Robbie Williams reunited with longtime songwriting partner Guy Chambers during a recent show in Liverpool for a “very big, emotional night”. Check out footage below.
The reunion came as part of Williams’ run of ‘Long ‘90s’ tour dates, which see him play two albums in full: his 1997 hit album ‘Life Thru A Lens’ and his latest studio release, ‘BRITPOP’ which arrived at the top of the year.
Williams began working with Chambers around the time of the 1997 release, having just left Take That and embarked on a career as a solo artist. They worked together for five of his consecutive albums, ‘Life Thru A Lens’, ‘I’ve Been Expecting You’, ‘Sing When You’re Winning’, ‘Swing When You’re Winning’ and ‘Escapology’.
Now, at a gig in Liverpool last week (Friday February 6), the two came together on stage for a rendition of a few of Williams’ biggest hits.
Taking place at the Eventim Olympia, Williams started the set by playing his debut solo album in full, kicking things off with ‘Lazy Days’, the title track and ‘Ego A Go Go’, before introducing Chambers for a rendition of his hit song ‘Angels’, which they wrote together.
Chambers also returned for tracks ‘One Of God’s Better People’ and ‘Killing Me’, before Williams finished off the tracklist and launched into a full rendition of all the songs from ‘BRITPOP’.
While the pair officially stopped working together from 2002, they did come together briefly in 2013 for the ‘Swings Both Ways’ album, as well as for another release in 2016 and for a production from The Royal Shakespeare Company in 2019. They also made a brief appearance on stage together on stage in Hamburg in 2022 – for a show that celebrated 25 years of Robbie as a solo artist.
After the slot on Friday, Chambers took to social media to open up about the surprise appearance.
“Went up to Liverpool, my honorary home town, not really knowing what to expect. It’s been nearly three and a half years since my last show with RW (Hamberg). We’d contacted one another via mail but hadn’t had the opportunity to really connect one on one,” he wrote.
“I must admit I was a little nervous. I was no longer a member of the band (I was Musical Director for many years) and it felt strange being a guest but I was grateful for the invitation,” he added, also sharing that he felt “very welcome” at the show and got to hang out with his “old buddy” after the show.
“It was a huge trip down memory lane. Playing songs from ‘Life Thru A Lens’, ‘Angels’, ‘One of God’s Better People’ and my personal favourite, ‘Killing Me’. I think the album hangs really well together and the last time we’d played it live was 1997-98,” the post concluded. “I always thought the Scouse crowd was the best. It was a very big, emotional night for me.”
The working relationship around Williams and Chambers was explored in the 2023 Netflix documentary Robbie Williams, and also touched upon in Williams’ biopic Better Man.
Last month it was confirmed that Williams had topped The Beatles’ all-time record for the most UK Number One albums with ‘BRITPOP’. It topped the charts on January 23, making it the 16th chart-topper of his solo career, which puts him ahead of the Fab Four, who scored 15 UK Number One albums.
Ahead of the accomplishment, Williams admitted that the prospect of dethroning The Beatles was something that he wanted “more than anything in my career right now”.
The record was given a three-star review from NME, and it described the album as “a love letter to the ’90s and a bid to live forever”.
“He’s standing firm. Rather than neck a BuzzBall on a Lime Bike and do his take on ‘Brat’, Robbie knows his game and has done a record for himself,” it added. “An album to be remembered for? Probably not, but it’s bold, it’s a laugh, and he’s done it his way. That’s what makes him Robbie. For that alone, he’ll live forever.”
His ‘Long ‘90s’ tour continued last night (Sunday February 8) with a slot at London’s O2 Academy Brixton, and wraps up tonight (9) with a closing night at the Civic Hall in Wolverhampton.
Speaking to NME about the record ahead of its release last year, Williams opened up about the new guitar-driven sound he leans into. “I was playing it safe and I’ve not been driving my own car,” he said at the time. “I’ve not had my hands on the wheel through second-thinking myself and guessing what people like. I just wanted to do something that I like.”
