A review of Noel Gallagher live in Belfast, which Andy Harris and I got to see thanks to Priya being a lovely person and having a guestlist spot she couldn't make allowing us to take it from her ;D
Enjoy!
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At Oxegen 2011, Liam Gallagher (brother of Noel Gallagher and the other half of the massively influential Oasis) and his band ‘Beady Eye’ played a fifty-minute spot on the main stage. During which, the played their only two singles in the first fifteen minutes and dragged out the rest of the show with album fillers and minimal grace. On the bus home from the festival, several disappointed voices could be heard from previous fans, some of outrage over Liam’s post-Oasis egocentricity, some more resigned in saying they had somewhat expected it, but were still overall let down. Most shockingly of all, Liam would not recognise Oasis in his set. Forming the greater part of his life, career and image, let alone being one of the most influential bands of the late 20th Century, fans and onlookers alike would not be amiss to expect some sort of tribute to the band from which the musician gained enough reputation to even play a high-spot on a multi-staged festival. Not a word, just resentment towards the band’s end through silent protest.
It comes as no surprise then why Noel Gallagher and his ‘High Flying Birds’ were an overall superior show. As popular as Noel’s solo songs may be, fans of the Gallagher brothers were formed with Oasis, and to deny them the satisfaction of hearing even one Oasis song would be a crushing blow to the otherwise innocent intentions of such dedicated people. The difference in satisfaction could be seen from crowd reaction alone as Noel played almost as many Oasis songs as he did solo songs.
Crowds roared to ‘Supersonic’, and an entire four-song encore was dedicated to Noel’s former band. A combination of ‘Whatever’, ‘Little By Little’, ‘The Importance of Being Idle’ (a risky addition given its easy comparison to Noel’s solo “The Death of You and Me”, but a satisfying one non-the-less) and finishing the show on the classic “Don’t Look Back in Anger” left not only fans breathless and appeased, but more general supporters too. One can’t help but be swept up in the moment when an entire stadium erupts into song, and that’s something Liam’s band have surely missed..
The overall show was an enjoyable affair. Most solo songs were strong enough to stand out on their own, such as “AKA… What a Life!” and “The Death of You and Me”, but the surrounding cover songs definitely helped elate the atmosphere. Noel’s backing band shifted constantly to fit each song, sporting a choir and a brass band at various points, and while such back-ups would spell murder for most musician’s career (see: Guns N’ Roses), Noel was capable enough to get away with it by keeping them as mostly low-key background sounds and by even addressing praise towards them later in the show. As the show continues, becomes apparent that Noel knows he can’t top Oasis, so he tries not to. Instead, he puts on a strong show that is half-tribute to the band, half showcase of his own songs, and it all seems to be in the fans favour. While the final thought of the night may have been longing for a genuine Oasis concert instead, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds put on a show that felt close enough to the real thing to tide those remaining fans over.
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