Council leaders have accused the US tech firm of ‘undermining licensing standards’ and flooding the city centre with inadequate drivers licensed by neighbouring local authorities.

Modern technology has made selling your labour as easy as liking a post on Facebook. Meanwhile, it’s estimated that over a million people in the UK work in the gig economy – a term referring to the system wherein people use apps to provide a service, made notorious and normalised by behemoths such as Deliveroo and Uber.

Last night’s #UberLive gig was heralded as a glorious hookup between the taxi company and Sofar Sounds, a company which picks artists to perform in unusual spaces for small audiences – past gigs have included people’s flats, abandoned art galleries and disused factories.

Manchester gig-goers are in for a treat tonight with taxi app Uber giving music aficionados the chance to see an intimate secret gig somewhere in the city.