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Live4ever was founded by 3-time Emmy Award winning cameraman and concert photographer, Paul Bachmann. Senior editor Dave Smith is based in Leeds, England and heads up Live4ever’s UK content, as well as overseeing all writing assignments for the site.
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Yes brothers and sisters. What a beautiful morning, no? It is where I am. On the way to Heathrow Airport that is. On the way to Belfast. Are you coming?
That Roundhouse gig was fuckin' far out. Those were there will tell you. James Bond! He was there. As was Russell Brand. Who incidentally has caused what seemingly has turned into a major shit storm. A sad sign of the times, I'm afraid. We live in a country where fat ugly columnists can somehow dictate to the rest of us what we should and shouldn't think. Who gives a shit anyway? Me? You? Max Clifford? And as for the 10,000 people who it took 5 days to be offended??......... go back to your coffee morning crosswords and fade to grey. Anyway, ask him he was there.
Just landed in Belfast. Pissing down. Still a bit fucked from Sunday. Gotta stop this drinking until breakfast malarky. Right I'm off.
Noel Gallagher says that the band would now have to think twice about coming back to Belfast again after some idiots constantly threw coins at them (Oasis) throughout the gig.
Noel was interviewed by local Northern Ireland radio channel "coolfm" , after last nights show at the Odyessey arena.
Noel said he was hit twice on the hand and that Andy Bell was hit in the head.
(Probally explains why Noel didn't speak to the crowd last night as he did on the first night)
Celebrated Sun photographer Dave Hogan's career – Illustrated in Words and Pictures
Covering 25 years of working closely with celebrities, rock stars and personalities Access All Areas features photographs from some of the most famous and infamous events on the planet. This is more than just a collection of his most famous photographs. Accompanying some of the most iconic images in the entertainment world today are the stories behind the shots; this is one of the most fascinating books of the year from the man with unprecedented access to the most famous stars of their time.
Dave Hogan began his photography career at Stringfellows over 25 years ago and has since shot every major pop, rock and film star and red carpet event including Live Aid and Live 8. He is Getty Images' and The Sun's celebrity photographer. This book is a fascinating roller-coaster ride through his 25 year career photographing stars from Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, U2, Duran Duran, Madonna, Britney Spears ( yes that kiss was one of Dave Hogan's shots!), Kylie Minogue, and many more.
Dave Hogan was famously run over by Madonna and appeared on the front page of The Sun with the headline 'Maimed by Madonna'. Despite the world-wide furore Dave Hogan refused to sue Madonna and went on to photograph her again.
Published by Green Umbrella and available through play.com.
Oasis songwriter could definitely (maybe) help save the industry
I’d love to know Noel Gallagher’s thoughts on pubs. The mono-browed Mancunian songwriter seems to have strong opinions on most things.
His latest outpouring has been on the subject of the Beeb’s Manuelgate scandal (quelle surprise, or should that be, que surprise) - and hits the spot in a roundabout way.
Gallagher told BBC Radio Ulster's Across The Line show the media had overreacted to the incident, describing it as at worst as a “juvenile prank”.
“Personally, I'm outraged that, yet again, the joyless f**kers who write the columns in the Daily Mail, The Telegraph or The Observer have dictated the tone and are telling people how to behave,” he said.
“I've seen the Daily Mail, they said that Russell should be arrested and charged. Arrested for what? For taking the p*ss? It's so typical of the English in general. 10,000 people get outraged, but only days after it has happened.”
Quite. Now, admittedly Noel was a frequent guest on Brand’s show and considers him a friend – so Noel has a certain personal interest in the matter. And in the past i haven't always agreed with his opinions.
But here I think he makes a valid point about the media witch-hunt that followed a full two weeks after the broadcast.
Yes, it’s no way for anyone to behave – least of all two highly paid stars who should know better.
But the reaction has been completely over-the-top – and much darker forces are at play in the way the media has attacked the Beeb, particularly the Daily Mail.
Anyway, I’m sure the subject will continue to spark deabate in pubs up and down the country in days to come.
Oh, and if anyone happens to bump into Noel, supping on a pint of Guinness – see what his thoughts are on helping save the industry…
NOEL GALLAGHER still blames his brother Liam for Oasis's failure to crack America.
They have been the biggest band in the UK since the middle Nineties, but blew their chance to become the biggest band in the world by not following U2 and Duran Duran in making it big in the US.
The early Nineties had all but forgotten British rock with American grunge reigning supreme.
In Britain, Oasis's brand of indie punk and singalong anthems was a breath of fresh air. America was waiting for Britain's latest exports.
But in August 1996, a week after pulling out of the band's MTV Unplugged gig, Liam walked out of Heathrow airport minutes before the band were due to leave for Chicago for the start of their American tour.
They never regained the momentum.
Noel said: "I still blame him for the fact we never cracked the US.
"When we had one of the biggest selling albums in the world, and were about to begin a crucial US tour, he arrived at the airport, gave some ludicrous excuse that he couldn't get on the plane and left us stranded."
At the time, Liam ranted:"I'm mad for it, but I have to move house. I can't go looking for a house while I'm trying to perform for silly f*****g Yanks."
The momentum they had as the UK's hottest new rock band, that had seen their 1995 album (What's the Story) Morning Glory? going to No.4 in America and selling four million copies there alone, was lost.
Although 1997 album Be Here Now went to No.2 in the US, it only sold a million there and subsequent albums didn't grace the American top 10 until current long player Dig Out Your Soul, which went to No.5 this month.
When Liam did arrive in America, his appearance at the MTV Awards in 1996 was appalling. He swore, hurled a can of beer into the crowd and spat.
At least Amy Winehouse had the sense not to turn up.
Nowadays, the Gallagher brothers seem to have swapped roles. Liam has become the consummate professional - a family man who keeps fit and likes watching SpongeBob Square Pants.
It's been left to 41-year-old Noel to keep the Oasis rock 'n' roll star credentials in shape.
He may have a young son, Donovan Rory MacDonald, with Scots girlfriend Sara and eight-year-old daughter Anais with ex-wife Meg Mathews, but Noel is happy to slag everyone from Amy Winehouse to Dannii Minogue.
And he was pushed over on stage by a fan in Toronto last month. Noel thought he'd been stabbed when the man shoved him from behind and is still on medication for three cracked ribs while on a UK tour.
Oasis play Aberdeen tomorrow and Sunday before Glasgow's SECC on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
Noel still can't believe what happened and once again has taken a pop at Liam. He said: "People are talking about how well Liam reacted.You can see him on the clip going to hit the guy who attacked me.
"But if you look carefully, you'll see he only starts to react when I'm surrounded by security guards.
"The guy had been backstage where it had been raining. He hit me from behind and I fell on to the monitor. I immediately felt a really sharp pain in my back - where the ribs had cracked.
"Then I looked down at my leg and he had left wet footprints on me. I thought it was blood. I was s******g myself.
"Up until that point, everything had been going great.The tour was going really well, PaulWeller had just been on before us and we had a monumental p**s-up planned with him later that night. Next thing I know, I'm in hospital.
Where were security?
"Obviously now we have to rethink our security situation, but we don't want to get like Madonna and travel around with 400 people."
THE band are also proving that they haven't become a heritage act like The Rolling Stones, who can sell shed-loads of tickets for gigs but whose new albums are outsold by Bob The Builder.
As well as their seventh album, Dig Out Your Soul, going straight to No.1 in the UK and hitting the American top 10, 500,000 tickets for their 2009 stadium tour, including a date at Edinburgh's Murrayfield on June 17, sold out in five hours last Friday.
They could do another Knebworth - the two huge gigs Oasis played in 1996 that one in 20 Britons applied for and 250,000 people saw live.
Indeed when tickets went on sale for their Slane Castle gig in County Meath next June, 50,000 of the 80,000 tickets were snapped up in just an hour.
Love for Oasis seems as strong as ever with Noel becoming the godfather of British indie music.
But he reckons he's always kept his feet on the ground.
He said:"Despite all that has happened - those massive selling albums, those huge gigs at Knebworth, being called the saviours of British music - I've retained my identity.
"Even at the very height of our success, I never thought I was any better than the next person.The opposite is probably the case. I'm still sitting here waiting for my luck to run out."
Of course, we all know the story. Noel was a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets when he heard his young brother Liam had started a band calledThe Rain.
Noel joined and, on a trip to Glasgow to play KingTut's in 1993, was spotted and signed by Alan McGee to his Creation Records, despite Bono's label Mother Records offering them three times the cash.
Noel said: "That was a lot of money for unemployed Manchester kids.
"We stayed with Creation because Alan had the contracts done up and had always said how much he believed in us."
Debut album Definitely Maybe and debut single Supersonic were an impressive statement of intent.
And it only got better. Subsequent singles included Live Forever, Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger followed from second album (What'sThe Story) Morning Glory?, which is the UK's third biggest-seller.
But cocaine took hold of the band and although Be Here Now sold over 420,000 copies on the first day of its release in 1997, it failed to live up to the hype.
Noel said:"I still tell people that the Be Here Now is the best advertisement against taking cocaine. It goes on too long, it's smothered by its selfimportance - the same as coke users are.
"When I was writing these 11-minute epics, I kept waiting for someone in the studio to turn to me and say"I think that's a bit long" but no one ever did.
"I often think of going back to that album, using ProTools and re-editing the whole thing.The same as Paul McCartney did when he took Phil Spector's strings off The Long And Winding Road.
"Then I think, 'Hold on, that album is part of the rollercoaster ride of being in a band'. There's going to be all these ups and downs and ins and outs. Otherwise you might as well be in Keane".
And while Noel claims he's going to do a solo album, he also has 30 songs going spare from Dig Out Your Soul.
Never great with lyrics, Noel said:"I was talking to my manager last week about hiring a lyric writer to come in and finish them off. I can hear girls singing three of the songs. But no, Amy Winehouse isn't getting them."
'He arrived at the airport, gave some ludicrous excuse that he couldn't get on the plane to the US and left us stranded'
Liam Gallagher on Discovering the Beatles and the Death of the Rock Star "Why would you want everyone to like you?"
With their new album Dig Out Your Soul out and an international tour underway, Rolling Stone caught up with Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher to chat about the first record that blew his mind, how he measures success and God's musical prowess.
I was listening to Dig Out Your Soul on My Space and reading through the comments. Did you check out any of those?
No, I don't do any of that nonsense, MySpace rubbish. I don't listen to comments. I just make the record and hope people like it; if they don't like it I give a shit. I wait to go on tour. That's how I work. That's the music Oasis are making and that's how I judge success, is by making the music you want to make and not having to fucking sell out and make music what other people want you to make.
But the comments have been phenomenally positive, with people saying it's your best album since '95.
That sounds good. That's what I like to hear.
The record has a lot of live energy. Were you thinking of how it would translate to the stage?
I wasn't personally 'cause they're the musicians. I always sing it like it's fucking the last song I ever sing. But I think Noel definitely wanted to be a bit more heavy and not so acoustic.
I know you did a tour with the Black Crowes. Chris Robinson recently was talking to me about the fact if you stay around long enough you become cool again. Seems like that's happening with Oasis here as well.
That's something I think about a lot and I remember Paul Weller telling me that. But I don't worry about that; I'm happy with the way Oasis is. But he was talking about the cycles; it comes and goes. It's like songwriting. It's not a race. It's about the quality you put out more than the quantity. And I love the Black Crowes. The way I judge success is we're doing it on our own terms and that outweighs any fucking success. If I can get through this, the whole Oasis thing, knowing I didn't fucking suck cock, then that is a huge success to me.
Tell me about "I'm Outta Time."
That's a song I had about three years ago and I demoed it in our studio. I got the verses and the music, the chorus took like fucking years to write, I just couldn't get anything. One day I was fucking about and it just happened. I thought, "All right, that's the song done. It's fucking done." I was playing it and the outro goes round and round, it needs something — obviously I'm a big John Lennon fan and it's got a bit of a Lennon vibe, so I thought, "Well, I've got to find a bit of him speaking." So we went through all these old interviews, that's the first one I found, and it just sort of worked. It's not a tribute to John Lennon because if you sat down and tried to write a tribute to John Lennon it'd be fucking rubbish, but it's kind of a nod.
How old were you when Lennon was shot?
I was eight. "Imagine" is the song for me, because I was putting the TV on and I remember that song being on all the time and just thinking, "Who's this guy?" and all that and then obviously you forget about it and go to school. Later on in life I got into the Beatles, the whole band and stuff.
So what was the first record that blew you away?
I never got into music until I was about 16, man. The first record that blew my head off was the Stone Roses album. That was the one I thought, "That's it." I mean, we had the Smiths and all that around the house, and the Specials and all that, but I was out playing football. It just wasn't my time yet. [Noel] brought home the Stone Roses record and I was ready then. I was at that age, so I was just hooked. And then that opened the doors to all this,"What does that sound like? And I need more music that sounds like this. I wonder what their influences are." Hendrix, the Who, Beatles, the Stones, and it just opened the door to all this other music.
When you recall hearing Stone Roses, do you ever think about the fact that you now have albums that have that same influence on kids who are 16?
I appreciate that people feel that way about the music, but to me it's all bollocks. But I can go with it and I know what it's like for kids to go up to me; that's why I've never been a cunt with anyone who wants to meet me or meets me in the street 'cause you can make or break their day. When I met Ian Brown he was just the coolest geezer ever for me; we've become kind of mates. That's what it's all about. And that's another way I can measure success. People don't buy records and shit these days, but we've sold our fair share of records and I'm quite proud of what we've done. But meeting cool kids that come up to you in the street, that's another level of success I like.
Are you guys big fans of your tour opener Ryan Adams?
Well, I'd never heard any of his music. I've heard of the guy himself, but I tell you what, mate, he blew me away. I thought he was pretty fucking great.
Have you heard his version of "Wonderwall"?
No, I've never heard it, but that was the only way I'd heard of the guy, there's some guy called Ryan Adams who's done "Wonderwall.'" "Bryan Adams?" "No, Ryan Adams." I tell you what, he's a serious musician, that kid, he's mega. I don't like many people. But it was a privilege for us to play gigs with him.
Do rock stars exist anymore?
I'm sure these kids in bands think they're rock stars these days, and I'm sure they are to a certain extent. To me, there's a lot of people making music in bands and there's not so many rock stars around. And I don't know what it is, mate. I think they're trying too fucking hard and it's coming across really fake.
Are there any bands at the moment you're digging?
The band that I like at the moment is Kasabian. They've got it; they've got the look, the tunes, they say just the right amount of stuff, they don't fucking rub it and rub it and rub it. I like them and the Arctic Monkeys are great, but they're not rock stars. That's really it. I like the Kings of Leon, but I don't know about this fucking new record. I like the old stuff, but I like his voice, you can always tell his voice when it comes on. But it seems to me they've gone for the bucks, man. When they first come out I was going, "Who the fuck is this?" They were cool and now they've all got their sleeves cut off. And I'm not dissing them because I fucking really like them, but it's like they've got this U2 sound and you can do better than that.
I've always believed if everybody likes you, you're doing something wrong. Well yeah, why would you want everyone to like you? That was the beauty of things growing up; not everyone was into the same music as you and that's what stood you apart from everyone. You go into school and you go, "I'm different from you, man." "Why?" " 'Cause I like the fucking Stone Roses. Who do you fucking like? You like Madonna." If everyone's all into the same thing that's when you lose your identity. And it's like the clothes you wear, that's what I find today in England, all the people that are in bands are wearing the same fucking clothes — wearing skinny jeans, wearing these pointy fucking shoes, a little tie, a little waistcoat, a little tight T-shirt and it's like, "Fucking A, do you all live in the same fucking house? Do you all shop at the same fucking shop?" Everyone in bands, they're all wearing the same fucking clothes, they all must shop at the same fucking shop. It's like, "Fuck that."
I was reading an interview where the guy asked you what you'd be doing if you weren't a musician ?
I'd buy a ticket for Oasis.
Well, in this interview you said you'd be God, that's the next highest thing to being in Oasis. So where would being in the Beatles rank on that list?
It's got to be being in Oasis, man.
So, how about the Beatles versus God? It's got to be being in the Beatles. When was the last time God made a decent record?
Hardly offensive' says guitarist about radio debacle
Oasis' Noel Gallagher has said he is "outraged" at the furore surrounding his friend Russell Brand's radio scandal.
Presenters Brand and Jonathan Ross are suspended from the BBC after making prank calls to actor Andrew Sachs, during which they made comments about Brand sleeping with his granddaughter.
Brand subsequently quit his post as a BBC Radio 2 presenter.
Gallagher told BBC Radio Ulster's Across The Line show that he believed that the media furore surrounding the incident was an overreaction, and described the incident as "at worst a juvenile prank."
"I spoke to Russell, he told me he was going to fall on his sword," Gallagher said. "Personally, I'm outraged that, yet again, the joyless fuckers who write the columns in the Daily Mail, The Telegraph or The Observer have dictated the tone and are telling people how to behave.
"I've seen the Daily Mail, they said that Russell should be arrested and charged. Arrested for what? For taking the piss? It's so typical of the English in general. 10,000 people get outraged, but only days after it has happened."
Gallagher added: "At worst it was a juvenile prank that wasn't unfunny but it's hardly offensive. I feel bad for Russ, 'cause he really loved doing the show. I loved being on it as well."
More of the interview with Gallagher will be broadcast Across The Line's Monday evening (November 3).
The Killers and Glasvegas were caught up in the Brand/Ross scandal, with the former having their appearance on 'Friday Night With Jonathan Ross' pulled and the latter having an appearance on 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' shifted.
IT IS the moment 17,000 Oasis fans have been awaiting for nearly three years.
The legendary Manchester band make their long-awaited return to the north-east this weekend, playing two sell-out concerts at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre.
Tickets for both concerts sold out in a record seven minutes back in August, making the Britpop heroes the fastest selling single act to ever visit the venue.
This latest tour coincides with the release of the band’s seventh album Dig Out Your Soul, which was recorded at Abbey Road studios.
In a recent interview, guitarist Gem Archer, who joined the band around 1999 after the departure of original members Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs and Paul ‘Guigsy’ McGuigan, said: “I still love it.
“The cliche is normally that bands can’t wait to get away from their music once it’s recorded, but I nearly listened to it again last night.
“In the past, if you’d been out with Liam (Gallagher) at night and you ended up back at his house after the pub had shut, he’d play you the new album 15 times, but this time around, you might get it 30 times. That says it all.”
Oasis last performed before a sell-out crowd in the Granite City back in December 2005.
The Manchester band, famous for hits like Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back in Anger and Champagne Supernova, will be hoping for a warmer welcome than they got in Toronto, Canada, last month, when Noel Gallagher was attacked and pushed over during an incident on stage, breaking three ribs.
Tickets for both concerts are sold out, but check the classified section of the Press and Journal for tickets from private sellers.
Tickets for the Oasis gig at Murrayfield next summer go on sale at the Aberdeen Music Hall tomorrow between 10am and 6pm. Fans will have to buy their tickets in person.
Gallagher's Get High Level Briefing on Peace Process
Oasis superstars Noel and Liam Gallagher were brought up to speed about the peace process by Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness on board a flight to Belfast yesterday.
The brothers found themselves seated next to the Sinn Fein man on an afternoon flight from London ahead of last night’s Odyssey Arena concert.
Eyewitnesses on the plane said Mr McGuinness seemed to be in deep conversation with the world-famous rockers.
When the flight arrived at George Best Belfast City Airport the Deputy First Minister shook their hands before alighting.
One woman, who did not wish to be named, said she could not believe her eyes when she saw the Gallaghers.
“I went over and got my photograph taken with Liam. He was really lovely but a lot smaller than I imagined,” she said.
The band were then ushered out through an emergency exit at the airport.
Last night a spokesman for Mr McGuinness confirmed that he had met the Gallaghers on board the flight to Belfast and that they had seemed interested in the ongoing Ulster peace process.
“Martin has met the Gallagher brothers before at Heathrow Airport and, yes, he was talking to them again yesterday,” he said. “They seemed genuinely interested in what is going on here and seemed to be pretty knowledgeable about the situation as well.”
The spokesman said that Mr McGuinness liked the band’s music and that his favourite Oasis song was their massive hit anthem Wonderwall. But he said he would not be attending either last night’s or tonight’s shows at the Odyssey due to work commitments.
IN THE mid-1990s rock was in a perilous state as manufactured groups Take That, The Spice Girls, and Boyzone dominated the charts but a group of Mancunians called Oasis were about to bring guitar-based music back.
Swaggering lead singer Liam Gallagher was like a cross between Johnny Rotten and John Lennon and his brother Noel was an expert songwriter. With Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs on guitar, Paul McGuigan on bass and Tony McCarroll on drums, their album Definitely Maybe in September 1994 became the fasting selling British debut of all time.
Bonehead is now a solo singer-songwriter and plays an acoustic show at The Crane Bar on Wednesday November 5.
Bonehead, Noel, and Liam Gallagher grew up in the predominantly Irish area of Burnage and attended local Catholic schools. Their formal education was short as from an early age they took jobs in the construction industry.
Both families had Mayo connections. Bonehead’s father Ben is from Foxford and the Gallagher’s mother Peggy is from Charlestown.
Bonehead worked as a plasterer alongside his father but by the mid 1980s he had formed his first band Pleasure And Pain. By the late 1980s he got together with Chris Hutton, Guigsy, and Tony McCarroll to form The Rain - the precursor to Oasis.
Bonehead said of the group in the 1996 Paul Mathur’s book Take Me There: Oasis The Story: “Rain were really, really sad - absolutely terrible. I had this weird long hair - bald on top - and Guigs was really fat. We did cover versions of songs like ‘Wild Thing’ and we were playing these s**t gigs round Manchester, going nowhere.
“Eventually we sacked the singer - which wasn’t exactly a smart move because none of the rest of us could sing. So we were looking for a replacement and someone said, ‘Have you heard Noel’s brother Liam? He sings a bit.’ So we got him along to an audition and he was really good. We thought ‘Right, let’s have him in the band. Maybe we can really do something.’”
Liam renamed the band Oasis and when his brother Noel was home from an American tour with Inspiral Carpets he invited him along to see the group. Noel described Oasis as “utter sh**e”! Unperturbed Liam invited Noel to come on board as main songwriter and leader of Oasis.
“He had loads of stuff written” Bonehead recalled to John Harris in 2004. “When he walked in, we were a band making a racket with four tunes. All of a sudden, there were loads of ideas.”
Under Noel Gallagher’s leadership Oasis quit their day jobs to concentrate on the group full time. At a club in Glasgow in 1993 they were ‘discovered’ by Creation Records owner Alan McGee and he was so impressed that he signed them to the label four days later. The rise of Oasis over the next 18 months was meteoric.
However, the band’s drink and drugs intake had spiralled out of control and in early 1999 the relationship between Bonehead and Noel Gallagher had broken down. That year Arthurs quit Oasis to “concentrate on other things”.
Since then he has formed a short-lived band with The Smiths’ Mike Joyce and Andy Rourke and has also toured with Thai superstar Sek Loso. He has also become a noted DJ and co-presents a show on BBC Radio Manchester with Terry Christian.
On the night Bonehead will be joined by Pete McLeod. Support is from Whipping Boy’s Ferghal McKee.
For tickets contact The Crane on 091 - 587419 or go to www.thecranebar.com
Noel Gallagher's Comedian Pal Russel Brand Quits BBC Radio
Russell Brand has resigned from his Radio 2 show over prank calls he made with Jonathan Ross to the actor Andrew Sachs.
The comic said he took complete responsibility and that due to the strong public reaction, he thought it was only right he stopped doing the show.
He said: "I got a bit caught up in the moment and forgot that at the core of the rude comments and silly songs were the real feelings of a beloved and brilliant comic actor".
Mr Brand also lent his support to Jonathan Ross and said that he now hoped "Jonathan and the BBC will endure less forensic wrath".
He addded "I've loved working for the BBC and am very proud of the shows myself, Matt Morgan, Nic Philps, Mr Gee and Noel Gallagher have made and I apologise to all of them for damaging their careers - except Noel, whose band are doing quite well."
Ryan Adams who is supporting Oasis on their US tour leg plays secret show in New York coffee shop
Singer gives 100 fans a lunchtime treat
Ryan Adams and The Cardinals celebrated the US release of new album 'Cardinology' yesterday with an eight-song acoustic performance at Café Select in New York's Soho.
The singer/songwriter was in jokey spirits, according to a report on the Modern Age blog, and spent the gig chatting with the crowd and taking requests.
"Shit's going to get weird and awesome," the singer later told told Billboard. "Because we're into bands like Oasis and Foo Fighters: big, monolithic rock bands who really explore all those areas. That's what The Cardinals is. That's the work I want to do."
Watch footage from the lunch time gig below.
Ryan Adams played:
'Born Into A Light' 'Evergreen' 'Natural Ghost' 'Fix It' 'Magick' 'If I Am A Stranger' 'Cherry Lane' 'Let Us Down Easy'
'Cardinology' - the tenth studio album by Ryan Adams, and his fourth album with The Cardinals - was released on Monday (October 27).
via L4e source: nme.com/youtube/photo: Kyle Dean Reinford
Oasis fans are advised to be on the lookout for fake tickets and ticket scam websites.
We have been alerted to an unauthorised web site trading as oasistickets. This site is registered with an anonymous domain registry in Madeira and is hosted in Hungary. It has been reported to the police as suspicious. We have also discovered a number of high quality ticket forgeries on the current Oasis UK Arena tour.
We would urge Oasis fans not to buy tickets other than through established, well known authorised ticket agencies to avoid disappointment.
In addition to Oasisinet, the official agencies for the Oasis 2009 UK and Ireland Stadium tour are:
Ireland - Ticketmaster and associated outlets
Scotland - Secxtra, Ticketmaster, and See Tickets
England and Wales - See Tickets, Ticketmaster, Gigs and Tours, Ticketline, Ticket Factory and Stargreen (London only).
Oasis' Noel Gallagher has revealed that he has written and demo-ed his band's next album and has got the ball rolling for his solo album.
The guitarist told Billboard that songs set for the follow-up to the band's recently-released seventh album 'Dig Out Your Soul' include 'I Want to Live in a Dream In My Record Machine' and 'Come On It's Alright'.
He described the two songs as "psychedelic epics", and said he planned to recruit a choir to contribute vocals to them.
Gallagher said the new material echoed the work of The Kinks. "They all seem to be based around the same four or five chords," he expalined. "It's vastly different from what ['Dig Out Your Soul'] is."
He added: "There's stuff about soldiers and religious people and rock stars and travellers. They seem to be all songs about people, but not people I know. And they all seem to have a narrative; it's kind of like a story which follows on from song to song."
Speaking about his solo album plans, Gallagher said: "I'm going to do one sooner or later – hopefully sooner rather than later.
"I'm kind of hoping Liam might be arrested soon, and then I'll have time to see it through."
Dig Out Your Soul, Oasis’ seventh studio has been described as the band back in rocking form, with many claiming that the notorious brothers Gallagher have finally got their swagger back. The best received Oasis record within the last decade, it’s has been compared to their world-famous debut Definitely Maybe. What the fans really want to know is, ‘what’s changed this time around?’ Have the band taken up yoga, gone all macrobiotic or has fatherhood sharpened their pens? Funny or Die, the world’s most successful comedy web site, have created a spoof video interview of the brothers Gallagher as they explain the new influences feeding their musical mojo and talk us through the highlights of the latest album.
Watch Liam ingeniously compare songwriting to ‘making a sandwich with your face - bit of bacon, bit of cress, yellow pickle, brown pickle.....’ and get some exclusive audio snippets of the band’s new material from the sun-soaked reggae ska tune, Jamming In the Sunshine to the happy hardcore referencing, Wings Of Love. The highlight of the album has to be the ballad, Nicole, which has nothing to do with Ms Appleton but rather is the tale of Liam ‘aving it with a f***in bird, who just happens to be called Nicole and wasn’t in a band called All Saints.’ Noel ends proceedings by stating that ‘...at the end of the day, that is it,’ but leaves us hopelessly in the dark as to what exactly ‘that’ is.
OASIS Dig Out Your Soul (2008 promotional goodie bag containing; a metal pin badge measuring approximately 1'' diameter with Oasis logo in gold; a full deck of playing cards [56 in total with picture cards for the kings, queensand jacks] housed in a maroon coloured box measuring approximately 3 1/2'' x 2'' with custom Oasis logo printed one side in white; a 'smokey' 1 Watt guitar amp built into a cigarette packet with input jack, external speaker jack and 2''speaker. The red and white coloured box measures approximately 3 1/2'' x 2'' and displays an all-over custom printed Oasis logo design in black and blue; an unworn 'large' short-sleeved white T-Shirt made of 100% cotton, with big 'apple' print design in black, blue and red; all housed in an ecru/ natural coloured cotton canvas tote bag brandishing a custom screen printed Oasis logo design on one side in black, blue and red, with two sturdy carrying handles. Size - approximately 16'' x 15'' [rising to 28'' with the handles included] - a fantastic one-of-a-kind promotional package!) more here.
And don't forget to check out the EIL Oasis Collectors Store for prices slashed up to 50% Off
Oasis' latest album, "Dig Out Your Soul," has only been out three weeks, but Noel Gallagher says he's "already written" and demoed the group's follow-up.
Gallagher tells Billboard.com that he started writing the songs while mixing "Dig Out Your Soul" in Los Angeles. The "psychedelic epics" "I Want to Live in a Dream in My Record Machine" and "Come On It's Alright," on which he hopes to use a choir -- were in place for the current album but put aside when Gallagher's brother, Oasis frontman Liam, "ran out of time" to record them.
Noel compares the new material to "mid-era Kinks," referencing songs such as "Dead End Street" and "Harry Rag." "They all seem to be based around the same four or five chords," Gallagher says. "It's vastly different from what ('Dig Out Your Soul') is."
There's also a thematic unity that he likens to Neil Young's "Greendale." "It's kind of like that, but modern," Gallagher says. "There's stuff about soldiers and religious people and rock stars and travelers. They seem to be all songs about people, but not people I know. And they all seem to have a narrative; it's kind of like a story which follows on from song to song."
With a tour underway -- and a North American leg starting Dec. 3 in Oakland, Calif. -- Gallagher won't predict when we'll ultimately hear this new music, however. "This tour's gonna take us to the end of next year," he says, "and then it depends on what everybody wants to do. I think it'll happen when it's meant to happen. We just work on our own timetable."
Gallagher, who's almost fully recovered from injuries suffered in an onstage assault Sept. 7 in Toronto, is also still planning to make a solo album but isn't sure where that will fit in the timetable, either. "I'm going to do one sooner or later -- hopefully sooner rather than later," he says. "I'm kind of hoping Liam might be arrested soon, and then I'll have time to see it through."
Questions Wanted , Tickets Available and Matt Costa Onboard
Ask Noel
Every fan has a bunch of questions they'd love to ask their favourite band and in a special interview, to be broadcast this Boxing Day, Radio 2 will be giving you the opportunity to submit your questions to Noel.
The deadline for entering your questions is midnight on Sunday 9th November so have a think what you'd most like to ask Noel then click here to submit.
OASIS UK STADIUM SHOWS: LIMITED ADDITIONAL TICKETS AVAILABLE
A very limited number of additional tickets have become available for Oasis' 2009 stadium shows. These are credit card returns from orders cancelled after credit card processing. A very small number of tickets are available for all shows.
So Oasis didn’t trash their hotel rooms or swear at staff when they stayed at the Captain’s Club in Christchurch last week.
These are four fortysomething family men who are known to take healthy eating seriously and are happy to discuss their fitness regimes rather than chuck their tellies out of the window and throw up in the foyer.
And 15 years ago they filled their boots to the brim with the rock ’n’ roll temptations of drink and drugs. Back then they were twentysomething survivors of a Burnage sink estate with more than a few quid in their pocket and wholly likely to continue doing exactly what their peers did.
What set them apart, even then, was that they rehearsed solidly for at least five hours a day and, according to Noel Gallagher, if anyone couldn’t make a rehearsal they were kicked out of the band.
It was that fierce self-belief, coupled with a cocksure swagger and unashamedly classic songwriting that made Oasis so important to millions of fans worldwide.
Far more telling was the way the band rallied round new drummer Chris Sharrock as he was reunited with a long-lost drumming pal from Liverpool, Bournemouth-based youth worker Joe Musker.
Having been tipped off about Joe’s website, offthestreets.co.uk/music/ drums, Chris contacted Joe and invited him and his son James along to see Oasis on Tuesday on the second of their two BIC dates. After the show Chris and Joe chatted about their old drum tutor in Liverpool, catching up on old times and talking about their kids’ musical exploits. Guitarist Gem Archer spent time with 14-year-old James, taking an interest in the lad’s guitar playing and the drumming skills he’s inherited from his old man.
The enduring appeal of Oasis lies in the fact that the individual members are not that different from the people we are.
They’re not boys next door any more, they are hugely wealthy rock stars privileged to have seen and done things many people only dream about, but they have the good grace to maintain an ordinariness about them that millions can relate to.
l Joe has organised the Drumming For Life event on Saturday, November 8 in aid of the Youth Cancer Trust. A series of drum kits set up in six youth centres across Bournemouth and Poole will spring into life from noon when Paul Weller’s drummer Steve White gives the nod to Joe for more than 20 drummers to start playing at Linwood Youth Club in Winton.
Oasis attracted a star-studded audience as they closed the BBC Electric Proms in style at the London Roundhouse.
The Manchester five-piece drafted in the Crouch End Festival Chorus for six songs, including their most famous hits Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger.
James Bond star Daniel Craig, Joe Cole and comedians Russell Brand and Ralph Little were among the stars at the gig.
The show rounded off five days of music spread across Liverpool and London.
‘Best ever’
Dean Swift, 17, from Wellington said the performance was the best he’d ever seen Oasis play.
He added: “That was blinding. That’s the best gig they’ve done. I saw them at Wembley Arena the other week but the choir added something different to them.”
Natlie Lawrenson, 22, from Barnsley travelled all the way down from Leeds to see her heroes perform.
She said: “I’ve seen Oasis a few times now but that was out of this world. To see them at such an intimate venue was just breathtaking. The choir added that extra wow factor too.”
Kicking off with Rock ‘n’ Roll Star the band played a host of songs from their back catalogue along with six new tracks from their current album Dig Out Your Soul.
Both frontman Liam Gallagher and his brother Noel dedicated songs to their wives, who were watching in the audience, during their set.
Noel then introduced the band’s 50-member backing choir, who were dressed in plain clothes, at the beginning of Wonderwall b-side Masterplan.
“This is the Crouch End Choir, I won’t introduce them all by name because there’s 50 of them and we’ll be here all f*****g night,” he joked.
James Bond
The ensemble also teamed up with the band for I’m Outta Time, Wonderwall, Champagne Supernova, I Am The Walrus and Number One hit Don’t Look Back In Anger, which saw the whole venue singing.
During the show, Noel spotted Daniel Craig in the crowd and said: “James Bond is upstairs, I might see if I can blag it so that he can get me the next James Bond theme tune instead of f****g dopey Americans doing it all the time.”
The actor was then greeted with chants of, ‘Who are you? Who are you?’ from the fans before Noel interjected, ‘He’s Bond, James Bond’.”
He also pulled a similar trick with comedian Russell Brand later in the show when he dedicated Falling Down to the Radio 2 presenter.
“Russell will have been up there tonight trying to wangle some introduction to James Bond so he can become some effeminate James Bond baddie,” Noel added.
The band wrapped up the show with their cover of The Beatles classic I Am The Walrus before Noel added: “Thanks for coming. We’ll see you at Wembley next year.”
Earlier, Glasvegas opened the night by performing a host of tracks from their self-titled debut album including hit singles Geraldine and Daddy’s Gone.
Singer James Allan told Newsbeat that Oasis inspired him to form his own band. He said: “Before I saw Oasis I’d never really felt the urge to be in a band. They made me pick up a guitar.
“It’s great too because tonight I get to see them for free.”
Lucky Oasis Fan Catches Liam's Tambourine Again...10 Years Later
LEE Thomas is the world’s luckiest Oasis fan having TWICE caught a tambourine thrown by singer Liam Gallagher at two concerts more than a decade apart.
The Cardiff headteacher could not believe his luck when at Thursday’s Oasis concert in the CIA in Cardiff history repeated itself and he caught the lead singer’s tambourine when Liam tossed into the crowd. The same thing had happened when Lee was among the 8,000-strong crowd at the same venue on December 10, 1997. Lee said: “I was at the concert with my wife and father-in-law. They wanted to hang around near the back so I went up the front of the crowd for the first song, Rock ‘n’ Roll Star.
“I have always been a big Oasis fan so I thought I would relive my youth and get up close. The song ended and Liam put it in his mouth. It is moon shaped so he was making a smiley face with it and then he threw it into the crowd and before I knew it I had grabbed it. “I put it up my jumper and made my way back to my wife Jo. I was absolutely delighted but I could not believe my luck and neither could Jo.” The chances of this happening twice in the CIA are around 64 million to one making Lee one of the luckiest Oasis fans in the world.
Lee returned to work in Meadowlane Primary in St Mellons on Friday with the tambourine to show the pupils. But the excitement was not as great as it had been in 1997 when he was a teacher at Marlborough Junior School in Penylan and Oasis were still one of Britain’s biggest bands.
“I had to give them a few clues last week. “They did not know Oasis but they did know songs like Wonderwall. “Both tambourines are exactly the same size and I will certainly look after them as a piece of Oasis memorabilia.”
Lee has another chance of adding to his collection of “shaker makers” next year when he will be among the 60,000-strong crowd at Oasis’ gig in the Millennium Stadium in June.
Rock N Roll Star Lyla The Shock Of The Lightning Cigarettes And Alcohol Meaning Of Soul To Be Where There's Life Waiting For The Rapture The Masterplan (with the Crouch End Festival Chorus) Songbird Slide Away Morning Glory Ain't Got Nothing The Importance Of Being Idle I'm Outta Time (with the Crouch End Festival Chorus) Wonderwall (with the Crouch End Festival Chorus) Supersonic Don't Look Back In Anger (Acoustic) (with the Crouch End Festival Chorus) Falling Down Champagne Supernova (with the Crouch End Festival Chorus) I am the Walrus (with the Crouch End Festival Chorus)
From Noel Gallagher's Official Tour Diary on oasisinet.com
Yes people. We're on the bus. Leaving the Wales. Heading back to London. Cardiff, the shows and the people were brilliant. There was quite a bit of violence at both gigs. Not nice. Can't those fuckers take it outside. Or at least sort it out in the car park before the gig? Just a thought.
We did have much fun though. Caught up with Rhys and The Peth. Lovely, lovely lads.
The Peth - Shoot On Sight
The Roundhouse is up next. For them Electric Proms. With a 50-piece choir. Rehearsals were immense. Celestial in fact. I wish you could all come along and hear it. There's always YouTube though, eh?
By the way, if any of you got involved in any of that ticket buying business yesterday I thank you from the bottom of my guitar case. Can't speak for anyone else but I promise that I'LL be brilliant at those shows. Saying that - who knows where we'll be next year? There's plenty of time for the shit to hit the fan before then, eh?
BBC Radio 1, 21:00 to 22:30 'Oasis Live at the BBC Electric Proms'
Britain's greatest rock n roll band Oasis are the final headliner on this year's festival bill. Oasis are set to treat music fans to a very special performance at the festival and will be accompanied by the Crouch End Festival Chorus. Expect classic Oasis anthems and tracks from their highly anticipated latest album Dig Out Your Soul.
Radio 1 comes direct from the Camden Roundhouse in London for the finale of this year's BBC Electric Proms, featuring Oasis performing with the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
BBC HD, BBC 2 Scotland, BBC 2 England and BBC 2 NI are all at 2310 BBC 2 Wales at 2355
Edith Bowman presents the grand finale of the Electric Proms 2008. Oasis front a night of anthems with accompaniment from the 50-strong Crouch End Festival Chorus.
A Fan threw a Jumper at Noel Gallagher's Head during a concert at Cardiff International Arena yesterday. A visibly annoyed Liam came running to his brother's side. Not a very clever move on the fans part with the recent stage attack at Toronto's V Fest still in every body's mind.
From Noel Gallagher's Official Tour Diary on oasisinet.com
Now then. Hello there. I'm on a choo-choo train. On my way to Cardiff. I travel alone today. Sitting in silence. People watching. Perfect. I've got that bastard cold, see? Have you?
Bournemouth was odd. Strange clientele (I thought so anyway). Good shows though (I thought so anyway).
Just stopped at Reading. No one got off. No one got on. Just got a COFFEE from the "buffet trolley". I'm not much of a fan of coffee. Too middle class for me. But as I won't be served tea by anyone other than my missus, "coffee" it is.
Just stopped at Swindon. A person got off. Couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman. They was too fat, y'see?
The scenery has become more green. it's nice, innit...the greenery? A couple of lads just come to say hello. They're going to see the gig, they say. So am I. They're already on the piss. Nice enough lads though.
That "coffee" was shit by the way. Better than the tea I expect though.
Why do trains do that thing? They all of a sudden go from 1,000mph to walking pace for 20 minutes. Why? Is it sleepy time for the cows and sheeps or summat? We're going REALLY fast again. Why?
We're stopping at Bristol. Let's see what happens here then, eh? Hmm..not a lot. 2 more stops to go. Newport and then Cardiff.
Oasis spent yesterday deep in rehearsals for their debut choral show — as my exclusive shot, below, shows.
The rockers play the BBC Electric Proms tomorrow night at London’s Roundhouse with the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
The choir will add new shades to the outfit’s towering rock anthems and you can catch the set on BBC2 at 10.45pm.
Meanwhile, the lads have added a third night to their Manchester and London shows next summer after tickets for the original gigs sold out within hours yesterday.
The band originally scheduled June 6 and 7 in their hometown’s Heaton Park and July 11 and 12 at Wembley Stadium.
But they will now also play Heaton Park on June 4 and Wembley on July 9.
As I revealed earlier this week, next year is set to be a brilliant 12 months for live music.
Not only do we have the Oasis shows, but Coldplay, Take That and U2 will be playing mega-gigs too.
Metal titans Metallica had a good day too.
Their first UK tour in more than a decade went on sale yesterday and sold out entirely.
Daniel Sullivan, the man accused of tackling Oasis singer Noel Gallagher on stage in Toronto last month, has had his case put forward to Nov. 25. He did not appear in court.
Sullivan was charged with assault after he allegedly managed to get on the stage at this year's Virgin Festival and jump on Gallagher from behind. The suspect then rushed towards Liam Gallagher but was tackled by security guards. Noel suffered injuries to his ribs and the British band was forced to cancel a number of concert dates.
The 47-year-old married father of three young boys works as a general contractor and lives in a middle class Pickering neighbourhood. He has not spoken about his case.
Sullivan was represented in Old City Hall Court today by lawyer Taragh Bracken, who refused to comment following the 30-second hearing. Crown attorney Ruth Nielson told popgoesthenews.com there are "outstanding disclosure" issues and added that Sullivan is not required to be in court on Nov. 25.
Oasis Sell Over Half a Million Tickets on First Day of Sale
Record breaking Oasis add Coventry show to 2009 tour
Oasis have revealed that their UK and Irish stadium tour has broken box office records - and they've added yet another date for summer 2009.
The band will now play Coventry's Ricoh Arena Stadium with support from hometown boys The Enemy on July 7.
Tickets for that show go on sale at 9am on October 30.
Sunderland, Edinburgh and Dublin are now also sold out, along with the original two nights at Manchester's Heaton Park and London's Wembley Stadium, which reached capacity earlier this afternoon.
Oasis have since added third nights in Manchester (June 4) and London (July 9) at the same venues.
With tickets going on sale at 10am (BST) this morning (October 24), the band had sold half a million tickets by 3pm.
Oasis co-promoter Chris York of SJM Concerts speculated that "this has to be the most tickets ever sold by an artist in the UK in one day".
A spokesperson for the band added: "This proves Oasis continue to go from strength to strength and increase in popularity. Following their fantastically received arena tour this autumn and critically acclaimed new album, these will be the must-see shows of 2009."
The full Oasis tour is now:
Manchester Heaton Park (June 4, 6, 7) Sunderland Stadium Of Light (10) Cardiff Millennium Stadium (12) Edinburgh Murrayfield Stadium (17) Dublin Slane Castle (20) Coventry Ricoh Arena Stadium (July 7) London Wembley Stadium (9, 11, 12)
Oasis have announced a third gig in their home town next summer after tickets for two planned shows sold out.
More than 140,000 tickets were snapped up within two hours for the open air shows as part of their Dig Out Your Soul World Tour.
The band will play the extra show on June 4, set to take place before the previously-announced shows at Manchester's Heaton Park on June 6 and 7.
The Gallagher brothers will also play at Sunderland's Stadium Of Light, Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, Edinburgh's Murrayfield Stadium, Dublin's Slane Castle and London's Wembley Arena.
The band are bringing fellow rockers Kasabian and the Enemy - both bands from the Midlands - as support for the shows.
Frontman Noel Gallagher said the bands were an obvious choice.
"Kasabian, we toured with them in the States a couple of year ago and we've since become quite close to them," he said.
"So we've always said when we were doing the big super gigs again we'd give them first option and as they're gonna have an album out it fits perfectly.
"And the Enemy, I've liked since I heard their first ever single. And I think with all three bands their on the one night, if I was 16 o 17 I'd be there."
OASIS WEMBLEY STADIUM CONCERTS ALSO SOLD OUT: THIRD NIGHT ADDED!
Following hot on the heels of their Manchester shows, both Oasis concerts at Wembley Stadium in July 2009 have now sold out and due to the phenomenal demand the band have announced a third night's performance in Britain’s showcase Stadium. Oasis will now be playing a third and final night Wembley Stadium, London on Thursday the 9th July, 2009 once again with very special guests Kasabian and The Enemy.
A very limited number of tickets are available for the remaining shows and fans are urged to book quickly to avoid disappointment.
Or in person at: Murrayfield Stadium: £2 plus c/card fees for credit cards. No b/f for cash/ debit card Aberdeen: Music Hall - £2 cash/ debit card Aberdeen: One Up Records - £2 cash/ debit card Dundee: Grouchos Records - £2 cash/ debit card Edinburgh: Tickets Scotland - £2 cash/ debit card Edinburgh: Ripping Records - £2 cash/ debit card Glasgow: Tickets Scotland - £2 cash/ debit card
Or in person at Slane Castle Estate Office (+35 341 982 4163) or at over 100 Ticketmaster outlets North & South (total €76.50 incl booking fee for personal callers to TM outlets)
Time for a confession — despite my regular attempts to position myself at the very crest oto position myself at the very crest of the zeitgeist wave at all times, I am a member of that exclusive and not very lauded group who has loved Oasis for 14 years without once wavering or admitting that they aren’t as good as they used to be.
I say ‘admit’, but that suggests I secretly believe they’ve lost it, so I should say ‘concur’, because I still can’t utter out loud, or commit to print the notion that Liam and Noel ever went off the boil.
I’m aware that there are many who will assume I’m both mutton-headed and out of touch for my loyalty to the brothers Gallagher, but there may be a few who will understand my heartfelt commitment to the cause. For me, betraying Oasis would feel like giving up on a much loved family member who changed my life when I was young by injecting it with such excitement, hope, passion and romance that I saw the world differently for evermore. Something far deeper than infatuation occurred when I fell in love with Oasis, and for those beautiful, heady times, I will always be grateful.
I first saw Oasis in March 1994 in the Tramway Theatre in Glasgow. I would have missed them— they were second or third on the bill — but my boyfriend at the time happened to have met them when he was a member of the long-forgotten Scottish indie band 18 Wheeler and briefly signed to the same label, Creation Records. Despite their rather unnerving reputation as troublemakers, my ex said that Oasis were “brilliant guys”, that Noel was “an undiscovered genius” and that the lead singer was “completely your type”.
When Oasis appeared that evening, there were about 30 people in the room, most of them sitting down. I’ll never forget the way Liam Gallagher sauntered on stage as if he was coming on to the applause of 100,000 screaming fans whom he had eventually, grudgingly, decided to placate. He nodded approvingly at himself, ignoring the audience, his bottom jaw jutting out with steely determination. He had already perfected that intimidating 1,000 yard stare which, it was later suggested, may be the result of impaired eyesight, but which gave him an immediate aura of entitlement.
My boyfriend was right, he was my type; dark and Irish with a Neanderthal sexiness and a great mod haircut. And then he sang! This was the mid 1990s, remember — British guitar pop was adrift in a sea of weedy, winsome voices like Damon Albarn’s, Jarvis Cocker’s and Brett Anderson’s. This rough-edged Lennon-esque rasp, full of raunch and self-belief, was a shocking, thrilling revelation.
Not many people saw Oasis that night, but NME journalist John Harris did, and he went back to the band’s hotel to record an interview with Liam and Noel that was so hilarious that he released it as a single under the name Wibbling Rivalry a year later (it reached No 52 in the charts). By then Oasis were the biggest band in Britain and the feuding Gallaghers — tough, smart, focused Noel and self-destructive, vulnerable, daft Liam — as well-known to the public as the prime minister.
In the meantime I’d seen them many more memorable times, and spent one delicious half-hour flirting my way (fruitlessly) through a chat with a passionate, funny, warm-hearted Liam. Their first T in the Park appearance, in a small tent, remains my favourite gig of all time. The atmosphere that day was terrifyingly intense, a kind of uncontrolled hysteria as close to Beatlemania as I’m ever likely to witness. As the Knebworth and Loch Lomond shows in the summer of 1996 proved, Oasis could unite hundred of thousands of disparate souls like no one else — they could provoke such violent feelings of love and ecstatic bliss that you were happy to throw your arms around people you would normally have changed trains to avoid.
They also kept surprising people — Liam could be as playful as a puppy or as monosyllabic and sulky as a chastised child. He developed an occasional habit of walking off-stage halfway through a show, or off planes taking him to the first stop on a world tour. In an increasingly stage-managed industry, he kept wafting in like a breath of fresh air.
After their second album in 1995, What’s the Story Morning Glory, Oasis were everyone’s favourite band, but I felt I had a
special connection with them which couldn’t be contested by the Johnny come latelys. Even when, working as a producer at Radio 1, I saw their 1997 single D’You Know What I Mean being delivered by a grim-faced SWAT team to ensure its safe arrival, I refuted accusations that the band’s egos were out of control (Noel unfortunately later confessed that they were).
I had one of the most unforgettable nights of my life in October 1997, when a drunken Noel and Liam came into the Radio 1 studios to be interviewed live by a nervous Steve Lamacq. I sat in the adjoining studio, gazing through the glass, as Liam launched into the most outrageous and funny rants ever committed to tape.
After threatening “old farts out of the day centre like Keith F**king Smitchards” to a duel on Primrose Hill and having a go at Noel for selecting a “sh*t” dance record, he walked out. The papers next day were full of outrage about his disgraceful language but I felt secretly very proud that he had been grinning at me through the glass while he’d been talking, and that I, by clearly enjoying every word, had only encouraged him (the interview can still be heard in all its glory on YouTube).
It may be true that Oasis have never quite repeated the creative highs of their first two albums, but there is always something wonderful on an Oasis record, apart from Liam’s soaring vocal. Be Here Now, which Noel now says was a reflection of their bloated egos and cocaine habits, houses the truly beautiful Don’t Go Away. Heathen Chemistry has the show-stopping singalong Stop Crying Your Heart Out.
Seeing Oasis live never stopped being a hugely exciting and utterly unpredictable prospect – only this week Noel admitted that the craziest show I ever saw, at Wembley Stadium in 2000, during which Liam seemed to be entirely unaware of his surroundings and Noel looked perpetually ready to kill him, was the result of Liam “being out all night with a Spice Girl”.
And perhaps least predictable of all is Oasis’ current resurgence. Their new album, Dig Out Your Soul, sold 90,000 copies on its first day of release, making it the fastest-selling album of the year after Coldplay’s Viva la Vida. In America it gave them their highest chart position (No 5) since the hugely hyped Be Here Now more than ten years ago. Reviews have been remarkably positive, with most people declaring the album a true return to form, and ex-Creation boss Alan McGee saying it is the true follow-up to What’s the Story. Is it really that good? Don’t ask me, I really don’t know. Enduring love like mine is both blind and deaf.
Oasis play the Odyssey Arena on October 29 and 30. Both shows have sold out. Tickets for Slane (June 2009) went on sale today and are limited to 8 tickets per person. See ticketmaster.ie or Ticketmaster outlets for details.
OASIS showed exactly what fans will be paying for at the Millennium Stadium next summer with the first of their two dates at Cardiff International Arena last night. Having shifted around 15,000 tickets for these two CIA gigs they will be looking to at least double that number, if not quadruple it, on June 12, 2009 when Kasabian and The Enemy will join them to ruin the turf for Welsh sports teams.
On this evidence Oasis are still well worth the ticket price. They compiled an interesting set list; heavy on hits and their first two albums in particular, with one B-side and a smattering of tracks from the new album, Dig Out Your Soul.
Live, the new album is seemingly not as good as their last, Don’t Believe The Truth, with The Importance Of Being Idle getting a great reception and Lyla, despite Liam destroying the vocal as badly as he might have in 1994, getting the place stomping. It’s easy to say that Oasis are not as good as they used to be, and very true, yet there is no denying they still carry their primal power of yore at times. From the eruption of excitement that greeted Rock N Roll star – the security guards earning their money as a river of people swelled dangerously against the crash barriers – to the stunning melody of The Masterplan, the best stuff was the oldest. You cannot deny Slide Away, Columbia or Cigarettes and Alcohol, which an on-form Liam – lobbing tambourines into the crowd - dedicated to Katherine Jenkins for reasons unknown.
Liam’s best moment came during The Shock Of the Lightening when a white jumper flew from the crowd and landed on Noel’s head, refusing to budge; Noel looked like a caught fish as he tried to shake it off without disturbing this guitar line. Liam strode over and stood in front of him protectively before surreally threatening, "if you want to make people look stupid I’ll make you look like your grandma." Noel excelled where expected, in the big songs, and there were huge responses for Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back In Anger, on which a 7,500-strong Welsh choir offered their voices in full heart.
As the gig edged towards a climax they relied on older material, Champagne Supernova among a four-track encore that eventually closed on I Am The Walrus. "See you next year at that stadium over there," concluded Gallagher senior. Maybe, Noel, but not definitely.
Setlist
F**king In The Bushes Rock N Roll Star Lyla The Shock Of The Lightning Cigarettes And Alcohol Meaning Of Soul To Be Where There's Life Waiting For The Rapture The Masterplan Songbird Slide Away Morning Glory Ain't Got Nothing The Importance Of Being Idle I'm Outta Time Wonderwall Supersonic Don't Look Back In Anger (Acoustic) Falling Down Champagne Supernova I Am The Walrus
Ticket Holders who were disappointed about Oasis' recent cancellation at Eden Project due to Noel's injuries have a new date to look forward to. Emails started going out yesterday:
We are pleased to announce that the Oasis concert at the Eden Project has now been rescheduled to Tuesday July 14th 2009. All tickets for the original date will remain valid for the rescheduled event.
"Mad for it" Oasis fans have started queuing for tickets to see next year's first-ever Stadium of Light concert, almost 48 hours before they're due to go on sale!
A limited number of tickets will be available from the club's ticket office when the doors open at 10am on Friday.
Pals Phillip Young and Chris McGowan, both huge Sunderland supporters as well as big Oasis fans, have made sure they're getting their tickets for next June's Wearside gig, which promises to massively popular.
"We've missed out on getting tickets before, we're not taking any chances!" said 25-year-old Phillip (pictured left), of Hylton Castle.
"I've tried getting tickets for Oasis at gigs up and down the country, without any luck, and I wouldn't miss this one for the world."
Chris, 22, also of Hylton Castle in Sunderland, couldn't believe his ears when he heard about the Oasis concert last week.
"I thought it was a wind-up at first," he said. "But then I knew it was true I was over the moon, there was no way I was missing out this time!"
Despite temperatures of around 8° Celsius overnight, Phillip and Chris are well prepared for two consecutive nights outside - they're well-equipped with a tent, sleeping bags, chairs, food and flasks of hot drinks.
The pair will have queued for 45 hours by the time Sunderland's ticket office doors open on Friday!
Oasis, who have sold more than 50 million record worldwide, will be supported by Kasabian and The Enemy in what promises to be a great night on Wednesday June 10, with all tickets going on sale from 10am on Friday.
The concert promoter would like to advise those purchasing tickets that they will receive an official voucher in the first instance which they will then need to exchange for a guaranteed ticket at a later date, once the actual concert tickets are forwarded to the club by the promoter.
These tickets are for in-person purchases only - bookings cannot be taken via telephone and will be limited to a maximum of four per household.
These are general admission tickets priced at £45 each and subject to a 10% booking fee for all card purchases.
Ticket Information: Tickets are available by phone from the Oasis Lo-Call 24-hr hotline, 0844 412 4638. Alternatively 24-hr credit card hotlines are operating, 0871 2200 260 / 0871 230 6230 / 0871 424 4444.
Ticket price: £45 (plus booking fee).
Online booking is available from www.oasisinet.com, www.gigsandtours.com, www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.ticketline.co.uk.
A limited number of tickets (maximum 4,000) will be available from the Stadium of Light ticket office for one day only on Friday October 24 (from 10am).
These tickets are for in-person purchases only - bookings cannot be taken via telephone and will be limited to a maximum of four tickets per household.
These are general admission tickets priced at £45 each and subject to a 10% booking fee for credit card purchases.
Details of hospitality packages for the show will be announced in due course.
L4E Forum member j1983 ran into Liam Gallagher at a beer garden after the Wembley gig the other day and got to hang out and chat with our favorite front man about Man City, the love of being on stage and buying Chickens at the super market for the missus.
UK TV and Radio Schedule For Oasis at BBC Electric Proms
Sunday 26th October, times are for the UK.
BBC Radio 1, 21:00 to 22:30 'Oasis Live at the BBC Electric Proms' Radio 1 comes direct from the Camden Roundhouse in London for the finale of this year's BBC Electric Proms, featuring Oasis performing with the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
BBC HD, BBC 2 Scotland, BBC 2 England and BBC 2 NI are all at 2310 BBC 2 Wales at 2355
Edith Bowman presents the grand finale of the Electric Proms 2008. Oasis front a night of anthems with accompaniment from the 50-strong Crouch End Festival Chorus.
Oasis plan to rope in a 50-piece choir to cover a song by The Rolling Stones at BBC Electric Proms this weekend.
The Manchester rockers headline the Camden Roundhouse on Sunday (October 26) for the third year of the London-wide celebrations.
Traditionally rock bands have hooked up with classical musicians for the shows. And Noel Gallagher has revealed that the band are planning to cover the Stones' classic 'We Love You' with the Crouch End Festival Chorus.
The guitarist told BBC 6Music that the plans sprang from aborted sessions for new album 'Dig Out Your Soul'.
"Out of all the songs on the album, there's two that didn't make it that have got a 50-piece choir," he said. "The original idea for this album was to record it with this choir in Abbey Road and for whatever reason it didn't happen.
"When we got offered the Proms, we called them up and said, 'I know we let you down last time but do you fancy getting up and doing a few tunes?' I think they're going to sing on a third of the set and we're hoping to do 'We Love You'."
Gallagher did not reveal whether the abandoned album tracks will get an airing at the show.
Oasis have just confirmed that they will be inviting the Prodigy to perform with them as "very special guests" at Slane castle in June
Formed in 1990, The Prodigy have gone on to become the most successful electronic act of all time in terms of chart success and critical acclaim.
Emerging from the dance scene of the early 1990’s The Prodigy quickly crossed achieved massive chart success with the release of their debut album Experience in 1992 followed up with the critically acclaimed Music For The Jilted Generation in 1994, 1997’s The Fat Of The Land and 2004’s Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned. An as yet untitled album is due for release in March 2009.
Oasis with special guests the Prodigy come to Slane on June 20. Further acts for are still to be announced.
Tickets for Slane 2009 are priced €76.50 including booking fee, limited to eight per person and will go on sale this Friday, October 24 at 8.00am from Ticketmaster outlets nationwide.
also
IN HOT PRESS THIS FORTNIGHT: OASIS, KAISER CHIEFS, KEANE and more!
As Oasis' new Dig Out Your Soul record hits the stands, Liam Gallagher gets gobby for a chat with Stuart Clark. Up for discussion: his move to clean living; hanging with Marilyn Manson and why Jay-Z – and Noel Gallagher! – are "dicks".
Oasis have just added a Dutch date to their biggest ever European Tour. The band have announced they will be playing the Heineken Music Hall in Amsterdam on the 21st January 2009
Tickets go on sale Saturday the 1st November at 10.00am (local time) through Ticket Post Services, Free Record Shops. GWK Offices and the VVV's as well as www.livenation.nl/oasis. In Holland only tickets can be ordered by telephone on 0900 3001250
Oasis last played the HMH in November 2005. On that occasion the tickets sold out within hours of going on sale so fans are advised to get their tickets early.
For more information about the band's forthcoming Western Europe tour, click here.
As loyalty goes in rock ’n’ roll, it doesn’t come much more devoted than an Oasis crowd.
Checking for a moment the arms-aloft, mile-wide grinning mob singing along to Champagne Supernova during the band’s encore last night it’s hard not to hear it as a national anthem for a credit-crunched generation.
And while those glad smiles and wet eyes may have more to do with euphoric recollection these days than anything else, there were some emotional moments shared between thinning-haired men comfortable for once in their middle-aged spread.
Even as the venue does its best to suck the sonic subtleties out of a roundly accomplished set, the audience feels more like a football crowd than anything else – ready to go through the highs and lows as personnel come and go safe in the knowledge the object of their devotion will always be there with them.
And the latest to be clasped to the collective bosom, new drummer Chris Sharrock propelled the whole affair with reliably beefy beats. More flamboyant than his predecessor Zak Starkey, but never gaudy, he’s a class act that suits the more musicianly, groove-filled songs from Oasis’s new album Dig Out Your Soul and adds new dimensions to old favourites.
Talking of which, it’s the big hitters that inevitably get the biggest reactions. Opening with Rock ’n’ Roll Star – still the band’s inch-perfect statement of intent – the set unfolds like a recently updated family photo album. Lyla, The Shock Of The Lightning, Cigarettes And Alcohol, even the under-rated Meaning Of Soul from their previous album, Don’t Believe The Truth, are given a robust yet surprisingly agile treatment.
With Liam’s countenance divine still commanding constant attention, Noel looks studious to one side, possibly still feeling the effects of cracked ribs after being attacked onstage in Canada last month, while Gem and Andy stand implacable to the other, and keyboards wiz Jay Darlington makes telling contributions from the shadows.
The extensions to the timeworn Oasis sound can be found in the raga thrum of the Gem-penned To Be Where There’s Life and the rapturous chords of Noel’s Falling Down, while Liam’s heartfelt Outta Time travels well from record to stage.
At times some of the older tunes (Wonderwall, Songbird, Slide Away) sound unwieldy, but a truly awesome Supersonic closes the set before the band reassemble for a touching acoustic take on Don’t Look Back In Anger and we’re sent buzzing into the night after a ravaging assault on I Am The Walrus just like the way they used to do it.
And only a fool would bet on them being any less supersonic tonight.
