Before BEADY EYE appear on stage, I Am The Resurrection belts out over the PA. The crowd go unbelievably mental. There’s mass pogo-ing. Pint cups full of piss are hurled into the distance. The traditional two fingered salute is thrown forward. A bloke who must be nearing fifty leans over and asks if we’ve got any drugs to sell. It’s all a little predictable.
For all their insistence that they want to be treated as a new band, the truth is Beady Eye carry an excruciating amount of baggage. Their album may have gone some of the way in disposing of this. To me it’s the first Oasis album in nearly fifteen years that doesn’t sound like it’s been over-thought to death. There’s a looseness and sense of enjoyment present in it. This is the exact characteristic that had been battered out of Oasis’ recent work. Thankfully Beady Eye don’t give a shit. 'Diffrent Gear, Still Speeding' is a gloriously boisterous listen that steals from The La’s and allows Liam Gallagher to do actual “woops” occasionally. There’s even a song called Beatles And Stones. Noel Gallagher wouldn’t have even leaked that title as a joke.
But in a live setting it’s hard to see what Beady Eye are bringing to the table. Strutting onstage after an entrance tape that chronologically lists the great British rock bands of the past century (Rolling Stones, The Who, T-Rex, Sex Pistols) the startling omission after I Am The Resurrection fades out is that of Oasis. Instead of carrying on where Oasis left off, Beady Eye seem more concerned with not acknowledging their existence in the first place. However, most of the crowd are here just to be as close to Liam Gallagher as humanly possible. Although they may feel they have something to prove as a band, they don’t to anyone here tonight. The place goes absolutely mental. It’s an Oasis gig but without the anthems that defined a generation.
That’s not to say they don’t have the tunes. Opener Four Letter Word is a ferociously vicious love song that would warrant the intense crowd reaction if it was played by anyone. Debut single The Roller is as massive as a song that sounds like a glammed up All You Need Is Love deserves to be. The musicianship is astounding throughout. Liam Gallagher is easily singing better than he has done for years and is still a magnetic front man. The set shoots past in a heart beat. While Oasis gigs were sometimes ponderous and almost overpowering with the crowd just waiting for the next massive sing-a-long, there’s a light freshness to the way Beady Eye skip through their set.
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Still, somehow it all isn’t as thrilling as it should be. It’s undoubtedly a fantastic gig but it’s the crowd’s eagerness to lap it all up with no encouragement that stops any real connection. When you see people on each others’ shoulders during The Beat Goes On, it feels as if people are trying to create a Don’t Look Back In Anger moment without really believing it. These are brilliant songs but on the night of the gig they’ve only been out for a week. It’s simply not enough time for them to mean as much to people, no matter how determined everyone here is. You leave the gig covered in sweat, grinning, knowing that the legacy of Oasis is in safe hands. However it’s the festival season where Beady Eye will find themselves half way down the bill in front of an audience that demands to be impressed that will decide how special this band can be.
Beady Eye played
1. Four Letter Word
2. Beatles and Stones
3. Millionaire
4. For Anyone
5. The Roller
6. Wind Up Dream
7. Bring the Light
8. Standing on the Edge of the Noise
9. Kill For A Dream
10. Three Ring Circus
11. Man of Misery
12. The Beat Goes On
13. The Morning Son
Encore:
1. Sons of the Stage
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