"Rock The Dock"

Sound Republic, Wardour Street, London

Friday 16th October 1998

Noel [solo]

by Christian Ward

"Help me if you can I'm feeling down..."

Something bizarre and vaguely significant is happening here. Noel Gallagher is plodding through a "wistful", painfully dull version of "Help!" It seems reasonable to assume he's singing it for the laid-off Liverpool dockers, beneficiaries of this celebrity-spangled shindig. Yet perversely, it's more a reflection on Noel and the strange spirit of this event than a plea for compassion; '60s idealism, the spirit of the Fab Four, songs with "real" tunes, dragged into the glare of the '90s. The songwriter of a wholly apolitical band making a statement out of a song which is nothing more than a self-indulgent pop star's realisation of his own profligacy.

...

And there's no denying the message reaches those who hang on Noel Gallagher's every word. When he responds to one canny audience member's request for a new song by playing just the first chord of the next Oasis single, there's enough of a reaction for it feel like an exclusive. But it's unsurprising to see Noel and Steve Cradock of Ocean Colour Scene jamming with headliner Pete Townshend like fawning schoolkids with their pin-up hero. Again, the '90s conflate with the '60s, as they meander through a ten-minute version of "Magic Bus". Maybe when Pete first played "The Kid's Are Alright" it was riotously epochal, but tonight's bass-heavy rehaul seems wilfully tasteful.

So; no lack of regard for the dockers, no lectures, no browbeating. Oh yeah, and no passion either.

• New Musical Express Guest Appearances Live Reviews - index

c 1998 Andrew Turner

aturner@interalpha.co.uk

This page hosted byGet your ownFree Home Page