Music Review: Liam Gallagher at the O2

Source: Wikimedia Commons

Oasis dominates the setlist as Liam Gallagher ends his UK Tour with a laboured but thrilling performance at the O2.

Swaggering onto the stage stone-faced, clutching a tambourine and clad, of course, in a parka, he barks a quick greeting into the microphone then paces across the stage, oozing charisma as he soaks up the raucous adulation from the packed arena. With the band set, he adopts the characteristic stance that became an iconic image of ’90s Brit Pop; kinked at the hip, hands behind back, chin jutting out to the audience. The guitars start wailing, the lights twizzle and flash and the throng of standing attendees beneath me erupt into anarchy like a scene from Planet of the Apes. You just know something quite special is afoot.

He kicks off with the electrifying Oasis hit “Rock ’n’ Roll Star” – often his go-to curtain-raiser – followed by the equally up-tempo but lesser-known, “Halo”, after which, Gallagher apologises to the audience for his worn-out voice. “It’s better than cancelling the f*cking gig”, he adds. The roar from the standing crowd — now soaked in their own beer after the opening mêlée — shows they agree. “And don’t be saying it’s the cocaine – that’s tomorrow night”. It seems that old habits die hard.

The show flickers between tracks from Gallagher’s solo career as well as old fan favourites from the Oasis years. Limbs flail wildly to the punky classic “Morning Glory” before a slowing of the pace for a mesmerising rendition of “Columbia”, aided superbly by Gallagher’s quintessential snarling tone. Anthemic rock ballad “Stand By Me” and the introspective “Once” draw widespread audience engagement, but they take their toll on Gallagher as he later pulls away from the microphone midway through “Gone”. “F*ck this” he can be heard saying on the microphone as he turns away to his band. His voice is faltering. “Shall we just skip to the Oasis?” he asks us. The crowd’s affirmative response is overwhelming.

It makes you wonder whether Gallagher minds that there is clearly a much greater appetite in the room for Oasis than there is for his solo work. Once he’d come to terms with the fact that Oasis’s spin-off, Beady Eye, weren’t connecting with the usual faithful, the group split in 2014; leaving Gallagher in the wilderness and without a band for the first time in over 20 years. All but written off by the music press and entering legal battles with soon-to-be ex-wife Nicole Appleton, he hit rock bottom. Drug and alcohol abuse ensued, and it was prime catnip for the voyeuristic British tabloid media. 

But help came in the form of Debbie Gwyther, Gallagher’s PA and, now, fiancée, who he refers to as his “saviour”. It was Gwyther that urged Liam to snap out of it and return to writing music and performing live. He approached the Warner Records label with a “determination to prove everyone wrong”, and with his scribble on the dotted line, Britain regained one of its national treasures. His surprise appearance at the One Love benefit concert in 2017 was the first time many of us saw the resurrected figure on stage again – and it made for a special moment. Two UK No. 1 albums followed as well as sell out arena tours and a slot on the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury 2019. The reception from the critics was generally warm but, more importantly to Gallagher, the core fanbase who’d deserted in their droves for the Beady Eye era were coming back and relishing seeing him on stage again.

I had a serendipitous encounter with Liam earlier this year in a small, unpretentious pub in Highgate and he obligingly lent me a few minutes of his time. I was struck by how affable and down-to-earth he was for a man whose abrasive manner throughout much of the Oasis years gained him a generally loutish reputation. Was this the same man whose rowdy behaviour on a flight got him barred from flying Cathay Pacific? The same ill-tempered younger brother who forced a gig to be cancelled because he destroyed Noel’s guitar moments before they were due to appear on stage? 

It was – but Gallagher seems to have mellowed somewhat into a well-grounded family man with a palpable love of rock ’n’ roll. This was evidenced beautifully when I asked how he feels about how the music industry has changed since he started out, with fewer and fewer people buying and owning music. Without hesitation, he replied “I don’t care, man. I’m not in it for the money – unlike some, err Noel” [He can’t resist the urge for a dig at his older brother]. But then he raises his arms outwards, looks down and adds “I’ve got everything I need”. 

Leapfrogging new album material, the set at the O2 ends with a beautiful stripped back interpretation of “Wonderwall”, with all blocks of the arena on their feet. With only an hour on stage, it feels a bit clipped, but all is made up for with a stellar encore featuring a quadruple of “Acquiesce”, “Roll With It”, “Supersonic”, and “Champagne Supernova”. We’re even treated to a second encore with the house lights on for “Cigarettes and Alcohol”. Now we see why you were saving your voice, Liam. 

Despite missing out new songs and putting in a vocally wayward performance, you can’t help but feel that no one really cared. Tonight was about seeing one of rock ’n’ roll’s greatest ever frontmen in action; and it’s clear from this display that he has just as much passion, attitude and box office appeal as ever. As preparation for his third album is already underway, it’s clear he’s not going anywhere – and nor should he.