Stereophonics

Provenance, to the people of Northern Ireland is of great importance in all areas, so you would be forgiven for thinking that Kelly Jones and his band were home grown, given the rapturous welcome the Stereophonics received at the recent sell out gig in Belfast’s Custom House square at Belsonic 2015.

Local Boy in the Photograph, from their debut album, Word Gets Around, was an appropriate start to the evening followed by hit after sing-along-hit; Superman, Graffiti On The Train, Mr Writer, Maybe Tomorrow and many more.

During the gig the band mixed it up with some new songs, notably "C'est la Vie" from their new album Keeping The Village Alive with is due to be released next week, at which point the inevitable Belfast rain began, only adding to the atmosphere and certainly not dampening the spirits of the crowd.

In this current era of singer song writers manufactured via the internet from their bedrooms, where everyone feels as though they have a tertiary stake in their promotion or demise, it is refreshing to listen to the authentic sound of decades of hard work resulting in almost 20 years of celebrated indie-rock success.

Kelly’s ‘hard drinking, 40 a day habit’ rasp was as fantastic as in 1997 when they first burst onto the scene, if it wasn’t for the many hundreds of people reminiscing and singing along, you would be forgiven for thinking you were listening to the CD.

Apart from Kelly’s banter with spectators in the surrounding apartments who benefited from a free show from the comfort of their own homes, the gig was a refreshingly commentary free success…………all wrapped up with, of course, Dakota, as the rain cleared and people went their separate ways into a beautifully warm summers night.