Stereophonics rock out the Troxy

There was a time during the height of their fame, in the late 90s and early naughties, when you couldn’t leave your house or switch on the radio without being subjugated by something from the Stereophonics. Their second album Performance and Cocktails shot them into the mainstream and gave them huge commercial success catapulted from the back end of Britpop.

Stereophonics played a sold out Troxy having taken the decision to play the last gig of their mini UK tour in London. It seemed a masterstroke as the audience received the performance well in a venue smaller to those they would have played in their pomp. Opening with classic songs, Bartender and the Thief and 1000 Trees, the band put down a marker that they meant business and the crowd roared back at them with delight.

It must be said that after 16 years frontman Kelly Jones doesn’t look a day older and it was during Superman, taken from the album Language. Sex. Violence. Other?, that you began to question how his raspy voice has lasted so many years of touring. His vocal is still on form and, judging from the fanbase, women still want to be with him and men still want to be him.  When talking to the crowd about his heavy touring days, he stated: “We smoked a lot of grass and played a lot of PlayStation.” He definitely seemed to enjoy the night and revelled in the adulation he received.

Stereophonics are due to release a new album early next year and played a few new ones, such as Indian Summer and In a Moment; the latter being surprisingly dark contemporary. However they did not impact the listener as much as their greatest hits Mr. Writer and Pick a Part. As a live band Stereophonics are still very strong, if not better. Adam Zindani and Richard Jones bass and guitar play, littered with feedback, immerses you into a comatose state of musical acknowledgement.  New drummer Jamie Morrison appears charismatic and evokes the spirit of deceased original drummer Stuart Cable.

After an impressive encore the band re-emerged to play Violins and Tambourines, Traffic and the hugely popular Dakota which got everybody bellowing the chorus in unison: “Make me feel like the one.” Indeed, deafening sing-a-longs were the order of the night and the band deserved them.

Samuel Mensah
Photos: Ruta Buciunaite

For further information and future events visit Stereophonics’ website here.