SATURDAY 24TH JULY 2021

THE FESTIVAL COMMEMORATING ONE OF THE UK’S MOST LEGENDARY GIGS IS CONFIRMED TO TAKE PLACE AS PLANNED ON: – SATURDAY 24 JULY 2021

With all government coronavirus restrictions due to the lift on the 19th July, the organisers of SPIKE ISLAND – THE RESURRECTION have confirmed the festival will go ahead as-planned the following weekend.

Scheduled to take place on Saturday 24th July, the one-day outdoor festival is anticipated to be one of the first major music events to take place in post-lockdown Britain.

A festival celebrating The Stone Roses’ era-defining gig of 1990 in all its glory, SPIKE ISLAND: THE RESURRECTION is a one day festival that will re-open the original site to music fans for the first time since that historic day. With a headline set by THE CLONE ROSES (the UK’s No.1 tribute to The Stone Roses), this celebratory day of music will aim to re-capture the sights, sounds and atmosphere of what is widely considered as one of the greatest shows ever. The event will also see performances from other top-tier tribute acts including: OAS-IS, THE SMITHS LTD, HAPPY MONDAZE, THE JAMES EXPERIENCE, and TRUE ORDER; plus a number of original faces from the iconic Madchester scene including CLINT BOON (Inspiral Carpets), BEZ (Happy Mondays), ANDY (808 STATE), and MC TUNES (Dust Junkys).

With 85% sold already and over 5000 tickets snapped-up on its first day alone, the public reception to the festival has been nothing short of phenomenal and organisers would like to thank those who have shown their support for the event throughout these turbulent months for the live industry.

Making history in its own right, ‘Spike Island – The Resurrection’ will be the only live performance to have been held at the Widnes site since the Stone Roses headlined in 1990. The event is also on course to break records as the biggest tribute-themed festival the world has ever seen!

In a statement, the Spike Island – The Resurrection Team and organisers Lightbulb Festivals say:

“In light of the recent government announcement and their promise that 19th July will be the “terminus” date, we are delighted to confirm that we are proceeding with plans to hold the gig on Saturday 24th July 2021. This has been an incredibly difficult decision given the recent uncertainty, and the team have been doing a lot of hard work behind the scenes to try and make the event go ahead as planned. We are now very confident that our festival will be one of the first to take place in the UK after the re-opening… We are incredibly grateful for all the support we have had for the event, with a staggering number of people keeping hold of their tickets.”


With its full and original line-up still intact, attendees can expect a number of further exciting surprises to be unveiled in the final weeks counting down to the festival. Stay tuned.

Final remaining tickets are on sale now from: www.spikeisland2021.com

The Line Up is as follows:
The Clone Roses
Oas-is
The Smiths Ltd
Happy Mondaze
The James Experience
True Order (NEW ORDER TRIBUTE)

DJ’s:
Clint Boon
Andy (808 State) **

Bez
MC Tunes **
Dave Sweetmore
** Played The Original Show

The Clone Roses are the longest serving and best selling Stone Roses tribute act in the UK. Since their formation, Roses fans have been adoring the Clones’ expertly executed renditions of classics including “Waterfall”, “She Bangs the Drums”, “Made of Stone”, “I am the Resurrection” and many more. Hailed by Stone Roses bassist Mani as “the second best Stone Roses in the world”, the Clones have earned an outstanding reputation for their attention to detail, from the amps and setlists, to the clothing to swagger; they were even selected as the official Roses tribute choice for Isle of Wight Festival and Kendal Calling festivals. Regularly performing at some of the UK’s best and biggest venues, The Clones have conquered the stages of Manchester Academy, Nottingham Rock City, Shepherd’s Bush Empire and O2 Academy venues nationwide to huge crowds. However, in paying homage to all eras of The Stone Roses twisting career, it seems there is one defining moment that still eludes them….

Held on the Whitsun Bank Holiday in 1990 on a largely unused, man-made island in the Mersey estuary of Widnes, Cheshire, The Stone Roses at Spike Island is regarded as one of the most famous gigs the UK has ever seen. Taking place at the height of Madchester and located slap bang between the thriving music scenes of Manchester and Liverpool at that time, the event  signified a coming together of tribes, the peak of Roses-mania and the moment that would define a generation. Headlined by The Stone Roses shortly after the release of their seminal s/t debut album and at the pinnacle of their powers, the band performed to some 27,000 fans who had descended on the Island from all corners of the country and beyond. Support on the day included sets from a Zimbabwean drum orchestra and reggae artist Gary Clail, plus slots from legendary DJs of the period including Paul Oakenfold, Dave Haslam, MC Tunes, and Frankie Bones. Often cited as “Woodstock for the Baggy generation”, Spike Island is now written into the very mythology of UK music and a prominent footnote in The Stone Roses’ legacy; a feature-film ‘Spike Island’ was even made about it in 2012.

With the festival fully licenced and the celebrations given green-light earlier this year, Halton Borough Cllr Rob Polhill offered his support saying:

“I am delighted that 30 years after the Stone Roses played at Spike Island a re-creation of that concert featuring tribute band The Clone Roses will take place on that site…. That legendary gig is still talked about fondly all these years later and we know from the many enquiries that we have had over the years that many people have wanted to see it repeated. Our park at Spike Island is ideal for this kind of event and our officers will now be working closely with Lightbulb Festivals Ltd to ensure we have a successful and safe event for the fans to enjoy.”

Speaking about ‘Spike Island – The Resurrection’, Baggy, bassist for the Clones said:

“The prospect of performing on the exact same site as The Stone Roses played their now legendary show is almost unbelievable. Growing up only a few miles from the original site on the Mersey estuary we were all brought up on the tales of that day. I’ll admit I was just a little too young to attend on the day but if you believe what folk say around here it appears there was closer to 330,000 rather than 30,000. We hope to give the veterans a nostalgic trip down memory lane as well as a chance for younger Roses fans to experience just some of the magic of that day over 30 years ago.”

PRAISE FOR THE CLONE ROSES

“I can’t believe it’s not butter, the second best Stone Roses in the World” – MANI (THE STONE ROSES)

“The Clones have long been the best”  – THE GUARDIAN

Words by The Songbird_HQ