Oasis and Manchester: 10 key places that made music history

11 July 2025, 18:38 | Updated: 11 July 2025, 18:47

Discover 10 iconic Mancunian locations tied to the history of Liam and Noel Gallagher. From gig venues to rehearsal rooms, explore the places that shaped the legendary band.

By Radio X

@RadioX

As Oasis make their long-awaited return to Manchester this weekend, Radio X looks at some of the key locations in the history of Liam and Noel Gallagher - from the Boardwalk to Maine Road and beyond!

1. Cranwell Drive, Manchester M19

   

   The childhood home where Paul, Noel and Liam Gallagher grew up - they moved here shortly after Liam was born in September 1972.

2. St Bernard's RC Primary School, Burnage Lane, Burnage, Manchester M19 1DR

   

   Liam and Noel's primary school, which they attended in the 1970s. According to legend, Liam also took violin lessons while he was a pupil here!

3. Barlow School, Parrs Wood Road, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6BX

   

   This was the site of the Roman Catholic comprehensive school that both Noel and Liam attended; originally called St Mark's, it was incorporated with the nearby Hollies Convent School for Girls to become the Barlow School in 1985.

4. Afflecks, 52 Church St, Manchester M4 1PW

   

   The old Affleck & Brown department store in what's now called the Northern Quarter became a wild combination of stalls and cafes in 1982, when it became known as Affleck's Palace. It was one of the key locations in the "Madchester" era between 1987 and 1992, selling clothes, music and much more, leading to Manchester's reputation as a hub for creativity. The site relaunched under new management in April 2008 simply as Afflecks.

5. The Haçienda, 15 Whitworth Street West, Manchester, M1 5DE

   

   A former boat showroom that was bought by the directors of Factory Records - Tony Wilson, Rob Gretton and Alan Erasmus - in 1982 to become Manchester's answer to New York nightclubs. The first five years of business had mixed results until the rise in popularity of acid house nights turned the "Haç" into the biggest music venue in Britain. Noel Gallagher's time as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets brought him into the orbit of the club during the period. The Haçienda closed in June 1997 after years of licensing and financial problems and the building was remodelled into a housing development called Haçienda Apartments.

6. Sifters Records, 177 Fog Lane, Didsbury, Manchester M20 6FJ

   

   "Mister Sifter sold me songs, when I was just sixteen" Namechecked in the early Oasis song Shakermaker, this local record shop was opened by Pete Howard in 1977 and it's still there. Noel claims to have bought all of his favourite albums in Sifters when he was beginning his songwriting journey.

7. The Boardwalk, 21 Little Peter Street, Manchester, M15 4PS

   

   This club and venue began operating in the city in December 1985 and 1999 and was for a time the unofficial base of operations for Bonehead's band The Rain and its successor Oasis, who shared a rehearsal space in the Boardwalk basement with the group Sister Lovers. As the 1990s rolled on, the Boardwalk's focus moved from rock gigs to club nights and the venue closed in 1999,.

8. 8 Stratford Avenue, West Didsbury, Manchester M20 2LH

   

   This is the address of Bonehead's house - and the scene of the iconic cover photo shoot for Oasis' debut album, Definitely Maybe. Stratford Avenue lies just off Burton Road in West Didsbury and sits just behind Withington Hospital.

9. Maine Road

   

   Home to the Gallaghers' beloved Manchester City football club between 1923 and 2003, when the team moved to the City Of Manchester Stadium (now known as the Eithad). Maine Road played host to a number of live shows over the years, including shows from The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Guns N'Roses, Prince and Queen... and, of course, Oasis themselves, who played their first ever headline stadium shows on 27th and 28th April 1996.

   

   The area is now a housing estate, with the location where the centre spot used to be landscaped into a garden area - a photo of it appears on the cover of Noel Gallagher's solo album Council Skies.

10. Heaton Park

    

    Europe's largest municipal park was opened in 1902 and is home to the 18th Century house Heaton Hall. Since the 1980s, the park has been home to a number of rock shows and is now the home of the Parklife Weekender - plus, let's not forget, Pope John Paul II's huge mass in front of a reported 250,000 people in May 1982. The Stone Roses made their 2012 comeback at Heaton Park, while Oasis previously performed a three-night run there in June 2009.