It’s not often you go to a gig where the crowd feels more like a rowdy mass of baying football fanatics than a collective of discerning music listeners. But such was the reception that met Oasis man gone solo Noel Gallagher as he took to the stage amidst the quintessentially British decadence of North London’s Kentish Town Forum.
Noel stands at that crossroads that comes to all middle-aged rock icons: rest on your laurels, lapping up the royalties and recognition of your glory days, or continue to push yourself, continue to strive among a wash of chart acts half your age to prove your continued relevance. It’s a daunting prospect at the best of times, even more so when your legacy consists of such monuments of popular culture as Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger.
Against all the odds though, Noel has turned out something of a winner – his High Flying Birds album feels energized, vital, a natural progression of the songwriting backbone that held Oasis aloft for so many years. The new tracks slot easily alongside old favourites like Supersonic, a confident extension of the ‘Noel Brand’, and one the crowd were more than happy to indulge.
With all the drama, bluster and hype of the inter-Gallagher rivalry swept away, High Flying Birds feels freer and more confident than Oasis have done for a long time. Gone is the one-upmanship of egos between the brothers, replaced by the simple drive to play a great show. And judging by the hearty, beer-fuelled sing-along to Half The World Away, Noel’s got that one sorted.
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