WORDS AND IMAGES BY DESH KAPUR
It was hard to belive i was travelling 5 minutes from my house in Conwy North Wales, to Eirias Stadium, Colwyn Bay to watch one of the most iconic British songwriters of the last 25 years, Noel Gallagher the man that helped create Oasis with his brother Liam, unbelievable,
It was a bit overcast as i set of, and as the venue is only 5 minutes from my house, it was still overcast when i arrived, but no rain so brilliant, put on a parka, slap on some shades, pair of adidas trainers, bucket hat, sunglasses and ready for anything…OOPS’s wrong brother!!!, well too late, i’m here now.
The first band to take the stage are Welsh lads Feeder or as I heard someone say in the crowd the Welsh Foo Fighters, big call, but there is a grain of truth in that statement.
As frontman Grant Nicholas and Taka Hirose, the two gentlemen who are pretty much Feeder these days take the stage, the crowd erupts, Welsh boys playing in Wales was always going to bring the house down. The band is now 28 years old and they played songs from across all their releases and I tell you what the old songs still sounded as fresh, vibrant and current today as the day they were written, which is a true testament to the songwriting ability of the band, but I think what struck me most was the sheer joy and appreciation the band seemed to show, so truly grateful to still be playing and still have the fan base they do and at times Grant seemed genuinely overwhelmed by the love that was coming back to him from the crowd.
It was Feeder hit after hit, and at times it felt like the best Feeder Karaoke in the world as the crowd sang back to the band song after song, Feeder is a great band, and great live band with a back catalogue of songs that any band would be proud of, if you haven’t seen Feeder live shame on you! if you don’t own a Feeder record shame on you! And if you don’t get out to see them live, well…. You can live with the regret! thanks, guys you truly are a national treasure.
The Vaccines followed; these boys know how to write a 3-minute indie-pop tune. Lead singer Justin Young has an amazing voice, a voice that sounds better live than on record. He is charismatic, and confident throwing shapes all over the stage whilst continuously engaging with the audience, and the crowd are loving every minute of it. He is a true showman, The Vaccines give a lively, exuberant performance with their take on upbeat indie rock, full of catchy guitar riffs and soaring vocals. friends lift friends on shoulders and the crowd are having a ball. Even the newer songs are received extremely well. Great stuff and now the crowd are well primed for the main event.
And then it’s time for The Mighty I, Noel Gallagher and His High Flying Birds, and the sun has come out to celebrate, along with the seven or so thousand people now gathered in front of the stage, the amazing ex-Oasis songwriter and guitar player, the man responsible for some of the most iconic songs written over the last three decades, a man who soundtracked the youth of so many of this huge crowd.
Noel strolled onto the Eirias Park stage with the confidence of a man who knew who he is, a man very comfortable in his own skin, knowing what his songwriting had meant to so many people must be an amazing thing. He played a set of something old, something new and something Oasis. Of course, the Oasis songs got the biggest response as you would expect, “Little By Little”, “Whatever”, “Don’t look Back In Anger” and “Half A World Away” and there was so much love, but don’t think for a minute that the High Flying Birds stuff lacked in appreciation, far from it. They stand on their own I respect the fact that he has moved on from Oasis, even though we all long for it one more time, I respect the fact that Noel Gallagher understands how much those songs mean to us, Noel Gallagher is simply an outstanding songwriter, musician and performer and his contribution to British music is impossible to put into words,
SET LIST
1/ FORT KNOX
2/ HOLY MOUNTAIN
3/ ITS A BEAUTIFUL WORLD
4/ SHE TAUGHT ME HOW TO FLY
5/ WANDERING STAR
6/ RATTLING ROSE
7/ WERE ON OUR WAY NOW
8/ BLACK STAR DANCING
9/ DEAD IN THE WATER
10/ LITTLE BY LITTLE
11/ IMPORTANCE OF BEING IDLE
12/ WHATEVER
13/ WONDERWALL
14/ HALF THE WORLD AWAY
15/ STOP CRYING YOUR HEART OUT ENCORE
16/ IF I HAD A GUN
17/ AKA WHAT A LIFE
18/ DON’T LOOK BACK IN ANGER
FOLLOW NOEL GALLAGHER’S HIGH FLYING BIRDS
FOLLOW THE VACCINES
FOLLOW FEEDER
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago and married my childhood sweetheart and life is good.
