AS THE pinnacle of Britpop royalty took to the stage, it's hard to say who was more incredulous to find Noel Gallagher in Llandudno on a Wednesday night writes Duncan Rieder.

For many reasons, the former Oasis songsmith Wednesday, May 8 visit to Venue Cymru was a game of two halves - not least because of Liverpool FC terrace chants aimed at goading the famous Manchester City supporter into giving fans the acid tongued lashing they came to see.

"Good evening Llandudno - now that's a sentence I never thought I'd say in my professional life" said Gallagher, breaking his uncharacteristic silence seven songs in to the audience's delight.

It was all there - the impeccable hair, the red Sheraton guitar and, of course, the infamous scissors - for a yin and yang set combining anthemic Oasis classics and his more experimental High Flying Birds material

But before the thinking man's Gallagher brother strutted onto stage, Britpop fans were treated to an immense performance by former Supergrass frontman Gaz Coombes.

North Wales Pioneer:

Support act and fellow Britpop hero Gaz Coombes. Picture: Paul Sampson

Coombes coming to town in and of itself would have been a coup for Venue Cymru - last year's World's Strongest Man was a legitimate contender for one of 2018's best albums - an he didn't disappoint with Krautrock flavoured bass lines driving an atmospheric masterclass of the musicians incredible range.

Nevertheless, even a voyage to new musical frontiers with Coombes can't share equal billing with the towering presence of Noel.

The seating discipline for Coombes' set doesn't last long as Noel and his truly fantastic band open with Fort Knox - bringing the audience to their feat with drumbeats reminiscent of former Creation label mates My Bloody Valentine's Only Shallow - and earning full throated participation for second track Holy Mountain.

North Wales Pioneer:

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at Venue Cymru. Picture: Paul Sampson

Embracing 60s pop with a trio of swinging female backing singers, walls of sound and grooves Noel avoids doling out an easy nostalgia fix, letting tunes like current single Black Star Dancing stand on their own merit.

But unsurprisingly, it is with the return to his Oasis material where Noel steps into the loafers of his more familiar rock god persona and the concert really soars - albeit with new arrangements inflected by his recent work.

In such esteemed company as The Masterplan, Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back in Anger - which has a special poignance as the de facto anthem for Manchester following the MEN terror attack - it may be difficult to single out a stand out moment.

However, as the rowdy crowd lovingly belted out every lyric to Half the World Away, it was clear that the audience wished they were anywhere but and marked the gig's high point.

Closing with a joyous cover of the Beatles All You Need is Love, even Noel's most snarkiest comments couldn't blot out the sheer reverence for what the fans experienced in Llandudno on a Wednesday night.