The legendary Manchester band that hired a young Noel Gallagher as a roadie in 1988 is playing O2 Victoria Warehouse this Friday — plus the real story behind the Oasis name

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Harriet Scrumptious

 –  Staff Writer

 ·  September 30, 2026

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If you are one of the millions of people who missed out on Oasis tickets last weekend, there’s another gig happening this week with a surprisingly close connection to the Gallagher brothers.

Inspiral Carpets are heading to O2 Victoria Warehouse this Friday October 2, joining The Wonder Stuff on their 40th anniversary tour. And while it might not be Oasis at the Etihad, their contribution to Mancunian music history is undoubted, and their past is closely intertwined with the band, particularly, Noel.

Since forming in 1983, Inspiral Carpets have released five studio albums, including their 1990 debut Life, followed by The Beast Inside and Revenge of the Goldfish. Their catalogue helped define the psychedelic edge of Manchester’s late 80s and early 90s sound, with tracks like This Is How It Feels, She Comes in the Fall and Saturn 5 still featuring in their live sets today. 

But there’s another reason the band is particularly interesting this week. Long before Oasis were selling out stadiums in minutes, Noel Gallagher was working behind the scenes with Inspiral Carpets, joining the Manchester band’s road crew as a roadie and guitar technician in 1988.

He had originally auditioned to become their singer, but when that didn’t work out, he took a job on the road instead.

If that’s piqued your interest, you can delve further into Manchester’s musical history with Clint Boon’s recently released book, The Manchester Chronicles: True Tales of Music, Madness and Mayhem 1976–2006.

The Inspiral Carpets keyboardist offers an intimate, personal “folk history” of the city’s music scene, spanning everything from the punk era of the mid-1970s and the psychedelic sounds of the ’80s to Madchester, rave culture and ’90s Britpop.

There’s an even more circular connection

When Liam Gallagher’s band the Rain was starting out, Noel went to see them play while he was still working with Inspiral Carpets. He was impressed enough to ask to join, eventually becoming the band’s primary songwriter and helping turn the Rain into Oasis.

Contrary to many people’s beliefs, the name Oasis wasn’t inspired by the water feature you may think. It came from a poster on the bedroom wall of the Gallagher brothers, which advertised a gig at Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon. It caught Liam’s attention and eventually became the name of the band. 

There’s plenty more happening across the city this week, too, from The Pussycat Dolls at Co-op Live and Interplanetary Criminal at Depot Mayfield to intimate Candlelight concerts offering a quieter way to spend an evening with live music.

So, while you won’t hear “Wonderwall” or “Don’t Look Back In Anger” at Victoria Warehouse, watching Inspiral Carpets in Manchester this Friday might be about as close as you can get to Oasis without an Oasis ticket.

And you’ll be seeing the band that gave Noel Gallagher his first taste of life on the road, a group whose own timeless hits are only part of their legacy, having also played an early role in the story of one of the world’s biggest bands.