The former lead singer of the legendary Oasis has been keen to shake off the link to his former band since their acrimonious split, but playing at the place which is rumoured to have given the band their name made it a difficult task.
As a huge fan of Oasis I was ecstatic at the prospect of seeing Liam rock the stage in Swindon, an intimate venue Oasis would never have dreamed of visiting.
But if I closed my eyes during the intro to Millionaire, then opened them to look around at the audience with their sheepskin coats and Mod-inspired hairstyles, I could have been back in the late 1990s when Oasis were in their prime.
Liam still has his Mancunian swagger. Wearing a green duffle coat, he looked more than comfortable on stage with all eyes focused on him – something I think he has enjoyed all his career.
The die-hard Oasis fans at last night’s gig – mostly men in their 30s and 40s – didn’t seem to miss Liam’s older brother, Noel Gallagher, Oasis’s chief songwriter who walked out on the band in August 2009. Between each song came the chant of ‘Liam, Liam, Liam’, to which he simply replied ‘Swindon’.
He belted out the big hits – The Roller, Four Letter Word and Bring The Light – all songs showing the band’s transition from 1990s Brit Pop and their attempt to put their own stamp on things.
Liam has never hidden where his musical influences come from and they are more than obvious in the song Beatles and Stones which, judging by the reaction it got last night, is sure to be a hit.
Liam acknowledged that “I’m the last of a dying breed” in the song The Beat Goes On, but looking at the thousands who packed into the Oasis, that breed is still going strong.
Whether Beady Eye "stand the test of time" has yet to be seen, but if those old Oasis fans and all the new Beady Eye ones have anything to do with in, the beat will go on and on.
Beady Eye seem to have a real chemistry in this incarnation, and at times they sound truly refreshed by the new lease of life a fresh start has given them.
Vocally Liam is on top form tonight, belting out every number at the top of his lungs like a man determined to make each and every word ring in your head.
In The Bubble With A Bullet is one hell of a catchy tune, while World Outside My Room is a playful acoustically driven bounce that brings to mind The White Album or Doeldrum by The La's. As the set ends with a attitude-stuffed Sons Of The Stage, Liam takes to the front row of the crowd shaking hands and signing CDs... an absolute dream to be that close to one of the all time rock n roll greats.
