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Barrowland, Glasgow, 7 Dec. Imaginary voiceover: Ladeez and gentlemen, Liam Gallagher has left the building.
Crowd response: We don’t care, give us lloel any day!
Four songs into their feverishly anticipated Barrowland show, Liam Oasis gets into a bit of a strap with brother lloel. Reason: he’s a bit vocally distressed and his larynx Is packing in. Result: he packs in, walks offstage and that’s that, necessitating the rescheduling of lloel’s Solo Acoustic Spot to pronto-if-you-don’t- mind.
The Liam bit went like this: traditional set-opener ‘liock ’n’ Roll Star’ just to reassure us that this is going to be like every other Oasis show ever, ‘Fade Away’, a joyous and mighty pop blast with lyrics worth singing along to, and ‘Oigsy’s Dinner’, same as above but throwaway rather than inspirational.
Liam’s looking dapper in his Beatlesque get-up, the Christmas
I I I I g I
l i
Oasis with Liam Gallagher, centre
stage sounds like a rock ’n’ pop apocalypse.
There’s the inevitable football chants (‘Liaml Liam! Liam!’ - how long did it take to think that one up?), then suddenly no more Liam. Collective patience is stretched. We love you guys but you’re so mean to us. Then lloel reciprocates with a naked, slightly rough ‘lee Forever’, the simple romance of ‘Slide Away’, the playful ‘O’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman?’ and other semi-precious acoustic gems.
The band reappear with no news of Liam (crowd chant: “Liam’s a wanker!’), so lloel obliges in the vocal department. He wrote the songs after all. By now he’s a bit flat, but he’s done a grand job. ‘Supersonic’, ‘Married With Children’, no problem. Traditional set-ender ‘I Am The Walrus’ is fantastic from the word go, a mean, psychedelic snarl. They exit to the sound of something approximating low-flying aircraft.
Let’s do it again sometime soon lads.
trees on stage look trashy and ‘Whole A free concert at Christmastime? Yes,
Lotta Love’ (‘Top Of The Pops’ theme tune version) belting out of the speakers before the band come on
mm- snoweov
The Venue, Edinburgh, 9 December Last time i came to review a band at The Venue, a grand total of eighteen paying customers were enjoying the delights of Freakpower. Tonight, the Edinburgh hordes have amassed twenty of their number to pay tribute to London Latino groovester Snowboy. Strange gig again. Support is provided by local six-piece combo Funky Feet- Us who, to the untrained eye, look like a mess. They are unfortunately fronted by a guy who raps in an annoying American nasal twang. Thankfully, he’s rescued by the band, who play some sparkling funk-rock, and his duetting girlfriend, who can at least sing. If they can persuade her to sing more from her diaphragm, they have the basis for a decent act.
Towards the end of the Funkies’ set, the promoter, fretting over student
we think we can make that. It was a pleasure. Shame about your mate with the Iaryngitis though. (Fiona Shepherd)
exams and competition from Massive Attack, is clearly concerned by the lack of punters. Snowboy has rarely played to so few, and he arrives to find the audience scattered around the edges of the room. To his credit, the cool cats gradually find their way towards the dancetloor. It is a totally hIp-bustin’ experience as Snowboy and his friends effectively put on a supersonic private party. Their brilliance is in their eclectic musical nature, and the best is a Latino version of the ‘West Side Story’ number ‘Something’s Coming’; I’m certain that even Leonard would have dug this one. The unexpected groovy treat comes when the gig seems to be over. The band troop off, leaving a lone Snowboy banging away at his bongos. So carried away do he and the crowd get that the concert winds itself up for another sweaty session and thirty-eight people melt into ecstasy. (Philip Oorward)
LIVE
R°II°IP #
231204:
Glasgow Barrowlands
the cranberries - _ 8th January , . Festival Theatre . . EDINBURGH ‘ ,_ 031-529 6000
f4 Woman/5 Hear}:
featuring
Mary Black, Sharon Shannon, Frances Black, . Mary Cong [our
plus more guests to be annouan
16th January, Festival Theatre EDINBURGH 031-529 6000
ankin FAMILY
22nd January. Lyceum Theatre EDINBURGH 031-229 9697
23rd January. Music Hall ABERDEEN 0224641122
THE W
3' 3. _’ *1“ *2.
WJ EFF- BucKLE7 E”
28th February, The Garage, GLASGOW
4
Tickets from Venue Box Offices. Just The Ticket Union Street and all Tocta outlets
The List 16 December 1994—12 January 1995 49