Live Review: STONE - O2 Academy, Liverpool 22/04/2023
The ultimate homecoming: STONE live at Liverpool’s O2 Academy.
Having enjoyed nearly a full set of sold- out shows, the group (made up of Fin Power, Alex Smith, Elliot Gill and Sarah Surrage) were set to play to a capacity home crowd on their penultimate date of their UK leg of the tour. Over 1200 of Liverpool’s rock fanatics would gather to welcome home their heroes.
STONE have taken with them on the road up and coming outfit Safe At Any Speed for the duration of their UK shows. Liverpool were to receive the music of them, and another in the form of Owen Brown.
The addition of Brown to the line-up for the Liverpool show well and truly added to how much of a success the evening was. He was the definition of the perfect support act, especially in a venue with the size of the o2 Academy, he got the crowd going. His folk-style is so well received in the city. There is a bright future ahead of Owen Brown, who is set to release more of his own material. As a fellow Scouse act, it was brilliant to see STONE share their gig with an up and coming talent from the city.
Preceding the headline slot would be Safe At Any Speed. If the crowd weren’t already warmed up, they certainly were after the London outfit were through with them. As a group, they oozed coolness. With the lead singer sporting a leather jacket and classic Stratocaster guitar, there was no debate over who owned that stage. The reception they received was remarkable, especially since they only have a few tracks on SoundCloud. The pick of the bunch was ‘Mr Clean’ which had the crowd bouncing with its huge grungy sound.
It was then time for STONE to make their entrance. There was no time for the crowd to process it, since they kicked straight into the completely mental ‘I Let Go’. The sold-out Academy threw themselves around in chaotic fashion as Liverpool’s finest pumped out a huge opening number.
There would be no letting up by the band for quite some time, with mosh pits ensuing for pretty much every song. They seemed to just throw out massive tune after massive tune. ‘Keep Running’ followed the opener, and then the new ‘Left Right Forward’, which was-might I add- extremely well received. Complete and utter Bedlam.
The change from this chaos came when singer, Fin Power, took to the mic to deliver a powerful speech concerning the state of the world right now, and some of the people in it. The crowd enjoyed this and chanted in unison, venting their frustrations as one.
Following this, STONE continued their energetic set, sending the crowd berserk with the track ‘Waste’, where the frontman would join his people in what was quite-possibly the biggest mosh pit that Liverpool’s o2 Academy has ever seen.
The set closed out with ‘Moto’ from the group’s recent EP, and it concluded with the classic ‘Leave it out’.
The band demonstrated how they really can go right to the very top, they’re such a tight unit and they can really get a crowd going. Big venues like Liverpool’s o2 Academy will be no rare sight for STONE going forward, as they seem destined to blow up.
Words by Matthew Caslin
Photography by Maryleen Guevara
