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Aside from abuse hurled at the London Eye, this livestreamed boat gig is a sedate pootle through his solo work and the heavier end of Oasis
Other livestreams have sold themselves on everything from dazzling displays of the latest technology or promises they could somehow recreate the atmosphere of a club, but – not entirely unpredictably – Liam Gallagher’s offers up allusions to rock history. It comes advertised with Jamie Reid ransom-note graphics and a cartoon that apes the poster displayed outside cinemas when The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle was showing: the obvious inference is that it’s an event spiritually akin to the Sex Pistols’ infamously chaotic July 1977 performance on a River Thames pleasure cruiser, which ended prematurely with police boarding the boat, scuffles and multiple arrests.
Of course, the reality of Down by the River Thames is absolutely nothing like that. Filmed a month ago, its footage of passing landmarks and the London skyline illuminated at dusk is so beautifully shot and edited, it could be an advert for Visit Britain. The closest it comes to authority-baiting insurrectionary fervour is when Our Kid unaccountably takes against the sight of the London Eye between songs. “Arsed about you, big wheel,” he bellows, curiously. “Big round daft thing sitting there all lit up. I couldn’t give less of a fuck about you.” On another occasion, he’s momentarily distracted by another denizen of the river. “This one’s for all the beautiful people on Earth,” he begins, before something catches his eye: “CANOE!” Continue reading...