Libertines, The Coral, Reverend & The Makers: Prenton Park, Tranmere

The Libertines and The Coral headlined Wirral Live, but it seems they were out-gunned by snap election fever, Getintothis’ Nathan Scally was there to witness the mania.

Following the day before’s magnificent gig at Prenton Park with Madness and The Farm we were very excited to see what day two would offer.

In the build up to round two of Wirral Live there’s a rumour swirling, a certain Jeremy is set to appear.

Some might not feel so positive about a politician of any kind making an appearance at a gig, but this is Merseyside and once the news had been broken by The Echo the whole day felt like it was going to be even more magnificent than before. The weekend alone is groundbreaking, with Wirral Live presenting the first live gigs at Prenton Park as part of a changed business model for Tranmere Rovers.

Corbyn’s stock has been rising in the polls recently and he pulled in a massive crowd to his rally at West Kirby earlier in the day so there was a tangible sense of sense of euphoria in the air. Maybe he could actually do it?

Today’s lineup feels perfect for him to make a speech with Reverend & The Makers and The Coral both being pro-Labour. The demographic of today’s audience is representative of the age group that could possibly prove to be decisive in the forthcoming election with most of them falling into the 18-25 range, a crucial group.

Reverend & The Makers were first to take the stage, but unfortunately the crowd didn’t seem to buy into what they were offering at first. The Sheffield outfit produced like always but received next to little reward to begin with. Some parts of the crowd were clearly in attendance early for the band, however they took their time to warm up to the occasion.

There is a perception with some bands at this point in their career that people have already made their minds up and set them in stone. No matter the standard of their recorded output including their spectacular last outing Mirrors, stubborn minds are made up. The crowd began to warm into the set with more and more bodies moving with each passing song, they took their time.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that Corbyn was headlining with the reception he received. If anyone disagreed with him, you couldn’t hear them. Jeremy himself struggled to be heard amongst the gasps of “Ohhhhh Jeremy Corbyn”

Jeremy Corbyn at the libertines, my mate pic.twitter.com/UWKltCFXLa

— Joe Bowly (@JoeBowly1) May 20, 2017

This was the liveliest we saw the crowd get so far. People on shoulders, people screaming. A few beers might’ve been swigged but the Labour support was out in full force. Promises for strengthened grassroots football and music were the main points he made if anyone managed to hear him.

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The Reverend reappeared for one last tune, the break in the set certainly rejuvenated the energy in the ground. Silence Is Talking had everyone bouncing whether they liked it or not, this is the kind of tune where live music tops all else.

One thing strikes us when The Coral take the stage and that is, although the ground is packed, it seems no one has heard they have a new album. With each new tune comes a more confused face from those on the floor.

Of course the classics get the expected reaction, they’re met with a stronger reception than the parent you lost in the big Asda.

It’s a shame as their latest album is one of the strongest. Maybe one day the masses will have heard it and the songs will receive the reception of which this LP is worthy.

The Libertines bring the expected chaos just like every show. As they emerged the whole idea of personal space disappeared. Each song brought another layer of madness. It’s clear everyone has saved themselves for this moment.

Instead of taking memorabilia away, a number of punters have lost some items, phones, keys, the lot. But it hadn’t soured anyone’s smile.

Just like every Libertines gig there was no let up. Start to finish it was 100mph and everyone knew it. Wirral Live was almost perfect. If someone covered the grass to save everyone from mud damage for next year that’s all we can ask for.

News travelled around after the gig that some pickpockets had been knocking about and a number of phones and wallets were stolen. It’s a shame that some people feel the need to ruin what was otherwise a fantastic day.

Photos by Getintothis’ Warren Millar

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