Fionn Fitzpatrick-
It’s been almost two years since that blissful day in Slane for what would be the last ever Oasis gig in Ireland. It still stands up as the greatest gig I’ve ever been to. Whenever the sun comes out, just for a moment, I’m always reminded of it. But all good things must pass (it’s true, ask Barcelona). So when the chance to see Oasis bar Noel came along, it was with a degree of hesitation. Would it taint the memory? Could Liam pull off the smaller venue? Will the crowd cry moronic requests for ‘Songbird’ all night? In complete honesty, the chance to pretend I was in the ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ video was too much to pass up. It was the right decision, just.
One thing I should say first, I’ve never seen so few women at a gig in my life. A few genuine fans were there of course, but most in attendance were the wives or girlfriends of Liam Gallagher lookalikes, dressed in floral shirts buttoned to the top, with a bowl haircut and sideburns. The place was crawling with them. Where Liam goes, his people follow. This was always going to be one for the fan boys.
Arriving on stage in a typical full length green parka, which he bravely kept on the whole night, his presence was immediately overwhelming. The band crashed straight into ‘Four Letter Word’, Liam spitting the lyrics like venom, sounding stronger than he has in years. With very little happening on stage, besides the name of each song displayed behind as old-school record sleeves, and Liam occasionally going for a gander at the front row, it was left completely up to the music. To be fair, they’re tight as a drum, Gem Archer particularly impressing on lead guitar with some neat playing, but with such little material to work with, the occasion could never lift itself above expectation.
Liam kept the crowd banter short and sweet between songs, the occasional, “Nice one” being enough for the audience to erupt into shouts of “Liamo! Liamo!”
A nice treat which was brought to our attention by an uber-fan beside us was the attendance of Mother Gallagher and Mrs. Gallagher (Nicole Appleton formerly of All Saints), to which Liam sweetly dedicated ‘Bring The Light’. Claims of The Olympia being the best venue he’d ever played, “and I’m not just saying that cause I’m here, I’m saying it cause it’s a fucking fact!” gave some evidence to the fact he’s genuinely enjoying his music post-Noel, and also drove the place nuts.
Every song on the album was played, with a rare Liam track ‘Man Of Misery’ thrown into the mix. Snarling, “This is for all of you that bleed green!” the night was over with a cover of ‘Sons Of The Stage’ by World Of Twist.
The fire and the passion was there, this was no time for going through the motions. Liam Gallagher believes in Beady Eye, no place for nostalgia, but he has some work to do before we can look at him and not think of the former glories, of taking over the world and snorting it all away, of 22 successive Top 10 hits in the UK, of that blissful day in Slane.
3/5
