At Wembley with Noel Gallagher and his High Flying Birds.
On Friday 27th April, Noel Gallagher and the High Flying Birds brought their UK headline tour to Wembley Arena, performing an uplifting and even enriching show that warmed the hearts of the packed out crowd, and proved
that as a solo artist (surrounded by his band of esteemed musicians), Noel could hold his own.
Although lesser known for his Twitter attacks or controversial quotes in the papers, Noel’s performance dismissed any thoughts that he was the quieter brother. He swaggered about the stage, demonstrating the famous Gallagher
arrogance but also the huge amount of talent that goes with it. Looking very slick with styled hair and a black polo shirt, Noel interacted with the audience, encouraging their positive response, jokingly asking them...
“What the fuck are you doing here on a Friday night?”
This question was only met with shouts of admiration; it was clear this audience was here for one thing and one thing only, to see their idol take the stage.
Unexpectedly, it was the lighting and visuals for the show that it made it a real stand out performance, vibrant and colourful, they lit up the arena, creating an energetic and feel good atmosphere amongst the smiling audience.
Throughout the show Noel playfully bantered with his bandmates, introducing Charlotte Marionneau as, ‘former scissor player’ (however the scissors did then go on to make an appearance), referencing that singer Y-See was from France when telling the room that she hadn't "gone on strike once the whole tour”, and encouraging the audience to boo when his bandmates returned to the stage late for the encore, all done with a cheeky grin and a hint of laughter in his voice.
Although the room was clearly packed with ‘High Flying Birds’ fans, an undeniable wave of energy swept through the room when the Noel asked..
“Are there any Oasis fans here tonight?”
The audience yelled back the lyrics of their favourite band and on more than one occasion Noel stood back and let the 12,000 voices of the crowd take over the song, creating an especially beautiful moment during Don’t Look
Back In Anger.
Finishing with a cover of The Beatles track, All You Need Is Love, Noel bowed with his band, and walked off stage with a smile on his face....The boy had done good.
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