Weekly > Reviews
Ian Brown - Leeds 02 Academy
I’ve said this before but the word legend gets banded about far too often in musical terms, but Ian Brown is a one hundred percent living legend of our time, who seems just as ageless and iconic as he was twenty years ago.
Obviously his place in musical history was already cemented as part of The Stone Roses, but he has done himself no harm whatsoever with a solid solo career that has shown creatively he’s bettered and battered his former cohorts into history.
When he walks out on stage tonight he’s as confident and cocky as he’s ever been, the crowd give him a tremendous reception and he’s looking as cool as he ever has and what’s more he knows it.
Leeds have been drawn away at scum (Man Utd for you non football fans) in the next round of the cup and while he doesn’t make direct reference to it the first thing he asks is who is from Leeds and who is from Manchester…before then asking everyone to get on tonight.
He’s played devil’s advocate before of course in these sort of situations but tonight he keeps things friendly and he’s off and running with his first couple of numbers…which unfortunately means he has to sing!
His voice has never been the best, but tonight is the worst of the three times I’ve seen him (once with the Stone Roses and solo a couple of years back), probably due to the fact that the excellent Leeds Academy’s sound system offers no hiding place and as such he sounds deep, slightly out of tune and dare I say it disappointing.
His set choice tonight doesn’t help either, last time I saw him he had the crowd in raptures with seven or eight Roses classics, but tonight he not only doesn’t give us those which is fair enough, he barely plays any of his own classic singles, although we do get Golden Gaze and Keep What Ya Got from albums past.
So the main part of the set is good in places with new tracks Crowning Of The Poor and Laugh Now both coming over really well and the highlight is early single Corpses, it’s still one of his finest moments to date and doesn’t disappoint tonight, but elsewhere parts of the set drag and you can sense he might be losing the crowd just a touch.
- Ian Brown
- Leeds 02 Academy (10th December 2009)
- Category: Live
- Label: Polydor Records
- Reviewed by: Kev
- Published on: 14 Dec 2009
- Comments: 0
- Beat Surrender Rating:
Weblinks
Add to favouritesThe encore comes though and this just lifts the roof and wipes away the bittersweet memory of what’s gone before, within the first note being played of Fools Gold the whole room bursts into life and it’s one of the most spontaneous outbreaks of joy I’ve collectively ever seen at a gig!
It’s a brilliant rendition and for whatever reason his voice sounds much better, likewise again on Stellify which also has the room bouncing and he closes with a new-ish track but me and the rest of the crowd are that hyped from Fools Gold that it barely registers.
So while certainly not at his best for long periods, a bit like a star striker he still has moments of magic which he pulls out of the bag and Fools Gold really was a 35 yard screamer tonight that sends everyone home surprised and very happy.
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