Oasis's American concerts provided tantalising glimpses of their sprightlier, less bald new direction. Lucy O’Brien was there.

Alongside pictures of: Noel, Liam on stage at Philadelphia First Union Center & Andy and Gem eating and signing photographs

pictures by Martin Gardner

Anticipation for the year 2000's UK Oasis shows has been stoked by a pair of short gigs, in Philadelphia and Chicago, on December 3 and 4. The five-song, 28-minute slots, sponsored by two influential US local radio stations, didn't feature any new songs from the forthcoming Oasis album, Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants, but unveiled the line-up that will play at Bolton's Reebok Stadium (July 15 and 16), Wembley Stadium (July 21 and 22) and Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium (July 29), amid an Oasis live blitz throughout Europe and America. The first Bolton date sold out by 10.30am on December 4, the day tickets became available. Before the Philadelphia gig - at the 15,000 capacity First Union Center, on a bill comprising Stroke 9, Moby, Foo Fighters and Beck - Liam Gallagher told Q, "I'm gaggin' for it. It's been years, too long. I've been bored shitless. I can't wait."

Fans outside the venue - having lined up for tickets since 4pm - waved Union jack flags and chanted. A group of teenage girls hung themselves over some strategic railings at the edge of a bank of seats to glimpse the arriving UK stars. As Liam and Noel nonchalantly exited a Radio Y100 interview room, one fan completely lost it. "Liam!" she screeched, "Liam! I love you! I love you!" For a moment the band looked up at her, stunned. Then Liam regained his composure, "Go off and do yer homework!"

As Oasis's slot at the FEASTival event (proceeds from the show going to the Philadelphia Food Bank charity) approached, new guitarist Gem Archer (ex-Heavy Stereo) and bassist Andy Bell (ex-Ride and Hurricane #1) fidgeted. Bell silently chomped his food, a visible bundle of nerves. Archer, meanwhile, seemed relaxed. Was it difficult learning the Oasis back catalogue? "No, we knew the songs anyway. We've been listening to them for years. But now we've got to listen to them for work. That feels strange."

With British paparazzi everywhere, and a predominantly teenage crowd making Mexican waves and strange, beer-fuelled whooping noises, Oasis took to the stage to unveil a fit-looking pair of Gallaghers (Liam in grey anorak, Noel in Beatle black) and a reticent Bell and Archer - the new boys lending commendable sonic brashness to the opening Cigarettes And Alcohol, but little in the way of movement as they fixed themselves stage left.

Cigarettes And Alcohol segued into Led Zeppelin's Whole Lotta Love, echoing the '70s proto-metallers' marked influence on the forthcoming Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants -predominantly a riff-and-groove based record where drum sounds are big and powerful and the opening track, Fuckin' In The Bushes, is a heavy instrumental intercut with vocal samples from an Isle Of White Festival documentary. Unconventionally, a version pressed on single-sided 12" vinyl will be distributed to DJs in advance of Go Let It Out, the loping, Beta Band-y first single proper. An emphatic Supersonic, a decidedly upbeat version of Wonderwall ("You know all the words to this one," declared Liam, before a fan threw a grey jumper at him) and a celebratory Champagne Supernova, ("Where were you when we were getting high?" followed with the ad lib, "And I'm not comin' down, no fookin' way") revealed the strengths of this springier, craftier Oasis line-up.

Certainly the latter, and the closing Noel-sung version of The Beatles' Helter Skelter - with Bell, Archer and Noel layering the intense guitar grooves - suggests a more creatively self-contained Oasis, one no longer reliant on Paul Weller, John Squire or Johnny Depp guest spots for instrumental fireworks. "It was all right. A good bit of singing and dancing," enthused a breezy Liam to Q afterwards, while Andy Bell appeared relieved: "We were rehearsing religiously for two weeks, just those five songs. So we really know our place in the whole thing." Was he overly aware when he first got on stage that he was actually 'in' Oasis? "I was the whole way through. The whole way through."

Earlier, in the day, Noel Gallagher recorded a six-minute acoustic version of a Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants song for Y100's rock show. Entitled Who Feels Love?, it is a delicate, psychedelic, exceptionally Sgt. Peppery thing, mooted, revealed Gallagher, to be the second single. "God bless the sun for shining on those who love," goes the lyric, representative, it's said, of the humbler, muted side of Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants' light-and-shade palette, the side exemplified by Liam's promised piano-and-Mellotron ballad, Little James.

Who Feels Love? ("It goes on a bit," opined Noel) was broadcast on December 4, by which time Oasis were in Chicago to reprise the previous night's show, this time for Q101 Radio at the city's Allstate Arena (a set watched intently from side-of-stage by Smashing Pumpkins' Billy Corgan).

After the show, Noel Gallagher bought Q a can of Guinness at the Hyatt Hotel bar. "It was better tonight, a great atmosphere;' he admitted. "Yesterday we were just breaking it in. We hadn't done festivals for a while and forgot how shit the sound usually is at events like that, so that threw us for a bit. But we're used to it now. We're enjoying it again."

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c 2000 Andrew Turner

aturner@interalpha.co.uk

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