Ian Brown

The tent is packed out, to the point security are telling people to come down from the rafters! The change over from Lemon Jelly is taking its time and the crowd a palpably excited. You can feel a crackle of energy in the air. Two guys appear beside me, one says to the other in a camp Geordie accent, “We’ve been dancing all weekend, we deserve this, let’s treat ourselves to Ian Brown.” And it seems much of the tent have the same idea.

As the lights dim, the crowd are chanting “Ian Brown, Ian Brown, Ian Brown” to the tune of ‘Here We Go, Here We Go!’ and it’s loud like the terraces at Old Trafford. And then Manc’s finest monkey comes out to rapturous applause, dressed in white and looking cool as ice.

Previously when I’ve seen Ian Brown he’s been full of anger and it’s been a lack lustre performance. Tonight he’s happy and relaxed and has a stupendously good backing band assembled behind him for our aural pleasure.

After wandering the stage and soaking up the crowd’s delight, the first notes of the Stone Roses classic, ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ start up and the crowd are clearly a majority of Roses fans as everyone sings out, “I don’t have to sell my soul, He’s already in me!” and it’s one of those moments where you realize wherever Ian goes from here it’s going to be great!

‘Love Like A Fountain’ starts with some stunning syncopation and floats into our heads and hearts, stepping us up. Some large black inflatables appear in the crowd, and when Ian spots them he commands they be destroyed and says their blatant advertising is disgusting. He then dedicates the next tune to all the water drinkers.

Looks like Ian could do with some water as he goes a bit phlegmy. He stops for a minute to done a gold emblazoned Adidas white jacket for an ethnic drum driven high beat andr ‘Longsight M13’ and when Ian sings “Seen so many happy faces, waving back at me” he could have been talking about tonight. It is a perfect encapsulation of the moment.

Ian continues, “No where to run to baby, no where to hide.” Before slipping into ‘Keep What You Got’ and it’s another sing along. The band really are smoking and even Ian doesn’t sound as out of tune as usual.

Ian removes his top stripping to a shirt and slips down to haunches putting his hands out on the floor like a monkey and pouting before the lyrical ‘Dolphins were Monkeys’ and then the highlight of the show an on form Ian sings ‘I Am the Resurrection’ along with most of the tent. I’m still in shock that the gig has gone this far without collapsing.

Ian joins the tabla drummer for a crashing drum solo and instrumental piece and warns us it’s a £1000 a minute fine if he over runs – no chance of that it’s still 20 minutes to curfew. He can, it appears keep the beat. ‘Forever and a Day’ is a surprise inclusion but ‘My Star’ isn’t though and it’s another glorious moment enhanced by the decent lighting to make it a karaoke fest.

‘F.E.A.R.’ is a class example of Ian’s lyrical head and it’s delivered fantastically, a powerful anthem which has the crowd leaping and hugging each other and singing – a true festival moment. The band leave bang on 11pm. The crowd beseech for more and plead and holler but clearly tonight Ian is keeping his grands in his pocket.

Ian might not be able to sing but he sure can write classics and does the best monkey impressions of any frontman, tonight the band carry the tunes, well this is a dance festival, and the crowd carry the singing. A fantastic night where it shows Ian can be enjoyed live after all.

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