Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds + Johnny Marr @ Warwick Castle, Sunday 21st July 2024

24 July 2024

A couple of songs into his stirring set at Warwick Castle, Noel Gallagher assured the massed audience they had plenty to look forward to. “We’re going to work backwards slowly…all the way to the 1990’s so you can hear what all the fuss was about”. In other words, he was telling them to relax and enjoy the first half. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise all of the new songs, the real party will happen later. True to his word, the first forty five minutes of the show consisted of the best of the High Flying Birds repertoire and served as something of a slow burn, with the Oasis classics delivered in the second half sending the crowd into a state of euphoria as they sang and danced along to the likes of ‘Stand by Me’, ‘Half The World Away’ and ‘Little By Little’.

Johnny Marr – Warwick Castle – 21st July 2024

Not that the headliner was the only Mancunian legend to grace the stage, with Johnny Marr delivering an hour or so of solo songs and covers alongside a smattering of favourites from The Smiths. Unlike the dour persona the band portrayed back in the 80’s the guitarist proved to be an amiable front man, playfully asking the crowd if they had any requests before launching into a frenetic ‘Panic’. The hard hitting ‘How Soon Is Now’ packed far more of a punch than the original, and this was a well balanced set that closed out with Electronic’s ‘Getting Away With It’ and a joyous ‘There Is a Light That Never Goes Out’. Whoever thought The Smiths music could sound so much fun.

Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – Warwick Castle, Warwick – 21st July 2024

Given the favourable reception to 2023’s Council Skies, it was hardly surprising that Noel Gallagher and band opened with a handful of songs from their most recent album, beginning with the dreamy pop of ‘Pretty Boy’ and the nostalgic title track. Not one given to much movement on stage, Noel largely preferred to let the music speak for itself, with the psychedelic ‘Open the Door, See What You Find’ and assured ‘We’re Gonna Get There in the End’ proving he is still a songwriter with plenty to say. Eventually, however, he did engage in some banter, notably with a tip of the hat to his beloved Manchester City before the celebratory ‘AKA… What a Life’.

After asking if anyone remembered ‘Stand By Me’, Noel then led the High Flying Birds into B-side ‘Going Nowhere’, followed by another Oasis deep cut in the form of ‘Talk Tonight’. It was with the the opening bars of ‘Whatever’ that, inevitably, was the point in the evening when the event became one anthem after the next. There is not much more to be said about beloved songs such as ‘The Masterplan’, ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, aside from noting that they were played and received with much enthusiasm and have more than stood the test of time. Determined not to be dismissed as a nostalgia act, this was a performance that proved that Noel Gallagher is not simply trading on past glories. Striking the perfect balance between old and new, no one would have left disappointed.

Setlist:-

Pretty Boy
Council Skies
We’re Gonna Get There in the End
Open the Door, See What You Find
You Know We Can’t Go Back
We’re on Our Way Now
In the Heat of the Moment
If I Had a Gun…
AKA… What a Life!
Dead in the Water
Going Nowhere
Talk Tonight
Whatever
Half the World Away
The Masterplan
Little by Little

Stand by Me
Live Forever
Don’t Look Back in Anger