Noel Gallagher joined by families of Manchester attack victims as Manchester Arena re-opened

The night began with Mayor Andy Burnham taking to the stage to read the names of the 23 victims who lost their lives whilst Poet Tony Walsh read out a poignant tribute.

Reciting 'This is the Place', he said: "The world is watching, the world is listening and the world now knows that this is the place. We are beautiful, we are multi-cultural, we are Manchester, we are magnificent and we are back."

Meanwhile, Charlotte Campbell, whose 15-year-old daughter Olivia died in the attack, admitted it was a "massive mix of emotions" returning to the venue.

She said: "We have had to come back to show defiance, to show we are not scared and we don't want Manchester to be scared. Music was Olivia's life. If she had been still here today she would have been walking through those doors with us, showing her defiance, that they may have got her but she's not beaten. She's here with us.

"It's a massive mix of emotions, there will be tears, there will be laughter, but the main thing is we are here. We have proved no one is going to beat us."

The event - which was attended by 14,000 people - is in aid of raising funds for a permanent memorial for those who lost their life in the devastating attack.