Who
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
Super Furry Animals
Where
Birmingham Genting Arena
When
29th April 2016
Price
£47.50
Who with
No-one
Position
Towards the front
Comments
Just 12 days after heading to the Genting Arena to watch ELO I returned to the same place to enjoy Noel Gallagher with Super Furry Animals, and it was half the price too! The ELO ticket was certainly more than a bit steep, however I wouldn't have bothered with Noel if it wasn't for the quality of support, and the chance to see him 16 years after I saw Oasis on the night they failed to split up - something I still haven't forgiven them for - and after also reasonably enjoying Beady Eye supporting The Stone Roses, I was hopeful it would be a worthwhile night. Also SFA were supporting the Manics in Swansea a month later, so I did ultimately develop some doubts, specifically around the frustration of the anticlimax of my favourite band being followed by someone else, and doubts about the twat levels in the crowd, both how twatty they'd be when Noel was on and also if they'd undermine SFA with an indifferent reception. Also I'm not too keen on large arenas as I've often said, although after a positive experience at Genting Arena for ELO, and in the knowledge I had standing tickets thus a superior view, I did start to look forward to it as the show approached. Also this would be the 17th time I'd be watching SFA, and although I felt that Noel's solo career was a little mediocre, it was clear he was still writing some reasonable mid-tempo songs and delivering crowd-pleasing shows with a good few Oasis tracks to enjoy. Although the High Flying Birds moniker implies a band, as far as I'm concerned this is Noel Gallagher solo pure and simple. I rushed to get tickets but they didn't sell out immediately as I'd expected, and I find the clamour for an Oasis reunion to be deeply frustrating considering they played on a full decade longer than they should have done, and to diminishing returns. Given the fractured relationship between Noel and Liam there was a good chance that the atmosphere would be much less aggressive and generally more relaxing and fun for Noel than if this was a full-on Oasis show, which was no bad thing.

I did contemplate buying Noel's albums but never got round to it, although I did hear some of SFA's greatest hits and also all the Noel live songs I had, which was a good few I'd accumulated over the years. I was still off work and with Cyprus to look forward to, and had been contemplating a trip abroad but ultimately couldn't be arsed with the hassle, although as I didn't want to be idle I headed to Llandudno for three nights, also taking in Conwy and Colwyn Bay. Despite the weather forecast saying it would be cold and wet in fact it was non-stop sunshine and I was horrifically burned, but luckily I wasn't hassled with any twattish comments from anyone tonight about sunburn, and I also managed to finally pick up some after sun at the train station Boots for a reasonable price. Conwy completely overshadowed Llandudno due to its glorious castle and town walls, and I am utterly baffled by the council's determination to demolish Colwyn Bay's pier. There was no chance I'd had bothered to visit if it wasn't still standing, although the Welsh Mountain Zoo was also worth a peek, in particular for some super-cute otters! In the 24 hours between my return from Llandudno and my trip back out again to Birmingham International I went out to Shrewsbury to watch Spamalot, which I was delighted/shocked to see was playing at Theatre Royal. The train ticket, meal cost and bargain show ticket cost less than the show ticket alone would have cost in the West End, and although the production wasn't quite on the same scale the quality of the show shone through nicely, although I fear that the wonderful Book Of Mormon has completely overshadowed all competition when it comes to comedic musicals. On the morning of the show I fought to catch up with my TV viewing, but headed out around 2:30pm as I'd booked a table for Las Iguanas for 4pm, figuring it was my best chance to get a high quality meal from their bargain lunch menu, and would make up for the disappointment of their being fully booked last time around.

It was raining in the morning but this cleared up unexpectedly as I headed out, and I was hugely frustrated with a random 30 minute delay as the train ground to a halt outside Wolverhampton. I read NME and played phone Solitaire on the journey but was let down by a busy train, as the one carriage I was in was noisy due to some drunken tossers twatting around, making me hope that they weren't on the way to the concert! However the train picked up speed once it finally got going and I ended up dashing to Las Iguanas perfectly on time, although the rush there left me breathless and less enthused by the prospect of eating alone. However there was no arguing with the food, as I had 2 for 1 strawberry daiquiris, which unusually weren't slushy as I'd expect, then dadihnos for starter which I am told are smoked cheese cubes. They were pleasant enough but I should have gone with the nachos and enjoyed a larger portion. The main was fantastic though, as I tucked into a boned chicken that took ages to demolish, and it was larger than it appeared on first glance. I left the restaurant with change from £20 and made my way to the hotel, still lugging my bag around which I hadn't been able to offload thanks to the train delay. It was another Ibis hotel and I was surprised to learn that there are three of them on the Birmingham International complex. This one was in the airport car park next to an Ibis Budget and, although the room wasn't as large as it had been at Ibis Styles, it was a perfectly luxurious place to spend the night when all I wanted was the convenience of not having to travel far. Although I had contemplated cancelling it and trying my luck with the trains I do think it was worth the effort and expense, and also as an 11pm curfew was being advertised I'd probably had been pushing my luck to have tried dashing back on the night. Also I'd agreed an excursion to Stratford Upon Avon the next day, and getting there was a little more straightforward from here, even if I would have to go there via Birmingham city.

I showered and tidied up my stuff, finding enough time to draft the initial notes that kick off this review above, but I was keen to head out again so didn't spend long online. I didn't risk taking a water bottle in to avoid the hassle, although I had decided that for the first time since the very first occasion I watched the Super Furries back in 1997 that I wasn't going to fight to be at the front. The venue had opened at 5pm and doors at 6pm with a 7:45pm start advertised for SFA so it would have involved a lot of waiting around, and also as it was a larger gig I didn't relish the risk of being frustrated by failure, and figured I'd enjoy myself more to relax a little and head in a bit after 6pm. Although there were some people waiting I enjoyed another fast entrance, and there were relatively few fans congregating at the front. Strangely it seemed that these were mostly Noel's fans, so perhaps the hardcore SFA fans decided to watch them support the Manics, or just hadn't fancied the prospect of paying £50 and seeing Noel Gallagher too? It was disappointing, but perhaps explains why SFA don't bother playing the West Midlands often, as since they abandoned Wolverhampton they encountered only mediocre and unappreciative fans in Birmingham, before giving the second city a miss too. I was given a wristband to cement my place in the standing arena but I didn't leave the room again, and I noted that the stage had already been set up for the Super Furry Animals, with the SFA OK registration plate on proud display and the blue Juxtapozed With U machine taking pride of place. The waiting time whizzed by as SFA appeared promptly at 7:45pm in white lab coats, to a moderately positive but disappointingly subdued reception. Clearly SFA are more than just a so-so support band to just politely applaud through, and it's tragic that only me in my Furrymania t-shirt and a handful of other fans were taking full advantage of this wonderful moment by treating the show as a double headliner, albeit one where the best band would be playing first!

SFA kicked off with Slow Life, but it was perhaps too challenging and lengthy an opener to play in a short slot, and also it has been done many times before. Some impact was lost in the low production values, as apart from the band's name flashing up a few times there was little to ram the power of the music home expect some lights and a bit of smoke. For a band as visual as SFA this was a real shame, and I shot a video of the opener to demonstrate the excellent zoom on my camera, but tragically the red Power Ranger helmet made no appearance. Gruff was wearing a bobble hat and had the Applause and Louder signs ready, and although the crowd were polite enough it was frustrating as they didn't seem to absorb the brilliance of what they were seeing. However I would say I'm SFA's harshest enlightened critic, and immediately could tell that they were going to segue into (Drawing) Rings Around The World, which was lively as ever but it was a shame to be wheeling out a 13 year old opening routine when SFA have so many other things they could do for a change. However, tonight was to be the usual catalogue of reliable old favourites, and I shot a video of the end of Do Or Die, which lacked no power except for the crowd standing still like gormless fools. Hello Sunshine was then heralded with bright yellow lights, and Gruff paused the song before the minger verse to thank Noel Gallagher and to announce that this was their last night on tour with him. Next up was If You Don't Want Me To Destroy You, followed by Demons, although I felt frustrated that Demons was greeted as if it was the biggest hit so far, when in my mind it will always be the unwelcome fourth single from Radiator that should have been pushed aside in favour of Down A Different River or She's Got Spies. The applause came in early for the end, and similarly there was sustained applause for Juxtapozed With U, although this time it was encouraged by Gruff holding up a sign asking us to keep it up! I'd like to think that everyone with a remotely open mind who wasn't thwarted by the negativity of being at the back of an enormodome would have been comfortably won over by now, but a final barrage of brilliance was still to come, and clearly quite a few fans recognised the wonderful The International Language Of Screaming.

This was followed by Golden Retriever, and I suspect that this is where everyone became completely blown away by just how many hits SFA had accumulated, before the inevitable The Man Don't Give A Fuck. This was the moment when the doubting Thomas's should have thrown caution to the wind and gone crazy, but it was undermined as the only fan who went crazy and started to jump around almost got beaten up by some utter cunt who'd taken his girlfriend into the very front of the moshpit and then expected everyone else to just stand still and not move around or push. Obviously pushing is very annoying, but you have to expect a certain level of body contact if you choose to go to the front of a huge gig like this, and no-one has any right to try to stop a fan from enjoying the undisputed highlight of the evening in a harmless way. SFA left the stage then reappeared in the full-on yeti costumes, striking the longest pose ever to allow us to take photos, as I shot a short video and also captured the fantastic photo you can see above. Gruff waved the Thank You, Goodbye and The End signs. The moshing fan then left for the exit, making it clear he was going home, and although I admire his dedication to the superiority of the Super Furries, not giving Noel a chance is just silly. I hope it was a fight to catch a train back that was his motivation to leave, as not even bothering to watch the main act is a step too far. It goes without saying that SFA were better than Noel Gallagher, however I'd seen this show many times before and given that SFA had been shorn of a receptive audience, decent backdrop and enough time to delve deeper into their back catalogue, they were held back significantly. They'd delivered ten singles, opening and closing with the most obvious epic tracks. There was nothing from Mwng to frighten the English audience and no unexpected delights. Debatably they'd had gone down just as well if they hadn't played the hits and then it would have meant something a little extra to me, but I'm not going to begrudge hearing ten of the greatest songs ever all in a row. Although dropping Demons in favour of Calimero and Receptacle For The Respectable would have been glorious.

By now I was quite thirsty but the crowd had really filled up, and as I was quite near the front I hadn't been fully aware of the speed at which this had happened. I was delighted that standing so far forwards had made this feel like a regular gig at a nice mid-sized venue like the Civic, and allowed me to tune out the cavernous scale of the room behind me. Given that I was already in a great spot and didn't hold much hope of getting back to a remotely similar position without some serious pushing, and also that any drink I purchased may have been forcibly transferred to a useless paper cup, I stayed put. I figured out that I could start off at the front, then if I got bored, overly pushed around or just too thirsty that I could leave. I was exchanging messages with a couple of friends who were there but they went quiet on me, and as I wasn't willing to sacrifice a wonderful position for the sake of standing at the back alongside people I couldn't hear, I let it be. In their failure to respond to messages I still don't know if they bothered to even watch SFA! The stage was set up and time passed without any delay. The music played was reasonable quality, although You Set The Scene by Love, which I heard as I first walked in, was a high point that was never equalled. It was good background music but not compelling enough that the fans joined in. I was delighted to spot Serge from Kasabian heading to the area on the left of the stage, his appearance was unmistakable and Noel gave him a shout-out during the show. He must have been absolutely buzzing given Leicester's imminent title success, and in fact Kasabian announced a couple of homecoming celebration gigs the very next day, which was a little premature as they hadn't yet mathematically won the title! The Noel G set-up was classic and basic, with High Flying Birds written on the drum kit and a big coloured box thing to the right where presumably keyboards and percussion were to be played from.

The lights went down and Noel came onstage bang on time at 9pm after an intro tape of Shoot A Hole Into The Sun. I shot a video of first song proper Everybody's On The Run, capturing the build up and intro, as the crowd sung constantly. It showcased just what an excellent position I was in, although my refusal to hold my camera rudely above my head meant my footage was battling a barrage of hands and heads in the way. Next up was Lock All The Doors, and these are certainly pleasant enough songs, but without the goodwill of Oasis they never would have gone down so well. However, the atmosphere was positive and enthusiastic, and much like Paul Weller I could respect the craft that went into the tunes, even if they are more songs to appreciate rather than to live your life for. There were no side screens but a fantastic back screen gave variety and colour to the show, including occasional live footage of Noel too. There was also a video screen strip set high above the stage, although as I was so far forwards I could barely see it. Noel engaged with a little banter with the right side of the crowd, trying to hear if someone there had thrown up or was just pissed, before declaring he couldn't understand what they were saying due to the accent. There was a slam pit to my right at times, and I also braced the heat and kept my coat on for longer than I'd had liked out of fear that some twat would chuck a pint. However, perhaps the biggest twats no longer attend, or have mellowed, as the crowd were surprisingly well-behaved, and I didn't feel at all threatened or compelled to jump when I didn't want to. Standing a bit to the left was a smart move, and even the slam pit was stamped out by a few fans aggressively complaining about being pushed. Although it's churlish to get too upset when you choose to expose yourself to standing near the front of a show like this, perhaps the fight back did keep a lid on the worst of the crowd behaviour. I barely had any beer spilled on me at all, except for one mysterious sprinkle early on. Perhaps most extraordinary was the realisation that almost no-one pushed past me, and even the couple of twats who did violently force their way in eventually calmed down and fell into sync with the crowd vibes.

High Flying Birds were a relatively nondescript band, although the drummer in a pork pie hat did look very slightly familiar. A few reasonable Noel numbers followed before the Oasis hit fest started with Fade Away. It was great to hear Noel focusing on the early b-sides and songs that meant something to him, and also this helped to balance out the show, as the relative quality of his songs fit in nicely with the mid-level Oasis tunes, whereas with Beady Eye Liam delivered the most storming of Oasis numbers, and had the audacity to follow them with random b-sides, delivering frustration when the crowd were looking to go wild. A strange moment was Champagne Supernova, as it was played quite gently, and this was the point I realised that this crowd weren't going to go mad to the point that it would make it too unpleasant to stay in the "moshpit". I shot a video and enjoyed the gentle build-up, and I reckon this was the first time I genuinely enjoyed hearing the song since I saw Oasis live back in August 2000. Frustratingly for me I just heard it a few too many times in 1996 and it spoiled it a little. Interestingly there were a good few younger fans, but perhaps they were here for the Noel songs as much as for anything else, and not "being there" in the heyday of Oasis prevented them from going as crazy as youth can allow for. Talk Tonight was nice but it just reminded me that D'Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman? was slighter but jauntier and generally better, so I was thrilled when Noel then launched into it. It's a great song and I shot a video, and this was the moment when I decided I was genuinely happy to be there, and that sticking around had been worthwhile rather than just an anticlimax after watching SFA.

Noel kept the hits flowing (after playing The Mexican, which I don't know), with Half The World Away, as I shot my longest video, which was blighted a little by a hand being in my way, before I had to shoot the second half of the video through someone else's camera phone. Noel's the kind of guy I could imagine not liking the phenomenon of phones at gigs, but he cares about crowd enjoyment and didn't say anything. However, I feel I'm in a different group to the twats who do it, firstly because I use a proper camera, secondly because I never hold it above my head, and thirdly because I rarely film for longer than a minute or so, and usually just for a matter of seconds to give me something to remember the show by. Usually I'm just trying to capture the perfect photo, and regret not having a camera for so many of my early gigs. It's interesting how no venom is aimed at the fans who hold their hands above their heads constantly for no reason, as this is pure annoyance and has no benefit for them or anyone else. Very strange! I thought that the show was then going up a notch with Supersonic, and clearly quite a few other fans were completely wrong-footed when it turned out to be Listen Up, a b-side. Some kept on singing, but I barely knew it and was disappointed by the tease, even if Noel was just playing the song as it was. Perhaps the height of the moshpit and chaos was Digsy's Dinner, which is an absolutely glorious song that at one point had been unfairly maligned and ignored by both fans and the band - it is to Oasis what Revol is to the Manics! A guy even went topless, and a few fans were on each other's shoulders, although I only recall the one crowdsurfer. The main set then ended with The Masterplan, which truly is a masterful song, and how Noel could ever have thought of it as a b-side is absolutely mystifying. Perhaps Oasis deliberately created the impression of greater depth of brilliance by hiding such gems on singles, or otherwise Noel lost his natural gift of songwriting much as it seemed to desert The Stone Roses after their debut.

I don't think anyone had the slightest doubt that Noel was to return, although more surprising was his choice to play Wonderwall, which I shot a short video of. It's another song I heard to death and grew absolutely sick of in the 90s, so who knows what Noel feels about it, although I had heard he'd regained at least some passion for it thanks to a Ryan Adams cover version. The momentum was then lost with (I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine, and perhaps Noel was a bit overconfident in the quality of his new material to stand it alongside the very best of Oasis. Few of his solo songs can do that, although AKA... What A Life! did deserve its place amongst the greats at the end. The show then ended, inevitably, with Don't Look Back In Anger, as I shot a long video of the fans singing the second chorus as crowd footage was projected onto the screen. It was an excellent moment in crowd participation, although after seeing the utter chaos of Oasis performing it 16 years earlier it felt a little sedate. However, between us all I think the singing was just about loud enough, as Noel remained a while to applaud the crowd, demonstrating a humility you wouldn't think him capable of. The show came to a close at 10:40pm, a good 20 minutes before the expected 11pm curfew, and again the door to the front of the venue was opened and the route back to Birmingham International was ludicrously simple, taking in a stop in Spar to pick up some juice to quench my thirst and chocolate to subsidise the early meal. I had a shower and hung around, staying up late to play on the internet and write up these notes, also half-hoping to hear back from my friends who were enthusiastic about meeting and had then gone quiet on me. However, I understand they eventually had a cripplingly expensive and drunken night in the Casino, which isn't for me as I feel it is impossible to follow up the majesty of a live concert. A few quiet drinks in the hotel bar talking of the success of both Noel and the SFA was much more what I had in mind.

Noel had certainly exceeded expectations and delivered something I hadn't heard before, whereas with SFA I expect absolute genius, so it is harder for them to measure up. Also as I mentioned earlier SFA suffered due to less production values and crowd enthusiasm, although that is more the fault of factors outside their control rather than being something they can fix. In general I'd say the night had been an unqualified success, as neither performance had been blighted by the level of twattish behaviour I feared, and I certainly never expected that I could comfortably stand so near the front throughout the evening without my glasses coming under the slightest threat. My ears had taken a pounding though and they were whistling loudly, and it wasn't until the morning after that I utilised the heavy laptop I'd taken all this way to write up the notes onto, later allowing me to pretty much type up the full review just four days after the show. I enjoyed a productive morning going through the TV guide, devouring a Boots meal deal and chilling out, before heading over to Stratford Upon Avon as planned, which was nice despite the large backpack and overnight stuff I was lugging around. Apart from a massive rain shower in the middle of the day there was yet more sunshine that hadn't been forecast, so it was fortunate that I chose to wear my hat, even if it had been to cover up my existing sunburn rather than the fear of yet more sun. Bloody weathermen getting it wrong all the time! Tonight had steamrollered through my doubts and proved to be an unmitigated success, and with SFA supporting MSP in Swansea to look forward to I had high hopes that it would at least be equalled very soon!
Setlist (Super Furry Animals)
Slow Life
(Drawing) Rings Around The World
Do Or Die
Hello Sunshine
If You Don't Want Me To Destroy You
Demons
Juxtapozed With U
The International Language Of Screaming
Golden Retriever
The Man Don't Give A Fuck
Setlist (Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds)
Shoot A Hole Into The Sun
Everybody's On The Run
Lock All The Doors
In The Heat Of The Moment
Riverman
Fade Away
The Death Of You And Me
You Know We Can't Go Back
Champagne Supernova
Ballad Of The Mighty I
Talk Tonight
D'Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman?
The Mexican
Half The World Away
Listen Up
If I Had A Gun...
Digsy's Dinner
The Masterplan
Wonderwall
(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine
AKA... What A Life!
Don't Look Back In Anger

Mark: 9.0/10