The night was compared and emergised by Dave Sweetmore
Things kicked off with DJing, bigging up the venue for bringing live music back to Oldham. You could feel the buzz, a proper homecoming kind of night. He welcomed Aziz Ibrahim on stage to get things rolling, and the crowd was already fired up.
Before the show, Aziz told me he was ready to go. I asked for his setlist, and he just grinned and said, “It’s all in my head.” And that’s exactly what we got: pure instinct, confidence, and flair.
AZIZ IBRAHIM
You know what to expect by now. Lord of the Strings 101. The man was serving up those classic Roses and Brown tracks with his own slick twist. Straight out the gate, he hit us with two tunes he wrote for Ian Brown, and the crowd loved it. He was flossing on those guitar strings like it was second nature.
He’s got one of the most beautiful collections of guitars you’ll ever see, and he made each one sound heavenly. Then came what he called “the Bombay mix of the Stone Roses.” After a quick search for his capo, he was off again, plush, tight and totally locked in. It felt like we’d just completed with a military mission to Mars.
Follow Aziz
Instagram: @azizibrahimguitar
Twitter (X): @azizibrahim56
Facebook: Aziz Ibrahim Music
TOM MEIGHAN
Tom Meighan and Chris bounced onto the stage like a pair of coiled springs ready to go off. Talk about opening big! They wasted no time launching into Club Foot and the place absolutely erupted. Tom worked the front rows with handshakes, smiles and even handed the mic out. Pure frontman energy.
A bit of football banter soon followed, Leicester versus Oldham and the Manchester lot. “Remember, Oldham don’t give in!” he grinned, and that was that, the room was his.
Days Are Forgotten came next, pulling everyone in even tighter. The mic was back in the crowd again, because let’s be honest, everyone wanted to be part of it. These lads were brimming with confidence, playing all the big ones acoustically and letting the audience act as the rest of the band.
Tom said he could kiss everyone and took a moment to remember being at Night & Day in 2003, dedicating a song to a long-time fan at the front. Underdog followed, a proper crowd pleaser. Who am I kidding? They all were.
Stevie, I’m not going to say it again. Get yourself to the next gig. Damage your hearing, wear down that shoe leather. You’ll thank me later.
Thick as Thieves rolled into a cover of When You Are Strange by Echo & The Bunnymen, before sliding effortlessly into Better Life. By now the place was electric.
Then Tom spotted a lad in an Umbro jacket who looked like Charles Bronson, so of course Where Did All the Love Go? was dedicated to him. The whole room belted it out word for word.
The singalongs didn’t let up. Empire, then Better Life again, with Tom down on his knees, praising the crowd. Boys and Girls got everyone joining in on an inclusive, joyful singalong, followed by a bit of bluesy flair to keep the groove going.
And to close L.S.F. The anthem. Voices raised, arms in the air, everyone united.
Job done. Well and truly.
And here’s my confession: I’m not sure I was ever a big fan before. But after this? I’m convinced.
Follow Tom Meighan:
Instagram: @tom_meighan_official
Twitter (X): @Tom_Meighan
Facebook: Tom Meighan Official
Photo Credit – Simon Lee
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