Liam Gallagher @ Arena Birmingham, 12 November 2019 -

Bucket hats, Beer and Blokes. If there’s ever an artist that has an immediately recognisable and stereotypical fan-base it’s Liam Gallagher and Oasis. Wednesday evening see’s the canals of Birmingham filled with them, as Liam Gallagher brought his tour to the Arena in support of his second solo record ‘Why Me? Why Not’.

Whilst arguably having more setbacks and stalls in his career post Oasis compared to that of his brother, Liam has since found his stride as both a successful recording artist and live act in recent years as demonstrated by his latest album going to number one and Wednesday evening’s show being full to the rafters.

The evening’s set was a tale of two oppositions really, one of an artist striving for artistic integrity and longevity in the form of his recent solo material whilst also playing to what the crowd really wanted, which was the greatest Oasis hits.

Opening the set with ‘Rock ‘n Roll Star’ is clearly a statement and a half of intent. Following this the hour and a half or so the Birmingham crowd got was truly Liam at his finest. Vocally on point for the entire performance, his signature stance and parka on show throughout, Liam really is a fantastic ‘front-man’ and showman.

It does have to be noted that whenever solo material was played there was a distinct drop in the energy of the room, however this allowed the evening to flow much better in terms of pacing and made the highs so much higher.

None more so than the encore of ‘Acquiesce’, ‘Roll With It’, ‘Supersonic’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’ that truly made the hairs stand on end, before returning for an out of character second encore of ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’. Through-out all of the Oasis tracks, Liam was joined by Oasis guitarist Bonehead which added a sense of occasion and authenticity to proceedings.

People are always going to want Oasis to get back together for nostalgic reasons, however with both brothers creating such exciting solo music and killer live shows, perhaps people should live in the moment and appreciate what’s already on offer and accept what has been. But if they do, I’ll see you at the front of the ticket queue.