A sell-out welcome home for Inspirals

INSPIRAL CARPETS

HMV RITZ, Manchester
SELLING out the HMV Ritz in Manchester shows Oldham’s Inspiral Carpets haven’t lost their popularity.

The band, featuring original frontman Stephen Holt, returned with a bang.

It’s been six months since the announcement of the reunion of the first line-up and since then the band have been busy getting ready for their UK tour — which ended at Saturday night’s “homecoming” gig.

With just under 12 months until the band enter their fourth decade and well into middle age, they showed great maturity — yet they still engage with an audience who watched them in their heyday and with fans who were not even born when they formed.

More than a thousand fans chanted for classics from the Eighties and Nineties.

The group’s faithful also welcomed new material, which attempted to reach back to their garage roots, like “You’re So Good For Me”.

Chants of “Boon Army” for XFM DJ and Farfisa organist Clint Boon roused the venue throughout.

“Commercial Rain”, “Joe” and “Dragging Me Down” proved favourites, as did anthems “This Is How It Feels” and ending with “Saturn 5” went down a storm.

The Carpets are just one of many “Madchester” bands returning to the live scenes.

It’s slightly worrying for the modern music scene that the likes of the Inspirals, Stone Roses and Buzzcocks get the juices going for live music more than new bands

Roll on May when the Inspirals support Shaun Ryder and co at the Manchester Arena.