Oasis Live In Coventry

Last month's homecoming at Heaton Park in Manchester was marred by on-stage walk-offs and technical difficulties.

But the Gallagher brothers are on their best behaviour at Coventry City's stadium.

However, that's not to say Liam Gallagher doesn't try to stir things up.

Swaggering up to the mic, he dips his head and dedicates Cigarettes And Alcohol to "the real Sky Blues . . . MCFC".

The crowd naturally respond with a barrage of boos following the jibe at their own city's team.

But lairy Liam quickly silences the dissent with the opening line: "Is it my imag-in-a- sheee-un . . . ".

Ever the moody frontman, standing centre stage in a green parka, the younger Gallagher only appears for the songs he sings, occasionally reaching for a tambourine - which he flings into the audience at the end of the set.

He delivers Live Forever with an arrogant sneer that threatens to slip into anger as he orders the audience to clap: "Get your f***ing hands out! We're not Simple Minds!"

Noel, standing to the right of the stage, is more genial, bigging up both support band The Enemy and reformed local heroes The Specials.

Noel also cheekily dedicates The Importance Of Being Idle to himself (" . . . being brilliant and all that . . . ") and nodding with humble respect to the crowd after they out-sing him on Don't Look Back In Anger during the encore.

It's the start of the second leg of their British tour with a sold-out 30,000 crowd - the size of audience other bands would kill to play to.

But it feels as if Oasis are treating this one as a warm-up show before their run of three gigs at Wembley Stadium later in the week.

Oasis are the greatest rock 'n' roll band of their generation but, as they coast effortlessly through '90s classics such as Roll With It, Wonderwall and The Royle Family theme Half A World Away, it makes for a set that feels confident and assured - rather than passionate.

Source: www.newsoftheworld.co.uk