Ian Brown is set to play his first solo headline show since The Stone Roses revealed they had split once more.
After years of speculation, John Squire confirmed back in September that the iconic Manchester band had split up again.
Back in 2017, rumours began to circulate that the band’s show in Glasgow would be their last, before comments made by frontman Ian Brown during the gig seemed to confirm that they had indeed come to an end once again. “Don’t be sad it’s over, be happy that it happened,” he told the crowd.
Now, Brown has announced that he will be headlining next year’s Neighbourhood Weekender Festival in Warrington on May 23. Other acts appearing at the festival include Sam Fender, Pale Waves, Yungblud, Catfish and The Bottlemen and Miles Kane.
Ian Brown will headline @nbhdweekender at Victoria Park, Warrington on Saturday 23rd May 2020. Tickets go on sale at 9:30am on Friday 22nd November from: https://t.co/xd5VsldNEz #NBHDWKND20 pic.twitter.com/a2FTBo2idx
— Ian Brown (@ianbrown) November 18, 2019
The Stone Roses initially reformed in 2011, after their first split in 1996. In 2016, they release two singles with ‘All For One‘ and ‘Beautiful Thing‘. Ian Brown released his seventh solo album ‘Ripples‘ earlier in 2019.
Back in 2017, Roses’ biographer, journalist and musician John Robb revealed what he made of the supposed split.
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“It’s not official 100% confirmed that they’ve stopped, but it looks like they have, doesn’t it?” Robb told NME. “The thing about those guys, is that nothing is ever certain with The Stone Roses. That’s one of the things that made them such an interesting band.
“I love Manic Street Preachers, but there’s a certainty to them. That’s not a criticism of them, just that you know they’ll all be in the Manics for the rest of their lives. The thing about The Roses, is that from day one that band could have combusted at any moment. Their brilliance is so fleeting and hard to grasp, that it disappears. They get it in their hands, then they just let it go again.”
He added: “When they did grab it, god it was amazing. Last year when they played Manchester, it was just magical. They’re just such a fantastic and powerful band.”
Speaking of fans’ hopes for new material, Robb said: “Between the four of them, there was a great third album in them. If they could have just made a record without caring about the pressure of expectation or commercial expectation. If they could have just jammed for 45 minutes, it would have been a great record.