The East End’s favourite sons initially announced the gig in September, and have been teasing other festivities since then, promising to make this gig one of their biggest ever on UK soil.

When first discussing the gig in the context of how to top Maiden’s headline set at their beloved West Ham’s London Stadium last summer, longtime manager Rod Smallwood said “we think that Knebworth is the solution – besides being a legendary venue for historic concerts… it also gives us the outdoor space and control to create something very special for our fans! However, this time we will be taking over the whole of the grounds ourselves and turning it into as much of a ‘Maiden World’ as we can for all our fans to enjoy!”

They certainly have delivered that in today’s plans, with a full weekend of Maiden-themed attractions for fans. EDDFEST will feature an ‘Infinite Dreams Museum Experience’ with fifty years worth of Maiden artefacts, including old costumes of their mascot Eddie and Nicko McBrain’s drumsets, if their Instagram post is to be believed. This will tie in with their ‘Iron Maiden: Infinite Dreams’ 50th anniversary book released late last year.

Other new accompaniments include the ‘Unfair Funfair’ and ‘Eddie’s Emporium & Maidenville Market’, none of which have been seen yet on their current tour, all of which aiming to elevate the experience beyond just a normal gig. On the Friday before the gig, campers will be treated to a deluge of music, including English rockers Stray and ex-Maiden drummer Doug Sampson’s band Airforce, among others.

The weekend will also feature ‘Eddie’s Ultimate Dive Bar’, a touring accessory of theirs on their latest ‘Run For Your Lives’ world tour, providing other Maiden-themed entertainments like tribute bands and their own Trooper beer.

“This is not just a Maiden show”, the band announced on Instagram, “it’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience packed with live music, themed areas, immersive attractions, and much more to discover”.

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On the actual day of the gig, Saturday 11 July, Maiden are topping a powerful lineup, including Scottish 80s metallists The Almighty, Australian hard rockers Airbourne, Mongolian folk metal band The Hu and Lowestoft’s finest, The Darkness.

Expectations are high after last year’s huge set at London Stadium, when Eddie’s boys played all the hits of their classic era, including ‘Killers’, ‘The Number of the Beast’, ‘Wrathchild’, ‘Run to the Hills’ and ‘Rime of the Ancient Mariner’.

Knebworth has been the site of some legendary rock gigs in its time. Perhaps most famous for 90s Britpop act Oasis, it was known to metalheads through its association with the Sonisphere Festival, held there until 2014. Led Zeppelin also played their last UK date there in 1979, the year prior to drummer John Bonham’s premature death.

The announcement follows last week’s unveiling of the band’s 2026 European stadium tour, which hinted at a landmark UK date. The Knebworth show marks Iron Maiden’s return to the historic Hertfordshire venue, famed for hosting career-defining performances from Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Queen and The Rolling Stones.

The event is set to run across the weekend, with proceedings beginning on Friday, July 10, for fans holding camping tickets. Alongside the live music, the site will host the largest-ever Eddie’s Dive Bar, Iron Maiden-themed food, and specially curated stalls designed to immerse fans in what the band describe as “Maiden World.”

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Manager Rod Smallwood said the decision to stage the event at Knebworth was driven by fan demand and the desire to deliver a unique experience. “We knew that we had to bring the ‘Run For Your Lives’ show back to the UK again next summer as there was such a phenomenal demand for tickets this year,” he explained.

“But we wanted to do something a bit different, especially as it would be hard to top the show at London Stadium. Knebworth is the solution. It’s a legendary venue and gives us the space and control to create something very special for our fans.”

Smallwood also referenced Iron Maiden’s previous history at the site, recalling their headline appearances at Sonisphere Festival and Bruce Dickinson’s aerial dogfight display in a Fokker triplane to mark the World War I centenary. “This time, we will be taking over the whole of the grounds ourselves and turning it into as much of a ‘Maiden World’ as we can,” he added.

The Darkness frontman Justin Hawkins expressed his excitement at joining the bill. “We’re thrilled to announce that The Darkness are to appear live in support of the legendary Iron Maiden at Knebworth,” he said. “Iron Maiden are among our favourite all-time bands.”

Tickets go on sale at 10am on Saturday, September 27 and can be accessed via the link here.

The video was captured in December 2015 at a 60th birthday party for Paul Simonon, the bassist from The Clash, who also features in the performance. Noel can be seen singing the vocal that was originally recorded by the Happy Mondays’ Shaun Ryder while playing guitar, with Albarn and Simonon accompanying him.

The fabled singer-songwriter released his latest single ‘Just Another Rainbow‘ earlier this month, and is more active on the social media site than ever before: insulting and berating his brother, replying to fans, calling out trolls and creating a tornado of comedic pop culture commentary on a daily basis, most of which of course, is completely daft.

Now 30 years on since Oasis skyrocketed to fame, the brothers still find themselves in the midst of a heated feud, one that doesn’t always seem to be reciprocated. Liam claims he has still not seen, let alone had any form of contact with brother Noel since the day of the split.

Oasis established themselves as Britpop powerhouses in the 90s with early singles like ‘Supersonic’, ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Whatever’, going on to take the music industry by storm. The band announced their split in August 2009 after a backstage bust-up at their final concert at Rock En Seine Festival in Paris. As the duo prepared to go on stage, an argument ensued, causing Liam to wield Noel’s guitar around ‘like an axe’.

Liam’s tell-all 2019 Netflix documentary ‘As It Was’ revealed many of the untold ins and outs of the infamous rivalry between the brothers, his family life, and how his career has shifted over the past decade. After failing to get Beady Eye off the ground immediately after the split, Gallagher has since rode the wave of a successful solo career, with Noel indulging in his own musical project, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds.

Fans are still waiting with bated breath in the hope of a reunion some day, but it may be a day that will never come. Rumours began to circulate again in March 2023 that the brothers might reunite after Liam responded to a fan on Twitter who asked if there’s a “small percentage that Oasis get back together,” Liam simply replied: “It’s happening.”

“He’s got my number, he’s got my manager number. Call us”

Noel Gallagher about Liam Gallagher and an Oasis reunion pic.twitter.com/rCRBvizkpg

— Liam Gallagher Fans Club (@liamgfansclub) March 21, 2023

When questioned about the statement by a French media outlet, Noel commented: “He should get his people to call my people to call my people. They know who they are. They know who we are. He’s got my manager’s number. Call us. But you know what? He won’t call. Stop talking on the f***ing internet and let’s see what you’ve got to say.”

Other fans have speculated that the duo may return to Knebworth in Hertfordshire this year for a legendary stint of live gigs, but with no healing of the rift in sight, it’s pure gossip at this point.

The track first appeared on Liam’s third solo studio album, C’mon You Know. On working on the track, Premier said “I have always been a huge fan of remixing songs,” “To get an opportunity to make one over Liam’s incredible vocal sound and style guided me to making it bounce high like a rubber ball filled with too much air.”

The latest EP also features the former Oasis frontman’s take on John Lennon’s ‘Bless You’. This will be its digital debut having been initially released on the vinyl deluxe edition of the album and becoming a fan favourite. The vinyl edition of the album sold nearly 33,000 vinyl copies and according to Official Charts, as of the 14th of July, it was the second highest selling vinyl of the year behind Harry Styles’ critically acclaimed album Harry’s House.

C’mon You Know was released in May of 2022 and went straight to number one after its release having sold 70,000 copies within the first week. It was also named one of The Best Albums of 2022 (so far) by NME. Fatherly.com noted that “every single one of Liam’s new songs sounds better than any of the songs from his wildman Oasis days. On this album, Liam’s voice is more polished, unique, hardcore, and interesting than it’s ever been. Sonically and aesthetically, his vocal performance is way cooler now than it was in the ‘90s.”

Following the release, he went on to play two shows at Knebworth Park and all 170,000 tickets sold out within minutes, mirroring the success Oasis had in 1996. The singer now has slows booked in France, Belgium, North America and Spain with a special performance at Wembley Stadium on September 3rd to celebrate Foo Fighter’s late drummer, Taylor Hawkins.

Between his work as Oasis frontman and his solo career, Gallagher has hit the number one spot on the UK Official Album Chart a total of twelve times. He was voted the greatest frontman of all time in a reader poll by Q magazine in March 2010, and in 2019 he was awarded Rock Icon at the MTV Europe Music Awards.

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Gallagher’s summer tour will be taking him all over the UK and Ireland to places such as Glasgow, Belfast, and Manchester. He’ll also be making a historic return to Knebworth for two nights in June, the spot where Oasis’ classic 1996 concerts took place.

It’s all in support of Liam’s upcoming solo album, C’MON YOU KNOW, which is out this Friday. It’ll be his third solo LP, following up on 2019’s Why Me? Why Not., and should sport the previously released singles “Everything’s Electric“ (co-written with Foo Fighters founder Dave Grohl), “C’Mon You Know“ and “Better Days“.  For those of you who have pre-ordered the new album before 3 pm today (from this link), you’ll have special access to the pre-sale which starts tomorrow at 10 am. Otherwise, the general sale will be up for grabs on Friday from 10 am if you go by this link.

There’s quite a lot of Liam Gallagher news out there at the moment which we can mention here. You can take your pick, from his recently announced collaboration with Adidas, helping them launch a new brand of trainers, to his new documentary on Sky – Liam Gallagher: 48 Hours at Rockfield. The latter will be released tonight at 9 pm, and will show Gallagher taking his sons Lennon and Gene to the very studio where Oasis’ classic second LP was recorded – Rockfield Studios. 

 

 

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The documentary will have the singer talking about his own unique perspective on life, especially on his notoriously hard-living lifestyle as he gets closer to fifty. “I am not into yoga and I don’t eat tofu. I drink lager and I like to have a good time. I don’t punish myself into being some super-skinny dude. I am what I am …. I will be like this when I am f***ing 80, hopefully …. There are some aches and pains, but in my head I am on it.”

Apparently, his sons are just as bitey as him when it comes to sarcasm, telling the world that “You don’t want to use the toilet after him” and that “You’d have a heart attack. We’ve got to save him, dementia is kicking in.”

If you’re interested in Liam’s upcoming tour dates, you can see them below. Suffice it to say, it seems a sure wake-up call to the world that the rocker isn’t done yet with his special brand of showmanship.

Liam Gallagher UK and Ireland Tour Dates
01/06/2022 – Etihad Stadium – Manchester
03/06 – Knebworth Park – Knebworth
04/06 – Knebworth Park – Knebworth
24/06 – Ormeau Park – Belfast
26/06 – Hampden Park – Glasgow
27/08 – Royal Hospital Kilmainham – Dublin
15/09 – Alexandra Head – Cardiff

Speaking on BBC Radio 2 with Zoe Ball, Noel Gallagher confirmed the documentary will be centred around exclusive footage of their iconic Knebworth shows. He said: “There’s a lot of stories in the press about it being a film company for a biopic, which of course it’s not. The gig Oasis did at Knebworth is 25 in August and back in 1997 we’d filmed it all really professionally with loads of cameras, we had cameras on the trains with fans.” Noel continued: “But for one reason or another, the film never came out but as it’s the anniversary coming up, we’re going to be releasing it now. I’ve seen a tiny trailer of it and it’s a fantastic snapshot of a bygone era before the internet. It’s great, really great.”

While Noel shared few details on what the documentary will entail, Oasis invited fans to share their memories of their time at Knebworth via a mailout earlier this year. The band accompanied the request with a short statement: “Whatever your personal story surrounding Knebworth is, we want to hear it! Fill in the form to submit your anecdotes, photos and videos, and help tell the story of the concert of the decade.”

The band played to a crowd of nearly 280,000 across the two nights they performed at Knebworth, Hertfordshire in 1996, performing their iconic hits ‘Wonderwall,’ ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger,’ and ‘Champagne Supernova.’

News of this brand new documentary comes just over a month after the Oasis brothers announced the launch of their film production company ‘Kosmic Kyte.’ The production company was revealed by a report from The Sun that found both brothers were listed as company directors for ‘Kosmic Kyte,’ which is for “motion picture production activities”. The sibling’s new business venture, coupled with the Knebworth documentary’s confirmation, has led to speculation from fans about whether the band will reunite after their near 11-year split. Oasis’ brotherly feud hit a breaking point in 2009 after a gig in Paris, and they went their separate ways, going on to both form successful solo careers.

Oasis band member Noel Gallagher also celebrated ten years of his project Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds this week. Writing about the anniversary on Instagram, Noel said: “10 years of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds?? Blimey! … Just think of all the things I COULD have done in that time!!” (NG) ‘Back The Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011-2021)’ celebrates 10 years of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and features two brand new songs!”

Meanwhile, Liam Gallagher has been at the forefront of festival news. The artist has been announced as an act at several festivals around the globe for summer 2021 and next year, including Rock In Rio, Isle of Wight Festival and Lowlands Festival.

There is no official set release date for the Manchester brother’s Knebworth documentary, but as they will be celebrating their 25th anniversary of the iconic performances this August, a summer release is potentially on its way.