If you grew up to a soundtrack which revolved around the Manchester indie scene of the 90s then you probably did a bit of a squeal when it was announced that two of the biggest icons of the scene were teaming up for an album and tour. So, now the album is finally here… what does a musical collaboration between Liam Gallagher of Oasis fame and John Squire of The Stone Roses sound like?
Well, you probably know what it is going to sound like and you would be right. Less gritty than his solo material, you can hear the defined roles in this collaboration. Providing the voice of partnership, it is pure Liam while the indie melodies will ring familiar to anyone partial to a bit of Squire’s Stone Roses work. On paper at least, the two huge personalities combined should have been explosive but listening to the jaunty rock ‘n’ roll vibes of opener “Raise Your Hands” and its follow-up “Mars to Liverpool”, it would seem this is a more relaxed affair.
That being said, while it could have been easier for the pair to just kick back and bang out exactly what the fans were expecting, that isn’t the case. Take the lazy blues jam that is “I’m A Wheel”, a song that, stylistically at least, should not fit so comfortably within this album but not only does it not look out of place but it also ends up being one of the highlights.
Elsewhere “Love You Forever” sees Squire’s guitar sound like it was lifted straight from the 70s while “I’m So Bored” is one of the more livelier numbers on the album.
Looping back to the start of this review, if you’re still wondering what this collaboration of two of the defining minds of British indie sounds like, the man himself couldn’t have put it better when he said “I think the people that are into the Stone Roses and Oasis and that kinda thing, I think they’ll fucking love it. It’s spiritual, it’s crucial.”
While people can still bang on about Gallagher reforming the Manchester legends, and the Stone Roses reunion a few years ago was short-lived, hopefully this won’t be the last time we hear these to Manchester legends come together because, Liam is right… this is spiritual!
To pick up a copy of the album, head over here.
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