GIG NUMBER SEVENTY-THREE
Who
For some reason they overran by a good 15 minutes but there was still time for some DJing. It turned out to be Puressence (and they were hiding from view anyway) who were spinning the discs and the only difference between this and a normal DJ slot was that it was unnecessarily loud! They played London Calling but otherwise it was a few completely unknown (if occasionally intriguing) tunes which so many DJs seem to get off on. I really never understand this, as I could comfortably play hours of far more varied/well known/interesting (delete as applicable) tunes but the guys who get paid to do it are largely unable to. By this point we had made it forwards to near the right speaker and had been unable to find somewhere quiet enough to chat. The crowd had packed themselves towards the back leaving plenty of space near the front. Despite the current state of my feet (from ill-advisedly wearing sandals while enjoying a DJ who knows what classic tunes are earlier on in the week) I was up for a bit of moshing when the time came!
The Clone Roses made up the time lost by Virtuoso nicely by playing a (presumably backwards) burst of Stone Roses songs and arriving onstage almost on time. As there is only one way to open a Stone Roses tribute set, I Wanna Be Adored was cranked up and played out in all its glory. Straight away I decided that these guys were better than Fools Gold, pretty much because the singer really did sound like Ian Brown! They deviated from the expected order by following up with Elephant Stone, then The Hardest Thing In The World (strangely provoking an even more intense reaction!) and the excellent Love Spreads. This number was the only representative on show from The Second Coming and deserves its place alongside the classics. This being Manchester, the crowd were also going quite mad, jumping on each others shoulders and seemed to have grasped the fact that the only reason to see a tribute band is to try and dance and enjoy the tunes!
However, it is Waterfall that I will always rate as my top Stone Roses tune, as this is a song I can put on again and again and it never gets boring. Also nice is Made Of Stone, although it certainly is far from their best. By this time the rabid crowd seemed to have pushed us quite a way back but I was still one beer (and two legs) away from really joining in. I decided I wanted to pay a visit and go to the bar as soon as they played a b-side but She Bangs The Drums was hardly the opportunity so I waited longer. I had never heard the nicely titled Sugar Spun Sister before so decided to make a run for the bar then pushed my way back just in time to enjoy the frighteningly strong b-side Mersey Paradise. I felt much better now thanks to the extra beer and finally started to properly join in the dancing. Sally Cinnamon was the very first Stone Roses classic and still stands as one of their loveliest ever songs and certainly kept me interested.
I believe they played one or two other tunes I didn't know (possibly Where Angels Play) which were introduced as having not being played in a long time by the band and seemed to go on for a very long time. The only omissions were of a minor nature, namely Ten Storey Love Song and What The World Is Waiting For, so I guess I can understand there being a few tunes I was less keen on and cannot say it detracted from the show. For a band who were only good for one album and a few singles afterwards The Stone Roses have left behind an astonishing collection of tunes which I rate as good enough to make them the finest band of the 1980s despite not coming onto the scene properly until 1989! Anyone who says they're overrated is either missing something, or is perhaps pointing towards a few other groups out there who deserve (and don't get) greater devotion. But when put against Oasis, Blur, Stereophonics, Travis and Nirvana (the five strongest candidates for best massive band of the 90s) I'd say only Blur can lay any real claim to being a better band, and that's only after seven albums of great music!
The set finished with This Is The One, then a slightly truncated Fools Gold followed by the obvious I Am The Resurrection, which I'd probably rate as the most amazing closing song this side of The Man Don't Give A Fuck! Although they didn't deliver the ending exactly as I'd imagine it being played live, it was still enough to make everyone go mad, continue moshing and silence any critics of The Stone Roses! The band themselves were excellent. Ian Brown really was spot-on, doing his "ch! ch!" noises, walking around the stage with the correct degree of attitude, trying to stare us all out and wearing the money-around-the-neck outfit which had become so legendary. John Squire was also convincing, wearing a hoodie and gradually getting into it and rocking out more as the set went on. Reni was also as I'd imagine him to be, supremely chilled out and wearing his hat. The only possible weak link was Mani, but that's only because I'd expect him to be the most energetic and charismatic guy onstage and instead he just quietly did his bit. Whether this was how it was is something I don't know! The band shook the hands of those down the front and made their exits, leaving my ears whistling and opinion of The Roses just that little bit higher.
Mark: 7.5/10
The Clone Roses
Support
Virtuoso
Where
Manchester Hop And Grape
When
11th June 2005
Price
£10.00
Who with
Matt
Position
Towards the front
Comments
The last time I saw a tribute band was the identically themed Fools Gold who were entertaining. Hence forking out another £10 to see a set crammed full of classic songs (and leaving just The Complete Stone Roses to see in The Stone Roses Tribute Band Trilogy) seemed a rock-solid safe bet, as well as taking me up to an impressive ten gigs for the year so far. I'd forgotten beforehand of the possibility of a Mancunian great like Mani or Clint Boon supporting so hadn't rushed to get in thus was relieved to find it was only local band Virtuoso supporting. At first I was put off by the volume of the mediocrity coming from the room (and the fact if I went in I'd have to review them!) so we stayed outside but eventually got bored enough and went in to hang around the bar and to stare in wonder at the mixing desk. The crowd was pretty big and Virtuoso seemed to be going down well. Admittedly they sounded better than I'd expected but were still a dull (if slightly more energetic than usual) support.
