2025 saw a Stereophonics Scottish takeover, kicked off earlier in June at Bellahouston Park as part of Stadium Anthems tour, followed by the arena tour including Aberdeen’s P&J Arena and OVO Hydro in December, with support from Finn Forster.
Opening tune ‘Vegas Two Times’ wasted absolutely no time in electrifying the sold out 14,000 capacity venue in Glasgow’s Finnieston, before blasting in to ‘I Wanna Get Lost With You’ and the anthemic ‘Have A Nice Day’ which welcomingly earned their place within the early stages of the set.
Kelly performed some guitar riff call-and-response teasing with the audience, making full use of their large catwalk-like walkway at the front of the stage. With the crowd in the palm of Kelly’s hand, he showcased guitar solos and visibly encouraged high energy from the crowd making for an exciting addition to what was inevitably a fantastic performance.
Kelly Jones’ raspy, yet enchanting vocals sounded incredible on the big stage, whilst ‘I Wouldn’t Believe Your Radio’ (strummed by Kelly on a ukulele) and ‘Mr Writer’ introduced some well deserved breathing space after back-to-back rocking singalong tunes towards the tail end of the performance.
A compilations of bittersweet behind-the-scenes photos from their first ever world tour accompanied the screen behind the band, followed by a very humbling and appreciative story from Kelly regarding the group’s beginnings in working class area of Wales, rehearsing along the street from the bingo hall where Kelly’s mum would regularly attend.
And as many would expect, a Stereophonics encore can only end in one way – and it did not disappoint. Inflatable beach balls were launched in to the crowd for the final handful of songs, omitting the likes of ‘The Bartender And The Thief’ and ‘Local Boy In The Photograph’, highlighting the sheer volume of stadium-ready tunes the band possess within their discography spanning well over 20 years. Kicked off with ‘100MPH’, followed by ‘Traffic’, ‘C’est La Vie’, and of course concluding with ‘Dakota’ which delivered every emotion you would expect, and more.
Leave a Reply