The sun begins to set at London’s Clapham Common park, painting the sky a soft pink hue, and people are getting antsy. Beers are of dangerously low consumption levels, a slight chill has taken over the otherwise sunnily warm day, and even a horrendously off-key group chant of ‘Wonderwall’ has begun to lose its tempo. But then the screens go black, the lights dim, and the crowd gives a low roar in unison to welcome to the stage the one, the only, Noel Gallagher.
Things in Clapham burst to life with ‘Everybody’s On the Run’, and spirits are instantly awakened; the whole of the park sing Noel’s lyrics back to him as soon as the first chords are struck. If a glaring lack of invite to Glastonbury bothered Noel, it doesn’t show at all as he thunders through the baroque-pop tracks from his critically-acclaimed latest album, Chasing Yesterday. Noel’s setlist tonight is a presentation to show the Eavises just what they were missing from this year’s edition of festivities at Worthy Farm. Topping the bill at tonight’s Clapham Calling festival, Noel already shows himself more than capable of headlining monstrous-sized venues on his own; the 15,000 strong crowd hang onto his every word, every lyric, every move. Roars of appreciation go up with every change of song; ‘Fade Away’, the first night’s taster of an Oasis cover, is a group sing-along brimming with sweet nostalgia and wistfulness, while Noel’s own tracks, ‘Lock All the Doors’ and ‘Heat of the Moment’, gets just as enthusiastic a reception.
Noel makes sure to treat the crowd to his trademark witticisms throughout his set. When introducing ‘Riverman’, a single taken from his newest record, Noel tells the audience, “This song is a bit of a special one. It contains a saxophone! So don’t be alarmed, don’t be alarmed… this one’s ‘Live Forever’.” Screams and gasps quickly transpire through the crowd, and Noel chuckles. “Really? You lot bought that?! A saxophone in ‘Live Forever’?! How pissed are you?!” The setlist relies heavily on material from Noel’s latest album, with ‘You Know We Can’t Go Back’ and ‘In the Heat of the Moment’ the most hard-hitting. Before ‘The Mexican’, Noel asks, “Have we got any Mexicans in here? We were in Belgium the other day and I asked if there were any Mexicans in the crowd. This one bloke raises his arm. He was a ginger. A ginger Mexican! That’s rarer than a fucking unicorn.”
Noel’s vocals are impeccable, with a refined sense of age, much like a fine wine, and the crowd’s passionate enthusiasm for every song just proves that the Manchester singer-songwriter won’t ever wane in adoration. It is a stunning vocal performance, seasoned with timelessness over the course of decades. His set is arguably one of the most retrospective in modern times, with a wealth of Oasis classics where Noel is seen visibly smiling for the first time (‘Champagne Supernova’, ‘The Masterplan’), art-pop sing-alongs (‘What a Life’), and raw tenderness (‘If I Had a Gun’).
Noel closes his set perfectly with a heartfelt, full band rendition of Oasis classic ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’, and once again, the whole of Clapham Common are on their feet, arms raised to the skies, vocal chords aching with the intensity of singing. Aged, balding, mustache-clad Britpop veterans, flower crown-wearing adolescents, and youths of no more than eleven years old are brought together with the song. Arms are around shoulders and eyes twinkle with the joy of singing along to one of the world’s most beloved anthems; Noel’s vocal is an open-aired embrace for the thousands who love him so.
It is when Noel performs an out of the ordinary Oasis song not usually found in his setlist, ‘Whatever’, that it feels as if he is making a statement, reasserting himself to the world… “I’m free to be whatever I / whatever I choose… and I’ll sing the blues if I want.” It is almost as if, at least in recent times, the past of Oasis has become a burden to Noel, a shadow in the dark clinging on to his shoulders, always hiding in the corner of his eye. Even with two breakthrough solo records under his belt, Noel is frequently asked about his brother, the possibility of an Oasis reunion, or if there ever will be a future for Oasis. But Noel, of course, has never let it seep to him. His constantly stellar singles have done as much as they can to lessen his own need of an Oasis reunion, creating his own legacy shaped by his own brand of alternative art rock. As if by performing ‘Whatever’, Noel is addressing the world at large, proving himself more than worthy of breaking free from his Oasis shadow and taking to his own path. And he already has done. If the thousands of dedicated, adoring fans singing along to every one of his solo songs tonight shows anything, Noel need not worry; he has paved his own way, and his own headline slots at the world’s biggest stages should be waiting for him soon. It’s about time.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds played:
Everybody’s On the Run
Lock All the Doors
In the Heat of the Moment
Fade Away (Oasis cover)
The Death of You and Me
Riverman
You Know We Can’t Go Back
Champagne Supernova (Oasis cover)
Dream On
Whatever (Oasis cover)
The Mexican
(Stranded On) the Wrong Beach
AKA… Broken Arrow
Digsy’s Dinner (Oasis cover)
If I Had a Gun…
Do the Damage
The Masterplan (Oasis cover)
AKA… What a Life!
Don’t Look Back In Anger (Oasis cover)