Oliver Nolan
Staff Writer
At 3pm yesterday afternoon came one of the biggest-shock announcements of the year in music. Following years of rumour and speculation, one of the seminal, and undoubtedly most influential bands of the 90’s, have set aside their conflicting differences and announced a mammoth comeback world tour in 2012. Ladies and gentlemen, Steps have returned to save music.
Sorry couldn’t resist. Yesterday, Ian Brown, John Squire, Alan ‘Reni’ Wren and Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, the four members of The Stone Roses, held a press conference to announce their first concert dates since the dissolution of the group following the release of their second album, Second Coming in 1994. The only details released as of yet are of two outdoor shows in their hometown of Manchester, with a world tour soon to be announced. While no Irish date has been announced, MCD posted a photo from the press conference to their Facebook page, and one can only imagine what that could mean.
Many may be unsurprised by the announcement, given the plethora of bands from the same period that have, however briefly reconvened of late. However, the years of build up to today’s announcement are worth consideration. Squire, who designed many of the Jackson Pollock inspired sleeves for the band’s releases, had quit music and gone on to forge a successful career as an artist, openly denouncing any whispers of a reunion over the last decade. In 2009, he went as far as to create a piece of artwork that proclaimed, ‘I have no desire whatsoever to desecrate the grave of seminal Manchester pop group The Stone Roses 18.3.09’. At today’s conference, the band haven’t denied that it was a difficult journey towards the reunion, Squire tellingly stating, ‘It felt like Everest’, yet revised his earlier artistic statement, saying ‘There was no grave’.
Inevitably, much of the media surrounding the event has focused on what the band stands to gain financially, The Telegraph even running the headline, ‘Stone Roses to reunite as Ian Brown faces costly divorce bill’. Even for the least cynical amongst us, it’s hard to see past the blatantly obvious, that they are going to make millions. But even with the financial gain in mind, is this really something to trouble the more devout fan? Nostalgia is something that will always dominate the public consciousness, not least musically. In the midst of a recession, Fleetwood Mac were able to play two nights in The O2, with a minimum charge of €110, for the simple reason that anyone who bought Rumours back in 1976 probably has a bob or two to spare. Yet for the student bracket, it’s an unusual brand of nostalgia. It’s a desire, even for 90 minutes in a muddy field, to get a glimpse of an era we were all far too young to enjoy, or even register as an ‘era’ at the time. I can remember hearing Don’t Look Back In Anger on the radio when I was 4, but that doesn’t mean I went out and bought the album after. Funnily enough, I did find myself at Slane Castle, 15 years later. In recent years, many like myself have been afforded the chance to see the likes of Pulp, Pavement, Blur and plenty of other bands we would never have had a chance to see during our years in single digits. Then again, maybe I was just a very uncool child. For all those that may cry of a sell-out, the vast majority would much rather embrace the opportunity for a live experience that escaped them in their formative years. The ‘once in a lifetime’ factor definitely has bearing on ticket sales, especially when for any seasoned gig-goer, the over saturation of certain acts has only resulted in a decline in enthusiasm from the general public. This year, Oxegen reportedly had its largest decline in ticket sales from year to year yet, with a line up that relied on the pulling power of marquee names like Beyonce and Coldplay, yet offered little change in variety from the year before. I still find it more than a little distressing that only about 100 people turned up to watch The National.
So ultimately, whether covering divorce costs or not, band reunions are nothing to get worked up about. The only downside to this phenomenon might be the widening of that irreparable hole in your pocket. With this in mind, Steps tickets are only €35.
