LIVE REVIEW: Alex James’ Britpop Classical at Newcastle, O2 City Hall

Photo shot on Iphone

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The night began with DJ Dan mounting the decks at 7:30pm. Spinning a range of 90s Britpop classics, with a few anomalies from the early 2000s including Maximo Park and The Futureheads, as fans filtered to their seats. 

The crowd remained rather tame, compared to Dan who used all his energy to try and excite this mostly mature audience. I found myself being one of the youngest attendees, alongside a few other young adults, and one youthful schoolboy who happily partied throughout the whole DJ set. 

As time passed by and ciders were drunk, it was time for Dan to spin his last song before parting the stage. The renowned ‘Mr Brightside’ by The Killers was his closing number, in which he requested the crowd arise from their seats ahead of Alex James’ arrival on stage. 

The song concluded as the orchestra prepped their instruments, minutes before the show was due to begin. The lights were dimmed, and cheers began to emerge as the Britpop bassist came to the front of the stage. Amidst the applause, the band broke into ‘Help!’ by The Beatles, then ‘Rebel Rebel’ by David Bowie as footage of the artists played on a screen behind them. The medley continued with ‘Get It On’ by T. Rex, ‘Waterloo Sunset’ by The Kinks and finally ‘My Generation’ by The Who. Outlining many of the influential artists that impacted musicians of the 90s, and how these musical legends before them created the blueprint for what would become ‘Britpop’. 

Alex James thanked the audience before turning his attention to the screen behind him playing a compilation of footage from Britain in the 90s, highlighting the music, fashion and people. Encapsulating a time where a new sound was on the horizon, one that would soundtrack the lives of many within venue, and ‘Britpop Classical’ would hopefully give them a chance to embrace and reminisce something they had experienced over 30 years ago. 

Jumping into their first hit, ‘The Riverboat Song’ by Ocean Colour Scene, with frontman Simon Fowler bouncing onto the stage. The audience belted every word; this 1996 track was a fantastic opener and kept the crowd on their feet. 

Then rolling straight into Republica’s ‘Ready To Go’ with original vocalist; Saffron. 

Including Supergrasses ‘Alright’, before performing an incredible mashup of ‘Unbelievable’ by EMF and ‘Connection’ by Elastica. This combination worked so well and gave the audience two songs for the price of one, without wasting any time in between.  

The talented vocalists that joined Alex on stage each brought their own unique and impressive sound to every track. 

Next welcomed a medley dedicated to the many accomplished artists from Manchester. Beginning with a couple Oasis tracks, which felt extra special considering the notorious rivalry that had occurred between Blur and Oasis throughout the 1990s, before the prominent bassline to ‘I Wanna Be Adored’ by The Stone Roses rang throughout the auditorium. 

After covering ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ and ‘Country House’, Gary Stringer entered the stage to lay his iconic vocals on the Reef track; ‘Place Your Hands’. A song that once again got the audience to their feet, and their hands in the air. 

Blur’s hits ‘Girls and Boys’ and ‘Parklife’ were justifiably included in the set, as well as 1997 classic ‘Song 2’. 

The audience then took to their seats to fully appreciate the transcendent, live orchestral performance of ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ by The Verve. A song I had anticipated the whole evening, and it certainly lived up to expectations. It was euphoric to hear the iconic opening sequence performed by an ensemble of live violinists. 

After a round of applause, they next performed ‘Creep’ by Radiohead with their incredible session vocalist doing Thom Yorke justice. 

This tranquil moment was soon opposed by Alex declaring “Let’s blow the bloody doors off!”, as the jangly intro to ‘There She Goes’ by The La’s unfolded. This 1990 track was followed by ‘Disco 2000’ and ‘Common People’, two celebrated hits from the 1995 album Different Class, by Pulp. 

The night began to draw to a close as the unmistakeable opening chords to ‘Wonderwall’ echoed from the stage. Fans sung their hearts out and were delighted when the triumphant ‘Don't Look Back in Anger’ was the penultimate song of the evening. 

James then turned his back to the audience and independently conducted the orchestra. An unrecognisable tune, which had strong monarchical undertones filled the room. Leading perfectly into their closing number;‘The Universal’ by Blur. 

Bringing out Simon Fowler, Saffron and Gary Stringer one final time, as the musicians and audience united as one. Coming together for a huge celebration of a genre that defined a generation, and one that is still impacting individuals in 2026. Making the perfect end to a splendid show. 

I was certainly surprised by the disregard to Britpop co-founders, Suede. Their image was used on multiple clips throughout the evening, yet not one song by the band was performed. 

It would have also been great to hear ‘Inbetweener’ by Sleeper on such a large scale, however there are so many fantastic songs from the Britpop era that it would be difficult to acknowledge them all. 

Overall, Alex James’ Britpop Classical is a brilliant evening packed with sing along hits and superb musicianship.