3 stars out of 5
You can’t help feeling director Baillie Walsh missed the boat with this one.
Surely the ideal time to follow the Burnage boys around the globe and catch all their shenanigans on celluloid for posterity was in 1997 for their Be Here Now tour?
Although perhaps the amount of juicy material which would have been left on the cutting room floor due to their debauched lifestyle at the time would have meant it a futile operation.
Instead we get the band playing Frustration in their dressing room – rock ‘n’ roll hey?
Not that Lord Don’t Slow Me Down, the veteran quintet’s first ever tour documentary isn’t intriguing or entertaining, it’s just tantalising to think what might have been.
Buoyed by the unexpected critical as well as the usual commercial success of their new LP, Don’t Believe The Truth, the Gallaghers and Co are on good form as they zigzag across the globe taking in reliable hotspots like Italy, Japan, Australia and of course the UK.
And, ironically after struggling to make an impact in the States when they blew up after Definitely Maybe, they are finally playing their stellar venues – Madison Square Garden, Red Rocks, Hollywood Bowl – usually only the territory of the likes of their success blueprint, U2.
Deadpan
Both brothers are on typically cocksure form, idiotic journalists questions are batted away in comical deadpan style, while the delights of making full use of the fame and wealth they’ve achieved are fully showcased, Liam being scooted round Sydney Harbour in a speedboat while necking bottles of beer – is a great case in point.
And while there isn’t enough speaking footage of bassist Andy Bell or rhythm guitarist Gem for my liking, it’s heartening to see how well they’ve integrated into the band.
The concert footage, which is interspersed with the pre and post-gig shots (including an inebriated Charlotte Church repeatedly introducing the same pals to a bemused Noel), is nicely done too – but the most entertaining part of the package, which also includes cutting commentary from the band and a full concert DVD from one of their City of Manchester Stadium shows in 2005, is the Q&A session with Noel in America.
Finally armed with a host of questions he can actually get his teeth into, the songwriter shows just what a relaxed and witty raconteur he can be.
All in all another handsome package from a band, who ever since they included top notch B-sides with their singles, have always tried to give their fans value for money.
Sadly though, like the albums, it doesn’t live up to their previous work - the Definitely Maybe anniversary DVD of a couple of years ago.
Released on October 29.
Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk
