due to “ongoing technical issues”. It comes shortly after Keane announced that their Sunday gig at the venue has been postponed due to issues, which they said are “entirely beyond our control”.

The new music venue, which has postponed its opening numerous times, said it will be taking “a short pause to events” before welcoming members of the public to the arena from May 14. A statement from Co-op Live said this is to “fully ensure the safety and security of fans and artists” and allow for an “independent inspection of all elements of the arena ceiling” following an issue with the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

On Instagram, Take That said: “Given the ongoing technical issues around the opening of Co-op Live we have taken the difficult decision to move our May shows to the AO Arena where we have enjoyed many great nights over the years. This is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we wanted to give our fans as much notice as possible.

“We’re mindful many of you will already have travel and accommodation plans in place, so we have chosen this option to minimise inconvenience to as many people as possible. Our dates in June in Manchester remain unaffected.”

On Thursday, British pop rock group Keane, who have been celebrating 20 years of their debut album Hopes And Fears, said they were “really disappointed” as they revealed the postponement of their upcoming gig. On Instagram, they said: “We’re absolutely gutted not to be able to celebrate 20 years of Hopes And Fears with you at the Co-op Live on Sunday.

“This is due to ongoing technical issues at the venue and is entirely beyond our control.”

The arena’s general manager, Gary Roden, announced his resignation last month following the slew of issues that led to the delays in the venue opening.

Liam Gallagher took to X, responding to a fan who questioned what would happen if the venue wasn’t sorted in time for the 30^th Anniversary of Definitely Maybe, with Liam replying with a tongue-in-cheek ‘Gig in LIDL’.

Lidl has today said it would happily welcome the star to play in one of its branches and came up with an alternative set-list.

Lidl-ready set list:

Lidl by Lidl

Champagne Superoffer

Super(market) Sonic

The Importance of Being Lidl

Tiger Roll With It

Don't Look Back In Hanger

Some Might Save