Review, Setlist, Pictures & Video: Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds In Cardiff

"We're going to start going backwards. We're going to end up in the 90s", Noel Gallagher told a packed Cardiff Castle last night on the first night of his five-date summer tour. The setlist held in firm position from the Council Skies arena tour at the back end of 2023, the music flowed from new, to back-catalogue seamlessly. Against the backdrop of 2000 years of Welsh history, the band set off in the castle with four songs from Noel's latest solo album, peppering the first half of the gig with highlights from the High Flying Birds' 13-year history.

One of the non-musical highlights of the night was Noel chatting to the crowd, and in response to someone's Mum asking if her daughter could come on stage to play guitar, he replied "This isn't X-Factor! Or Cardiff's got talent!". Luckily the band were left to do what they do best, and after a perfect rendition of 'Dead in the Water', it was time for some Oasis classics, starting with one of the highlights of this tour's set, 'Going Nowhere'.

There can't be many better endings to a gig than the five tunes the band finished the gig on. Starting with 'The Masterplan', then into 'Little By Little' and an encore of 'Stand By Me', another trip to Be Here Now in this set, and possibly the best arrangement of 'Live Forever' since the Definitely Maybe tour. The night finished, predictably, perfectly on a song recorded just an hour down the road at Rockfield Studios in Monmouth. 'Don't Look Back In Anger', dedicated to "The English football team" finished a perfect night in Cardiff, and an incredible start to the tour. The band head to Wigan, London, Warwick and Halifax next on this short run of dates. Don't miss it!

Setlist

Pretty Boy
Council Skies
We're Gonna Get There In The End
Open The Door, See What You Find
You Know We Can't Go Back
We're On Our Way Now
In The Heat Of The Moment
If I Had A Gun...
AKA... What A Life!
Dead In The Water
Going Nowhere
Talk Tonight
Whatever
Half The World Away
The Masterplan
Little By Little
Stand By Me
Live Forever
Don't Look Back In Anger