Stereophonics, Hammersmith Apollo, 20 September 2005

My ebay skills managed to snag me two standing tickets for £36 (face value, one ticket costs £35) so wahey! I joined Matt & Co for a concert which I knew I would enjoy but wouldn't have a mind-blowing time at - not because the 'phonics suck, but because I only know a handful of songs (namely the hits) and a concert is always more fun when you're really into the band/singer and know most of the songs (see U2 ) .

Kelly Jones & Co come onstage and true to rock star form, Kelly's got the shades on and they kick off with "Superman", my fave tune. Good start although I prefer the album version because he didn't sing in his falsetto voice which makes the song.

As predicted, I only knew a handful of songs so where appropriate I sung along. Everyone all around me seemed to know all their songs so I guess the 'Phonics are bigger than I thought. Fair play to them and they were a good band and Kelly Jones has good stage presence although the Welsh accent was missing somewhat hmmm... During the end bit in "Dakota" where he goes "So take a look at me now" over and over again was magnificent; I think it was his husky voice that did it for me.

All in all, a good concert but I didn't leave on a high but I definitely rate them as a band. Oh, and Kelly Jones - I definitely would.