Liam Gallagher - Verso Media

All the talk is of Oasis and the saga of whether they will or won’t reform. To be honest, I couldn’t care less. I saw them at Wembley on 2000 – That’ll do me. Does Liam actually need Noel? I don’t think so. Noel may have written the majority of the songs, but it was Liam who brought them to life. A fabulous songwriter and an incredible singer. They’re like a Jimmy McGovern drama acted out by Christopher Eccleston or John Simm. Amazing words, but ultimately it’s the performer that matters. Like Spandau Ballet, all written by Gary Kemp, but Spandau were Tony Hadley. Anyway, I digress.

I first saw Oasis in 2000, it was a further 12 years until I saw Liam again when his Beady Eye supported Stone Roses at Heaton Park and then I waited yet another 12 years before seeing him with John Squire earlier in the year. The wait this time between “Liams” was again 12, but just weeks rather than years. At the O2 with brother-in-law Scott. A sophisticated first class train ride into London, a touch of #VersoTrainHell as the circle line was playing up before hopping into my first ever black cab for a quick drive to Blackfriars for a few more ales and some tea at the Samual Pepys pub overlooking the thames. Then it was on one of the clippers for a ride along the thames. What a way to travel. Superb!

Places like the O2 are not my favourite places. Full of corporate nonsense and chain after chain peddling their wares at extortinate prices. But they host gigs so needs must. We were at the back so had to stomp round the arena and then in the rafters so a mix of stairs and escalotors. My turn at the bar. WOW. Surely charging almost a tenner a pint is leagalised theft? Outrageous. We only had the one in there.

We missed Liam’s lad and his band Villanelle but we did see all of The View. I was aware of them but only knew one song the very catchy SAME JEANS. Scott asked why they seem so angry, I said they’re from Scotland. That sufficed. Now on to the main event.

Liam Gallagher, often hailed as one of the last great frontmen, delivered a powerful performance that puts him alongside iconic figures such as Freddie Mercury, Mick Jagger, Debbie Harry, and Ian Brown. His confident stage presence, sometimes mistaken for arrogance, only added to the allure of his performance of the Oasis groundbreaking album, Definitely Maybe, on its 30th anniversary.

Opening with the anthemic ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star,’ Gallagher captivated the 20,000-strong crowd evoking a sense of nostalgia and excitement that transcended time. Fans, some of whom seemed to believe they were still in their youthful prime, enthusiastically chanted his name throughout the night as the band flawlessly performed the album and its accompanying b-sides.

As the final notes faded away, leaving the crowd in a state of euphoria, it was clear that Liam Gallagher’s performance proved once again why he really is a rock ‘n’ roll star.