With their first album released in 2011, Noel and his High Flying Birds have spent just over a decade together. He may have forged defiantly forward since the premature demise of his former outfit, but with former Oasis bandmate Gem Archer now handling guitar duties, his past is never far from him. And with plenty of tracks from their timeless catalogue sitting neatly alongside ten years of his own hits, the show was a treat for fans of all eras.
Kicking straight into ‘Fort Knox’, from the 2017's 'Who Built the Moon?', the energised band quickly followed with the upbeat ‘Holy Mountain’ and ‘Keep on Reaching’ in quick succession.
It was fan favourite ‘She Taught Me How to Fly’ that proved to be the first real crowd pleaser of the night however, with a proper top-of-the-lungs sing-along.
Greeting the crowd, the quiet until this point Gallagher simply declared it was; “great to be back!”.
Changing gear and donning a acoustic for 'Wandering Star', the mood may have softened a little, but it remained upbeat and loaded with positive vibes.
Following a string of well received high fliers meanwhile, ‘Dead in the Water’ saw an intimate sing along that raised one the biggest cheers of the night.
With a number one charting best-of collection to their name (2021's 'Back the Way We Came: Vol. 1 (2011–2021)', the High Flying Birds clearly have left their own mark on music, however even Noel had to acknowledge what fans had been waiting for. Adorned with his signature Gibson ES355 (a new version of the one his brother Liam wrecked back at the scene of the band's break up in Paris in 2009), he declared; “You know what this means!”, as the Oasis section of the set began.
Delivering a flawless ‘Little by Little’, later-period single ‘The Importance of Being Idle’, and debut album staple, ‘Whatever’, the Dublin crowd were enraptured.
And then came the song. “This song is currently being butchered right now in the world - they’re all at it…”, quipped Gallagher in signature deadpan style, as the opening chords to 'Wonderwall' chimed out.
From their it was a run through some of the most iconic tracks of a generation, as ‘Half the World Away’ gave way to ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’.
Encoring with a "song is for every single Man City fan” in ‘AKA... What A Life!’, the night came to a close with an enrapturing ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, and a final Bob Dylan cover to close what had been an incredible night of music.
Taking his bows, Noel echoed the mood of the crowd, declaring; that it was “One hell of a fucking night!” and “One of the best gigs we have ever done!”
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds tour the UK throughout June 2022, finishing at Glastonbury Festival on 25th.
Click HERE for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds vinyl, limited editions, and more.
Check out our gallery from the show below. All photos by Darren McLoughlin.