The Stone Roses review: Party like it’s 1989

There was a collective sigh of relief when Ian Brown’s unreliable voice didn’t spoil a balmy summer evening, writes Andre Paine
Magnetic frontman: Ian Brown rattles his jingle sticks
Steve Gillett/Livepix
Andre Paine17 November 2017

Like a once great football team, The Stone Roses’ history is one of faded glory, patchy performances and years in the wilderness before their 2011 reunion. So it was hard to raise expectations too much for the Manchester band’s first London gig in four years.

But past failings were soon forgotten with a show that lived up to the hopes of middle-aged fans in bucket hats and millennials with decent taste in old indie music. It was a Madchester pilgrimage of 70,000 followers that bridged the generation divide — David Beckham was among those fathers who took their sons along. From the opening I Wanna Be Adored, there was a collective sigh of relief when Ian Brown’s unreliable voice didn’t spoil a balmy summer evening. Mercifully, the singer’s foghorn tendencies were largely absent during a well-rehearsed set of muscular grooves and good vibes.

Rattling a pair of jingle sticks, Brown was a magnetic frontman alongside musicians whose self-belief ensured they did their 1989 debut album justice. Terrace singalongs accompanied the soaring psychedelia of (Song For My) Sugar Spun Sister, the sinuous Shoot You Down and a triumphant Made of Stone. Drummer Alan “Reni” Wren’s insistent rhythms and backing vocals anchored the band’s sound. On Fool’s Gold, his shuffling beats combined with John Squire’s wah-wah guitar for the Roses’ glorious indie-dance crossover.

The sense of pinpoint nostalgia wasn’t challenged by the setlist: one new song and just three from their ill-fated second album, including the frantic groove of Begging You. For most of the evening, chanting fans could party like it was 1989.

Brown did stray into the politics of 2017 by dedicating a song to the “wicked witch of London town” — presumably a reference to Theresa May. But their focus was on those classics, including a sprawling finale of I Am the Resurrection celebrated with band hugs on stage. Against the odds, The Stone Roses may be even better second time around.

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