Ian Brown stuns fans as he struggles to sing in tune during ‘flat and embarrassing’ performance in Manchester – after being criticized for performing to a backing track

Those familiar with The Stone Roses and their cultural impact on British music in the late ’80s may have struggled to recognize the lone figure who performed without an accompanying band in Manchester on Saturday night.

Twenty-three years after entertaining 28,000 adoring fans on Spike Island, Ian Brown was alone when he took the stage at the Warehouse Project, where a less-than-partisan audience watched him struggle to sing in tune.

In video footage shared on social media, Brown, 60, appeared to falter while performing his 2001 solo single FEAR.

In the absence of a live band, the star stunned audience members by singing along to a backing track, but his trademark raspy vocals turned dangerously out of tune as the song reached its climax.

When debating Brown’s shaky performance on X, formerly Twitter, attendees were divided over the singer’s singing, with some dismissing the performance as “karaoke.”

‘Please, please, please don’t ever invite Ian Brown to play again. Oh too bad,” wrote one disappointed fan.

A second added: “His voice dropped a bit. He didn’t really get the crowd going, no interaction. Just very flat, I only saw 10 minutes – that was enough.

“Old Boy is a legend, but it’s no secret that he’s definitely going live. Was a pair of pants at the Etihad a few years ago,” a third wrote.

While a fourth asked: ‘Who else saw Ian Brown at whp last night? Heard from a few people that he was absolutely s**te. WHERE?’

Others were quick to praise the singer, who shared a backstage photo with former Happy Mondays singer Rowetta at the event.

Commenting on the photo, a fan wrote: “A photo of him that was unreal on Saturday night.”

While a second added: ‘Weirdly I just posted FEAR on here, I love it!’

The performance comes after Brown received a wave of backlash following a performance in Leeds last September – described by fans as a ‘karaoke show’.

The Stone Roses star was knocked down when he took to the 02 Academy stage without a band, singing only on the backing track.

Writing that he had ‘completely lost the plot’, fans were left furious after paying up to £50 for tickets to the sold-out show – which kicked off his UK tour.

‘I’m sad to see @ianbrown turn up to his £40 a ticket, sold out gig in Leeds tonight WITHOUT A BAND. I’m a lifelong fan, but that sucked. #ianbrown does karaoke and makes his own songs,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

While another wrote: ‘It’s not live music. So the closest description is karaoke.’

“I’m a big fan of his but this is awful,” wrote another – as videos of the performance circulated on social media.

It’s not the first time Brown has caused a stir among fans, after stepping down from his role as headliner at the Neighborhood Weekender Festival in Warrington in 2021.

On Twitter at the time, the rocker – who has shared anti-masking and anti-lockdown tweets during the pandemic, and recorded a song to protest the lockdown – explained that he would not comply with vaccine passport regulations.

‘My Saturday evening headline show at NHBD Weekender Festival is now canceled! I refuse to accept proof of vaccination as a condition of entry. Refunds are available! X’

Ian rose to fame as the frontman of The Stone Roses, alongside guitarist John Squire, bassist Mani and drummer Reni. He formed the band in Manchester in 1983 before releasing their iconic eponymous debut album six years later.

After a legal dispute with their record label, the band returned in 1994 with second album Second Coming, before splitting up in 1996.

Brown went on to enjoy a successful solo career, releasing seven studio albums to critical acclaim and winning numerous awards.