Iconic Manchester band The Stone Roses are back, and they have just completed four unforgettable homecoming nights at Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium.
The Manchester music scene speaks for itself over the years, having produced the likes of The Smiths, Oasis and Happy Mondays to name a few, but arguably the most influential and iconic band that has risen from the city of Manchester since their formation in 1983 is The Stone Roses.
Ian Brown, John Squire, Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield and Alan ‘Reni’ Wren make up the much loved four piece whose only two albums to date were released in 1989 and 1994 just before the band officially announced their split in 1996. In 2012 the band returned to play again, with dates including three sold out shows at Heaton Park in Manchester as well as headline slots at T in the Park and V Festival.
However, the Roses returned to the wilderness following the string of performances between 2012 and 2013, before bursting back into the public eye at the end of 2015 when the bands trademark lemon symbol was plastered around Manchester city centre, followed by the news on social media of another return. This time the band were set to play 2 nights at the Etihad Stadium, which was increased to 4 following high demand, as well as once again headlining T in the Park in 2016.
This time they weren’t just back to play more shows, as they went on to release their first new music in over 20 years in the form of the two singles ‘All for One’ and ‘Beautiful Thing’, both containing the iconic Roses sound of the past as if they never went away. The much anticipated third album is expected to arrive later this year and after hearing the first two singles it looks like it wont disappoint.
The Stone Roses played to their sell out stadium crowds on Wednesday 15th June as well as the following Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with famous faces including David Beckham, Liam Gallagher, Dynamo and many more joining the floods of fans that poured into the Etihad for a night they certainly won’t forget. The band were on top form and were supported by the likes of The Courteeners, Public Enemy, The Coral and Blossoms amongst others making the shows even more incredible.
As soon as the sound of the track ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ was heard following the bands entrance to the stage, it was to be expected that flares would be set off all over the stadium, and this certainly signalled the bands return to the limelight in 2016. The gigs came in for rave reviews across the course of the four days, and with sceptics questioning whether they could really perform at the same level and produce as good a standard of music over 20 years on, they were certainly silenced by The Stone Roses last week. Roll on the next album and hopefully another tour, because the Roses are most certainly back with a bang.