Liam Gallagher and John Squire - Olympia Theatre, Dublin, 16/3/2024

  by Eoghan Lyng

published: 4 / 5 / 2024

The precise genesis of the Liam Gallagher and John Squire collaboration is intriguingly opaque. The generally accepted story is that Squire invited Gallagher to collaborate with him after a triumphant guest spot at Knebworth 2022, but the story stems back to the 1990s, at a time when Oasis and The Stone Roses were performing to the masses across Britain. Indeed, The Seahorses, a blues rock outfit Squire formed following the break-up of The Stone Roses, performed 'Love Me and Leave Me', a bona fide Squire-Gallagher co-write that suggested the duo could collaborate in the future. It's taken nearly thirty years, but here they are in Dublin, backed by R.E.M mainstay Joey Waronker on percussion - not forgetting Chris Madden, who plays the organ with stoic, semi-Wrightesque flair. In many ways, it's the perfect sequel to 'Casablanca': the perfect continuation of an adroit companionship. Gallagher's "Here for a good time, not a long time" comes across as wooden, but thankfully he keeps the stage patter to a bare minimum, focusing on the vocal performances, which are dexterous, dense and impressively Mancunian. In many ways, he's the singer Squire has always aspired to work with: Gallagher comes with a versatility sorely missing from Ian Brown's act, and a sense of purpose that was tellingly absent from Chris Helme's vocals. Half hidden by his anorak jacket, Squire nevertheless pulls out a carousel of riffs that flit from the jolly ('Raise Your Hands') to the choppy ('One Day At A Time'.) Squire's lyrics are the usual cocktail of introspection, elation and aspiration,Gallagher's scat singing on ‘Just Another Rainbow’ hitting the right side of giddy.Bassist Barrie Cadogan punches up the drama, most notably on the no-holds-barred pub rocker 'You're Not The Only One'. Gallagher's freewheeling flexibility allows Squire to experiment with form, and the instrumental passages contorts and mutates to incorporate soul, funk and space jazz. Restless, Gallagher lets out a disembodied yelp, which helps elevate 'From Mars To Liverpool' from filler track to heavy metal juggernaut. Squire's Zeppelin stylings on 'I'm A Wheel' are lifted by Gallagher, who moves from an exasperated scream to a whisper, while Waronker's drumming is the epitome of brutal economy. By the time the quintet perform 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' during the encore - the only cover during the concert's relatively brief runtime - Gallagher permits himself some bum notes, safe in the knowledge that the weight of the evening has been lifted from his shoulders. Squire and Gallagher walk off the stage in an embrace, and it's clear to everyone that this is a labour of love, as well as commerce. For many years, everything Gallagher has done has felt like a statement, a repudiation, or a thinly-veiled comment on his tenure in Oasis. Tonight, there's a very different Gallagher onstage. He seems content, no doubt excited to work with one of the most inventive English guitar players of his generation. Squire similarly seems relaxed enough to play guitar, knowing that his epistles to wasted adolescence and soul-tinted ballads are being tackled by the perfect singer. In fact, tonight is more 'Casablanca' than 'Casablanca II;' it's the beginning of a beautiful (musical) friendship. Photos by Rob Hadley https://www.facebook.com/photosbyindieimages

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