Kasabian & Noel Gallagher rock Dublin
It's a big ancestral Irish love-in in Marlay Park.
The Hot Press Newsdesk, 24 Aug 2012
The rain stayed mercifully at bay last night on Dublin's Southside as two of the biggest names in British rock (with a little help from Maverick Sabre and The Cribs) rolled out the feel-good summer hits one last time.
With the majority of the revellers finally navigating a traffic-jammed city – owing to the taxi strike – and stringent security measures just in time to see Noely G restart his set after a few technical difficulties, the crowd were treating to a blend of old and new, as well as plenty of Gallagher Snr's patented faux-curmudgeonly banter.
It is the third time in less than a year that Noel has brought his High Flying Birds to Irish shores and if the novelty is wearing ever so slightly thin, it's off-set by the mastery he now has over his solo set.
New material has risen in stature – 'If I Had A Gun' prompts a mass singalong, 'AKA' is greeted with rapturous roars – and they're neatly lined up alongside 'the classics'. Of those, 'Supersonic' is reinvented acoustically, 'Whatever' benefits from a lack of Liam and the closing 'Don't Look Back In Anger' is such a "moment" that you fear for the following act.
Not that we need too – Kasabian are a formidable live beast at this stage. Their hero worship of Oasis is still there, but in reality they're a far more inventive act unafraid to mix electronica with trumpets and guitar solos. Primal Scream come to mind.
As for the twin frontmen, Tom bounces about, talking up his Irish connections (he bleeds 'green' etc), whilst Serge is almost shamanistic at this stage, veering from gazing at the stars to cursing at the moshpit.
It helps that they now have four albums of equal status under their belt – newies from Velociraptor! are as well-received as the likes of 'Club Foot'. Some expertly-picked covers of 'Everybody's Gotta Learn Sometimes' and 'Praise You' (which segues wonderfully into 'Lost Souls Forever') offer a welcome surprise or two and the final prolonged version of 'Fire' is incendiary. Literally.
Look for Craig Fitzpatrick's full review of the evening's escapes in the next issue of Hot Press, out Thursday September 6.
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