Liam Gallagher // Finsbury Park, London, 2018 – Ed Budds
Oasis have soundtracked my entire life, so seeing Liam Gallagher play a solo show was as close as I’m ever likely to get to seeing the full band play. In 2018, Finsbury Park was transformed into a raucous sea of khaki windbreakers and sweaty Fred Perry polos, bouncing all as one, bellowing every sneering emphasised syllable.
The pure ecstasy of hearing 50,000 voices scream SUNSHIIIIIIIIIINE in glorious unison was truly biblical. The air itself over the frenzied crowd was saturated with lager and smoke from the phosphorescent selection of flares and flying pints. It was two hours of communion at the church of true rock ‘n’ roll royalty. I was coated in goosebumps for every mesmerising moment of a perfect setlist.
Well past 11, adorned in his classic sunglasses, and wearing his customary parka despite the July evening warmth, Liam Gallagher was everything you’d expect from the voice of several generations.