Stereophonics At The O2 | Review

Stereophonics at the O2, Dublin on Tuesday the 12th of November 2013

Stereophonics have had a bit of a rollercoaster ride when it comes to touring in Ireland. Having played their first show here in Temple Bar’s Fitzsimon’s in 1996, they sky-rocketed to fame resulting in two headline shows at Dublin’s Point Theatre in 2001 and 2003, with the little matter of a headline slot at Slane sandwiched between them. In the years following that though, things slowed down to the point that they were resigned to playing the 800 capacity Academy.

Fast forward to 2013 and with a new album under their belt, the ‘Phonics are back on the biggest stage of all, well, apart from the fact a good proportion of the O2 was closed off. Opening proceedings were the relatively unknown Texan duo The Wind & The Wave. Bringing to the stage an infectious brand of indie folk reminiscent of Iceland’s Of Monsters & Men, they’re sure to have won plenty of fans on these shores, with closing song Mama Said in particular getting the gathering crowd clapping along. With an album due out in 2014, they’re certain to be appearing on many “Next Big Thing” lists in the near future.

Having played new album ‘Graffiti On The Train’ in full at The Olympia Theatre earlier in the year, fans may have been expecting to hear a few from the back catalogue this time around and they weren’t disappointed. Of the twenty four songs played on the night, a third of them were new material with heavy-hitting Catacomb first up. Kelly Jones looked every bit a rock star as he swaggered confidently across the stage from the word go. Despite the superlative defying spectacle in front of them, the crowd’s reaction was somewhat muted until A Thousand Trees kicked off a lengthy look back into the past which included the likes of Maybe Tomorrow, Pick A Part That’s New and Mr. Writer.

In A Moment from the new album provided a rare moment during which the majority of the crowd were so transfixed by a movie playing on the big screens that until the song ended, many seemed unaware it was still being played. Indian Summer, a track which Jones explains almost didn’t make the album yet ended up being its first single is the cue for a barrage of red and yellow balloons to cascade from the upper tiers of the O2 and down to those on the ground floor causing a colourful and euphoric scene. “There’s nothing like a bunch of balloons to put a smile on people’s face eh?” jokes Jones afterwards before quickly following that up by telling the crowd they’ve one more song to play with said balloons before he pops every last one.

The grungy duo of Roll The Dice and Violins And Tambourines act as a paradoxical segue into the unexpectedly special blues-inspired Been Caught Cheating which proves that even coming up to their twentieth year as a band, Stereophonics still have the ability to do something completely left field and make it work. The nostalgic couplet of the anthemic Traffic and barnstorming Bartender And The Thief round off an impressive main set. The encore, however, was to prove the Welsh lads haven’t lost the edge that saw them headline Slane over a decade ago.

Fans are treated to a rare piano-led rendition of Stopped To Fill My Car Up which is followed by a mass singalong for Just Looking. The night’s most special moment however comes with their now famous rendition of Rod Stewart’s Handbags & Gladrags, which has become so synonymous with the band over the years that Jones still feels the need to tell fans it’s a cover version. The group all come down to the front of the stage for this song, creating a scene reminiscent of a band busking on Grafton Street. The band’s only number one single Dakota rounds off a special night in which Stereophonics prove that they’ve still got a little bit more to give.