Spike Island was a concert by the Stone Roses held on 27 May 1990 in Widnes, Cheshire, England. The concert is considered a seminal moment for the Britpop movement. Noel Gallagher of Oasis has described the concert as "the blueprint for my band." The BBC wrote that "it has become one of rock music's most mythologised gigs."https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgp76z7p7zo

The concert takes its name from the location where it was held, Spike Island, Widnes. 30,000 people attended the concert, about 28,000 paying revellers and 2,000 gatecrashers. The concert promoter was Phil Jones.

Location

The concert was held at Spike Island, Widnes, on 27 May 1990. During the 19th century the island was at the centre of the British chemical industry, the industry was unregulated and brought exceptional levels of pollution. Widnes was described as one of the most dirty and dangerous places to work in the country, and as a "poisonous hell-town". Everett True of Melody Maker went to the concert and wrote that the location was grim, and that he felt like he was a character in a Lowry painting or should be checking in to begin work at a factory.https://www.rocksbackpages.com/Library/Article/the-stone-roses-at-spike-island-

The lead singer of the Stone Roses, Ian Brown, said that "We wanted to do something outside the rock'n'roll norm and do it in a venue which had never been used for that sort of thing before. We started out doing warehouse parties and we still had that mentality where we wanted to play different venues."

Gareth Evans, Stone Roses manager, came up with the idea of using Spike Island". Classic Pop Magazine wrote "staging this behemothic, epochal gig at a former toxic waste dump came as much from their chaotic, wildly capricious manager than it was a middle finger to the rock'n'roll establishment."https://www.classicpopmag.com/features/the-stone-roses-spike-island/ John Robb remarked that Evans was an old-school manager who made it up as he went along.

Support acts The support act DJs included: Dave Booth, MC Tunes, Dave Haslam, Paul Oakenfold, Frankie Bones and M.V.I.T.A. (Manchester Vibes In The Area) The support acts included a Zimbabwean drum orchestra, a ska/rock/reggae fusion band called Ruff Ruff & Ready and the reggae artist Gary Clail. DJ Stefano began his career as part of the MVITA Soundsystem. And also a Zimbabwean drum orchestra, a ska/rock/reggae fusion band called Ruff Ruff & Ready and the reggae artist Gary Clail.

Reception Noel Gallagher of Oasis has described the concert as "the blueprint for my band." The BBC wrote that "it has become one of rock music's most mythologised gigs."

The NME wrote "Spike Island was to be the Roses' defining statement, a celebration of not only their own success, but of an entire youth culture" and also "It was a real moment in time; the beginning of a long hot summer that saw England nearly go all the way in the World Cup, the peak of a period when Manchester and the north-west felt like the centre of the universe."

30,000 people attended the concert; the organisation was described as "amateurish", and this increased the fame of the event. The police informed the organisers that the tide was so high that everyone might have to be taken off the island. As the Stone Roses took to the stage a cloud of red dust formed in front of the stage, triggering asthma attacks among some members of the crowd.

Everett True in his review for Melody Maker discussed sound production problems that marred the experience. Finishing his article with the comment "Spike Island was an event, and events, even if they are disasters at the time, are what count."

Live recording

The concert wasn't officially recorded but a crew member, Martin Cornell, recorded the concert unofficially. Three hours of video footage, including a soundcheck on 26 May 1990, and preparations, came to light in 2024 and may be used in a documentary film about the concert. The documentary is being developed by freelance journalist Matt Mead and director and producer Paul Crompton. In December 2008, Martin's brother David Cornell began uploading nine short clips from the video footage to YouTube. In the 2013 Shane Meadows documentary, The Stone Roses: Made of Stone, a DVD extra includes 10 minutes of this video footage.

In popular culture

The Pulp song "Sorted for E's & Wizz" is inspired by one girl's memories of the concert. Jarvis Cocker remarked that he'd spoken to the girl about the concert and she could remember virtually nothing apart from the drug taking. In 2025, Pulp released their second song about the concert, "Spike Island". Thom Donovan, reviewing the song in American Songwriter, wrote "the legend around the disappointing concert provides Cocker with a metaphor for how nostalgia polishes bad memories." The song's co-writer Jason Buckle of the band All Seeing I, attended the gig and recalled a DJ who between every song said, 'Spike Island come alive, Spike Island come alive', and consequently he used those words for the chorus.

A film about the concert called Spike Island was released in 2012. The film is a comedy and coming-of-age drama that focuses on a "wannabee" band who idolise the Stone Roses and set out to deliver their demo tape personally to the Roses at the concert. Emma Dibdin of Digital Spy wrote that within its limited remit it is an affable watch, but the "domestic drama our heroes are running from never resonates". Dibdin added that the "performances are charming, and within the predictable tropes there are genuinely powerful moments."

A tribute concert on the island by "the Clone Roses" was planned for May 2020, thirty years after the original concert. The event was rescheduled for 2021 as public gatherings were prohibited because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The music festival took place on 24 July 2021; it was called "Spike Island: The Resurrection" and was headlined by the Clone Roses, with other 1990s tribute bands such as Oas-is, Happy Mondaze and True Order also featuring.

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