Review: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds In Glasgow

Five Stars

For being rock royalty, Noël Gallagher certainly carries no airs and graces.

Appearing on stage in an understated manner with his High Flying Birds Mike Rowe, Jeremy Stacey, Russell Pritchard and Tim Smith, at the SSE Hydro on Saturday night, the songwriter presence was only realised by the sheer response of the crowd.

For once the Glasgow venue reached its potential with an atmosphere that sounded more like a football stadium.

That atmosphere could only be achieved because it was clear if God was a rocker, then he is Noël Gallagher with thousands of music fans worshipping at his alter and preaching his lyrics back at him.

Noël began his sermon bashing out fan favourites Everybody's On The Run and Oasis' track Fade Away.

The star then admitted his God like quality saying he felt like Father Christmas after attending his 'record store' signing in Glasgow before the crowd responded with football-like chants.

Lead track from new album Chasing Yesterday, In The Heat of the Moment amped things up.

And Riverman taken from that same album sounded just beautiful live.

Take a moment, listen to Noel's lyrics and you will realise he is one of the greatest songwriters of our generation - which is why he is a religion worth following.

Add to that the live experience of Noel rock in the original sense and you have a gig that you will never forget.

Even if it is just for his performance of Champagne Supernova alone.

The title of his latest album is perhaps poignant to many of the crowd who themselves are Chasing Yesterday still wearing their Mod inspired look and reminiscing about a Britpop movement that has sadly died a death.

But not if Noël has anything to do with it...the songs that made that era will continue to be played and evolved.

This is evident in the band's single If I Had A Gun, which he dedicated to his Scottish wife Sara McDonald.

And more evidence comes with an acoustic version of Don't Look Back In Anger, which was a highlight of the night.

Ending on a high with The Masterplan, even I have to admit, Noël I'm converted see you at T in the Park.

Source: www.heraldscotland.com

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Another Review: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds In London

Noel Gallagher and his band delivered a night of big, solid songs with massive singalong choruses, says Neil McCormick.

“Alright, Noel?” a voice shouted out from the crowd. “Am I alright?” responded Noel Gallagher with a perplexed shrug, as if he couldn’t quite comprehend the question. “Of course I’m all right.”

Of course he is. Gallagher must be the most reliable man in British rock. In advance of his second solo album and sold out arena tour in March, he offered a sneak preview of what fans might expect in an intimate, 500-capacity London club.

There were no surprises on a night of big, solid songs with massive singalong choruses, delivered with panache by unshowy, accomplished musicians. Gallagher’s four-piece backing band answer to the name High Flying Birds but look more like Van Driving Blokes. Drummer Jeremy Stacey is big, bearded and hits hard. Bespectacled keyboard player Mike Rowe shifts with grinning enthusiasm from soulful Sixties Hammond grooves to Kinks-style pub piano with a bit of deep synth to edge the sound towards modernity. Second guitarist Tim Smith slots seamlessly into whatever Gallagher himself is playing, from T-Rex electric boogie to country lilt and flowing psychedelia. Bassist Russell Pritchard has nimble fingers, which puts him several leagues ahead of anyone who ever played with Oasis. They called it a warm-up show but the set was delivered with the casual equanimity of road warriors in the middle of a long tour. Gallagher sang with soft yearning, played guitar with juicy chords and melodic leads, and chatted with ready wit. To audience members begging for his plectrums, he sniffed, “Don’t you know there’s a recession on?”

You could (dismissively) call it meat and potatoes rock. But Gallagher is the meat. And the potatoes. A proper square meal, served up in healthy proportions, where everything tastes just right. Songs already familiar from his debut solo album are treated like Oasis classics, inciting lusty, arms-aloft singalongs. Obscure Oasis B-sides are greeted like he’s playing their greatest hits. His actual greatest hit, Don’t Look Back In Anger, is sung with near hymnal joy by the crowd whilst the band strum along in unplugged mode, Noel shifting the melody with minor modulations.

It is almost too easy and that would be my only concern. It lacks the grandstanding edge of Oasis, the frisson that Liam Gallagher’s sociopathic charisma brings to any occasion. He would have killed Lock All The Doors, a storming rocker whose riff dates back to pre-fame Oasis, although the sneering new lyric: “We might never live to meet again,” could well be a comment on the current state of fraternal relations. Noel played five new songs, all boasting choruses big enough for stadiums. There was even a tiny hint of musical expansion during the lush, dreamy Riverman, with a jazzy lead and an extra musician joining the band. Gallagher was at pains to put the audience at ease. “Do not be alarmed,” he said. “It’s only a saxophone.”

Source: www.telegraph.co.uk

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More Info On Noel Gallagher's Flying Birds

These are the people who will make up the Flying Birds, when they hit the road in October...

David 'Macca' Donald
Guitar

He let slip that he'd joined up back in January, during an interview to promote The Sand Band's debut album.

He has also played guitar for 'The Coral', when Bill Ryder-Jones left mid Tour.

He has also played on Richard Ashcroft's solo material.

Mikey Rowe
Keyboards

In his recent Press conference Noel said that Mikey had played with Oasis on the Be Here Now tour, in fact his live appearances go back to Maine Road and Knebworth, where he played harmonica. He also appeared on both 'Be Here Now' and 'Heathen Chemistry'

Russell Pritchard
Bass

Former Zuton who Noel says "just called me up one afternoon and said, 'Have you got a bass player?" Russell was the last to join the Flying Birds.

Jeremy Stacey
Drummer

Twin brother of longtime Noel associate Paul 'Strangeboy' Stacey who has contributed to a number of Oasis records. The pair were in a 90's band together called 'The Lemon Trees' that group featured Guy Chambers who co-wrote a number of songs with Robbie Williams.