Who
Supergrass
Support
Sports Team
Where
Halifax Piece Hall
When
25th July 2025
Price
£45.00
Who with
No-one
Position
Towards the back
Comments
I'd first heard about the Piece Hall in Halifax just a year or so before this show, being sad to miss out on watching Air there as it clashed with other plans. I hope I'll get another opportunity to see them, but also I was determined to attend a show here the moment that the right one came up. And with a long series of shows each summer I didn't have to wait long, as Blondie in 2024 or The Human League, Travis or The Libertines this year would probably all have been perfectly reasonable choices, with the coolness of the venue pushing them from "maybe" to "would like to see" events. I'd seen Supergrass in 2020 just before the pandemic shut everything down, and they'd played a pretty definitive greatest hits set too. If anything they'd actually focused far too much on I Should Coco songs to the detriment of their more recent tunes, but the combination of the venue and the lure of seeing Supergrass again was too much to resist, and even though In It For The Money would make for a better listen, I was pretty confident that this would be a worthwhile show. I got a Premier Inn booked for one night prior to booking my ticket for the show the moment they came onsale, although surprisingly it never sold out. It was a pretty decent £45 cost too (plus £10.15 fees!), and it's a shame that Supergrass don't seem to be as big a draw as they should be. Similarly there seemed to be no touts whatsoever outside their Birmingham show to allow me to resell the spare ticket I had, and it's a shame as Supergrass have had bundles of hits and can be relied on to play them well, with minimal self-indulgence. At least that's the case since they've reformed anyway.

I kept trying to encourage my Australian friend to join me but they failed to communicate and then made other plans, but in the end broke their leg and missed out on their UK trip altogether. So it's a strange one, usually I'm mad but in this case it clearly wasn't meant to be, and their misfortune actually outweighs mine quite a bit here. I was sharing footage of the venue and think that it's ridiculous that trying to persuade anyone to join me for amazing shows at glorious venues is always such a great big fucking drama, but in the end it's everybody else's loss and luckily I didn't miss out. I heard all of the Supergrass albums in the days leading up to the show, even though I knew that the vast bulk of the set would be I Should Coco and that rarities were pretty unlikely. Bands over-focusing on their debut albums seems to be a persistent problem now, but at the same time it's much better than Arctic Monkeys style self indulgence and a refusal to play the hits. Perhaps it's what the fans want, and it does make a change from Supergrass just rocking up and playing a greatest hits set each and every time, especially since there are no signs of a new album to plug since their reformation in 2019. I decided to skip my Saturday morning swim and set out as early as I could to Halifax, stopping at the motorway services for a McDonald's breakfast wrap and then again for an unplanned toilet stop after drinking too much Coke. By the time the M6 started to slow down I was able to leave it, being confused by my sat nav offering a different and far more complex route than Google Maps had earlier proposed.

Upon reaching Halifax there were loads of roadworks in the town centre, but I went straight to the Bankfield Museum, parking on a residential street opposite. Annoyingly the hugely impressive All Souls Church was closed and it only opens occasionally, but the museum was free and impressive, even if it was far busier than I wanted it to be thanks to a 1940s event and lots of stalls and people dressing up. But the top floor featured a temporary exhibition of period costumes including from Downton Abbey, so I was right to go, and knowing I needed to revisit Halifax for the church anyway took the pressure off a bit. I then drove to Shibden Hall, having to park on a residential backwater as some utter fucking moron had closed the gate to the car park. Everyone else had magically known to access it from another route, but why give the address as being on a street which the car park is not physically accessible from? Idiots, but at least I saved a few pounds in parking charges, and the hall itself was excellent, even featuring a bit of a rural life museum in the surrounding barn and outbuildings. I'd contemplated if I needed to prebook but hadn't wanted to box myself into a time, and luckily Shibden Hall was far quieter than Bankfield Museum had been. Also it was in a lovely park with an impressive hill which I needed to climb, but I was still kind of on schedule as I then drove to Halifax town centre itself. I successfully parked at the very dodgy looking but much cheaper car park a few extra metres from my hotel, wondering why it was so empty. I do so hate being ripped off but I guess I found out the next day why it was so cheap, and it's definitely not a reason anyone could have predicted. Information online about this car park was freakishly close to non existent, but it all worked out and in the end I'm glad to have saved a few pounds.

I had a lunch at McDonald's and also popped into the Piece Hall, seeing that the stage was not only set up in a corner but that the Supergrass banner featuring the I Should Coco cover was already on display. I planned to return though, focusing on visiting the library and being delighted to see a few elements of the church tower within there. Strangely this most famous and prominent feature of the Piece Hall seems to be totally inaccessible to visitors, but I knew that time was limited so I accepted the situation and moved on to visit the Industrial Museum just outside the hall. There were some loud mock demonstrations taking place outside before I arrived and I had to resist unwanted information from the volunteers as I was against the clock, but it was a cute museum with lots to see. I'd specifically planned to visit Halifax Minster after the guided tour and coffee morning had finished but before the early 4pm closure, so was miffed to find the back of the church still rammed with people who'd attended these events which had supposedly finished. But apart from the annoyance of their blocking the back of the church so comprehensively that I couldn't access it, it didn't stop me exploring and the rest of the building was otherwise pleasantly quiet. And although it meant that I again had reason to return, at least I knew that this was going to be necessary anyway. I walked up a steep road behind the church to get some very nice views over Halifax of the Minster and the Piece Hall, and wandered into the outstanding Three Pigeons pub, which was busy and friendly and featured an excellent range of beers. It was also so large that I still found a room to myself and finally had a moment to sit down. On my way back Supergrass may have been soundchecking but it looked that the Piece Hall was already closed, and so I'd missed out on the very cool arcade inside it and didn't stick around.

But I'd had a successful day exploring a large town I'd never visited before, and the weather had remained dry but largely cloudy, with a few moments of sunshine to try and burn my skin to a crisp. I checked into the hotel, charged my phone a bit, got changed and had a shower. I also chilled and caught up on my internet before heading out again. And I've got to say, I'm annoyed that so many of the people in Halifax seemed to be grade A bellends, as some utter cunts heckled me for photographing the beautiful town hall from their moving car, but I swore very loudly back to them so I got my revenge. But I despise the small mindedness of people who can't appreciate beauty, or who are so self-obsessed that they actually believe you're trying to take a picture of them and not the beautiful building that they're blocking the view of. Since Brexit I've really sensed the decline of England, and the realisation that so many people who inhabit this country are stupid and that we all get to suffer as a result is painful, and a shame as Halifax is one of those places that seems to be nice apart from the people, as the cretins who bother you in the street unfairly overshadow the (I'd hope) quiet majority of much more tolerable people. Of course once at the Supergrass show things were much better, but a great concert filters out most of the twats, unless it's someone like The Libertines or Oasis I'm watching who attract a decent mob of bellends alongside nicer fans! I popped into the beautiful Victorian Craft Beer Cafe but they didn't seem to be serving food, so I just had a lovely pint of German beer on tap before moving on. I'd spotted some al fresco dining outside the Piece Hall and wandered a bit, eventually finding a quiet, cheap and nice all round restaurant there.

As a bonus it was moderately fast food but also decent, and I paid just £12 for a pint of Staropramen and a bowl of chicken with chips, and got to sit outside too. It wasn't the largest meal but the service was fast, and as I'd read that last admission for the show was at 8pm and that the first support was onstage at 6.45pm I was pleased to make up a bit of time without being boring and just going to McDonald's again for convenience. My sightseeing is often so intensive now that I have less time to eat and drink, and as I'm usually by myself I guess it makes sense, but I sometimes have to push myself to try and do something a bit nicer for evening meals. Nevertheless I did head back to McDonald's to enjoy a Jaffa Cake McFlurry to complement the Milky Way one I'd enjoyed with my lunch. This killed off any desire to drink alcohol, while also satisfying my urge for dessert. I had to walk to the opposite side of the Piece Hall for the main entrance, emptying my pockets for the security scan. The moron said that I couldn't take my camera in, pointing to the sign saying "no professional cameras", but it is not a professional camera, and I firmly told him so. To my surprise there was no further argument and I walked away feeling that I had pulled off a genuine Jedi mind trick! But I was in the right so all was good, and anyway apart from the personal risk of taking expensive equipment into a venue, I really don't see why it's anyone's business? Do they think that someone will see high quality professional photos of a show then go back in time and unpurchase their ticket? It's probably to do with copyright or some bullshit like that, but I don't believe in it after seeing the drama it causes to prevent imaginary loss of revenue which never would have happened anyway.

The rule that last entry was 8pm and that no re-entry after exiting was allowed seemed arbitrary and unfair, and it's a shame as the venue and the atmosphere was mostly brilliant, but these little things irked me and distracted from the experience a little. The idea of turning away fans just because they arrived a bit after 8pm (an hour before the main event) seems totally unreasonable, but luckily I saw on Facebook that due to yet more chaos on the trains that they'd be accommodating late arrivals anyway. They'd done that a lot in recent weeks, and clearly the failings of the railways are a problem up north too. The Supergrass banner I'd seen earlier had vanished and was replaced with a video screen conveying information. There was an option to upgrade to watching the show from the balconies, and although it probably gives a lovely panorama, I think that the flexibility of standing in the courtyard is much better. The whole experience was sponsored by TK Maxx and it was grating to see their name plastered everywhere, even above the stage. Don't get me wrong, I actually quite like TK Maxx, but corporate sponsorship at a concert is a turn off that detracts from the experience, especially when it is responsible for renaming the venue as has happened so many times before to Birmingham's NIA and NEC arenas. The sun was out and the light was beautiful, and I could see that the decision to position the stage in this corner was brilliant, both in terms of sunlight and also ensuring that the church steeple was part of our eyeline to the left of the stage. I actually avoided moving forwards as I wanted to enjoy the panorama of having the church tower in my photos, so it nicely took the pressure off and allowed me to stand towards the back quite happily. Also the venue was a perfect size, so I felt that I'd still see everything well without moving forwards anyway.

The first support act Ellur had started at 6.45pm and I'd missed them entirely, but I didn't want to miss a decent meal for their sake, and the running times hadn't been publicised until the day. The loos were portaloos just outside the Piece Hall itself and I visited twice to be cautious, and allowed myself to purchase a Pepsi can so that I wouldn't feel too thirsty later. I didn't even see a merch stand but I can't say that I looked too hard for it, yet the street food signs - including ice cream - dotted around the venue looked promising, and made me wonder which shops/stalls may be open which I missed out on. Certainly when I return to Halifax I'll aim to have a much better wander around the Piece Hall. While I was waiting I stood back and wrote my initial notes for this review on my phone, before Start Wearing Purple by Gogol Bordello was rudely cut off to herald the entrance of support act Sports Team, who appeared promptly at 7.45pm as advertised. That's the worst possible start, and their backdrop was a looped Windows 98 style PC recording of an unseen user dragging and dropping multiple fonts onto the screen to represent their logo. It made me wonder if it was a mistake at first, and by the time I figured out that it wasn't it had become a bit too repetitive. Certainly it was an interesting twist that the headliners Supergrass didn't utilise the video screen at all, relying on just a banner, while the support band used it throughout. The venue was just about small enough for that to be acceptable, but only just. I can't say that I liked Sports Team very much but also I probably wasn't giving them my full attention. They had six members - including a lady on drums - and wore bright clothes, and a couple of guys in front of me either seemed to know their songs or were just making an effort to get into it. Also there was a lady to the left onstage doing sign language, and I did have to wonder why - if you're deaf, how much benefit could you possibly get from attending a live concert, and surely watching the band rather than studiously trying to follow sign language is a better way to spend the show? Very strange, but I'd love to be proved wrong and to learn that there's a genuine market for this which I fail to comprehend.

There was a lot of smoke outside the venue to the right, giving me an opportunity to make a Fire joke about Kasabian playing next door. It was a bit weird but luckily it seemed to calm down, and nobody seemed to be panicking about it. As I wasn't invested in Sports Team I continued making phone notes for this review, and sometimes it is quite a drag to studiously review every concert I attend, but yet I know that the process greatly enhances my recall and appreciation for the show. My main frustration is that my web hosts are clearly on their last legs after 25 years of service, infesting my pages with so much spamware that I'm very doubtful that anyone even accesses these pages anymore as the ads are so intrusive that it looks like the website is just one big virus. It's most annoying, but I've always said that I write these reviews entirely for my benefit, so I guess I'm only complaining to myself as in a way I actually don't care at all if anyone reads these - they're much too long as for me that's the point, and if I were writing for an audience I'd tailor the content accordingly rather than trying to capture every detail. My phone battery however was getting real low real fast, but I'd already restored it from a "purple screen of death" where a tiny amount of water damage had somehow infected the whole screen and grown from a tiny dot to covering the whole screen in less than one day. It had cost me £75 to replace the screen which is way too much, but I guess it's better than replacing a near brand new phone, as I'm sure any mention of water damage and it would be seen as my fault rather than the fault of the manufacturers for making phones that are so lacking in durability? Sports Team finished and a curtain covering the second eye pic - which you can just about see above - was dropped, and I thought that the fact that the other close up of the eye taken from the I Should Coco artwork was visible throughout the support act felt like an oversight. The I Should Coco banner that I'd seen earlier in the day was then raised, and the strict punctuality continued as Supergrass appeared onstage precisely at the advertised time of 9pm.

They opened with Blockbuster by The Sweet as their intro tape, as I helpfully overheard a fan point out. There was a nice blue sky and the first hints of darkness were setting in, meaning that this truly was the perfect time of year for a 9pm start to a show. First up of course was I'd Like To Know, and I shot videos for nearly every song so I probably shouldn't keep pointing that out this time around. But that's how I know that I'd Like To Know featured purple lights and all of the band were dressed in black. The lights went crazy and the classic Supergrass logo of the four members in a victorious silhouette pose was visible on the drum kit. Gaz Coombes was wearing a cap that Pete Doherty in his random aversion to baseball caps would approve of, and it was great to record this until the end of the chorus and note that Supergrass were performing it at full pelt, with little signs of having aged 30 years. I tell a lie, one of the professional photos I saw afterwards indicated that Danny on drums had aged enormously, but I guess when you have a baby face that is going to happen eventually, and he'd still retained his slim figure. The others looked great though, especially Gaz, and they were perfectly able to recapture the sound and energy of their youth and get away with singing about being young and free for sure. Speaking of which, Supergrass had gone through a twatty phase of having refused to play Alright - including back in 2005 when I'd watched them play a flat set - but thankfully they were much more hit-focused since reforming, and interestingly it looks like next tune Caught By The Fuzz is the song that they have historically played live more than any other number. It was good to know what they'd be playing next, although shortly Supergrass would diverge from a chronological performance of their debut and I could no longer predict. Fuzz featured appropriate blue lights but the crowd didn't seem to be moving much yet. Also the church tower was flashing red, which was visually excellent and created a stunning effect that single handedly justified both my effort in attending a show here and also choosing to stand further back to gain the overall vista of the place.

There was a cool quiet break in the middle of Caught By The Fuzz, and I also spotted a bald guy to the left of the stage signing the words again - I assume that he was a fan and knew the lyrics in advance, but I paid very little attention to what he was up to. Next up was Mansize Rooster as the church was now beautifully flashing in a pinky/purple colour in perfect time to the intro, accompanied by dynamic red lights on the stage. It was now getting a bit darker so I sometimes struggled to keep my zoomed-in footage in focus, but the experience of seeing a show here was everything I'd hoped for, despite a few freakishly tall fans who I managed to just about remove from my line of sight. I then expected Alright and quickly stopped recording once Gaz said that they'd be taking a break from Coco. He called the album Coco rather than its rather clunky full title I Should Coco, but I was happy for them to deviate as I was confident that Alright would be played at some point, and the choice of Late In The Day was an unexpected delight. I thought that avoiding dispatching such a big hit so early in the evening could be an allowance for the train chaos, but from what I can tell Supergrass do mix things up each night, and I guess that makes things more interesting for both them and the fans. There were great purple lights and I hadn't expected this, and next tune Mary was an even better surprise, as Supergrass deviated further from the obvious very greatest hits to pull out some more obscure singles for us to enjoy. Mary was great, but Gaz then steered us back to Coco but away from its chronological order by playing She's So Loose. Lose It featured a nice pause before the final part and the overall pace of the song was just spot on. Although I've never rated I Should Coco too highly as I always felt In It For The Money was a vastly superior effort, hearing these songs live definitely enhanced my appreciation for the album.

Few tunes achieved this so beautifully as We're Not Supposed To, as it was the first of at least two times where Danny came out from behind the drums to join in on guitar, albeit he didn't seem to be contributing too much other than having something to do on a tune without drums. But it was still a lovely moment and wonderfully performed by all as a quiet interlude. By the time of Time, it was now full darkness and there were green searchlights going across the stage, although the church tower was no longer flashing, almost as if they had a quota. And at last came the biggest hit - Alright - which I recorded the moment I realised what it was. It was delivered in a fairly low key manner and perhaps this one was slightly slowed down, but it was well played and wonderful to hear. During Strange Ones the crowd actually seemed more energised, and although I'd tried to keep track of the songs from Coco left to play, I'd entirely forgotten about the dynamic and high energy Sitting Up Straight. One of the highlights was Lenny, and this beautifully utilised the church tower as it flashed red in perfect time to the riff. The song supposedly is named Lenny as someone thought that it sounded like Lenny Kravitz on the toilet, but the band drew out the intro and I could now see that it looked like only the side of the tower facing us seemed to be flashing, which makes sense really to avoid distracting people outside who'd been foolish enough not to attend the show. Gaz said that this was their first time playing Sofa (Of My Lethargy) in Halifax, and in fact it was a song that the band had never played at the time, but it was a critical component of the album in demonstrating that they were capable of doing more than just fast two minute pop/rock songs. There was an extra guitarist onstage here who apart from my video footage I otherwise hadn't seen, and the band stopped here rather than doing the segue into the final number on I Should Coco.

It was indeed Time To Go, which was delivered as a cute and quiet moment and Gaz was gently strumming along while Rob got to enjoy a rest from his keyboards. The band however did not take this obvious opportunity to depart the stage, and I was excited to see what they'd play next. First up was Richard III after a fitful intro before the classic opening. This was an obvious moment for the church tower to flash but it did not, but the stage looked pretty with red lights and the crowd also seemed to embrace this tune as the classic that it is. I've never forgotten Supergrass opening with Moving in 1999, and since then every Supergrass compilation I've ever recorded has also started with it. It's a perfect opener, but at least now the crowd had warmed up and the sun had set it got a greater reception than it would have done if performed as an epic opening number. Lots of other fans were recording this too, and it featured gentle blue lights before everything burst into life. Grace was a delightful surprise to end the main set and Supergrass were running through the obvious songs to play very nicely, managing a pretty strong greatest hits as well as a full album show. I'd not quite expected to hear Grace so it was a particular delight, and the fans also seemed to enjoy it immensely. Supergrass left the stage but it was pretty obvious that they'd be back, and I didn't have to wait long before they returned with Sun Hits The Sky! They said that this was their last UK date and that there was no better place to play while noodling a bit on the guitar prior to the intro, and that next up they'd be heading to South America. They launched energetically into the tune proper and the crowd energy definitely reached another level, with calmer blue lights until the chorus hit and we were assaulted with some lively red flashing in time to the music. I've always rated this song along with the entire In It For The Money album, and I hope that Supergrass delve deeper into their later history on another tour soon.

Some say that being predictable is bad, but it is reassuring to have faith that a band won't be self indulgent twats, and fans started chanting Pumping On Your Stereo almost before the band started to perform it, or should I say Humping, as clearly no-one was singing Pumping tonight? I was surprised to turn around and see a large-sized gap behind me and that exposed the unsold tickets, but the crowd were a decent size and the more fool anyone who'd missed out on a great show at a lovely venue. A guy further forwards was standing on someone's shoulders and encouraging clapping, but making it harder for me to film Gaz, and the burst into the song was not as dynamic as I thought it would be, but the power of everybody singing it and the band closing in the best possible way made this a brilliant finale. By this point the church tower was now illuminated in solid purple lights, and the four members of Supergrass took a bow together, although I struggled to capture a decent photo of this. Supergrass had finished pretty much perfectly aligned with the advertised 10.30pm time, and I had figured that delaying the start of the show for the sake of train chaos would be solving one problem by creating a larger issue of fans being unable to get back home as planned. (I've Had) The Time Of My Life was played over the speakers, and the cheeky pauses in the chorus for the fans to sing went down wonderfully. I tried to photograph the venue as best as I could, and there was mess on the ground as you'd expect, but perhaps less than is usual as at least some of the fans had respected their surroundings despite the lack of bins. I headed back to the hotel, being slightly irked by the Minster church and the Town Hall remaining plunged in darkness, then made a few notes on my phone before sleeping late and waking up later in turn.

I was unable to get my hotel breakfast as they weren't able to accept card payments, so I checked out and drove back all the way to Sandbach Services McDonalds, only later realising that I'd intended to stop off at a park in Halifax and had forgotten all about that. Whoops. Before that though was the utterly surreal experience of going back to my parked car to find some locals had set up a huge car boot sale around it, and I was fortunate to just about be able to drive out. The look on people's faces as if I was in the wrong when they had completely fucking randomly set up a car boot sale with no prior warning whatsoever on a public car park was frustrating, but I escaped and had no issues, so overall I guess it was worth it for the anecdote and for the few pounds saved? My Sunday whizzed past and I watched The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain - a weird but interesting film about a real life man who became famous for drawing cartoons of cats. I copied some professional photos from the Piece Hall Facebook page and they were high quality, and if it was one person they'd certainly given everyone their money's worth by capturing so many shots and even wandering around the venue quite a lot. 8.5/10 is the highest mark I've awarded a Supergrass concert since the first time I saw them in 1999, but the conjunction of the lovely venue and a near-perfect performance means it's harsh for me to go any lower. I've had a busy 2025 with quite a lot of shows on the road - some yet to come! - but I've greatly appreciated the high quality I've enjoyed, although I accept I'm falling further behind with the newer artists. I'd like to think I'm ageing nicely in conjunction with my heroes who are still able to perform genuinely excellent and sometimes arguably career-best shows so many years into their time with us.
Setlist
I'd Like To Know
Caught By The Fuzz
Mansize Rooster
Late In The Day
Mary
She's So Loose
Lose It
We're Not Supposed To
Time
Alright
Strange Ones
Sitting Up Straight
Lenny
Sofa (Of My Lethargy)
Time To Go
Richard III
Moving
Grace
Sun Hits The Sky
Pumping On Your Stereo

Mark: 8.5/10