Welsh group Stereophonics are a key component of the British indie rock scene, playing a role in its development since their formation in 1992. Fronted by Kelly Jones, the band's popularity remains high, as a packed out show at Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena proved...
"I started this band when I was 11", Stereophonics’ Kelly Jones, now 51, says as he regales the massive audience at the Motorpoint Arena with a tale from the band’s origins midway through the show. As he talks about how the nascent group used to take turns to lug their one and only PA system home from gigs, and how they once managed to lose it, he concludes "Now we have 9 trucks, 64 crew, 4 tour buses… and a lot more f-in PA!"
It’s a well-earned and heartfelt moment of reflection and celebration from one of Welsh rock’s greatest voices and frontman of a band who have been stalwarts of the British musical fabric for decades, across more than a dozen albums.
The band were supported tonight by a visceral performance from Finn Forster, who with his band leapt up to meet the occasion, playing his Springsteen-ian songs as though it were their own headline show, belting out cinematic songs in his excellent voice.
Finn was a fantastic pick as support, being of the same lineage as Stereophonics, but with enough distance as to not overshadow – or be overshadowed.
Arriving with a bang and flanked on three sides by enormous LED screens and countless lights, Stereophonics arrived to rapturous applause and duly provided a shot of early adrenaline in the form of Vegas Two Times, the muscular and melodic track from their landmark 2001 LP Just Enough Education to Perform, ensuring the crowd were jolted awake immediately.
Early peak Have a Nice Day, from the same album, provided the first of many truly full-throated sing-alongs, as the enormous crowd belted the timeless lyrics toward the stage. Far from appearing weighed down by these totemic songs, the band clearly revelled in the momentous noise and smartly scattered those surest hits throughout the set to ensure that like rats in the city, you were never more than 10 mins away from a classic.
It was an impressively varied setlist all told, the band offering up songs from eleven of their albums, covering almost their entire output from 1997’s Word Gets Around, to this year’s Make ‘Em Laugh, Make ‘Em Cry, Make ‘Em Wait. Placed in the mid-point of the 23 song set, Local Boy in the Photograph from their debut acted as a fulcrum of sorts, again softly highlighting the journey the band have been on to reach this point.
Speaking of variety, Stereophonics were at their best tonight at their relative extremes. They excited most when leaning into the rock portion of rock ‘n’ roll; Kelly’s guitar squalling with a gorgeously savage tone any player would envy. Conversely, they were at their most evocative in the quieter moments, such as when Jones led the crowd in a sing-along to the chorus of Maybe Tomorrow, before the mega-hit started proper. Those end points of the dynamic spectrum shone, and allowed a little breathing room for the mid-tempo songs in the set.
A jacked-up performance of Mr and Mrs Smith - ‘A story about checking into a hotel under a false name,’ offered Jones. ‘A fictional story...’ – thrilled, as did the main set closer The Bartender and the Thief, which seemed to pass by in an uproarious blink before the band vacated the stage.
They returned for the encore with 100MPH and Traffic, the latter surely much to the delight of a crowd member who’d requested it earlier and been told to wait by a smiling Jones. But of course, it was only ever going to be Dakota that ended their set, prompting the loudest response on a night full of loud choruses. That the song can still sound so alive and fresh after two decades is testament to the songwriting talent at the core of a band who after all this time, are deservedly being rewarded with enormous audiences they have no issues thrilling.
As those nine trucks are packed full again, waiting to take the band deeper into this arena tour, you can’t help but root for Kelly Jones and crew as they earn their flowers. It's also impossible not to be excited about where their long journey from sleepy Wales to the biggest stages in the country, may take them next.
Stereophonics performed at Motorpoint Arena on 4th December 2025.
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