"Gimme some truth" as someone once last sang.

So John Squire's stencilled 'Screw The Government' shirt looks pretty damn apt. It's a fucking bang-on slogan and The Clash style graphic is a neat nod to Squire's youth when the skinny South Manc kid was The Clash fanatic of a motley crew of punks and scooter boys that eventually coalesced into The Stone Roses.

And roots is what it's all about tonight.

The show John Squire show hits Manchester on the back of a solo album that seemed to be dealing with the great rift with Ian Brown and the collapse of potentially one of the biggest bands of the past ten years. Squire seemed to be saying let's patch it up, here's the olive branch. In the meantime before the Stone Roses eventually hit the road again (and the rumour mill never stops with this great band - latest talk is 2004 - but we need them now, a bolshy British rock n roll band that is smart and has the power to uplift the people) Squire is working the golden back catalogue and there are plenty of Roses songs tonight - 'Made Of Stone' is still spine-tinglingly awesome with Squire's rasping voice giving the song a different spin.

'Waterfall' is still a gem - it's great to hear those timeless guitar licks. The Roses tunes slot in neatly with Squire's current tunes which sit back deeper into the Dylanesque song book so beloved by the elder rock statesmen of the baggy generation.

John's voice sits somewhere between Bowie and Dylan and while it's odd hearing the quietest man in rock n roll sing, he actually has a strong voice and is a great frontman, as he leans back with his trusty Les Paul, stick-thin, cool-as-fuck, looking from underneath his fringe.

And then at the end he dedicates the last encore to Joe Strummer and the band rattle through the wholly apt 'I'm So Bored Of The USA'. It's a brilliant song done with total conviction, Squire's voice is surprisingly powerful in a punk rock kinda way. There's not a dry eye in the house. The Clash and The Stone Roses: two bands who meant the same to their twin generations, rock n roll heroes who understood the swagger and the outlaw status of great R'n'R. And that's why years later even on a low key tour John Squire can ram out a concert in Manchester and the crowd give him a wall of affection and test out their 'John Squire' football singalongs.

Now we just need to get the other three back up there with him again.