Polyphonic wizardry from Stereophonics

Stereophonics

Birmingham NIA

Words and pictures by James Watkins

Wales' finest export of a generation, Stereophonics, finally made it to Birmingham's NIA on Saturday as part of their Keep Calm and Carry On European tour.

The four-piece, fronted by the slick-looking Kelly Jones, gave the sell-out arena a cocktail of high-drama and visceral tunes that other established acts can only dream of.

Many bands wilt after a few good albums and the occasional catchy tune but, 18 years on, the 'Phonics are still making waves and mixing it with the best.

On Saturday, they opened with Innocent and rolled through a set of 23 songs that shook the building to its core. Richard Jones thundered out the bass on Superman whilst Adam Zidani strummed with 90's aplomb to Uppercut.

Favourites included Maybe Tomorrow, Traffic and A Thousand Trees, but new tracks Stuck In A Rut and Could You Be The One took massive applause from the capactiy crowd - as did a meticulously-crafted synthetic drum part from Javier Wayler, during Beerbottle.

Kelly Jones' tenacious and grainy voice was subtle and distinctive, working perfectly during Bartender And The Thief - the standout track of the night, which came complete with added Motorhead lyrics to The Ace of Spades.

Pyrotechnics lit up the arena with lasers creating a kaleidoscopic effect before a mass explosion of confetti and giant streamers filled the air upon the last chords of the final song, Dakota.

With a back catalogue that includes countless hits, it was always going to be a night to savour for any fan, new and old. And, in the final analysis, Stereophonics proved them just get better with age.