The sense of near-orgasmic anticipation that sweeps the Astoria is palpable. With a new album just weeks away, there’s a realisation that we’re about to witness something genuinely special. Liam Gallagher, legs bent slightly at the knees and rattling a tambourine at his side, fixes the audience with a stare that effortlessly blends withering contempt and arrogance with an innate sense of self-confidence that immediately engulfs the venue. It is at once beguiling and not a little frightening but truly, we are in the presence of genuine star quality. To his left, his older brother Noel will elicit the turbo-charged riffs that will soon soundtrack a nation.
But enough of Oasis’ last visit to this venue on a balmy August night in 1994, what of now?
Certainly, the comparisons between Oasis Mk1 and the current model couldn’t be more pertinent and in an effort to re-establish their credentials as the UK’s standard bearers of rock’n’roll, it’s back to basics for the Gallaghers. The familiar logo of yore has re-appeared while Gallagher Minor has taken it upon himself – once more – to dispense his homespun philosophy concerning the state of modern music to downright hilarious effect. The boys, it would appear, are back in town.
Tellingly, Oasis indulge themselves in a piece of revisionism worthy of Stalin as they elect to airbrush the existence of "Be Here Now" and "Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants" from history and concentrate instead on delivering a set drawn largely from the halcyon days of Britpop with tantalising glimpses of "Don’t Believe The Truth" thrown in for good measure. It’s a policy that suits their fiercely partisan crowd down to the ground; these are the people, after all, for whom “proper” music stopped in 1997 and woe betide the current crop of nancy students and other perceived lightweights.
And yet it’s impossible not to be seduced by the three-pronged salvo of "Bring It On Down", "Morning Glory" and "Cigarettes & Alcohol". The effect of Liam’s beautifully ragged voice backed by the wall-of-sound guitars of Noel and Gem still has the ability to inspire insane elation with a healthy dollop of goosebumps but sadly, they conspire to highlight the band’s limitations.
Set opener "Turn Up The Sun" is a somewhat weary plod through a slough of second-hand psychedelia while Noel’s turn at the mic with "The Importance Of Being Idle" - despite its pretensions of aping The Kinks – resembles a kind of drunken attempt at music hall bonhomie. Still, if in doubt, get the swag bag ready and get ready to plunder rock’s past. As evidenced by the excellent "Mucky Fingers", Noel has broadened his musical tastes to include The Velvet Underground as he shamelessly rips off "Waiting For The Man" right down to the teeth-grinding rhythms and driving two-chord riff. It’s a total blast and utterly irresistible, as Gem’s harmonica wades in with a more than passable imitation of John Cale’s droning viola.
And herein lies the problem with Oasis. With Gem’s pulsating "A Bell Will Ring" and the extended codas of "Live Forever" and "Champagne Supernova", Oasis threaten to turn into something interesting. Moving away from their origins, this is a band that has the potential to enter the mind-melting wigged-out territories plotted by Spiritualized and it’s difficult to shake the feeling that they are either unwilling or unable to make the great leap forward.
On current form, Oasis are unlikely to win over any new fans but for those already signed up to the cause, this is another milestone.
