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Watch: The ‘biblical’ scenes from Liam Gallagher’s show in Cardiff

04 Jun 2024 4 minute read
Liam Gallagher brings the Definitely Maybe tour to Cardiff

Monday is not normally known for its rock ‘n’ roll notoriety.

In fact if you stay up past 10pm on the first day of the working week you could be said to be exhibiting hedonistic tendencies.

That didn’t overly concern the 7,000 strong crowd at Cardiff Utilita Arena who had gathered to worship at the altar of the man whose Twitter bio neatly describes him as – RNR STAR GODLIKE RASTA ICON LEGEND BIBLICAL OMNIPRESENT PROPHET SPIRITUAL MAJESTICAL CELESTIAL OPTIMYSTIC BUDDHIST JEDI APPROACHABLE ZEN LOVER HUMBLE.

Liam Gallagher – frontman of the band that defined the ’90s and whose aftershocks are still being keenly felt today, showed that at 51, he’s still effortlessly able to hold an audience in the palm of his hand as the 30th anniversary Definitely Maybe tour rolled into the Welsh capital.

In August of 1994, Definitely Maybe’s release marked a critical moment in British youth culture, with Oasis’ stratospheric anthems heralding a new beginning. It embodied an entirely new mood of rock and pop – hedonistic, guitar-driven and optimistic. The UK, soon to be unshackled from 18 years of Conservative rule, had a growing sense of change and hope in the air, and Oasis captured that mood.

Perched on the brink of more Tory oblivion it seemed prescient then that those songs that soundtracked those heady days of yore were rolled out with political change once again in the offing.

On its release Definitely Maybe, gatecrashed the UK album chart at number one and became the fastest selling debut album of all time, at the time. Sonically defining an attitude of an era, it became a soundtrack to the imminent cultural and political change of Britain in the mid-1990’s.

30 years on, Definitely Maybe, remains an unprecedented classic. Its 11 songs brim with timeless songwriting complimented by Liam’s snarling youthful and restless desire to escape. As well as the singles Supersonic, Shakermaker, Live Forever and Cigarettes & Alcohol, tracks such as Rock ‘n’ Roll Star and Slide Away have become ubiquitous anthems.

Loved by legions of fans and an inspiration for countless bands, it is as relevant as ever and continues to find new devotees in younger generations as the make up of the audience in Cardiff ably demonstrated.

So this wasn’t the full Oasis reunion that many had hankered for – ‘Noel is still playing hard to get’, joked Liam – but with original bandmate Bonehead by his side, the evening still offered many of the visceral thrills of the 1994 line-up that stood on the precipice of greatness.

Three decades later a setlist honed and created in grassroots venues sounded huge amidst the swirling cauldron of the Cardiff arena.

For many it was a walk down memory lane, a lightning rod to all our yesterdays, but don’t let anyone tell you nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, this was a show that crackled with electricity, Liam’s voice sounding better than ever, accompanied by a massed choir of devotees belting out songs that have embroidered themselves into the fabric of music folklore.

Not bad for a Monday night then. Not bad at all.

Liam Gallagher Setlist Utilita Arena Cardiff, Cardiff, Wales 2024, Definitely Maybe 30th Anniversary Tour

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Iago
Iago
6 months ago

7000 people in the arena and half of them aren’t present at all

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lufcwls
lufcwls
6 months ago

What, he sang none of his own songs but covered a song by his brothers band?!

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