Complete Stone Roses - Saturday 26 November - Newcastle Academy So would the floor hold out for the Complete Stone Roses unlike it had several days previously for the real Ian Brown? Well yes it did. I did have the advantage of seeing it road tested by Squarepusher and friends on Thursday night. If it could take a night of punishing electronic madness with hundreds of hardcore clubbers bouncing on it until the early hours, a gig by a Stone Roses tribute band should hold no problem. | "But Ian Brown here looks a lot cleaner living than the real thing. He’s like Ian Brown as if he were the child star of an 80s Persil advert" | |
On arrival, I’m surprised just how packed the Academy is, considering this is a tribute band with tickets going for a tenner a head. But I guess there are a hell of a lot of Roses fans out there unable, due to artistic differences, to see there heroes play live. At just after 8.30pm, the lads take to the stage. First thing I notice is just how young they look. I guess the Roses were young when they started out and I’m getting older. But Ian Brown here looks a lot cleaner living than the real thing. He’s like Ian Brown as if he were the child star of an 80s Persil advert, just off to go and play footy in his freshly washed kit with mam smiling as he runs out of the kitchen. The show gets going with “I Wanna Be Adored” and yes it sounds pretty good. It sounds like the Stone Roses! The crowd seem to be loving it. Especially the chubby little bloke who is doing some ill advised monkey dancing in front of me. Hit after hit Next we’re into “She Bangs the Drum” and then “Waterfall”. Both staying very close to the originals. Ian B doesn’t say much in between the tunes and after a while I work out why. While he may have mastered the monkey’d one’s singing ability, the Manchester accent is quite clearly beyond him. When he does briefly speak to the crowd it’s a cross between Yorkshire and Scottish! But on a plus point the monkey dancer bloke has found someone else to dance erratically in front of. The hits continue to come. We get “Sally Cinnamon” and “Fools Gold”, at which point Ian B asks if we have any requests? We do! It seams “Love Spreads” is the general consensus. They play a particularly fine version. Oh no! Annoying dancing monkey man is now in front of me again. My full pint is going to end up on the floor if this idiot keeps banging into me. I could just pour it over his head now! At this point my friend suggests we stand nearer to the front. Strange there should be more space nearer to the stage! As they start their encore with “Made of Stone” I can see why. They look even less like the Stone Roses from this angle! But they still sound pretty spot on music wise. They end the night with a fine rendition of “I Am The Resurrection” and the crowd, by all accounts, have loved it! I guess like that brand of creosote, “Complete Stone Roses” does exactly what it says on the tin! | 
