Past Events

Versus Cancer Manchester ’09

		All photographs by Karin Albinsson

Versus Cancer's fourth concert took place at the MEN Arena on 12th December 2009.

Kicking of proceeds were local rising stars Kid British. Their eclectic blend of Hip hop, Punk and Ska was the perfect thing to get the party started and the crowd bouncing. After festival appearances and a tour with the Specials last year, 2010 is going to be a massive year for them.

Manchester favourites Puressence were next to grace the stage and treated the crowd to classic tracks as well as excerpts form their new album, 'Sharpen Up The Knives'. The evergreen Mancs, who originally formed in 1991, showed why they have achieved such longevity in the industry, with a masterful performance which no doubt won them many new fans.

John Frattelli again showed his support for Versus Cancer with a performance with his new, critically acclaimed project, The Codeine Velvet Club. Combining fantastic male /female harmonies and a swinging brass section, the band are certainly one to watch this year, with their eponymously titled debut album well worth a listen.

Birmingham Band the Twang took the stage with a melodic upbeat set that really got the Manchester crowd behind them. Playing a few fan favourites, as well as some new material from their 'Jewellery Quarter' album, the band wear their influences on their sleeves, with a sound that was often reminiscent of the early 90s Madchester scene.

Opening with the song 'Chocolate' from their breakthrough third album, The Final Straw, Snow Patrol immediately had the crowd in the palms of their hands and they stayed there throughout an entertaining set. They also provided some of the more poignant moments of the night with beautiful versions of both 'Run' and 'Chasing Cars'.

Popular as ever, The Happy Mondays got a resounding welcome from the crowd. 'Kinky Afro' was a highlight of the set, but the biggest cheer of the night was saved for the opening keyboard notes of Madchester classic, 'Step On', which still has people dancing almost 20 years after its release.

To close the show, Manchester legends James teamed up with the BBC Philharmonic orchestra and composer Joe Duddell for a truly one off performance. The set included classics like 'Say Something', 'Laid', and a truly gorgeous version of 'Just Like Fred Astaire'. Frontman Tim Booth kept the crowd entertained with some creative dance moves, whilst the addition of the orchestra added real depth and beauty to some already fantastic songs.

Versus Cancer wouldn't be complete without one of its famous finales, and, true to form, Peter Hook & Rowetta joined James and the Orchestra on stage for a special tribute to local heroes, Joy division.

They opened with a barnstorming version of 'Transmission', with Peter Hook driving the band forward with his energetic bass playing. Closing the show with a spine tingling cover of the moody 'Atmosphere', they showcased once again the depth of musical talent that this city has produced, bringing to an end another fantastic Versus Cancer experience.

 

Versus Cancer Manchester ’08

		All photographs by Karin Albinsson

Versus Cancer again graced the stage of the MEN Arena on 23rd February 2008 with the line up proving an eclectic but seamless mix of Manchester legends and current Indie Rock stars.

The View along with 'Madchester' favourites The Farm and Inspiral Carpets kicked the show off to an energetic start, belting out a string of crowd-pleasing favourites.

Next up were Athlete, who gave a tight and highly polished performance, with the crowd singing along in their thousands to their massive anthem 'Wires', for which the band won an Ivor Novello award a few years back.

The Fun Lovin' Criminals rocked the arena and again proved themselves to be possibly some of the coolest men on the planet, laying down their lazy lines of funk with weathered smiles and indecipherable New York lyrics.

But possibly the biggest cheers of the night were for the Happy Mondays, pumping up the crowd with textbook performances of hit after hit, with Mondays' dancer Bez and singer Shaun Ryder - who was sporting a new Mohawk hairstyle - even entertaining the crowd with a little play fighting.

All this, and still two acts left on the bill - it was then the turn of The Fratellis and The Enemy, both hot tickets in their own right. Both gave blistering performances and gave fans a chance to hear some of the biggest tunes of the last year along with a sneak preview of their upcoming material.

The show was closed, in true Versus Cancer style, by a super-group finale in tribute to Tony Wilson, who himself lost his fight with cancer last Summer. "Rest In Peace Tony Wilson," said Gough - part of a band which was a surprise addition to the line-up which included New Order's Peter Hook, The Smith's Andy Rourke, Badly Drawn Boy, Steve White, Aziz and David Potts.

Their set included tracks from The Smiths and Joy Division and then closed the show with everyone singing along to John Lennon's Instant Karma, with the crowd leaving the arena singing 'shine on' - a fitting and in some ways poignant end to a night which has helped the charity raise much needed cash for awareness, research and support in their fight against the disease.

 

Versus Cancer ’07

	All photographs by Karin Albinsson

Unique collaborations, a partial Stone Roses reunion and possibly the final ever performance of Noel Gallagher's acclaimed semi acoustic set, this year's Versus Cancer was yet another roof-raiser.

Paul Weller joined Noel Gallagher for Jam song, "The Butterfly Collector", and the Oasis star also covered Smiths' classic "There is a light", dedicating it to concert organiser Andy Rourke.

Weller also teamed up with The Charlatans, for another Jam track "A Town Called Malice".

Once again the Finale was a major talking point, with 3 of the original Stone Roses joining Andy Rourke to tear through "I am the resurrection" with help from the 15,000 sell out crowd. Ian Brown, Mani and dancer Cressa appeared with Paul Ryder from The Happy Mondays and Ian's band.

Dedicated to all those in the crowd who had lost loved ones to Cancer, things kicked off with a performance from The Scratch, an unsigned band who won the chance to appear on stage via a competition with XFM. They were followed by former Oasis man Bonehead and Happy Mondays' percussionist Gaz Whelan, in a new band named Hippy Mafia, which is set to be a band to watch out for.

Versus Cancer didn't let the crowd down with unique performances, which started with David McAlmont and Bernard Butler coming back together, with Andy Rourke on bass to play two Smiths' songs. They were then joined on stage by Denise Johnson for their hit "Yes".

Echo & the Bunnymen belted out some of their greatest tracks and welcomed Peter Hook on stage for a rendition of the New Order classic "Ceremony", which they dedicated to Anthony Wilson.

One of the main highlights of the show was when Mancunian legend Ian Brown took to the stage. The crowd went wild when Ian put on his usual high-energy performance, singing anthems including 'F.E.A.R' and 'Golden Gaze', as well as two new tracks with Andy Rourke playing bass.

Andy said of the night: "We couldn't have asked for things to have gone better. The atmosphere was electric and artists pulled out all the stops. We can't thank everyone enough for showing their support and have raised thousands towards fighting cancer. Now we need to start planning for next year but who knows how we are going to top Versus Cancer 07, I'll need to start pulling in some huge favours!"

Versus Cancer ’06

All photographs by Karin Albinsson

The first Versus Cancer concert kicked off at Manchester’s MEN Arena on 28 January 2006. It was, at the time, the biggest charity concert to have been held in the city and, unsurprisingly, received worldwide critical acclaim.

The five hour marathon concert saw some amazing one-off performances and collaborations with music legends standing shoulder to shoulder with each other, reeling off track after track.

First on stage were Happy Mondays’ Bez and Shaun Ryder with their band, Domino Bones. After DJ sets from the godfathers of dance Utah Saints, 808 State and Graham Park, Nine Black Alps burst on with pounding tracks from their debut album.

Then it was the turn of Elbow, picking up the crowd with tunes like ‘Forget Myself’ before Badly Drawn Boy appeared with Andy Rourke to play U2’s ‘Still Haven’t Found’ before breaking into the legendary ‘Silent Sigh’.

Mani followed with a stomping DJ set before Johnny Marr took the stage with his band The Healers. Andy Rourke appeared again to play with his ex Smiths band mate – their first performance together since the band split in 1987 – for rousing renditions of ‘How Soon Is Now’ and ‘There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’.

As Doves took the stage, they thanked the crowd for the money they’d raised for Christie’s before launching into favourites such as ‘Pounding’ and ‘Snowdon’.

New Order stole the show however with their Joy Division set, playing some of their hits for the first time since Ian Curtis’ death.

Finally, everyone piled back on stage for a marathon rendition of ‘Wrote For Luck’, capturing the true collaborative spirit of the night.