FRAMED as they were last night by an outsized telephone box, a clock whose hands ran backwards, and the radiator grill of a 1968 Rolls Royce, Oasis had at last made some evident concession to the first syllable in the word 'showbiz'. What they actually did in front of their stage set remained remarkably minimal however.

As ever, Liam loped with a cocky gormlessness, his hands clasped behind his back in the manner of a more streetwise Duke of Edinburgh. Noel strummed heroically. The other three - increased to five by the addition of two keyboards players - toiled anonymously.

Witty badinage? ''Aberdeen,'' observed Liam correctly, ''Never been here before. You managed without us?'' Aberdeen certainly managed to enjoy itself hugely last night.

It's all in Noel's tunes and Liam's voice, you see. The latter manages to be somehow nasal and raw-throated, arrogant and wounded, all at the same time. The former, despite certain obvious and well-documented debts, possess a muscular charm all their own.

Worst bit? Noel's formless guitar solo during Supersonic. Most typically ''Liam - fit's he like?'' bit? When Liam reclined blankly at Noel's feet during Noel's formless guitar solo during Supersonic. And when Liam unwisely attempted an Aberdonian accent to address those in the stagefront crush.

Best bits? The thick-ear pop classic that is Some Might Say; Noel singing Magic Pie passionately enough to make you forget what an awful song title it is. Bestest best bit? Playing a Captain Beefheart tape in the car on the way home.