5/5

Did somebody say Westlife?" grumbled Noel Gallagher in church last night. "That just goes to prove there is no God."

The reason for his bitterness was obvious. Oasis had just narrowly lost the battle of the best ofs in the album chart to the Irish boy band. But Stop The Clocks still shifted more than 200,000 in a week to fans who, in many cases, must already own those songs.

It certainly shows the incredible loyalty the Gallaghers still inspire. So this was Noel's chance to give something back: a commanding solo performance for the Little Noise Sessions, a series of acoustic gigs for Mencap.

Liam Gallagher wasn't in the crowd, but then he seems to have an allergic reaction to anything acoustic (perversely he believes Wonderwall shouldn't have been included on Stop The Clocks). Comedian Russell Brand was there, along with Radio 1's Chris Moyles and Jo Whiley.

Whiley picked the line-up for these shows, although last night's support acts were clearly approved by Noel. He released the current album from the under-appreciated Liverpool band Shack through his label, and they returned the favour with a majestic performance full of sweeping melodies.

But there was grit too, especially when singer Mick Head shouted at a group of people walking away: "Where the f**k are you going?" Noel also swore in church when he later declared his other support act, Kasabian, "the best f***ing band in England". Their pedestrian start didn't come close to that, but a cover of The Beatles' I'm So Tired and a rabble-rousing LSF got the fans out of their pews.

They were upstanding again when Noel arrived with Oasis guitarist Gem Archer and someone introduced as "Terry" who played a single drum. Archer was on electric guitar, which may have been cheating, while Noel strummed his way through a dozen Oasis songs and Strawberry Fields Forever.

Despite the stripped-down sound, it was an electrifying show that underlined his astonishing creativity in the mid-Nineties. Sublime B-sides such as Talk Tonight appeared alongside Wonderwall and Slide Away, with Noel in fine voice and clearly not in need of his brother.

The Importance Of Being Idle got huge cheers and had his girlfriend Sara MacDonald dancing on the balcony. And as the classics kept coming, the atmosphere among the 500 lucky fans became celebratory. This was another side to Oasis, with a fascinating selection of songs - and it turned out to be a unique and intimate performance

www.thisislondon.co.uk/music/gig-23355537-details/Noel%20Gallagher/gigReview.do?reviewId=23375750