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Meet the woman who started an Oasis sing-along following a moment of silence in Manchester

Lydia Bernsmeier-Rullow led a sing-along of Oasis' 'Don't Look Back in Anger' in Manchester following a moment of silence for the victims of the bombing at a recent Ariana Grande concert.
CBC Radio ·
People look over floral tributes in St. Ann's Square for the people who lost their lives during the Manchester terror attack in central Manchester, Britain, 24 May 2017. (Andy Rain/EPA)

Thousands gathered in St. Ann's Square earlier today to honour those killed in Monday's attack following an Ariana Grande concert. As part of the memorial, the city observed a minute's silence. After that moment, though. something really incredible happened. One woman started singing "Don't Look Back in Anger" by Manchester's own Oasis. Then more and more voices joined in. 

The woman who started it all was Lydia Bernsmeier-Rullow. "That song's been in my head the past few days, just trying to focus on positive things after such a horrible tragedy happening," she reveals to q. "After the moment of silence, it was almost as if people didn't know what to do next — it just felt like the right moment, and I just started singing." 

For Bernsmeier-Rullow, the song represented Manchester's next steps, to "look to the future with love because it's not hate and anger that's going to win; it's love that's going to win." 

Watch the sing-along at St. Ann's Square below: 

— Produced by Chris Trowbridge

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