Oasis - London Finsbury Park, 5/7/2002

  by Julia Willis

published: 13 / 7 / 2002

intro

One of the most hyped up outdoor events of the year, Oasis recently played two shows at London's Finsbury Park with the Charlatans amongst the support. Up against the rain, Julia Willis witnesses rock 'n' roll at its most extreme and very worst

Er… what are Liam and Noel Gallagher doing standing in front of me at the beer tent in all this rain eh? Cor blimey ! Blow me down with a feather ! It’s not Liam and Noel after all It’s middle class white boys with designer labels and faux-working-class Mancunian charm, even though they’re from Surrey and can amply afford the £30 ticket price. Up until they arrived at Finsbury Park today they didn’t walk with Liam-style bandy-legged swagger, offering everyone they meet out for a fight either. The Gallaghers’ constant leering and attention -seeking whining in the press has detracted from their music and attracted a tabloid reading audience who like Oasis and the Charlatans because they’ve heard of them and wanted a look-at-me-love-me-please day out whilst pretending to be into their music. Pity they don’t have the dedication to actually go to a proper festival or listen to anything that isn’t playing on daytime capital radio. There are raincoats on offer to cover your fake Burberry shirt, although we can’t promise that you won’t get those lovely shiny white trainers just a little bit muddy with all this rain. Why pay more attention to the attitude and attire of the crowd rather than the music you may ask? Well, because this was all they were bothered about. These people weren’t here for the music as the Coral, Proud Mary, Soundtrack of our Lives and Black Rebel Motorcycle, all acclaimed bands in their own right, raised little more than the mandatory minimum applause. All chosen presumably for their passing resemblance to Oasis’ sound, they were dealt a poor hand by the sound technicians who were obviously saving all the stops for Oasis’ performance as the quality was more than noticeably enhanced. Cheats ! As the Charlatans took the stage and the rain beat down even harder we made our way to the front, through people pushing each other and bickering, empty synthetic pint glasses and plastic bottles filled with urine bounced off people’s heads. It was an unpleasant experience for all concerned. We made our way back to the top of the field as there was a better view from there and we could actually hear the music rather than have it drowned out by the football chants and fighting down the front. Anyway, I was about to hit the guy in front of me – obviously it’s catching. The drug dog at the entrance must have had a cold as it didn’t do much to stop those so blatantly off their heads climbing the trees, tearing into them on the way up and swaying heavily in the branches whilst we silently prayed, fall, fall… The Charlatans came to the end of their ‘Greatest Hits’ set hindered by the sound quality somewhat and the pack bayed for Oasis. Finally arriving onstage, the sound opened up and we could hear clearly for the first time, as they launched into their ‘Greatest Hits’ and offered an annotated version of their latest album 'Heathen Chemistry', the crowd bounced. So too did one of the guys in the tree. ‘She’s Electric’ ground to a halt. The branch snapped and down he tumbled, rolled, dusted himself off and limped away. Proof that Class A narcotics really do make you think you’re someone you’re not and can do things you really shouldn’t. He was taught well though. Look at the guys onstage... Five hours in the rain to hear Noel and Liam reel off their festive favourites? Total bollocks !

Band Links:-

Picture Gallery:-