After a 16-year hiatus, Liam and Noel Gallagher have finally buried the hatchet, reformed Oasis and announced a major world tour, with a series of dates at Manchester’s Heaton Park forming the centrepiece.
And, in what the brewery is puntastically calling a case of “beer here now,” to celebrate the move, another famous Manchester brand, the 175 year old Joseph Holt brewery, which owns pubs both next to the park and in the surrounding areas, has launched a series of events to mark the return of Oasis. They include all day parties, free bucket hats, beloved of Liam Gallagher, and a limited edition signature beer – Hop and Roll Star – especially brewed to mark the gigs.
Joseph Holt has also extended an open invitation for the Gallagher brothers and the band to enjoy a pint of their award winning ales on the house.
Said Mark Norbury, director of pubs at Joseph Holt: “Liam and Noel Gallagher are amongst Manchester`s most famous sons. And given our own longstanding association with Manchester and in particular the Heaton Park area, we naturally wanted to enhance the festivities both for those with ticket or who simply want to soak up the atmosphere.”
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Pubs The Ostrich, The Woodthorpe, and The Welcome Inn in Prestwich will be hosting all-day parties on the days of the gigs, offering fans a place to gather, drink, and soak up the atmosphere — as well as a place to be in ear shot of the concerts for those who haven’t managed to get a ticket. Each pub will set up additional bars in their large beer gardens, hand out free bucket hats in a nod to Liam’s signature look, and pump out “the sounds of Manchester” all day and night, all within earshot of the Heaton Park stage.
What`s more as a proud Manchester name in its own right, Joseph Holt is also launching a limited-edition lager for the occasion, Hop and Roll Star, a crisp, light brew created to match the euphoric energy of the gigs.
The brewery was established in Manchester in 1849 by weaver’s son Joseph Holt. It has since been in the same family for six generations and now runs 127 pubs across the North West.
As soon as Oasis made the bombshell announcement last August about their reunion another local Joseph Holt pub The Coach and Horses in nearby Whitefield fired the starting gun on celebrating the homecoming. Landlady Sue Hawley asked talented artist Scott Wilcock to produce a stunning monochrome mural of the siblings on the front of the building. It has now become a magnet for Oasis fans from around the world – with many posing in front of it in Liam`s trademark floppy hat and green parka.
Norbury added: “When Liam and Noel go out on tour, there’s no place that will welcome them more warmly than Manchester, the band’s spiritual and actual home. Just as Oasis are synonymous with this city, so is Joseph Holt, which has been brewing beer in Manchester for 175 years. That’s why we’re so delighted Heaton Park, which is in the heart of Holt territory, is the venue for their long-awaited homecoming concerts. Joseph Holt has a deep respect for history — fitting, given the brewery was founded 175 years ago. These Oasis gigs are also truly historic moments, and we’re thrilled to be part of them.
“We offer an open invitation for Liam, Noel and the band to come and have a pint on us at any of our pubs as we raise a glass to this exciting reunion tour”
Events at the Welcome and The Woodthorpe are free – tickets are £5 for entry to the Ostrich as there will be a live DJ.
