Liam Gallagher: As You Were review – a mixed solo debut

Perhaps recognising that songwriting was not chief among Beady Eye’s remarkably few attributes, Liam Gallagher has sought outside help for his solo debut. Enter A-listers Greg Kurstin (Adele, Katy Perry) and Andrew Wyatt (Charli XCX, Florence + the Machine) with a set of songs that, if not remarkable, are at least an upgrade. Kurstin co-wrote I Get By and Greedy Soul, which stand out for their swagger. However, Gallagher gets bogged down in over-egged schmaltz on the self-penned Universal Gleam, and the anthemic For What It’s Worth is a shameless hat-tip to Don’t Look Back in Anger. As ever, the lyrics offer the richest entertainment, with the usual mix of Beatles steals (“Tomorrow never knows”; “Happiness is still a warm gun”), a Daily Express-worthy obsession with the weather (“So dry your eyes/Come rain or shine”, “The winds of change must blow”), braggadocio (“I’m gonna steal your thunder”) and utter nonsense (“She gotta 666/ I got my crucifix/ She gotta spinning head/ Likes the ungrateful dead”) at least offering some continuity.