Inspiral Carpets fans campaign to get band to Christmas number one in tribute to late drummer Craig Gill

Gill passed away on November 22

Fans of Manchester band Inspiral Carpets have launched a campaign to get the group to Christmas number one this year in honour of the band’s late drummer Craig Gill.

It was announced earlier this week that Gill had died at the age of 44. The Manchester band enjoyed success in the ’90s with hits such as ‘This Is How It Feels’ and ‘Dragging Me Down’.

A viral campaign has now been launched, aiming to get the band’s 1994 track ‘Saturn 5’ (listen below) to the top spot of the UK singles chart in time for Christmas. The campaign has been set up by Gill’s childhood friend, Rob McCoy. See the Facebook page for the campaign here.

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McCoy tells Manchester Evening News: “He lived a couple of streets away when we were younger, and Craig was always the super talented one. That was one of the reasons we knew, when he joined the band at 14, that they would be a successful band.”

“We were all out BMXing and he was winning awards and competitions while we were pulling wheelies. He was the best breakdancer of us all as well. We’re doing this for a lad that was the kind of person you’d want in your group of friends because he was just such a great lad.”

Fans are encouraged to purchase the track from outlets such as iTunes and Amazon between December 8 and December 22. Streams of the song from services such as Apple Music and Spotify between these dates will also count towards its final chart position.

As well as being a musician, Gill will also be remembered for his cult Manchester Music Tours, which saw him take fans around the city to explore its musical heritage.

The various tours offered either an overview of the city’s cultural past, or focused on specific bands. They took in locations such as Salford Lads’ Club (where The Smiths famously posed for the artwork of ‘The Queen Is Dead’), Strawberry Studios (where Joy Division recorded ‘Unknown Pleasures’) and, of course, pretty much anywhere Oasis ever smoked a cigarette. Benefiting from Craig’s passion and knowledge, the trips were an essential jaunt for any self-respecting music fan on a nostalgic tip in Manchester.

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Craig launched the tours in 2005, offering fans the chance to “walk in [famous musicians’] footsteps and hear first hand how Manchester has produced more popstars Per capita of population than any other city in the world”. Noel Gallagher was chuffed with the hat-tip, and in 2009 suggested that fans should check out “the tour that goes around Manchester to all the significant sites in Oasis’ history”. Liam later added: “The wheels on the bus go round and round.”

Liam Gallagher was among those to pay tribute to Gill following the news:

https://twitter.com/liamgallagher/status/801035083591229440

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