A Christmas night out with Kelly Jones might not be the appetising prospect it once was, yet the fact this gig sold out in minutes suggests the Welsh crew still have devoted followers.
They were, predictably, in full voice throughout, even if Jones's stoic onstage presence is more bah humbug than rock hero.
Some of the criticism the group receive is a tad harsh. There was a lot of meat-and-potatoes rock throughout this lengthy set, but Jones can be a clever songwriter and is a dab hand at penning rabble-rousing sing-a-longs. Material from their late 1990s beginnings showcased this skill best, from More Life In A Tramp's Vest and the bounding energy of Pick A Part That's New to a thunderous Just Looking.
It became a slog when the mid-point of their career was reached, especially as they really miss the sheer power departed drummer Javier Weyler provided.
According to Jones it was time to celebrate the 10th anniversary of You Gotta Go There To Come Back, but this was a visit as welcome as Scrooge seeing the Ghost of Christmas Past – except instead of a shot at redemption all we got were a couple of plodding sub-Faces tunes.
There was new material from next year's Graffiti On The Train album, but the likes of Indian Summer were worryingly formulaic, the exception In A Moment, a deliciously dark, stop-start tune. It's the sort of direction the band could do with exploring further, as is Beerbottle's wavy synth backdrop, but Stereophonics remain a band too often gripped by prosaic demands.
Dakota's finale was commanding enough to end matters euphorically.
HHH
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