Sunday 09/03/08 Stereophonics @ The Roundhouse, Camden

Fresh from their acoustic performance and daring duet with The Rolling Stones’ Ronnie Wood in Covent Garden a fortnight ago come those Stereophonics doing what they do best: rockin’ your ****in’ balls off. There are no acoustic guitars in sight for tonight’s show in one of the capital’s best venues; just amps ramped up to breaking point. And it’s a full circle journey for the Welsh inhabitants, who used to travel to this part of North London many moons ago, with “no ****er watching us”. How things have changed. With tickets going for a tonne outside, this is the place that many want to be on a cold Sunday night.

Starting as they mean to go on with a blazing ‘Bank Holiday Monday,’ it’s clear the Stereophonics are definitely up for this English leg of the tour. Twenty tracks have been voted for by the fans, with more than a few classics for the diehards to savour including a rocked up rendition of ‘Thousand Trees’ from debut LP ‘Word Gets Around’, a rare live outing for ‘Same Sized Feet’, ‘Mr Writer’ which took “twenty minutes to write, and ten years to explain”, and Performance and Cocktails highlight ‘Pick A Part That’s New’.

In many ways Kelly Jones is the archetypal rock frontman, but he even drops the cliché and takes his Ray Bans off before too long, which focuses us on the growl he has perfected. It takes a full blown live ‘phonics set to realise how great his vocals truly are. Kelly has no need for skinny jeans and pretentious microphone swinging - all he needs is a venue.

It’s hard to choose a favourite track from the night, but the riotous ‘Doorman’ about bastards, well “not all of them, just the one’s on steroids” is a great shout. That, or sing-along anthem ‘Traffic’. But then again, first ever single ‘Local Boy in the Photograph’ is always a winner. And a night closer. The 20 carefully chosen tracks are over, and the band exit the stage to rapturous applause.

Of course they couldn’t possibly end it there. Kelly returns to the applause for paired down performances of ‘Have A Nice Day’ and ‘Maybe Tomorrow’ before the lads return to rock the night to a crescendo climax of the “most selected track by far…Sweet Child Of Mine!” Not quite, but ‘Dakota’ will have to do for now.

Stereophonics prove that tricks are for kids, and the way to rock a room to its very core, is good old fashioned rock and roll. ‘Phonics style.

CLICK HERE to see  the gig in pictures!