Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Usher Hall, Edinburgh, Thu 27 Oct, 2011

Some gigs feel more like football matches than concerts, there’s always a certain frisson in the air when it comes to anything Oasis related. And Gallagher senior has perhaps more weight of expectation on his shoulders than little bruv’s Beady Eye endeavour, after all he’s always been ‘the talented one’.

The chanting throng and free flowing beer feels slightly at odds with the Usher Hall and it takes about 30 minutes for the crowd and band to settle, to fully come to terms with the fact that while there are Oasis songs this isn’t an Oasis gig. It’s a statement of authorship that Noel opens with a double bill of ‘(It’s Good) to be Free’ and ‘Mucky Fingers’ before moving into his new material, with the setlist roughly split into about 50% new material, 50% Oasis tracks. A slower, wistful take on these terrace anthems and b-sides, most noticeably on a stripped down acoustic ‘Supersonic’.

Unsurprisingly ‘Wonderwall’ and the closing salvo of ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, ‘The Importance of Being Idle’ and ‘Little by Little’ get the biggest response but new tracks like ‘AKA … What a Life!’ and ‘The Death of You and Me’ fit in effortlessly. Noel looks more comfortable than he has in years, the calmer tempo suiting his delivery but there are moments when you can't help but miss the verve and danger of Liam’s presence.

Setlist

‘(It's Good) To Be Free’ (Oasis)
‘Mucky Fingers’ (Oasis)
‘Everybody's on the Run’
‘Dream On’
‘If I Had a Gun …’
‘The Good Rebel’
‘The Death of You and Me’
‘Freaky Teeth’
‘Wonderwall’ (Oasis)
‘Supersonic’ (Oasis)
‘(I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine’
‘AKA … What a Life!’
‘Talk Tonight’ (Oasis)
‘Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks’
‘AKA …Broken Arrow’
‘Half The World Away’ (Oasis)
‘(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach’

‘Don't Look Back In Anger’ (Oasis)
‘The Importance of Being Idle’ (Oasis)
‘Little By Little’ (Oasis)