STEREOPHONICS | LIVE REVIEW
Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff, Sat 12 Dec
On the back of yet another UK number one album, their sixth to be exact, Stereophonics bring their sold-out tour home to Wales for the first of two nights at the Cardiff Motorpoint Arena. The boys from the Aman Valley kick off proceedings with two tracks from latest hit album Keep The Village Alive, C’est La Vie and I Wanna Get Lost With You, before diving into their endless catalogue of notable hits. Kelly Jones takes centre stage as the solos and riffs of Superman and Vegas Two Times echo out.
The Euro 2016 football draw having taken place just hours before the curtain dropped, there’s an obvious swagger about the frontman and bassist Richard Jones. The crowd, too, landed with the prospect of a Wales vs England tie next summer in France.
Next up is a Word Gets Around double, the crowd singing along to every word of A Thousand Trees and More Life In A Tramp’s Vest, while Mr Writer sounds just as haunting as when it was first released. Handbags And Gladrags has become a cemented feature for the ‘Phonics now, and a gig wouldn’t sound the same without it. Kelly front and centre with just his acoustic guitar for Traffic ias something beautiful, and the roaring crowd are more than happy to lend a hand for Just Looking. Pick A Part That’s New and Local Boy In The Photograph wrap up the main set – but it’s a short lived break before the encore took place.
An encore quartet of The Bartender And The Thief, I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio, Maybe Tomorrow and the iconic Dakota isn’t far off the perfect finish to an impressive setlist, covering nearly two decades of Stereophonics material.
There’s no stopping the two Joneses and co: they keep going from strength to strength, and Kelly’s vocal seems to be as strong as ever. A co-headline spot at the Isle Of Wight Festival next summer is already confirmed, likewise a return to Cardiff City Stadium for another homecoming headline show. They’ve stopped to fill their car up and there’s plenty of petrol in the tank.
words OWEN SCOURFIELD photo TOM OXLEY