Versus Cancer Manchester 04-04-07
Echo & The Bunny Men
The Charlatons
Ian Brown
Noel Gallagher
  
 
Sorry photos aint brilliant coz we were on the top tear;
...front row though



































 
     


     
  Versus Cancer - M.E.N. Arena 30-3-2007

what a line up!
probably the best seats for the upper tear
still wish we were standing though
echo and the bunny men were cool
about 7 of them on stage! and such a simple sort of dreamy sound
the charlatons were good, watching them again soon
paul weller joined them for a few songs
ian brown cant sing live but his songs are cool
he shouldnt have done 2 new ones though, they sounded crap
f.e.a.r. rocks
johnny vegas shouldve twatted that puff from the friday night project
vegas owns, lol spat at the audience
neol gallagher is the man everybody came to see though
he could easily sell the m.e.n. arena out playing on his own
really cool hearing some different tunes
wish the foo fighters would do similar acoustic style gigs





Phills review

Versus Cancer: Noel Gallagher, Paul Weller, The Charlatans, Ian Brown, Echo and the Bunnymen - Manchester - MEN Arena - 30/03/2007

Very lucky to get tickets to this sold out gig. Only got them late once Noel was added.

Got to the arena to see the end of some unknown band before Johnny Vegas and some wierd guy in a mask come on. Vegas was funny entertaining the crowd before introducing bunnymen. Didnt know much but still sounded good overall. Will have ot listen to some of their stuff. Although it was kinda hard to see the lead singer most of the time, he seemed to be covered in smoke? Lighting was cool though.

IN between all acts they had a different dj which was a great way to fill up the gaps. They should do this every time at MEN in between support and main. All the cool lighting and music was keeping the crowd into the night. Djs I remember were Mani and Doves. Vegas back on the stage taunting some girl in the front row before introducing charlatans! They kick off with two classics, north country boy and the only one i know. Awesome stuff. Following this was a few more great tunes before Paul Weller joined them for an awesome version of A town called mallace. This really brought the crowd to life and to their feet. THey finished off with a John Lennon cover Power to the people, and off they went. Surprised how many tracks they fitted into their roughly 30 mins.

Ian Brown next. Kicked things off with a few of his solo tracks which were good, then going into his classic track - FEAR. Then his set plumeted. He chose to do two new tracks at an event like this?! He even fecked up one andhad to start again. The guy is only on for half an hour to a crowd which isnt a strictly ian brown gig - he should be doing all the classics! Wud have loved some stone roses classics in there - fools gold wud have been awesome. Luckily we would end getting one stone roses track though...

Strolling on stage with no introduction very casually was the man himself, Noel Gallagher! Kicked things off in style with Talk Tonight. The crowd ate up his set form start to finish. Was awesome to see these rarer played tunes live. Loved Listen Up, and the big surprise Dont Go Away! Half the world away got the crowd going, along with tracks such as slide away and cast no shadow. Paul Weller joined him on stage for a Jam classic. Perhaps the main drawback of the show was Weller not being on enough - he should have got his own set - but I guess that's cos he was a late addition to a show most likely already arranged in terms of who was playing. Dont look back in anger finished off the set with a mass sing along. 20,000 people in the domed MEN arena all on their feet singing this classic was a sight to see (and hear!).

Was surprised how many tracks noel manager to fit in, but envitably he missed a few out from his solo tour (its good to be free, married with children, whatever) - but I cant complain. Didnt expect to hear so many of those rarer played gems in his limited time as it was. He should definitely come back and do his own full length show there again. He really doesnt need to go to tiny venues that you cant buy tickets for just because it's a semi acoustic set. The atmosphere when he was on was electric!

Next up was Johnny Vegas again with the gay one from friday night project. Finishing things off was, as Noel described, a "car crash" version of a Stone Roses classic - I am the ressurection. A mini stone roses reunion happened with both bassist and singer out of the band together again. There was three classic bassists on this song and the bass riff is so cool. The whole arena was just partying to this ten-fifteen minute version of the track. Finished the night off in style!

A great event for a great cause. Hopefully this thing will just get better and better each year.

Cant remember all set lists but here is what I can:

Charlatans:
North Country Boy
The Only One I Know
Tellin Stories
Blackened Blue Eyes
Your So Pretty, We're So Pretty
Town Called Malice (With Weller)
Power To The People (With Weller)
Cant Get Out Of Bed

Ian Brown:
Dolphins Are Monkeys
Time Is Everything
FEAR

Noel:
Talk Tonight
Cast No Shadow
Half The World Away
The Importance of Being Idle
The Butterfly Collector (with Weller)
Don't Go Away
Listen Up
Slide Away
Don't Look Back In Anger

Stone Roses (minus a couple :-p):
I Am The Ressurection

MEN Review:

Quote:
Versus Cancer @ M.E.N Arena
Simon Donohue
31/ 3/2007

30/03/07

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!

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/entertainment/music/live_reviews/s/1003/1003342_versus_cancer__men_arena.html

 
     


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