Roger Daltrey | Simon and Oscar
The Piece Corridor, Halifax
Wednesday 30 July 2025
Most rock stars of Roger Daltrey’s classic are in all probability content material to purchase a couple of basic automobiles or lounge by the pool sipping cocktails, however with The Who’s veteran frontman, there’s at all times been a stressed power that finds an outlet onstage.
Gone are the times when a bare-chested Daltrey scared the hippies at Woodstock as The Who introduced some West London aggression to that shitshow, however as he sauntered on in a blue shirt and denims, you might inform at 81 he knew he nonetheless had the chops to maintain the devoted pleased.
Daltrey first checked out assist act Simon and Oscar after they have been members of Britpop act Ocean Color Scene, as they have been sound checking throughout a assist slot for The Who on a US tour. They’ve now obtained a daily assist slot with Daltrey touring as an acoustic duo, and their mellow journey via their band’s again catalogue went down nicely. Simon Fowler launched Revenue In Peace with “we’ve been doing this for 30 years, and this music appears to be extra related”, and he was proper. The Circle with Oscar Harrison on piano included a couple of strains from the Inspiral Carpets’ That is How It Feels, and Britpop basic The Day We Caught The Practice even obtained a few of the youthful viewers members up for a boogie.
It’s unlikely Roger Daltrey wanted the cash, or any extra adulation he’s had all through his six decade lengthy profession, so this present was simply enjoyable for him, and a band of gifted musicians he handpicked throughout lockdown. It was an opportunity to reimagine some Who classics and do covers of songs he loves, which confirmed in his relaxed manner and the banter he had with a mature crowd who in all probability bought Who’s Subsequent when it got here out in 1971.
He opened with a nod to Pete Townshend, with whom he has a famously sophisticated relationship, overlaying The Who’s guitarist’s catchy solo tune, Let My Love Open The Door. He then actually obtained the gang occurring a rousing model of Who Are You, as Daltrey actually confirmed off his nonetheless sturdy voice on a rousing model because the band contributed four-part vocal harmonies throughout the refrain.
These solo gigs away from the restrictions of doing The Who’s huge again catalogue allowed Daltrey to supply his personal variations of songs by different artists, do a few of his solo work and simply have a chat with the viewers. He recalled that he first got here throughout the Taj Mahal after they each appeared within the Rock and Roll Circus in 1968 as he supplied the breezy nation rock of Freedom Experience. Daltrey was additionally a good actor for a rock star as he revisited Ready For A Good friend from the McVicar soundtrack that was written by very long time Who collaborator Billy Nicholls, who was onstage tonight. Followers of lengthy forgotten Nineteen Seventies acts would have loved Daltrey’s pop rock model of Leo Sayer’s Giving It All Away.
Then it’s again to The Who for early hit The Youngsters Are Alright, which, a reflective Daltrey mentioned, he thought Townshend had written for him as on the time he was battling with the lure of the highway regardless of having a younger household of their early days. One other all time sixties basic, Substitute, had a few of the crowd up dancing within the aisles, as did a jaunty Squeeze Field as Daltrey inspired a male v feminine singalong.
Daltrey mused earlier than Received’t Get Fooled Once more that he made the error of placing one of many loudest screams in rock historical past in the course of the music, so realising his limitations invited the gang to assist him out with a collective roar when the time got here. The looping synth intro was performed by the violinist, as Daltrey did his compulsory mic swing, which gave this epic music a extra natural really feel as the gang rose to their ft to bellow out the phrases. Sure, they did do the scream as he held the mic out.
We have been in Who’s Subsequent territory as Daltrey talked about that Townshend had refused to sing Going Cell stay, so tonight it was left to his brother Simon, who had been main the band, to do the honours, which he did completely. Daltrey mentioned he was enjoying Creedence’s Have You Ever Seen The Rain?, so one in every of his contemporaries, John Fogerty, who’d misplaced the appropriate to his personal songs for years, would earn a residual from tonight’s present. The musical spirituality of Baba O’Riley was one other Who quantity with an enormous synth intro the place the violinist stepped in as each one that may stand jumped to their ft.
An epic jam round Mose Allison’s Younger Man Blues, which he first sang on the basic Stay At Leeds document, rounded off a enjoyable night time with one of many all time nice frontmen, and was a well timed reminder that Roger Daltrey stays one in every of our greatest blues singers.
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Phrases by Paul Clarke, you may see his creator profile right here.
Photograph credit score The Piece Corridor / Cuffe and Taylor
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