Despite this being their first home-coming gig for some time,
it was a pretty unhyped event. Inside the venue, there were true
Supergrass fans from the days of the Jericho Tavern. The unfashionable New Theatre, with its rows of seats,
prevented even the most enthusiastic of fans from doing anything
more than nod their head in time. Following on from the excellent 22-20s (who must surely strike
out on their own soon) Supergrass seemed a little nervous. Whether it was the fact they were performing their less
popular material at first, or the white lighting which made the
stage look empty, for the first half of the gig, they looked
decidedly uneasy. This changed, however, when the lights dimmed and Gaz and Nick
reappeared with acoustic guitars on a leather sofa. The audience
seemed drawn to the stripped down sound and raw vocals, and sang
along. After this acoustic interlude, what followed was
brilliant. More up-tempo rock and roll numbers were included between
classic songs like ‘Be Alright’, and ‘Pumpin’
on the Stereo’ and the audience loved it. This was the
Britpop Supergrass tat Oxford remembered and loved; better
lighting displays and clever use of live action images. The experimental Supergrass didn’t hit the right notes,
and seemed unwilling to play their familiar songs. Loyal fans
know the Britpop sound they like, and maybe Supergrass will
acknowledge this.ARCHIVE: 2nd week TT 2004
Live: Supergrass
