Another Review Of Beady Eye In Chicago
By
Stop Crying Your Heart Out
on
June 19, 2011
Liam Gallagher's new band at Metro is US debut.
At its best, Oasis earned its accolades, with Liam Gallagher a bona fide frontman cut from a since-broken mold, and Noel Gallagher a songwriter whose ego, talent and (frankly) good timing propelled the group to untold heights. Those facts were often frustrated by the siblings' famous fights, and indeed, freed from Oasis after his big brother finally quit in 2009, Liam wasted little time forming a new group, Beady Eye, along with most of his former Oasis bandmates. That the project bears many Oasis hallmarks should be no surprise, and neither should news that the group immediately sold out its appearance at the Metro Saturday night – its first-ever US show. Indeed, fans were apparently lining up hours before doors opened for this rare club date from a band whose members once ruled stadiums.
You can take the band out of the stadium, but you can't take the stadium out of the band, and Beady Eye whipped through songs from its debut "Different Gear, Still Speeding" Saturday with the confidence of a seasoned act with nothing to prove. As usual, Gallagher, wearing a Union Jack coat buttoned to the neck, seethed with a pugilist's intensity, often striking an imperious pose as he stared impassively down at his subjects – he's so cool he doesn't work the crowd, the crowd works for him. Meanwhile, Gem Archer and Andy Bell built walls of guitars from the bricks of the British Invasion, albeit often with a sly self-awareness: it can't be a coincidence that a song called "Beatles and Stones" sounded like the Who, or that "Bring the Light" recalled the kind of piano-pounding proto rock and roll that Lennon and McCartney themselves idolized and imitated.
But part of the fun was in catching those familiar elements channeled through a fresh vessel, coursing though songs such as the electric "Four Letter Word" or the more formalist '60s nod "The Beat Goes On," a would-be anthem that echoed Mott the Hoople's "All the Young Dudes" by way of the Fab Four. Gallagher, for his part, seemed surprisingly appreciative of the band's reception, even if he likely expected no less. "Thank you for coming out and having a look," he said with understatement, knowing full well the ranks of those lookers will steadily swell.
Source: www.chicagotribune.com