Stereophonics @ NewcastlePanthers (06/05/08)

Sat 10th May, 2008 in Gig Reviews

As the review spot for The Stereophonics Sydney show was taken, I raised my hand to see the Welsh wonder in Newcastle. Having left work at 5pm, you cannot imagine the bumper-to-bumper traffic preceding the Pacific Highway. As time passed, the little progress made had me swearing like a trooper, which would have made even Gordon Ramsay blush.

Finally having made it into the city centre, Newcastle Panthers stood out like dog’s bollocks and I was chuffed that I had finally arrived. Having undergone renovations, the site was a decent venue to accommodate an act of Stereophonics caliber, and I felt it was my duty to calm my nerves and toast the site with a drink or two.

Unfortunately I missed out on the support act (blame the traffic), but was not too disgruntled as I was on time for Stereophonics. Touring on the back of their Pull the Pin album, the Welsh trio glided onstage. Singer Kelly Jones looked every part the quintessential rock star with glasses, perfect hair, leather jacket et al. All female eyes were on Jones as he sang Bank Holiday Monday, and that beautiful Welsh accent accentuated his desirability.

Richard Jones on bass and drummer Javier Weyler did a superb job, making it hard to believe that a trio can produce such polished works and performance. Energy levels were at a high with A Thousand Trees, Superman, Devil and Mr. Writer. It seems as though Newcastle was full of Welshmen, if only for a night, as the camaraderie between crowd and band was strong. Stereophonics typified “Cool Britannia”, raising the bar for panache and brilliance on Maybe Tomorrow and Dakota. Well worth the ride up…the only hassle was getting home.