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The surprising connection between Timbaland, Liam Gallagher, Coldplay and a lock-up garage in SalfordColdplay's Fix You and Calvin Harris' Stay also have a similar connectionWhat's OnAdam

Maidment What's On and LGBTQ+ Writer18:29, 29 May 2025Liam Gallagher has filmed a number of music videos in Greater Manchester with Oasis and as a solo artist(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester

Evening News) On the surface of it all, there’s not many excuses to mention American producer Timbaland and Liam Gallagher in the same sentence together. One was behind Missy Elliott’s Get

Your Freak On, and the other enjoys a good Champagne Supanova - quite polar opposites of the music spectrum, really.

But, actually, the two musicians have a little more in common than we may have initially thought. They join the likes of Ed Sheeran, Ian Brown, The Smiths, Little Mix, and David Bowie for

one very particular connection.

‌ All these artists have recorded music videos within, or been inspired by, Greater Manchester at some point in their careers - using the likes of stadiums, record shops, luxury mansions and

train stations as backdrops or sound boards for their creative work.

‌ These music connections have been highlighted as part of new research from Northern Rail, which has been released as part of an interactive map and an audio guide narrated by radio

presenter Jo Whiley unearthing the stories behind these Manchester music videos.

In 2013, Timbaland and his team randomly set upon the decision to film part of the video for his number one hit The Way I Are, featuring Keri Hilson, D.O.E. and Sebastian, in a lock-up

garage in the middle of Salford.

The music video for Timbaland's The Way I Are was very much filmed in a basement garage in the middle of Salford(Image: Blackground Records/Interscope Records)Article continues below The

location, on Chapel Street, featured the producer and singer Keri as they danced the night away in formalwear whilst a group of footballers kicked a ball in the middle of a tunnel. Why? Who

knows, but the video has more than 740m views on YouTube alone so it was certainly effective.

Over in Saddleworth in Oldham, Little Mix filmed the music video for their 2016 hit Hair at the luxurious Ashcroft House in Grasscroft. The £2.5m stone mansion, constructed in 2014, featured

in the pop video as the girls had a sleepover and danced around. It’s also alleged that after the 21-hour shoot, the girls hung around and shared a pizza with the homeowners.

Whilst David Bowie didn’t film a music video at Stockport Railway Station, it still has a musical connection to the star and even now has a plaque honouring it. In 1970, the singer was

forced to spend the night sleeping at the station after missing his last train to London following a gig at the Poco A Poco club.

‌The music video for Little Mix's Hair was filmed at Ashcroft House in Saddleworth, Oldham(Image: Syco/Columbia) On the cusp of his big career breakthrough at the time, with the likes of

Ziggy Stardust and Aladdin Sane just years away from being released upon the world, who knows how that one very night in the Stockport station had an impact on his incredible work.

Not too far away, Stockport Grammar School has also appeared in the Manchester music map for its use in the 2024 music video for Blossoms’ Perfect Me. In fact, a number of local venues and

businesses, including a care home, were used in the full video.

‌ When it comes to Liam Gallagher himself, he gets a number of mentions on the music map. In 2022, he used the rooftop of the Midland Hotel to film the music video for his single Better

Days, which also included shots of the Beetham Tower and Central Library.

Sifter Records, on Fog Lane in Burnage, also gets a mention for its use in Oasis’ 1994 Shakermaker. Being referenced in the song’s lyrics, many fans have visited the shop, owned by Pete

Howard, as part of a pilgrimage of local Oasis sights.

You can use the map below to discover a number of locations in Greater Manchester that have played a significant role in music history over the years:

‌ Of course, The Smiths also gets a good few mentions on the map too thanks to1985 song Rusholme Ruffians and with a reference to Whalley Range in the band’s 1984 song Miserable Lie.

Throughout Greater Manchester, there’s also music history from Coldplay, Calvin Harris and The Durutti Column to be found too.

Those looking to delve deeper into these stories can listen to Northern Rail’s audio series, which features contributions from DJ Yinka Bokinni and former All Saints star Melanie Blatt, and

looks at the music locations in the country that have inspired creativity.

‌ “Locations in Britain and the railway have been a source of inspiration for music artists for as long as I can remember,” presenter Jo Whiley said. “There's no better way to connect with

the music and artists you love than going to see the locations that inspired them in person, which is why I've worked with the rail industry on a new series of audio guides, and encourage

people to use their new interactive map to plan their next musical adventure by train."

The Sifters record store in Burnage which got a namecheck in Oasis' 1994 song Shakermaker(Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News) Jacqueline Starr, Executive Chair and CEO at Rail

Delivery Group, added: “With this year marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of the modern railway we wanted to highlight the role rail has played in inspiring music artists and how it

continues to help connect Britons to the people, places and experiences they love.

Article continues below “It was great to team up with Jo again on a new series of audio guides, which are now available alongside an interactive map that highlights 200 locations that have

inspired some of the nation’s favourite songs, music videos, album artwork and are easily accessible by train.”

National Rail's music map and audio guides for across the country can be found here.