ShareLiam Gallagher performing his As You Were Tour at the Motorpoint Arena Nottingham on Sunday 10th December 2017.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
For those missing the now defunct Oasis, last night saw Liam Gallagher sell out the Motorpoint Arena and in spring next year, they will have the opportunity to see his elder sibling, Noel as he visits the same venue, and surely between them they will have produced a fairly comprehensive greatest hit set to satisfy any fan.
With the first sound of Fucking In The Bushes; the number that always announced Oasis, the parka clad crowd screamed with delight. A massive Manchester City Football Club fan, who had beaten Manchester United earlier in the day, Gallagher strutted on to stage, all swagger and attitude, holding aloft fingers which indicated the score, and began with Rock ‘N’ Roll Star and for the next 90 exhilarating minutes, he was exactly that.
If Gallagher’s supersonic confidence took a knock after the flop of his post Oasis band, Beady Eye, it must surely be rocketing again after his solo debut album, As You Were outsold the rest of the Top 20 combined in October and was also the ninth fastest selling debut of the decade.
Adopting his trademark stance; hands behind his back, leaning forward and still attacking his mic as though he hasn’t eaten in weeks, he delivered his music in his familiar whinny voice, which took his frenzied fans back to those fantastic Britpop days.
Gallagher gave the hyped up crowd exactly what they wanted. It was an Oasis heavy set which actually sounded as good as when the Gallagher brothers could actually stand to be in the same room, and being able to draw on an era-defining Oasis classic such as (What’s The Story) Morning Glory as early as his second song certainly added a frisson.
He then treated this adoring crowd to a run of five tracks from the new album. He kicked off with Greedy Soul, and an assured version of new crowd favourite, Wall Of Glass which to the delight of the crowd was dedicated to all Manchester United fans, before he delivered a polished performance of Paper Crown, which is a real standout track from the album.
For What It’s Worth, reputedly an apology to his ex wife Nicole Appleton, was already a crowd sing-along and is as great an anthem as he has sung in twenty years. But not being too proud to visit the Oasis songs, even if it meant royalty payments to his big brother, he delivered 1995 B-Side, Rockin’ Chair and Be Here Now was recovered from the scrap heap of lesser loved later Oasis songs which had the crowd singing along.
Not saving the hits to the end of the set, he weaved in more Oasis tracks, including a storming Some Might Say, whilst Supersonic brought out the largest crowd karaoke moment of the night, and main set closer, Be Here Now was simply a monster of a song.
The audience erupted for the encore of Cigarettes And Alcohol, and Live Forever was delivered in a beautiful semi acoustic arrangement, complete with cello. Finishing with a perfect Wonderwall, Gallagher exited as he had entered; applauding the crowd and being every inch the rock ‘n’ roll star.
