Music icons Liam Gallagher and John Squire arrived in the North East, on Monday night for a sold-out show at the O2 City Hall.

The concert marked the fourth date of their tour, which has seen the Oasis and Stone Roses collaboration play in Glasgow, Wolverhampton, and Dublin at the weekend.

Such was the demand for this run of shows that the whole tour sold out in under a minute. You rarely get to see artists of this magnitude in such an intimate setting. The O2 City Hall is a far cry from the scale of Knebworth or Spike Island.

Many fans arrived at the city centre venue sporting looks that emulated Liam. Lennon-like shades, bucket hats, Parker jackets and shirts from various stages of the frontman’s career were visible throughout the concert hall.

Liam Gallagher and John Squire released their eponymous debut album on March 1st, a release which went straight into the Official Charts at Number 1.

It’s been a long time since John Squire performed in the region. Perhaps his show with the Seahorses at the Mayfair in 1997 would be the last time. And before that, it would have been with The Stone Roses at Whitley Bay Ice Rink in 1995. The Stone Roses were a huge influence on Oasis and Liam Gallagher. The pair’s combined creative output is a sheer joy for fans of either group or artist.

Despite their back catalogue of anthems and hits, this show was all about the duo’s collaborative release. In recent interviews, the pair made no secret of their intentions for it to remain that way.

The Northern Echo: Liam Gallagher and John Squire at 02 City Hall

Throughout their hour-long set the dynamic duo performed their new album in full. Chants of Liam resonated around the room as the house lights descended. Grasping a pair of maracas and bedecked in an anorak, the frontman ventured to the edge of the stage whilst assessing the room. The whole venue, including the balcony, was on their feet from the off. Liam assumed his position centre stage, arms clasped behind his back as has become customary for the legendary vocalist.

The show got underway with a spellbinding airing of their first single Just Another Rainbow. The song has all the hallmarks of a future anthem in the making. You would expect nothing less from such an esteemed songwriting partnership.

There’s somewhat of a retro bluesy swagger to songs like I’m A Wheel and You’re Not The Only One, which each worked so well in the setlist.  A passionate airing of Love You Forever concluded with an astounding outro solo from John Squire. It was the kind of moment we've been accustomed to from the esteemed guitarist during his Stone Roses days.

The Northern Echo: Liam Gallagher and John Squire at 02 City Hall

There was a visible mutual respect from Liam towards Squire. On many occasions when John would take a solo, Gallagher would take a step back to the drum riser and watch on, sometimes giving an encouraging gesture towards the guitar great.

John Squire's performance was humble and reserved, often peering in and out of the shadows. The guitarist let the music do the talking. Frequent chants of Squire could be heard from the Tyneside audience. Of course, each song in the set was greeted with massive cheers.

There were so many highlights of the set including the psychedelic masterpiece I'm So Bored, an ethereal rendition of Mars to Liverpool and foot-stomping main set closer, Raise Your Hands. As Liam exited the stage, some lucky fans were fortunate enough to catch the singer's maracas and tambourine, which he threw to patrons on either side of the balcony.

Whilst the duo could have cherry-picked any song from either of their respective discographies for an encore, they chose to put their stamp on The Rolling Stones' classic Jumpin’ Jack Flash - and it didn't disappoint.

To coin a phrase from the frontman’s vocabulary, Liam Gallagher and John Squire’s recent concert in Newcastle was nothing short of biblical.