 | | The Feeling (pic: Andy Stubbs) |
Support The Feeling’s feel-good opener, I Want You Now, provides a ray of sunshine, with the Beach Boy harmonics piercing the rumbling bassline. Fill My Little World is infectious, rousing the crowd into song and debut Sewn floats delicately around the arena. The odd bout of tweeness is more than balanced by great tunes, as Rosé, the “song about love and about alcohol” morphs into an angsty power ballad. I’m not sure if it’s more surprising that the song sounds like a Rod Stewart number or that this isn’t a bad thing. In any case, The Feeling bring something unique to the fray, and set the tone for the day.
 | | Razorlight (pic: Andy Stubbs) |
Wild-haired and saucer-eyed, Johnny Borrell’s resemblance to Bob Geldof is uncanny as Rip It Up kick-starts Razorlight’s well-oiled rock machine, and the moshpit to boot. There’s a hint of the Boomtown Rats and some Talking Heads to new song In the Morning, while the back-to-back combo of Golden Touch and Vice is incredible, as is Borrell’s surprisingly powerful voice. Somewhere Else gets a rapturous response and shows the band’s ability for great songsmithery, beyond the punkish thrust of their debut album. Finishing in a towering crescendo of guitar, In The City sees Johnny, Bjorn and Carl side-by side, playing in unison. It’s a fitting end to an impassioned and professional performance, the legendarily arrogant Borrell proving he’s not all mouth.
 | | The crowd (pic: Andy Stubbs) |
After a medley of Richard Ashcroft’s favourite songs, Primal Scream’s Come Together provides the Verve man with his entrance, swaggering onstage to the Scream’s unifying message. “Come on Manchester!” is his opening call, and Manchester responds with gusto. Sonnet is lapped up by his faithful following, while Music is Power is jazzed up with sax. Ashcroft’s in jubilant mood, telling the crowd they’re the best he’s ever had, and his exuberance spills out as he sings a ditty about Rooney (‘Rooney is Power’). History sounds as powerful as ever, while New York is introduced as “a big slab of psychedelia”. It’s certainly big, and the slightly over-indulgent length of the song is more than made up for by Richard’s boundless enthusiasm.
 | | Richard Ashcroft (pic: Andy Stubbs) |
New song Words Just Get In The Way is easy on the ear too, and on Nature Is The Law, Ashcroft’s resonant vocals drop a shade to resemble Neil Diamond’s rich tones. He introduces Lucky Man as “one of the greatest songs I ever wrote”, and it provides the cue for a staggeringly affectionate lighters-in-the-air moment. The encore sees DJ Shadow take to the stage to perform Lonely Soul from UNKLE’s Psyence Fiction album. It sits slightly awkwardly with the rest of tonight’s performance, but perfectly in to Ashcroft’s eclectic music ethos. Finally, a heartfelt Break The Night With Colour precedes Bitter Sweet Symphony, a triumphant reminder of Ashcroft’s prowess and of his importance in popular music. The Verve, like Oasis, soundtracked the background noise of ordinary lives, and the devotion from the audience tonight is testament to the power of the music that Ashcroft loves, and more importantly, creates. He’s one of a very few artists who can make hardened hooligans shed a tear and share a hug, and that’s got to be special. | 
