Whether you were there the first time round with The Stones Roses in the 80s, followed their frontman when he went solo or found the music recently, Ian Brown remains a huge marker on the Manchester musical map.
However, in recent years, feelings towards him have changed. His controversial comments surrounding the Covid-19 pandemic majorly divided his loyal fanbase, with some even turning their backs on the ‘Stellify’ singer.
Last year, the 60-year-old embarked on a solo UK tour. This was presumably intended to get old fans back onside and showcase his new record ‘Ripples’, the release disrupted by the events of 2020.
Unfortunately, the tour had the opposite effect - the production was criticised for the lack of a live band, with some fans comparing the shows to karaoke. It seemingly wasn’t the return to the stage fans had hoped for.
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There’s not many things more exciting than an outdoor gig on a sunny Friday. Ian Brown’s headline spot on the eve of Neighbourhood Weekender festival seemed like a good opportunity to make my own mind up about where Ian Brown is at now.
After a blinding set from indie stalwarts Cast, the Manchester music takeover of Victoria Park began.
Perhaps it was the sea of bucket hats or the range of Madchester-esque outfits in the crowd that led Shaun Ryder to declare ‘it’s just like 1989’ as he arrived on stage with the rest of the Happy Mondays.
Rowetta, the vocal jewel in the Mondays crown, sang a short tribute to Tina Turner to kick things off, following the death of the ‘Simply The Best’ singer. Rowetta’s powerful voice is reminiscent of the late ‘Queen of Rock n Roll’ herself- who earlier this week she said inspired her “not only in music, but in life”.
Despite jokingly admitting they occasionally struggled to remember the lyrics, the Hacienda favourites blitzed through classics including ‘Step On’, ‘Kinky Afro’ and ‘24 Hour Party People’, all of course accompanied by Bez, with his trademark moves and maracas.
As the sun began to sink in the sky, it was almost time for the night’s main act to arrive on stage. After a brilliant set from Happy Mondays, the crowd were ready for another dose of anthems.
Appearing 15 minutes later than expected, after the stirring ‘Born Free’ by Matt Monro rang out of the speakers, Ian Brown arrived.
With his hair tied back, he cut a solo figure on stage, immediately answering the question as to whether he would be accompanied by a band this time around. Contrary to rumours I’d heard last year, his voice sounded strong as he sang the opening lines of ‘The Feeding of the 5000’, released in 2007.
It took just two tracks before the frontman mentioned Covid. I’m confident no-one else in the tent, which was now slowly filling, had even considered that word tonight, but it was obviously still on Brown’s brain.
Observing the gaps in the crowd, he said: “It looks like the Covid people might have made a few spaces. Ask me if I give a f**k”. Perhaps it was rather the lure of the bar, the still-shining sun or the arguably weak opening tracks that failed to bring people to the front.
As he continued with songs including ‘Black Roses’, ‘Sister Rose’ and ‘Love Like A Fountain’, it was evident how others had previously made the karaoke comparisons.
Without a band behind him, Brown lacked in stage presence and thus it felt as if the majority of the crowd struggled to get on board, which meant the atmosphere wasn’t that expected for a headline show.
During a brief moment of crowd interaction, he said: “This next tune is to everyone who stood firm and didn’t give a f**k” before singing fan favourite ‘Golden Gaze’ but the first real buzz of the set came when Bez returned to join in on ‘Longsight M13’ - this livened up the crowd who cheered for the Mondays mascot.
Whilst there was clearly a large portion of loyal fans enjoying the set, a steady stream of gig goers trickled out through the exit, some time before Brown had played any of his biggest hits. A quick search on Twitter after the gig confirmed that this was the case.
Following ‘First World Problems’ and ‘My Star’, Ian Brown closed with ‘F.E.A.R’ and new tune ‘Ripples’, taken from his latest LP ‘Rules’ - the typography of which adorned his t-shirt.
There’s no doubt that Ian Brown’s solo discography is superb, but that’s what made tonight’s underwhelming set even more disappointing - those tunes deserve more of a fanfare.
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