Versus Cancer @ M.E.N Arena
31/ 3/2007
LAST year Manchester Versus Cancer organiser Andy Rourke staged a partial reformation of The Smiths. This time he managed to get three Stone Roses on stage to perform I am The Resurrection.
Nothing short of the Bee Gees jamming with the Happy Mondays, Morrissey on backing vocals, while John Squire plays guitar, will be enough to beat this if Versus Cancer does return for a third time.
This, the second in the Versus Cancer concert series in aid of Christie hospital, was one of those nights when special things just kept on happening.
Things started well enough with the Scratch, a new band who won the chance to appear on stage via an XFM competition. They were followed by what was billed as a supergroup, former Oasis man Bonehead working alongside Mondays' percussionist Gaz Whelan in a band which started their set as The Electric Milk Band and ended it by announcing a name change to the Hippy Mafia. I hope we hear much more of them.
Then it was the first of some extra special occurrences, David McAlmont and Bernard Butler conspiring to turn a number of Smiths' standards into stadium numbers with help from Andy Rourke on bass.
'Magnificent'
McAlmont's androgynous vocal meant that Still Ill was magnificent, while Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody loved Me set sentiment soaring in to the roof space.
And if that was good, they were joined by sometimes Primal Scream collaborator Denise Johnson for the Phil Spector-esque sounds of one of their own.
Linking all of that to the sublime Echo and The Bunnymen were the comedians John Thomson, Frank Sidebottom and Johnny Vegas.
The Liverpudlians broke away from an incredible greatest hits medley to welcome Peter Hook on board for a script-aided rendition of the New Order classic Ceremony.
The Charlatans were on top form, Tim Burgess belting through a list of favourites before enlisting the help of a man called Paul Weller for A Town Called Malice.
The Northwich band, which has also has its brush with cancer, played Can't Get Out Of Bed with Weller on rhythm guitar.
Poignantly, lead singer Tim Burgess dedicated a song to veteran Mancunian music figure Tony Wilson, who is himself battling cancer at the moment.
Yet despite the worthy cause, the mood was light throughout.
If there had to be one disappointment, I'd like to have seen more of Paul Weller. Another sad fact was the appearance of some stars on stage smoking cigarettes. Strange thing to see at an anti-cancer concert.
He made a short appearance later with Noel Gallagher but didn't really do anywhere near enough to satisfy the crowd.
'Kung-fu Jimmy Savile'
But then the heroes were always going to be Mancunian and the first of the uber-Gods emerged in the guise of Ian Brown.
In truth, Ian Brown is a much better recording artist than he is a live singer. He looked a little bit like a kung-fu Jimmy Savile, pounding the stage in a black track suit top and sporting easily the longest side burns in local history.
Simon Cowell would have kicked him off the stage, but the crowd loved him. High points were F.E.A.R. and the finale, but more of that later.
Someone had to take top billing and it didn't seem to overly faze Noel Gallagher.
There was no Liam to spoil the mood, Noel suggesting that his silly sibling was "moving house".
His semi-acoustic numbers were nothing short of spine tingling, with Cast No Shadow a particular highpoint.
He was joined by his "friend" Paul Weller, who strummed away while Noel held court.
Then one local hero handed proceedings over to another with the words that we were looking forward to the "car crash" all-star jamboree.
He was right. It was the most shambolic moment in an otherwise hitch-free night. But to hear I Am The Resurrection like this was unmissable nevertheless.
Ian Brown returned to the stage again while Mani and Andy Rourke played bass guitar, with Roses' dancer Cressa moving incongruously between them like someone the bouncers had forgotten to throw back into the pit.
A bit more of that trademark Stone Roses' lead guitar would have been nice, but then there's always next year!
Quelle:
Manchester Evening News
