Date: Thu, 28 Dec 1995 02:41:42 -0800
From: ******@man1205.wins.icl.co.uk (Nick Seccombe) of Manchester, UK
Subject: Sheffield Review
To: roses-review@freestyle.com

The fans thougth that they would never get to see the Roses as they waited for two hours with no support, only endless session musicians tuning and retuning. But it was well worth the wait...

They were fantastic and played tacks from past and present. The older tracks received most hysteria from the eager crowd, and the slower, newer tracks seemed not quite so familiar with many.Ian Brown strutted around the stage like Chris Eubanks and was as deadly with the vocals, but not quite as good with the in-between-song-chat. 

He said two things to the crowd (1) "Manchester", and (2) "Manchester, Capital City" - which nevertheless both sent the crowd wild. I pondered on what he might say in Sheffield or Leeds if anything, but in the end the music said it all.

The drummer was ice cool, as he tapped out the beat with one hand and smoked a splif the other.

Overall - one not to have been missed.

From: karl todd <********@dominion.demon.co.uk>
Newsgroups: alt.music.stone-roses
Subject: Manchester 22nd
Date: Tue, 26 Dec 95 19:18:44 GMT

This is a review of the Roses concert on Friday 22nd of December at the Apollo, Manchester. 

It was originally in the Manchester Evening News, on Saturday 23rd.

"Over six years have passed since the Stone Roses last played a concert in their home city. Last night they teased our anticipation to the limit.As the lights went down, there was just a throbbing undercurrent of sound for a full five minutes, before the Roses took the stage.

Ian Brown - the man who re-wrote the book on how to be a bolshie front man - emerged in a furry parka; lanky, and tidily turned-out, came guitarist John Squire, resembling rather a fashionable librarian, but playing list the ghost of Jimi Hendrix.

As a groove emerged from the chaos, Brown's voice rose, stronger than of old, with the cocky mantra "I wanna be adored."Yes, the Roses were adored. They typified the look, the attitude and the sound of the late eighties. And then ... nothing. Contractual disputes, sheer idleness and the odd drug problem, meant the second album was five years in the making, and even then the Roses were slow to tour, losing drummer Reni along the way.

The band which stepped forth at the Apollo last night was very different from the darlings of the baggy era. This was a fully-fledged rock monster, in which the balance of power had shifted from Brown to Squire.While Brown mooched around on stage, the guitarist allowed himself great extended solos, which even by the liberal standards of seventies rock, would have been considered a little self-indulgent.But if you are very good, you get away with self-indulgence. Squire enthralled throughout, wielding bluesy licks given raw, ear-splitting power by his cranked-up amps.

His chiming guitar propelled Waterfall and Made Of Stone. Breaking Into Heaven proved an epic exploration, but Driving South saw Squire at his best, wrestling that naggingly-memorable riff from his guitar like a real bluesman.But for all his axemanship, the Roses remain purveyors of pristine tunes. 

Ten Storey Love Song was a good example of the kind, its maudlin and beautiful melody bobbing along on the stroppy undercurrent of a dance beat.If Squire has lept forward in ability, the partnership of bassist Mani and new drummer Robbie Maddix is tighter than tight.Which leaves Brown, who - like the protege who so resembles him, Liam Gallagher of Oasis - is more important for what he represents, than for what he actually does.A passable singer at best.

Brown's appeal is an enigmatic thing. Suffice to say that few could get away with that line "I wanna be adored".There were none of the usual pleasantries, apologising for their lengthy absence, or thanking the fans sticking by them. Ninety minutes with two encores and the lights went up again. 

The longest speech from anyone on stage had been: "Make a wish, it's Christmas.

"All typing mistakes are mine!! Unfortunately, I didn't get to that concert but from what Sujay told me, the review seems fair with the possible exception of the part about Ian's voice. 

Sujay said that Ian hit all the notes apart from a couple of times and from my experience of Saturday's concert Ian has really improved.

Hope your all having a great Christmas.