Review – Middle Age Fanclub

Theatre Review: ‘A Christmas Carol’ at Leeds Playhouse.

It’s bitterly cold and raining heavily on what it turns out is a chaotic night on the roads into Leeds City Centre. As a result, once we’re finally parked, it’s a mad dash across a couple of busy roads and through the theatre in order to just get sat down as the curtain goes up and the music begins to welcome us to the world of Dickens’ London.

On stage, there’s no rain but ‘snow’ is falling and while nothing is chaotic, there’s certainly an all action start to ‘A Christmas Carol’ with plenty going on in Scrooge’s factory. The song – and those that follow – is unexpected, but makes for not only a welcome surprise but an amazing start to the play.

Deborah MacAndrew’s adaptation of this festive favourite is excellent with the opening song and the neon ‘Scrooge and Marley’ sign the first hints that this will definitely be a move away from what we might call the traditional version of the tale. The show is absolutely joyful and a real feast for the senses that will leave you buzzing with festive cheer, not least because of the addition of some of the biggest, brightest and shall we say, interesting Christmas baubles that you’re ever likely to encounter!

As an English teacher, I know what I was expecting. There are only so many times you can read through the novella before you find that you can ‘hear’ the same voices and ‘see’ the same settings and having never seen ‘A Christmas Carol’ on the stage before I found this version more than a refreshing change. That said, when the Ghost of Christmas Carol didn’t sound like Brian Blessed my mind was temporarily blown! The ghosts though are all superb with Claudia Kariuki bringing a real sense of sparkle to the Ghost of Christmas present, while the presentation of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come is quite stunning and might even feature in a few Christmas nightmares in the audience.

The play is set in Leeds and revolves around Scrooge and Marley’s factory in where the workforce toil in a permanent state of fear of their boss, Ebeneezer Scrooge. And then, when he’s visited by the ghost of his old business partner Jacob Marley, we’re taken on a familiar journey towards redemption as the three ghosts show Scrooge what he was, what he is and point him in the direction of what he perhaps should be.

The cast are superb throughout, making even scene changes and scenery shifting some kind of almost balletic event and there’s never a dull moment. Obioma Ugoala is a terrifying Jacob Marley – something else I wasn’t expecting – as well as an appropriately jolly and benevolent Fezziwig, throwing huge amounts of energy into both roles. Meanwhile Danny Colligan is perfect as Fred, the very antithesis of his uncle Ebeneezer. And a word too for Rosie Strobel who does an excellent job of scene stealing as a rather raucous Mrs. Dilber!

Reece Dinsdale is excellent as Scrooge, throwing around Bah Humbugs with an extra large helping of disdain. And then, when the ghosts start to exert their influence he’s appropriately vulnerable and shows signs of humanity that we don’t always associate with Scrooge before his redemption. A fitting performance for such a classic character.

Overall, ‘A Christmas Carol’ is nothing short of a triumph. A fast paced, festive production that will make you laugh, sing, clap along at times and maybe even shed a tear. Having not felt particularly festive going in, I came out pretty much full of Christmas cheer, which for me was about a fortnight early! A cracking Christmas production!

I give ‘A Christmas Carol’…

Middle Age Gigging: The Bluetones at Academy 2 in Manchester.

Saturday was a busy night for the Britpop revival in Manchester. Fresh from the success of recent Oasis support slots, Richard Ashcroft was crooning out his anthems at Co-Op Live. And meanwhile, far more refreshingly for us, The Bluetones were treating us to their indie pop joy at the Academy on the other side of town without a bucket hat in sight.

As ever the ‘Tones were on fine form and there was much to please a lively crowd.

First up though were The Supernaturals and a bit of a pleasant surprise for yours truly. I wasn’t a fan first time around and their hit ‘Smile’ left me doing anything but. Tonight though, I’m proved wrong – don’t worry, it’s a regular occurrence – as their set is excellent showing that the band have a depth that I’d never been aware of back in the day. The Manchester crowd are a little quiet to begin with, but it’s not long before we’re all enjoying ourselves. The set features stuff like the more upbeat ‘Smile’ and ‘The Day Before Yesterday’s Man’ but there’s also the more reflective ‘Don’t Let The Past Catch Up With You’. The highlight for me is the excellent ‘I Wasn’t Built To Get Up’ and all in all, The Supernaturals have definitely turned my head.

After a short break, our heroes The Bluetones emerge to a rapturous welcome. This tour comes on the back of some new releases, the most recent being the ‘London Weekend Television’ EP and there’s a healthy smattering of new stuff in amongst some well known classics, as well as one or two lesser known tracks. So, with a crowd made up of both Bluetones nerds like myself and my wife and folk out for a night of Bitpop nostalgia, frontman Mark makes a quick mock apology for the songs that some people won’t recognise.

But there’s nothing to apologise for as we kick off in well known territory with ‘Bluetonic’ and everybody’s singing along. It’s followed by the brilliant ‘New Athens’ and ‘Solomon Bites The Worm’ ensuring that it’s been a whirlwind start to proceedings. Last year’s single ‘Drive Thru’ – a bit of a personal favourite – follows before there’s a change of pace with ‘Keep The Home Fires Burning’. All killer so far, no matter what Mr. Morriss might be joking about!

In between songs, as ever, Mark is a master at working the crowd. Tonight, we’re jokingly told off for singing along with a stern ‘No!’, get the tale of how The Bluetones featured on both Bargain Hunt of all places and Sunday Brunch and hear of a time when Mark saw Duran Duran in America and their new songs turned what had been the best night of his life into the stuff of nightmares. There’s even an in gig band meeting when Mark tries to tell us about songs that are instantly known for their first chord strike while Adam insists on playing riffs. He was only talking about the first strike, mate!

Tonight, the new songs are well received and more than hold their own alongside the old hits that the ‘Tones are probably much more well known for among tonight’s crowd. Consequently, ‘The Aristocrats’, ‘Cheap Hotel’ and Madeline blend in seamlessly alongside ‘Cut Some Rug’ and ‘Slight Return’ because the truth is that these lads have never lost the knack of writing a cracking tune. In fact, for me ‘The Aristocrats’ is one of the stand out songs tonight.

The set closes with the brilliant ‘Never Going Nowhere’, which is followed by some good natured and Bluetones approved booing – props to Jimmy for the sign – because we’re all complicit in the lie here; of course they’re coming back for a couple more! I do have a tiny complaint to make here though and perhaps a reason for a small boo. There was no medley at the end of the song…no Eurythmics, no Van Halen and none of the other little surprises which have been blended into the set closer. I’ll let it go this once though…

And so, having also been booed back onstage, the boys are back to finish with the aforementioned ‘London Weekend Television’ an impromptu version of ‘My Way’ and then the sure-fire crowd pleaser that is ‘If…’. Once again, The Bluetones have been outstanding and given us yet another night to remember. Here’s to a new album soon and many many more nights like tonight. Cheers, lads!

Book Review: The Kingdom by Jo Nesbo.

If you’re into your crime thrillers then you’ll know that there are a number of reliable writers in what has fast become a bit of a saturated market. Jo Nesbo though, with his somewhat dark Scandinavian landscapes is undoubtedly one of the best and one of the world’s biggest selling crime writers.

The Kingdom is the tale of two brothers with a dark, mysterious past and more than a few secrets. Roy, the older brother still lives on the family smallholding in remote Norway while holding down a job in the village that they grew up in. Younger brother Carl has emigrated to Canada to make his fortune and perhaps to escape his past. However, when he returns in a blaze of glory, everything changes and a few skeletons begin to threaten to emerge from the cupboards.

The Kingdom is, as you’d expect from Nesbo, a well written thriller full of grisly death and with more than enough twists to keep the reader guessing as to what might happen next and what fate might hold for the two brothers. Dealing with issues like the intricacies of life in a small, insular town, brotherly love and even child abuse, this is much more than just your average crime thriller. Sure, the body count begins to rack up as the story unfolds. but there’s more than just gory mysterious death to this one.

Nesbo’s characters are, as usual, rather complex. In the case of older sibling Roy it felt like the surprises about his character just kept on coming and I never really felt that I’d got to grips with exactly who he was. Maybe this was to do with the conflict between his fierce loyalty to his younger brother and his growing attraction to his sister-in-law, Shannon. And Shannon herself is a pretty dark horse. But then there’s also the younger brother Carl and a whole host of either villagers or mysterious visitors to keep us on our toes.

Such is the sprawling timeline of the narrative that I never felt like I knew exactly what was coming next. And the unpredictability here acts as both a good thing and a bad thing. There was that delicious feeling that you get when the penny starts to drop about what’s going to happen or the time when something is revealed that you truly weren’t expecting, which can be fantastic, but also the distinct feeling that sometimes there might be one character or detail too many. So while I never really lost track, there were times when I hoped that things would move a little faster.

In the end Nesbo draws all of his strings together well, but the twists and turns just keep on coming, meaning that you’re never quite sure who’s going to survive. All this action, drama, blood and backstabbing in a sleepy mountain village. Who’d have thought?

The Kingdom is an epic tale and a hulking great book, but it’s well worth a chunk of your time. And while it can be a little slow at times, it remains an excellent page turner that’s chock full of surprises.

I give The Kingdom…

Theatre Review: ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ at the Leeds Playhouse.

Every once in a while you come across something that is so good you don’t really have the words to describe it. This however, is not a great deal of use when writing a review of said thing!

Afterwards, while walking across Leeds having watched ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’, it struck me that I didn’t feel that I could accurately describe just what I’d seen and how much I’d enjoyed it. We exchanged superlatives – ‘fantastic’, ‘amazing’ – but the conversation didn’t exactly flow. It seemed we’d been stopped in our tracks. This would only get worse when we walked up the stairs to level 7 of the car park and the knees and thighs overtook the brain in terms of some kind of exhaustion. Still, there was a review to write!

‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ tells the tale of a rape trial in America’s deep south; a local black man is falsely accused of the crime and the story unfolds against the backdrop of horrific prejudice, the Great Depression and a distinct lack of hope or justice.

Aaron Sorkin’s adaptation of this American classic, directed by Bartlett Sher, is particularly special. The story itself is, of course, incredibly well known and well loved but there’s something in the way that the tale is presented here that elevates things just that little bit more. While it’s impossible not to be moved by the events unfolding before you, Sorkin’s script allows for frequent lighter moments meaning that the audience is taken on a very emotive journey indeed across the course of the play.

The cast are superb. The narrative is driven mostly by the children – Scout, Jem and their friend Dill – and we’re taken back and forth between the fateful night when Mayella Ewell is attacked and the events before, during and after the trial. Anna Munden as Scout stands out here; a carefree child at times, yet vulnerable and shocked by what the world seems to be throwing her way in a heartbeat. The relationship between her and Jem (Gabriel Scott), juggling the onset of manhood during these troubled times with the fact that he’s just a boy trying to enjoy what feels like yet another endless summer, is a pleasure to watch. A word too for Dylan Malyn who is brilliantly cartoonish, displaying excellent comic timing as well as a genuine sadness and bewilderment, as Dill.

Aaron Shosanyo delivers an emotive shift as the accused Tom Robinson, displaying a calm frustration at his predicament, rather than the anger that would be so understandably justified.

Richard Coyle’s performance as town lawyer Atticus Finch allows no one to steal the show though. He is quite simply outstanding here. Coyle is superbly convincing, portraying Atticus’s struggle to remain calm, kind and understanding among the racial tension and tremendous injustices that have found their way to the quiet Alabama town of Maycomb. This really is a performance to shout from the rooftops about.

The set is used incredibly effectively too with different settings being rolled into place by the cast as we switch both times and places seamlessly. And while it’s quite sparse, there is no doubting the seriousness of the courtroom or the calm, homely feel of the Finch house’s porch.

Aaron Sorkin’s ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’ is a must see. A simply outstanding piece of work that will take not only your breath away, but maybe even your ability to string sentences to together too. At least for a short while!

I give ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’…

Book Review: Forever Young by Oliver Kay.

As a football fan, one of the things I love about following the game so closely is when you unearth a player that you’d never previously heard of. I’ve followed football since being very young, I read a lot about the game, have played it for years and even coached for a while. So, I like to think I’ve got a bit of knowledge. And then, every so often something or someone enters my consciousness and there’s a mixture of thrills and sadness about finding them. Adrian Doherty was one such player.

Oliver Kay’s book is brilliantly encyclopaedic in its examination of Adrian Doherty. And it’s all the more remarkable because Doherty only ever made three senior appearances as a professional footballer. However, Kay’s book makes it abundantly clear that the game lost out when we lost the opportunity to watch Doherty on a regular basis.

Doherty is referred to in the book as a lost genius; a teenage prodigy blessed with a gift for the game and sadly, a career ruined by serious injury. Here, Kay follows his journey from the streets of Strabane in Northern Ireland and starring for Moorfield Boys’ Club to the bright lights and big time of Manchester United and Old Trafford under Sir Alex Ferguson.

And this is where Adrian Doherty’s story begins to move away from the traditional biography of a footballer. Doherty’s story is at first the stuff of every boys’ dreams, but one that ultimately turns into something else entirely. Always a little different as a kid, Doherty continued to follow very much his own path into his youth. While he excelled on the football pitch, Doherty never allowed the sport to consume him and always had outside interests that would clash jarringly with what was maybe expected of him as a potential professional footballer.

As part of Manchester United’s famous Class of ’92, Doherty played with some of the game’s legendary figures such as Beckham, Giggs and Scholes and it was said that he was better than the lot of them! And yet, even that and the promise of a glittering career just didn’t seem to enough for him.

Doherty was very much a free spirit and football was never the be all and end all for him. And as he grew older, those differences left him more and more isolated in life. This wasn’t a state that bothered him though. Doherty seemed to be living happily with only his poetry and music for company, making his own way in life while somehow forging ahead with a burgeoning football career. And then tragically, injury intervened.

Kay’s book is a remarkable tale that is both tragic and heart warming at the same time. I read it feeling a certain sense of regret that this was a player that I never got to see, regardless of the team that he would have played for. But Kay is careful to convey the fact that Doherty derived a great deal of pleasure and fulfilment out of life and his chosen path. Even when injury ended a promising career, that’s all it was to Doherty; a career and not the only thing that he had in life. The free spirit was able to blossom, roam and pursue things like poetry, writing and music.

‘Forever Young’ is a must read for football fans. But don’t expect the traditional footballers’ tale. This is not a story that ends with riches, glory and the raising of any trophies. This is a story that gives us a completely different take on footballers and as a result is a really interesting read. Having Doherty as a team mate is described as being “like having Bob Dylan in a No 7 shirt”…and if that doesn’t add up to a book that intrigues you then I don’t know what will, especially if you’re a sports fan.

I give ‘Forever Young’…

Book Review: ‘Outrunning The Demons’ by Phil Hewitt.

Running is one of those subject that can be quite divisive. As runners, we’re sold on its many qualities. It can almost feel like a drug in its addictive nature and despite the pain and the exhaustion, we always come back for more. Worse still, it can also become all that we want to talk about and so, we become ‘running bores’ on top of everything else. Believe me, other people love a running bore!

‘Outrunning The Demons’ is a collection of real-life tales from various runners of all abilities about the reasons why they run and the reasons why running has saved them. There are stories of bereavement, addiction and mental health challenges and all of them highlight the importance of running to those involved. In fact, Hewitt himself turned to running after being mugged and left for dead in 2016, so he’s living proof of the healing qualities of getting out for a run.

Since rediscovering running in my forties I’ve realised its importance in helping me think things through and its values in terms of my mental health. Then, having had a major heart procedure when I hit 50, running has become even more important, giving me at first a recovery goal and since then a lot of the strength needed just to keep going at times.

So ‘Outrunning The Demons’ felt both pertinent and personal to me. There was lots to relate to in these tales, as well as the type of pain and running ‘journeys’ that I couldn’t hope to understand. Among the 34 stories there are elite runners and there are people who only took up running because of the loss of a runner who was close to them. Charlie is a recovering drug addict, Theresa lost her firefighter husband in 9/11 and ran to take his place in a marathon, James an army veteran recovering from trauma in Iraq and Sujan suffers with anxiety brought on by a troubled childhood. All of them looked to running to help them cope again with every day life.

And there are loads more amazing stories to read about here. This is a book that’s as full of inspiration as it is pain. And it’s a book where you can’t fail to care about the people that you read about. So, at times it’s an emotional read. If you’re a fellow runner, you’ll undoubtedly recognise many of the emotions and be able to empathise with the trauma that some of these ordinary folk have endured.

Hewitt’s own tale is startling and perhaps worthy of a book in itself. But instead, he spent time bringing together people from all corners of the globe who have sought out a similar solution when faced with the kind of problems that might otherwise have seen them go under.

‘Outrunning The Demons’ is at times an incredible read. It’s subtitled ‘lives transformed through running’ and is comprehensive in recounting what really are some remarkable transformations. Always interesting and always inspiring, it became hard for me to put down at times. A life affirming read, whether you’re a runner or not.

I give ‘Outrunning The Demons’…

Book Review: Half a World Away by Mike Gayle

Imagine living with a past that you could never shake off, regardless of how content you might be with life. Imagine living with the kind of secret that you had no idea how to address.

Kerry Hales is a single mum who does everything she can to provide for her young son and make the most of life on a south London estate. Meanwhile, across London her brother Jason lives a successful life with a wife and daughter. Now a top barrister, he knows nothing of the sister that he was once so close to. He’s not Jason anymore either; now he’s Noah. But Kerry has never forgotten him, whatever his name might be these days.

Kerry and Jason were separated as children when their mother admitted defeat in her quest to bring them up and had them taken into care. Kerry was ten and Jason almost two and while Kerry would go on to live through the system with chidlren’s homes and foster care, Jason was quickly adopted by a well to do family who not only saved him from what could well have been a troubled childhood, but change his name to something that they thought more fitting.

‘Half A World Away’ is in part the happy tale of how sister and brother are finally reunited. Sadly though, nothing of this magnitude could ever be simple and so there’s sure to be trouble and sadness along the way. I mean, being contacted by anyone out of the blue after 32 years without a word would be at the very least a little strange. But a sibling that you never knew you had? As Noah himself says, ‘it’s impossible to describe the range of emotions I felt upon reading the letter’.

Despite the fact that at first Noah believes that Kerry’s letter might be a scam of some sort, the two are eventually reunited. But it was never going to be straightforward.

What we end up with though, is just a brilliant story. I’ve read a few Mike Gayle books before but oddly not picked one up for years without really ever knowing how or why that had happened. In fact, this one was found in a box of books that I’d mislaid in the loft. I’m so glad I found it though. Gayle is a brilliant writer when it comes to relatable characters and emotions. And although nothing like this has ever happened to me, I found that not only could I just not put the book down, but that I was quickly invested in the relationships and the characters, which of course is always a good sign.

Covering themes such as love, family, race and class, ‘Half A World Away’ is a real page turner. It’s beautifully written with characters that you’ll instantly care about and feel like you almost know. Equal parts funny and heart warming, this is a story that is also gut-wrenchingly sad, so you might need a pack of tissues. Ultimately though, ‘Half A World Away’ is just a fantastic story and I’d urge you to give it a go.

I give ‘Half A World Away’…

Review: ‘Through It All Together’ at the Leeds Playhouse.

You’d think a play that tackles the story of a couple dealing with dementia would represent a bit of a tough watch. And in one sense, it does. But Howard and Sue are so devoted to their football club, Leeds United, as well as each other that the story takes us on a rather different and quite joyous journey. You’ll laugh just as much as you might cry.

Starring Reece Dinsdale and Shobna Gulati, the play is equal parts hilarious, heart wrenching and inspiring. So on Saturday afternoon, while I laughed a lot, I found myself fighting back not only a few tears but also the urge to join in with the Leeds United songs. A tricky headspace for this Newcastle United supporter who simply gritted his teeth and hoped that no one would notice that he may well have been the only person in the theatre not singing the Leeds anthem, ‘Marching On Together’!

Written by Chris O’Connor, ‘Through It All Together’ follows Howard, Sue and daughter Hazel as they try to come to terms with Howard’s dementia diagnosis. Set to a backdrop of Marcelo Bielsa’s first two years as Leeds manager, it makes for a powerful, yet touching piece. As a football fan and Leeds resident for nearly thirty years, I understood the references having lived through the dramatic uplift in the whole city while Bielsa was at the helm. And the play captured that feeling brilliantly while also pulling at the heart strings as Howard and Sue struggle to come to terms with the realities of dementia.

There are subplots too. Obviously there’s the drama of Bielsa’s first couple of years but also some of the heartbreak and tension of Covid and lockdown as well as daughter Hazel’s sexuality. But it’s Howard and Sue’s story that takes centre stage. It’s heart breaking to watch Howard’s fear for his future as well as his decline. And he and Sue’s devotion to each other is just beautiful, with Dinsdale and Gulati perfect as the couple. I certainly seemed to manage to get quite a few things in my eye over the course of the play, that’s for sure. But just as a rainy face may not be too far away, there’s always a laugh around the corner too and if it’s not Howard or Sue that make you chuckle, there are always Dean Smith and Everal A Walsh as a couple of Leeds fans and podcasters to help you swallow back the tears.

Football on stage or screen can be notoriously difficult to get right, but O’Connor”s play captures the depth of the love affair that Leeds fans had with Bielsa and his team perfectly. And the cast here are wonderfully on point too, meaning that there is nothing to grumble about for even the most devoted fan. The love for the team is clear, but the subtleties that come with loving your club are there too, meaning that you might well watch laughing knowingly at yourself a bit, as well as the cast.

Both Dinsdale and Gulati are utterly brilliant in their portrayal of Howard and Sue. The couple’s devotion to each other is simply lovely and both actors are a pleasure to watch as they portray the fear and uncertainty that dementia brings. The couple are completely convincing in both their love for each other and their love for Leeds and I couldn’t take my eyes off them…even as they sang those bloody Leeds songs!

‘Through It All Together’ is a powerful, but also absolutely hilarious play. It’s a brilliantly written story that deals with the ups and downs of both areas of its subject matter brilliantly. Described as a love letter to Marcelo Bielsa and football, it’s also a testament to the power of family and our devotion to those that we choose to spend our lives with. A genuine thing of beauty.

I loved every last second of ‘Through It All Together’, even the bits where I was struggling not to blub like a baby!

I give ‘Through It All Together’…

Review: ‘Pride and Prejudice’* (*Sort of) at the Leeds Grand Theatre.

Funny isn’t it? You think you know someone and then all of a sudden they do something that leaves you just completely and utterly taken aback. No matter how many people you meet and how well you know them, every so often there’s one of them that will do or say something that you would never have expected.

Well, the very same thing happened to me on Saturday. Not with a person I knew as such, but with the characters in a much loved piece of literature. Having first read it nearly forty years ago and then every so often since then, I thought I knew as much as was needed about Pride and Prejudice. I’d even read an updated version with added zombies not long ago, so surely nothing was going to come as a shock. Then, along came Pride and Prejudice (Sort of).

I’d been given tickets as a birthday present a few months ago and although I knew that this was a different take on the classic, I hadn’t really looked at how different the take might be, which made it all the more of a treat when the play started.

Pride and Prejudice (Sort of) tells the traditional tale of the Bennet sisters and their somewhat complicated suitors. Just with added pop classics often provided by a karaoke machine. And some swearing. Actually loads of swearing. As well as a great big lump of anarchic humour and a noticeably feminist outlook on that whole looking for love thing. And the best thing is that it works perfectly!

As well as following the young Bennet sisters and their love lives you can look forward to singing along to the likes of Carly Simon’s ‘You’re so Vain’, Candi Staton’s ‘Young Hearts Run Free and even ‘Something Changed’ by Pulp near the end. You’ll no doubt end up laughing like a drain as well, especially at Rhianna McGreevy’s Mrs Bennet who at times felt like equal parts Peggy Mitchell and Catherine Tate’s Nan, delivering unexpected pearls of wisdom such as “Being a fucking smartarse is unladylike” to her daughters!

There are five actors in the all female cast and all are superb, taking on what must have been the exhausting task of playing every character. Every character including the Bennet’s domestic servants who are sometime narrators of this tale, but excluding Mr Bennet who is simply an armchair with a newspaper attached that’s wheeled on and off the stage and mocked mercilessly for its obvious silence on all things matrimonial. The cast are incredibly talented though with all of them taking on some kind of pop classic as well as turning their hand to the odd instrument along the way. They add brilliant comic timing to Isobel McArthur’s pin sharp, clever script and come up with a riot of a performance.

Pride and Prejudice* (*Sort of) is without doubt an absolute triumph and I’d go as far to say that if you don’t enjoy it then it might just be you that’s the problem. The show is just really clever and a shedload of fun. If you get the chance, I’d definitely recommend that you go and see it!

I give Pride and Prejudice (Sort of)…

Middle Aged Gigging: Stereophonics at John Smith’s Stadium in Huddersfield.

A funny one this gig. Beforehand, I was slightly reticent about going and not for the usual reason of being middled aged and living life in an almost permanent state of tiredness. No, this was different. This was a stadium gig and I really couldn’t remember the last time I’d been to a gig in a stadium. In fact, if anything I’ve been going to gigs in smaller and smaller venues of late. I needn’t have worried so much though, as first Blossoms and then headliners Stereophonics served up a cracking night that may well have taken the roof off the place if it actually had one!

The first time I saw Stereophonics live was around 1996, before their first album came out in what was a glorified pub in Hanley, Stoke-on Trent and it still amazes me to see what they’ve become. Don’t get me wrong; they’ve always had the songs and talent to deserve to be selling out stadiums, but it’s a hell of a leap from those early days!

Tonight, we arrive (fashionably) later than planned and after a mix up over stage times, realise that we’ve missed the first support act. In fact, we’re still trying to get into the stadium as the night’s other support, Blossoms, take to the stage. So, while I’m a big fan of their song ‘Your Girlfriend’ it’s difficult to enjoy it while your being squeezed through a small gap to get into a stadium and then precariously edging down some stairs towards the pitch. Tricky to sing along to when you’re trying not to take an almighty tumble!

Blossoms look and sound great though. Singer Tom looks amazing in flared jeans, striped shirt a loose tie and there’s more than a little bit of Mick Jagger about him. Tonight, he also brings to mind Faces era Rod Stewart and even a little bit of Prince at times, which is surely no bad thing?

Their set is superb and songs like ‘Gary’, ‘I Like Your Look’ and ‘Charlemaine’ have the whole stadium grooving along. It’s a great start to our night and the perfect set up for the main event.

After a quick set change Stereophonics amble on to the stage to a great welcome. There’s the odd wave from the band, but it’s a pretty low key entrance. And before we know it we’re into opener ‘Vegas Two Times’ and it feels like the whole place is up and moving. It’s a great track to open with.

This being a ‘Stadium Anthems’ tour there’s plenty to enjoy. Lots of singalong anthems and lots to make even the most curmudgeonly and dancephobic music fan (that’s not me, by the way) shuffle their feet. And singer Kelly Jones looks the epitome of cool in shades, black jeans and a black leather jacket. Oh, to be a rock god!

Stereophonics prove themselves to be as tight as it gets and this is just a brilliant rock and roll show. The visual production – in the form of screens – is pretty good; videos accompanying some of the songs and the odd bit of pyrotechnics as well as some massive pink balloons sent out into the crowd later on in the set as night falls. However, it’s the music that counts here; a stand alone reason to come and see the band.

Singer Kelly Jones has always been renowned for his incredible voice and it doesn’t let him down tonight as he’s absolutely note perfect throughout. My fears about a stadium show are quickly allayed as Stereophonics fill the place with a great big dollop of good old rock and roll. There are the usual irritations about this kind of show – people barging through to get closer to the stage when ‘their song’ comes on, people chatting – but none of it manages to get in the way of this being an excellent gig. Stereophonics do indulge in the odd bit of rock posturing, the odd pose here, a showbiz point or wink there, but then maybe they’ve earned the right to call on the odd cliche having sold over 15m records! It certainly doesn’t spoil anything for me, anyway.

There’s barely a dull moment tonight. As I mentioned earlier, it’s a set of stadium anthems so you’d have to be a fairly miserable fan of the band to not be enjoying what’s on offer. For me though the standout tracks are ‘Geronimo’ complete with it’s enormous saxophone (a baritone sax, I think?), ‘I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio’ with Kelly on ukelele, ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ and ‘Mr. Writer’.

As we edge towards a close – and my knees and feet begin to grumble – we’re treated to the ever brilliant ‘Local Boy in The Photograph’ and ‘C’est La Vie’ before an encore comprising of blistering versions of ‘The Bartender and The Thief’ and ‘Dakota’. Stadium anthems indeed!

As they exit stage left, Stereophonics leave behind a very happy bunch of Yorkshire punters. It’s been a brilliant night and a gig and band well worth coming out for. Makes me think that I shouldn’t leave it as long between shows next time!