Almost two decades into their career and after eight studio albums, Stereophonics still manage to attract the masses to their live performances. Marking their first Australian tour since 2010, the Welsh rockers sold out tickets to tonight’s show at The Palace.
The venue was already filling up by the time the opening band, Atlas Genius, took to the stage.
The Adelaide duo have been generating quite a buzz this year and it was easy to see their appeal. Lead vocalist and guitarist, Keith Jeffrey was charismatic on stage, showcasing his solid vocal chords while moving energetically with ease.
The band delivered a set filled with crowd-pleasing tunes, balancing melodic pop sensibilities with their rock sounds. Single “Trojans” and closing number “Electric” lifted the atmosphere among the audience, wrapping up their set on a high note.
Cheers erupted as tonight’s headliners opened with a track off their most recent release Graffiti On The Train, “Catacomb”. The album was recorded with former drummer, Javier Weyler, who has since been replaced by Jamie Morrison.
This tour is also the first time Morrison joins Adam Zindani (guitars) and founding members Kelly Jones (lead vocals and guitars) and Richard Jones (bass) on the road in Australia.
Immediately followed by the veteran rockers’ first ever single, “Local Boy In The Photograph”, the song still packed a punch in a live setting more than 15 years since it was first released.
After “Superman”, Kelly Jones took the opportunity to introduce the songs from their new record. The title track was followed by singles “We Share The Same Sun” and “Indian Summer”.
Clad in a leather jacket, frontman Jones’ signature gravel-toned voice was powerful yet still managing to offer layers of vulnerability in ballads such as “Maybe Tomorrow” and encapsulated the angst in “Mr Writer”.
Guitar problems caused them to re-shuffle the set a bit, fitting in a couple more new tracks. The heart wrenching “Been Caught Cheating”, originally written for Amy Winehouse and inspired by blues records they listened to during recording, was a standout among these songs.
The audience was reminded of how many hits the band has on their impressive catalogue throughout tonight’s performance. The introspective “Just Looking” from Performance And Cocktails sounded stellar and incited one of the many major sing along moments of the night. A nice nod to fans of the second album was a verse of “Hurry Up And Wait” seamlessly worked into as a prelude into the catchy “Have a Nice Day”.
While barely any songs from Keep Calm And Carry On made it on the set list, “She’s Alright” saw Richard Jones’ bass work shine.
“Same Size Feet” from their debut made a rare appearance before they closed the main set with a ferocious rendition of “The Bartender and The Thief”.
Not long after the crowd stomped and chanted for an encore, the foursome reappeared on stage. “A Thousand Trees” and “More Life In A Tramp’s Vest” were met by an enthusiastic response, almost the whole venue moved and sang along. While the tempo might have slowed down a bit during “Vegas Two Times” and the classic “Traffic”, the energy in the room did not dissolve.
As expected, the night reached a climatic end with possibly Stereophonics’ most popular hit, “Dakota” from Language. Sex. Violence. Other? The song’s anthemic qualities were emphasised during this performance as punters clapped along and sang along to the words on the top of their lungs.
A lingering closing number to a career spanning set, many still hummed and sang the notes aloud as they dissipated into the chilly Melbourne air.
