Middleton Band headlined Torch celebration

The Courteeners, headlined the Olympic Torch evening celebration

Middleton’s own indie royalty, The Courteeners, headlined the Olympic Torch evening celebration at Manchester’s Albert Square on Saturday (23 June) to welcome the Olympic Flame.

Albert Square, home to Manchester’s Town Hall, played host to the free outdoor gig. Celebrations began at 4.00pm, with performances from the Halle Youth Orchestra, up and coming band Tribes and Britain’s Got Talent dance finalists Twist and Pulse. Street dancers who had nestled amongst the crowd entertained the early arrivers, before the main performances kicked off on stage.

The Square reached its capacity early before the finale, and had to begin turning people away.

Videos were played on the big screens of various Olympic Torch Bearers, depicting towns which it had already graced with its presence. This proved to excite the crowd and build tension before the Torch arrived.

Official sponsors of the event, Samsung, Lloyds TSB and Coca-Cola gave spectators freebies and a once in a lifetime opportunities to have a picture with the torch.

After the Torch departed the streets of Rochdale, it headed to Bury, Whitefield, Prestwich and Salford before concluding the days travel in Manchester.

The final Torch Bearer of the day, Carl Tilson, brought the flame into the heart of the evening’s celebration.

Mr Tilson lives with the muscle-wasting condition Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, and last year, was voted Mancunian of the Year due to his heavy involvement with the charity Action Duchenne.

The torch was used to light an Olympic cauldron on stage, to the sound of roaring cheers from the many spectators.

The evening ended at 7:45pm after a performance from The Courteeners. The band played a mixture of fan favourites, including “Not Nineteen Forever” and “What Took You So long” along with new material from their forthcoming third album.

The torch stayed in Manchester overnight before heading to Salford in the early hours of Sunday morning (24 June).