Live Review: The Stone Roses & Zane Lowe

A throbbing DJ set by UK-based Zane Lowe mixed some industrial beats with rave and powered up chill sounds. Tracks like Respect (The Notorious BIG) and Do You Rock? (TC) saw an initially sparse room fill as people seeped in from the beer queues to pack it to capacity.

It may be 30 years since The Stone Roses formed and 17 after they split, but some things just don't change. Lead singer Ian Brown still couldn't hold a note, John Squire created majestic sounds on his guitar, Mani's bass rumbled effortlessly and Reni's drumming remained in masterful control. Immediately laying heavily into the dance-fused rock that they pioneered all those years ago, the band opened with I Wanna Be Adored, which set the tone for a set full of swagger and rousing anthems. They may have had their differences previously, but there was an ingrained chemistry in their performance together, particularly evident in the set highlight, an extended version of Fools Gold where they combined seamlessly to make a sound that swirled even more than it ever did on record. Squire's guitar playing was remarkable throughout as it wrapped up every song in a huge and crisp sound. With the hour and a half set featuring almost all of the epic eponymous album, the singalongs were raucous, particularly in the closing pair of She Bangs The Drums and I Am The Resurrection.

If you shut your eyes and left your senses to the heady sounds and the beery aromas, you could easily have been back in Manchester circa 1990. And for much of the audience that was really the point – the Stone Roses defined a time like few other bands and this was a chance for them, and the band, to relive it. And it's still great.