It's a shame that they never became world beaters when they didn't get that Christmas number one all those years ago, and their slide into obscurity and breakup afterwards really was sad. Never mind, they are back, performing well and have released a very good album in "Hot Cakes". The problem is that they've become a caricature of themselves - its like they have become the "Jethro Tull of glam rock" - ie very talented in what they do, but unlikely to graduate any further from that and always likely to be playing the same type of show, playing the same songs in the same size venues to the same fans every time. I think they have accepted that - at the MEN Arena shows, everything was sparkling, full of hope and energy - whilst this show seemed to show the signs of weary acceptance - doing the right things and putting on a good show, but effectively just like me in my own job, turning up for duty so as to get the money to pay the mortgage.
Having said all that, it was a good and enjoyable show, and very loud. There were plenty of glam rock pyrotechnics and explosions, and much opportunity for Justin to indulge his ego. There was a healthier cross section of material this time, including some stuff from the second album (but sadly not "Bald") and a good selection from the latest, including the rip roaring "Concrete" which has one of the most evil and addictive riffs in rock history, not to mention some of the cheesiest and silliest lyrics.
A good night out, and quite rarely, my ears were tingling! I'd certainly be happy going to see them again, but whether they can cope with being onlya "Championship Team" and stay together is a question that only time will tell.
