Liam Gallagher and John Squire
3Olympia
★★★★☆
“Brevity is the soul of wit,” so says Polonius in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, an idea that Liam Gallagher and John Squire borrow for this concise show that distils their vision in just under an hour. With a tight band, including the brilliant Little Barrie, Gallagher and Squire root around their debut collaborative record, a feat in itself, given Squire has not released anything under his own name in 20 years.
What transpires is almost beyond being about their recently released record, and more about witnessing two totemic artists in dialogue. That dialogue is an interesting one, with Squire acting as a kind of foil to Gallagher, who is more restrained than previously – and that restraint is interesting. It isn’t so much hesitancy on Gallagher’s part as a kind of gentleness, a trait he is not ordinarily associated with, but as he sings of stumbling upon “another rainbow” and taking things “one day at a time”, there seems to be a genuine epiphany going on.
Their record is full of 1960s rock references and a nostalgia for 1990s Britpop, but there are pockets of something different also, which the live show serves well, and there is an evocative bluesy element, which Squire courts brilliantly – it is where he thrives, particularly on something like I’m a Wheel, and You’re Not the Only One, which reminds us just how incredible a guitarist he is.
Gallagher could sing to us about his weekly food shop and it would prove interesting, and there is something quite wonderful about seeing him approach the microphone as if it long owed him money. His graceful swagger, often imitated and never bettered, adds value, as does his masterclass in menacing percussion with maracas and tambourine.
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The show is essentially about a vibe, and they convey a potent one to an adoring audience – comprising a wide span of ages, who sing back every word. Songs like the folk-influenced Mars to Liverpool and Love You Forever really fly in this context, sounding more heavyweight than on record, and One Day at a Time reveals ghostly echoes of The Faces (and occasionally Simon & Garfunkel).
This is a true collaboration, with so much potential – their record seems like a feeling out of each other, but a second record could provide a deeper understanding. There is something very engaging about this rock-pop hybrid, with the rich fluency of Squire’s guitar lines perfectly underscoring Gallagher’s world-weary vocal, and there is a playfulness in refusing what might be expected of them – on Make it Up as You Go Along Gallagher sings, “thank you for your thoughts and prayers and f**k you too”, it is all so delightfully irreverent, and stridently charming.
As the encore comes around, they faithfully recreate The Rolling Stones Jumpin’ Jack Flash, honouring the past while infusing it with the best of each other, and as Gallagher sings of being “born in a crossfire hurricane”, the Stones tale of redemption acts as a perfect parting glass.
