Gig review: Stereophonics, Usher Hall

They’ve been around for nearly two decades but Stereophonics are living proof that, when it comes to performing live, polished experience can sometimes trump a willingness to experiment.

Tickets to their gig at Edinburgh’s majestic Usher Hall sold out in a matter of minutes, with fans eager to watch the band play a gig in the relatively small venue as a warm-up for their upcoming arena tour dates.

Opening their set with I Wanna Get Lost With You and C’est La Vie, followed by a heavy dose of familiar hits from their Nineties heyday, the Welsh band quickly managed to prove that they’ve perfected the art of crowd-pleasing.

Just Looking, A Thousand Trees and Local Boy in the Photograph were unsurprisingly the tracks that really brought everyone together but Mr and Mrs Smith, an upbeat track from their latest album, also had the entire Usher Hall bouncing.

Kelly Jones’ simple, stripped back performance of Traffic served as a stark reminder that the alluring frontman still possesses one of the best voices in the industry. His raspy vocals led the audience in a unified singalong that was even more heartfelt than it was predictable.

They might not put on the most ground-breaking gigs in the world but there’s no denying that Stereophonics can always be relied upon to deliver a fun and entertaining live show. And, at the end of the day, isn’t that what really matters?

Tickets for the Stereophonics arena tour are on sale now via www.ticketmaster.co.uk

UK tour dates are as follows:

Wednesday, December 2 – Bournemouth BIC

Friday, December 4 – Manchester Arena

Saturday, December 5 – Leeds First Direct Arena

Sunday, December 6 – Newcastle Metro Radio Arena

Wednesday, December 9 – The SSE Hydro, Glasgow

Friday, December 11 – Birmingham Genting Arena

Saturday, December 12 – Cardiff Motorpoint Arena

Tuesday, December 15 – Brighton Centre

Wednesday, December 16 – London O2 Arena

Words: Amy Anderson

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