Live Review: Stereophonics

In the middle of Stereophonics' cracking opener The Bartender And The Thief, the band's ridiculously telegenic bandleader Kelly Jones sings, "The ace of spades/The ace of spades!" - a cheeky nod to Motorhead, perhaps?

Jones has certainly got swag, as has bassist Richard Jones (no relation) - thanks to his Brylcreem-ed 'do and long-sleeved striped shirt with just the right amount of buttons undone - and guitarist Adam Zindani, whose look and sense of style are so similar to that of the band's frontman that they could probably pass as brothers. Jamie Morrison's sky-high drum riser is of Tommy Lee proportions! Stereophonics roll as a five-piece these days and the backdrop features the cover art from their latest album, Scream Above The Sounds, in duplicate with said cover art also gracing Morrison's bass drum head. 

The dirty riff from Vegas Two Times tears us a new one and when Jones sings, "We'll make you flyyyyy!" he's not kidding around since we feel as if we're levitating. The band's classic single A Thousand Trees takes us back to 1997: pool halls, uni crushes, floral dresses, platform sneakers and flannos (actually, they never went away).    

Kelly, who resembles a hot Thunderbird, possesses a gloriously lackadaisical vocal tone and he sure knows his way around a fretboard (especially during All In One Night, during which the crowd love singing along enthusiastically with the, "Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-woo-oh!"s). And grins spread across audience faces the millisecond they recognise the simultaneously sinister and sexual Superman - what an absolute masterpiece of a tune!

There's a lone figure pogoing in the middle of the stalls section, with both arms extended skyward in a 'V' shape, and he's obviously almost exploding with happiness.

Zindani's guitar solo during Maybe Tomorrow gets us shaking out heads in disbelief and when the crowd take the song's final chorus vocals a cappella - "Sooooooo maybe tomorrow/I'll find my way hoooooome" - Kelly commends, "Beau-tiful!" I Wouldn't Believe Your Radio struts in with its motivational chorus: "You can have it all if you like."

While introducing Handbags And Gladrags, which was written by Mike d'Abo, Kelly tells us the Manfred Mann lead singer attended one of the Stereophonics shows in Birmingham and came backstage to thank them for covering this song, adding that he was originally intending to build a patio, but - thanks to these songwriting royalties - he ended up building a conservatory.

The vibe doesn't drop all night - it's sustained - and the 'moments' are continuous: Step On My Old Size Nines, Have A Nice Day (how could it not be in their presence?), Traffic (how good is that, "You talk dirty to a priest," lyric!) and those gorgeous melodies cascading throughout main-set closer, Local Boy In The Photograph.

During the band's first encore song C'est La Vie, a Welsh flag appears and is waved around front and centre in the stalls section. Jones then tells us about a string of bizarre situations he's found himself in: while looking out of the window of a Brisbane hotel, he saw a guy getting a blowjob through an adjacent window and then, the next day, he saw a couple "necking on" in a park, looked away and then when he looked back she was giving him a "tug job" under a blanket. He acts astonished.

Morrison's pummelling drum solo that closes out Mr And Mrs Smith is greeted by a chorus of "WOO!"s. And then Dakota absolutely finishes us off in a euphoric, dancing frenzy as we raise the roof with our, "You made me FEEEEEEL like the one!" singalong. This scribe accidentally steps on a young lady's foot and she's not happy at all. Sorry, love, but you shouldn't be sitting down SnapChatting yourself during a song as mighty as this!