Live4ever Media LLC (NYC / Leeds) are purveyors of new music, daily news, exclusive features and photo galleries on the world’s best Indie bands.
Live4ever also produces and promotes high quality live music events, and is enjoying a growing industry-wide reputation for both discovering and showcasing new bands.
Among the network of websites published are the acclaimed Live4ever and The Oasis Newsroom, the web’s most popular site reporting on the brothers Gallagher.
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.
“I love Live4ever – It’s a great site and always bang on the button!”
Shoot a Hole into the Sun - Noel Gallagher & Amorphous Androgynous
Shoot A Hole Into The Sun is the first music available from Noel's collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous and the B side to the new single Dream On. Single released 11th March on digital and 12th March on Limited Edition Numbered 12" vinyl and CD. Available to pre-order from the official store
Oasis among most played Manchester songs in UK this Century
Liam Gallagher (Photo: Live4ever Media)
Songs by Manchester legends Oasis and Ian Brown are amongst the city’s most played songs in the UK since 2000, new figures show.
The list, compiled by PPL who license the playing of recorded music in the media and public places across the UK, shows the top three played songs produced by Manchester bands all come from Take That, with two Bee Gees tracks completing the top 5.
Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger‘ and ‘Wonderwall‘ come in at #8 and #14 respectively, while Ian Brown’s ‘F.E.A.R‘ is the fifteenth most played Manchester song of the 21st century, and ‘Golden Gaze‘ the nineteenth.
Key 103 breakfast show DJ Mike Toolan has said: “Manchester is at the heart of the UK music scene. We have produced some of the biggest and best bands loved not only in the UK but throughout the rest of the world!”
Top 20:
1) Shine – Take That 2) Rule The World – Take That 3) Patience – Take That 4) Stayin’ Alive – Bee Gees 5) Night Fever – Bee Gees 6) Stars – Simply Red 7) Greatest Day – Take That 8 ) Don’t Look Back In Anger – Oasis 9) Babylon – David Grey 10) Fairground – Simply Red 11) Back For Good – Take That 12) How Deep Is Your Love – Bee Gees 13) Tragedy – Bee Gees 14) Wonderwall – Oasis 15) F.E.A.R – Ian Brown 16) He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother – The Hollies 17) Jive Talkin’ – Bee Gees 18) I’m Not In Love – 10CC 19) Golden Gaze – Ian Brown 20) The Air That I Breathe – The Hollies
Noel Gallagher Joins Bill at Rock Werchter Festival
Two of rock’s newest solo stars – Noel Gallagher and Jack White – have been confirmed on the bill for this summer’s Rock Werchter festival.
The former Oasis and White Stripes leaders will be joined on the bill by the likes of Chase and Status, Pearl Jam, Florence And The Machine, The Cure, Elbow, Snow Patrol and Blink-182. The Belgian event, which is due to run from June 28th-July 1st this year, will be headlined on its weekend days by Kasabian and Red Hot Chili Peppers, with Justice and Deadmau5 preceding the rock heavyweights on June 28th and 29th respectively.
The announcement marks Jack White’s second confirmed European festival appearance, as he prepares to release the debut solo album ‘Blunderbuss‘ through his own Third Man Records label on April 23rd. He is due to make his live solo bow on Saturday Night Live this weekend (March 3rd).
More information and full ticket details for the Rock Werchter festival can be found at Rockwerchter.be.
Noel Gallagher to Fans at O2: You Love Me More Than Beckham...
Before playing 'Little by Little' the rocker revealed he was performing it for his 12-year-old daughter Anais - his child with ex-wife Meg Mathews - because it used to be her favourite Oasis track.
He told the sell-out crowd: "I'm dedicating this to my daughter ... she said it was her favourite song when she was nine."
Noel thrilled fans by playing a set loaded with songs from his debut solo album 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' and Oasis tracks and he and his band were backed by the Crouch End Festival Chorus and the Hertfordshire Chorus.
Highlights included 'Everybody's on the Run', 'If I Had a Gun...', '(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach' and 'Freaky Teeth'.
An acoustic version of 'Supersonic' prompted a mass sing-along, as did 'Half the World Away' and 'The Death of You and Me'.
After he performed Oasis B-side 'Talk Tonight' one emotional fan at the front told Noel he loved him "more than David Beckham".
The 44-year-old musician said: "Are you all enjoying yourself? I'm enjoying myself, I bet you're having a right f***ing laugh out there. You love me more than David Beckham, that's pure love. I love you too mate."
However, some cheeky fans jokingly heckled Noel to play songs recorded by his brother Liam Gallagher's band Beady Eye.
Noel performed a four-track encore comprised of Oasis songs 'Whatever' - dedicated to the "people at the back" - Little by Little', The Importance of Being Idle' and 'Don't Look Back in Anger'.
Before playing his final song, Noel gestured to the 30-piece choir and said: "I'd like a round of applause for the people at the back here. It's been an absolute pleasure to play for you. We'll see you somewhere down the road, thank you very much for coming tonight."
The concert was broadcast live via satellite at select Vue Cinemas across the UK last night.
The Oasis VS Blur Cover That Put NME Back on The Map
A 70s punk shocker, messy Madchester in the 80s, a 90s Britpop feud, and the X Factor Grinch in the 00s: on the eve of its 60th birthday next month, four NME editors pick their favourite covers and recall what defined their times....
(Steve Sutherland)
It was the cover that defined my editorship. It also defined my era and it put NME back on the map as central to what was going on in Britain culturally at the time. And it made us famous for a brief period, so it was all very good.
It began on 24 January 1995, when NME held their Brat awards [its alternative to the Brits] at the Cockney theatre, a little downstairs place on Tottenham Court Road. It was Blur versus Oasis in the room that year, thanks to our reader votes. Blur won four awards and Oasis won three. Liam Gallagher approached Damon Albarn and used some really choice language relating to the female anatomy. And it all kicked off.
From there on no love was lost between the two camps, and Noel Gallagher was saying things such as: "Blur are a bunch of middle-class wankers trying to play hardball with working-class heroes." It was brilliantly fuelled by both bands' cocaine input. They were both at the top of their game and both very competitive. That summer my news team discovered something nobody else had noticed: Blur and Oasis were releasing their forthcoming singles to advertise their forthcoming albums on exactly the same day.
We decided to have a bit of fun with this and make some mischief, so we created this front cover with Damon Albarn on the left looking very arrogant and Liam Gallagher on the right looking very combative, and we modelled it on an old Ali v Fraser boxing poster. We set it up as a proper sporting event.
Then we canvassed an awful lot of people about who should win: Justine Frischmann from Elastica, Gaz from Supergrass; the managers, producers and record label bosses in both camps; the media. Within 24 hours it was all over News at Ten and all the broadsheets and tabloids had picked up on it. Everyone, from people driving white vans to university professors to girls at school, could talk about it: were you in the Blur camp or the Oasis camp? It was the middle of the summer, silly season, there wasn't much going on, and we managed to create a phenomenon.
To follow up, we produced two front covers – one with Oasis victorious, one with Blur victorious – because we honestly didn't know who was going to win. We had to hold the presses that weekend. As it turned out, Blur won: "Country House" beat "Roll With It". It was a soap opera, and soap operas are great for people who work on newspapers and magazines because you can become part of the story and it never really ends. We sold a lot of copies off the back of it, and NME became famous again, and it became synonymous with the glory years of Britpop.
It was a fantastic time to be working for a music paper in London because you could go out any night of the week to any pub and bump into somebody who was going to be on Top of the Pops that week, and buy them a drink. It felt like Britain was the centre of the universe, which was tremendously exciting, and you felt that the readership was very engaged. This was pre-internet so they were hungry for information about what was going on, and waiting for your NME on a Wednesday morning was a big deal. Obviously that's been eroded by the internet to a certain extent but at the time we felt that the magazine was really at the top of its game.
Alan McGee: Resurgence of Britpop Bands Due to Modern Music Being Rubbish
Former music mogul Alan McGee is adamant the only reason a resurgence of Britpop bands is proving popular is because "modern music is rubbish".
At Tuesday's (21Feb12) Brit Awards, 1990s icons Blur and Noel Gallagher took to the stage to perform, while the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays, also hugely popular in the late 1980s and 1990s, have announced comeback tours for later this year (12).
McGee, who discovered Oasis and ran Creation Records, is convinced music fans are turning back to bands from the Britpop era because new music is so boring.
He tells The Sun, "The Brit Awards used to be edgy and fun during their heyday. Then they'd bring out some old dude at the end like Phil Collins to bore the pants off you and collect a Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Now the ceremony is the bland bit and the band at the end are the best bit. I enjoyed Noel Gallagher's performance...
"The only reason Britpop is back is because all modern music is rubbish. I've lost all interest in it. It is amazing that The Stone Roses are coming back. They are right up there - one of the greatest bands of all time."
McGee is auctioning his collection of music memorabilia in Manchester on Saturday (25Feb12), including Oasis' original demo tapes.
Noel Gallagher: One of the Most Gifted Ranters of His Generation
Inside the mind of Noel Gallagher
Richard Godwin
Quite aside from 'Wonderwall' and all the songs he wrote for Oasis, Noel Gallagher is surely one of the most gifted ranters of his generation. Middle age, marriage, fatherhood and a successful solo career may have mellowed him, but still, when the 44-year-old songwriter is in full flow, it's the vituperative equivalent of the guitar solo from 'Live Forever'.
'Margaret Thatcher?' he spits, face creasing, eyebrows arching. 'I don't know what they're glorifying in that film. I f***ing hated her. We should celebrate when she dies. Serious. We're already talking between a few of my friends of doing a "Thatcher is Dead" gig.'
He won't reveal who else might be involved but does say they are 'prominent' musicians. 'She ruled the country with an iron fist. She started that thing that's been prevalent since, where politicians really only give a s*** about London. People say the Queen brings so much business to this country. No, no, no, she brings business to this city. How does the Queen benefit the people of Manchester, or Newcastle, or Leeds?'
Well, I'm glad we cleared that up. A recent interview in the Mail on Sunday painted Gallagher as a 'True Blue Conservative', after he said he preferred the music in Thatcher's day. Warming to his theme, he turns to the subject of David Cameron ('Let's be honest, he's just making it up as he goes along'), Nick Clegg ('No one gives a f*** what he thinks'), and Ed Miliband ('Nor him'). Oh, and modern music: 'I can't buy into bands nowadays, cos they're f***ing idiots. I read interviews and none of them have got anything to say. You're required to have a f***ing opinion.'
Gallagher takes this requirement very seriously, even if his opinions do usually end up a) contradicting each other and b) getting him into trouble. But looking lean, energetic, and unfussily dressed in a Paul Smith striped blazer, he seems happy. He may not like doing photo shoots - 'I'll never understand why 167 images have to be taken of one scowling middle-aged man' - but he has made the transition to solo artist gracefully since Oasis split in 2009.
His debut album, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, has done far better than anyone expected, going straight to number one late last year and hanging around the top ten for months after its release. It finds him branching out in ways many former Oasis fans gave up hoping he ever would: moving suspiciously close to disco on the single 'AKA… What a Life'; lobbing in a trombone solo on 'Dream On'. His tour has already been upgraded from theatres to arenas. 'If I'd have sat down on the first day of recording and wrote a script of how I'd have liked it to go… it's gone better than that,' he says.
His second album, likely to be released next year, is a collaboration with the psychedelic
duo Amorphous Androgynous. He is clearly revelling in his freedom. 'Oasis was a big cruise liner and now I'm like a Sunseeker speedboat. When you're out in LA, someone asks you to write a song for a film, and you can just do it,' he says. He can work at his own pace - fast - now. He can also put a trumpet solo on a song without first having to counsel his brother Liam.
From Noel Gallagher's 'Tales from the middle of nowhere' tour diary.
Well… Can't remember when the last time was we spoke… To be honest I'm having trouble remembering anything after the BRITs! What a smash up!! Well enjoyed it. It'll probably be the last time I ever get nominated so we were pretty determined to rip it a new arsehole, and from what I can gather we had a right good crack at it too. It's all got a bit too slick that thing now though, it's treated with a bit too much respect, if you ask me… It is but a TV show with a few awards carved up and spread around… And if I'm not very much mistaken did I detect the faint whiff of a few wrong 'uns miming? I think I did… You know who you are and you should be ashamed of yourselves. I digged Coldplay though, and Blur and Olly Murs' dancers!! (Blimey!!!)
As for what went on after? Reports are still coming in. I remember going to a party on a boat. I remember going to another party in a posh gaff in the West End. I remember getting that comedian Rob Brydon to do his thing for us (which was fuckin' funny). I remember… well not much else, to be honest. Called it a day at about 10am!! Proper old school business. Didn't get home until 5pm the next evening and I'd somehow managed to nick a giant shoe and ended up with an £8,000 watch!!! And I don't even wear a watch!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Felt as bad as I've ever felt yesterday. I was seriously thinking of phoning in sick. I needn't have worried though. Last night's gig here in Newcastle was mega… Might have been the best one yet. Had a top laugh with the crowd. A great night. If you were there, I thank you.
Will Noel Gallagher Contribute to New Coldplay Album?
Noel Gallagher is set to appear on the next Coldplay album.
The 'Dream On' hitmaker impressed Chris Martin with a sound loop he created as they rehearsed for their collaboration on 'AKA... What a Life' at the BRIT Awards on Tuesday (21.02.12) and now the musical sample looks likely to be used on one of the group's new songs.
Coldplay's roadie revealed on their blog: "Their tune kicks off and Chris is unsure quite how he's going to fit his piano into the fearsome wall of sound. With a little work though, it all starts to come together.
"The piano is right next to Noel's amps. As you'd expect, this is the place to be for getting the full effect of the Gallagher guitar. Noel stamps on a pedal and starts off a loop of glorious noise. Immediately Chris is on his feet and shouting, 'What the hell is that?'
"Chris has his iPhone out to record it, excitedly proclaiming it the most amazing thing he's ever heard. Noel is laughing as the pedal loops away through the stack. Fast forward to the dressing room on show day and Chris is handing me the pedal responsible for all the fuss. It turns out that Noel has come in and motioned Chris over to his dressing room next door with the words, 'I've got a little present for you...'
"Chris is holding it with great reverence and excitement, 'Can you record what's in here immediately? And then give it Rik? We're going to take it back to the studio and run it through Jonny's rig and mic it up.' The pedal is only the size of a block of butter, but I find myself carrying it through the backstage in both hands as though dropping it could send the whole place up in smoke.
"Where it'll end up, I've no idea, but if it finds its way into a song, Noel could easily be playing on the next record without ever having set foot in the studio. Wonderful madness..."
As well as playing with Noel, Chris and his Coldplay bandmates opened the BRIT Awards at London's The 02 with a performance of 'Charlie Brown'.
Although they only played one song, it took as much work to build the stage as it would for a full concert for the band.
The blog post read: "From a crew perspective, the show was pretty full-on for under four minutes' worth of TV. Huge pyro', lasers, a huge 'orb' crammed with even more strobes, lasers and exploding stuff. Once the band jumped off the stage, the gear was strapped in and the whole stage flown into the roof above the heads of the diners below until the end of the show. Never a dull moment!"
Noel Gallagher has told the NME that he has dusted down a couple of lost songs from his Oasis days and is planning on hitting the studio to record them.
The first song is called Revolution Song and dates back to the Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants sessions from 1999.
The songwriter said that “I've finished it off now” and added "It's not called 'Solve My Mystery', it's not called 'It's A Crime', it's f**king called Revolution Song".
The other song he plans to record is called 'God Help Us All' which was last heard on the Lord Don't Slow Me Down DVD release.
Speaking about that track he said "I'm going to finish that one as well" and added "I have got little bits of songs knocking around that I have managed to finish off as I'm not in the band anymore. All in good time".
Dave Sardy: "I've Been Waiting For this Album since I met Noel"
A lot of folks are saying that Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds is the best Oasis record in 15 years, and if you ask the album's producer, Dave Sardy, there's a good reason for that: "It's because Noel wrote all the songs. Those first few Oasis albums were all Noel, as is this one. So there you go - figure it out."
Sardy's association with Gallagher began with Oasis' 2005 album, Don't Believe The Truth, and continued on 2008's Dig Out Your Soul. But it was on High Flying Birds that the two hit a creative peak. "I've been waiting for this album since I met Noel," says Sardy. "He's unlike any other artist I've ever worked with, except for Johnny Cash, in that he's always writing. Even when he's warming up his voice, he's writing material. So I'm not surprised that this record turned out pretty great."
The Brooklyn-born Sardy started out as a musician, most notably with the group Barkmarket, before moving to the other side of the glass. By the early '90s, he became known as a "hardcore superstar," thanks to his work with bands such as Helmet, Orange 9mm and Cop Shoot Cop. Eventually, he helmed well-received discs by Jet and The Dandy Warhols, which caught the ears of the Gallagher brothers.
While Sardy's star rose amongst the artist community, his work also attracted the attention of the film industry, and during the past decade he's worked on scores for films such as Zombieland, 21, the just-released Ghost Rider 2: Spirit Of Vengeance and the upcoming End Of Watch (written and directed by David Ayer, who scripted Training Day).
MusicRadar caught up with Sardy at his LA studio to talk about Noel Gallagher on High Flying Birds, his approach to production, what it was like for a Brooklyn guy to work in the famed Abbey Road Studios and why he finds film scores so exhilarating.
Noel Gallagher on Chris Martin: He's The Polar Opposite of Me
Mancunian rocker Noel Gallagher has opened up about his relationship with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin after the singer played piano for Noel and his new band the High Flying Birds at the BRIT Awards on Tuesday – and revealed that he’s been trying his hardest to get Martin to ‘share Marlboro Light with him, but to no avail.
ImageNoel has claimed that he is the polar opposite of Martin – with the Coldplay man living a clean cut lifestyle and Noel ‘not giving a shit’. Apparently, Martin had told Noel that he should come along to one of his Yoga classes, but Noel has told the singer that he’ll only attend if he’ll smoke a cigarette with him.
Speaking to The Sun, Gallagher said “He's my mate and the polar opposite of me. He does yoga and doesn't smoke. I'm trying to get him to smoke but he's not having it. I said to him I'll do the fucking crab or the scorpion if he shares a Marlboro Light with me.”
He continued on to say, “But he's not having it. He's taller than me so he'll probably put me in a headlock, roll me into a ball and throw me into a swimming pool,” before adding that Martin was “very thoughtful - the polar opposite of me. He likes to have things perfectly right and I couldn't give a shit,” in reference to their performance at the BRITs on Tuesday.
Noel Gallagher and Coldplay both have up and coming UK tours, so fans of either or both bands can catch them live on stage later this year.
Kasabian, Snow Patrol and Happy Mondays Join Noel Gallagher at T in the Park
Kasabian and Snow Patrol will join the previously announced Stone Roses as headliners at this summer’s T In The Park festival.
The popular Scottish event, held in Balado Park, Kinross between July 6th-8th, announced its final two bill-toppers today after confirming the likes of Noel Gallagher and The Vaccines on its line-up earlier this week.
It has also been revealed the recently reformed Manchester bands New Order and the Happy Mondays will perform this year, along with other new additions Tinie Tempah, Example, Kaiser Chiefs, Pete Doherty, Elbow and Alabama Shakes.
Last year, T In The Park played host to the likes of Coldplay, Arctic Monkeys and Foo Fighters. 2012 tickets will go onsale from from next Wednesday, February 29th. More information is available at Tinthepark.com.
Line-up so far:
The Stone Roses
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Florence And The Machine
The Maccabees
The Horrors
Miles Kane
The Vaccines
Maverick Sabre
Frank Turner
Two Door Cinema Club
New Order
Happy Mondays
Tinie Tempah
Example
Kaiser Chiefs
Pete Doherty
Elbow
Alabama Shakes
Noel Gallagher To Reschedule Set Time In-order to Watch Stone Roses
Noel Gallagher has revealed that her refused to play at a festival at the same time as the Stone Roses.
The singer is on tour in America when the band play their reunion shows at Heaton Park later this year.
Speaking to the MEN newspaper, Gallagher said that when he found out he'd be on the bill at an as-yet-to-be-announced summer festival with the Roses, he told organisers his set would have to be shifted so he can watch the band.
“I was billed at these festivals to headline another stage and I said, 'Well I'm not going on while the Roses are on', do you know what I mean? They've not done a gig for 100 years, what am I going to do? Play to two f*cking dogs and a cat and two stewards? Five Oasis fans shouting for Wonderwall?
"So I said I'd go on before them, and there's a bit of the promoters going: 'Oh, f*cking hell'. So I said, 'It's either that or I won't do it'. Cos I want to see them, do you know what I mean? I don't want to be the only person in England who hasn't seen them - 'I was in the same room as them... never actually got to f*cking see them'."
As previously reported on Gigwise, The Stone Roses have signed two record deals ahead of their reunion shows.
Universal Records have signed the band in the UK and worldwide, while Columbia, owned by Sony, have contracted the band in the US.
Ian Brown revealed that The Stone Roses have recorded new songs during rehearsals for their live shows.
The move is set to make the band millions, after Ian Brown, John Squire, Mani and Reni announced details of three homecoming shows at Manchester's Heaton Park in June, with further festivals appearances at V, T In The Park and Spain's Benicassim.
Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn Bury The Hatchet with a Kiss
Blur's Damon Albarn and former Oasis star Noel Gallagher put aside their years of Britpop feuding to literally kiss for the cameras at a BRIT Awards after party.
The pair were fierce rivals when Oasis and Blur were battling to be the biggest band in the UK during the mid-90s, but showed there were no hard feelings during a warm embrace at the bash on a boat which left from The O2 arena and headed up the Thames.
Gallagher, 44, kissed both hands of Albarn, 43, before planting a smacker on his lips in front of shocked guests including Professor Green, Cesc Fabregas, Adam Deacon and Coldplay's Chris Martin.
Albarn, who had earlier collected the lifetime achievement award with his Blur bandmates, said: "It's funny to think Blur were last here 17 years ago when we were big rivals. Isn't it funny how we've both mellowed after all these years? We've buried the hatchet."
A new compilation of songs from Manchester acts such as Noel Gallagher, Elbow, I Am Kloot and Everything Everything has been compiled by Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam to raise money for CALM - the Campaign Against Living Miserably, reports BBC6 Music.
The album is called 'Thirty One' and will be released through the Factory Foundation label, which was set up by late music mogul, Tony Wilson.
A total of 31 tracks feature which includes new covers, live version and brand new songs recorded especially for the 'Thirty One' project.
Bad Lieutenant, Delphic, Mr Scruff, Durutti Column, Barry Adamson of Magazine and Jez Ker from A Certain Ratio also feature on the charity record alongside lesser known up & coming bands.
Noel Gallagher has donated a special version of his song, 'Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me''
Noel Gallagher and The Vaccines have today been added to the 2012 T In The Park festival.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds join the previously announced headliners The Stone Roses at the popular festival, while The Maccabees, Florence & The Machine, The Horrors, Miles Kane, Maverick Sabre, Frank Turner and Two Door Cinema Club have also been confirmed to appear this year. The festival’s other two headliners are due to be announced shortly.
The Scottish event has become one of the most enjoyable weekends of the festival season for both bands and fans alike over recent years, and is often cited as having one of the best atmospheres to be found on the packed summer circuit.
Tickets for T In The Park, which will takes place between July 6th-8th, go onsale from next Wednesday, February 29th. More information is available at Tinthepark.com.
Line-up so far:
The Stone Roses
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Florence And The Machine
The Maccabees
The Horrors
Miles Kane
The Vaccines
Maverick Sabre
Frank Turner
Two Door Cinema Club
Bonehead Teams Up with Pete MacLeod For Gig in Scotland
FORMER Oasis rocker Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs has been tempted out of retirement to play a special gig in Scotland with singer-songwriter Pete MacLeod.
Bonehead, who left Oasis at the height of their fame in 1999, teams up with Pete for the Scot’s hometown concert at Coatbridge’s Soundwave studios on Saturday, February 25 — with Alan McGee as DJ.
The pals’ act came about after McGee suggested Bonehead check out Pete’s songs on MySpace. Bonehead, 46, recalled: “I’ve known Pete a few years. He is a friend of Alan McGee’s.
“Alan said he knew this singer-songwriter from Scotland that I would like. I checked Pete’s MySpace page and really liked what I heard.
“We ended up doing a tour together and it was a couple of the best weeks of my life. I really enjoyed it.”
Oasis’s former rhythm guitarist can’t wait for the gig, despite having played massive shows with Oasis and enjoying million-selling albums starting with 1994’s Definitely Maybe.
“With Pete it is a lot more intimate,” Bonehead explained. “It is just two guitars and one voice in front of a smaller crowd. I’m not planning on touring the world any more and it takes somebody a bit special to make me pick up the guitar and get on stage. Pete is a great person, great fun to be with and really intelligent. I love him. His songs are special.”
Pete, 33, added: “I grew up listening to a lot of bands Alan had signed and I looked up to him. I sent him a couple of songs and eventually met him in Los Angeles. We struck up a friendship. There are very few people I would take advice from because I am quite headstrong. I believe in my music and Alan does mentor me. I respect what he says. We talk a lot on the phone and it’s good to see Alan believes in me.
“I mentioned Bonehead’s name. Alan got in touch with him and that resulted in him listening to my songs. We struck up a friendship. We met in Manchester and rehearsed the songs. They sounded great and things took off from there.”
Oasis split in 2009. But Bonehead believes they should have called it a day immediately after two back-to-back sell-out shows at Knebworth in 1996.
More than 300,000 fans caught the massive outdoor shows after more than 2.6million people applied for tickets.
He said: “I didn’t walk out of Oasis. I drove out in the car. We had reached the heights, but I wasn’t enjoying it. The fun had gone. The more I thought about it, the more I realised that if I went on tour I’d be lying to the band and the fans.“You can’t be a member of Oasis and not give 100 per cent. We should have called it a day when we did Knebworth. That was the ultimate peak. We should have bowed out. The spark had faded and it was time to go.”
But he admits he would join Oasis if the Gallagher brothers ever decided to reform the original line-up. “I’m not for bands getting back together for the sake of it,” said Bonehead. “If a band is finished, a band is finished. But if Oasis did get back together and asked me, I would be up like a shot. I’d play with them but I don’t think that’ll happen.”
Pete used to live in San Francisco, but returned to Scotland to help look after his dad who has bladder cancer. Looking ahead to the show, he said: “It’s a hometown gig for me in Coatbridge and it’s a local studio with rehearsal rooms. I thought it would be a good setting to perform this acoustic gig with Alan and Bonehead.”
He is also releasing a single, Rolling Stone, which was inspired by the experience.
You can hear a video performance of the song, performed by Pete and Bonehead at the Daily Record – www.dailyrecord.co.uk/showbiz
Pete said: “Alan has told me 2012 should be my year and that I have the songs and the talent. That is good but I’m not really in this for fame and fortune.
“I’m just happy playing my songs.”
Review: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at Sheffield Motorpoint Arena
And to think Noel had slight misgivings about being a frontman...writes David Dunn
As main songwriting powerhouse of Oasis the ‘fun brother’ was always likely to make the most impact among those who treasured more the content rather than the tribal nature of one of the UK’s most successful bands.
While an element of the latter inevitably survives – plenty of ‘pints’ were still launched from various quarters – Noel has seduced more people with his High Flying Birds.
Returning to the scene of the first Oasis arena gig, it’s evident in solo gems, such as If I Had A Gun and horns-backed current single Dream On, fans of the man and/or his former outfit have fresh anthems to embrace and celebrate.
Sheffield heroes Reverend & The Makers stoked the crowd with a bouncy support set geared to plug their new album, but this was a Noel love-in - and with top price tickets £59.50 a pop, no one here was not going to thrill at his return.
Noel displayed hints of his stadium past, a full choir elegantly lifting Everybody’s On The Run, while stripping Oasis staple Supersonic back to an acoustic/piano-accompanied nugget.
Batman-esque new tune Freaky Teeth hinted at what could follow, while Noel earned laughs when dealing with a boozy bare-chested female fan.
With Oasis classics Little By Little and Don’t Look Back In Anger – the mega hit he debuted in Attercliffe – closing the show it was clear Noel has managed to retain the camaraderie yet lessen the oik count in his transition from sibling rival to solo star.
He may lack the arrogant swagger and sometimes the vocal muscularity of Liam, but Noel arguably bagged all the tunes.
Noel Gallagher: Oasis Not Reforming Before The Smiths Or The Kinks
Noel Gallagher’s new band is doing well, though not quite as well as his old one. He explains why Oasis won’t be getting back together before The Smiths, or The Kinks
It's early evening in Adelaide and “bloody boiling”, according to Noel Gallagher, who’s taking advantage of the air-conditioning in his hotel room before an appearance at the city’s Big Day Out festival. You could say he’s in hog heaven, but Boss Hog heaven would be more accurate. “How about this for an afternoon of telly: The Dukes of Hazzard – Boss is a legend – Magnum, Nightrider, The A-Team. I’ve been texting all my mates back home because that’s bloody fantastic.”
I was mildly surprised to discover that Gallagher had checked in under his own name. Not for him a silly rock-star alias like Harry Bollocks (Ozzy Osbourne), Sir Humphrey Handbag (Elton John), Bobo Latrine (Elt again) or Brian Bigbun (you-know-who). But then I remembered how often I’d seen him with Sara MacDonald, then his girlfriend and now his wife, walking round her home city of Edinburgh, hand-in-hand, maybe a Harvey Nicks bag or two, just being normal.
Gallagher, when he was in Oasis with his kid brother Liam, used to rule the world. Well, apart from America, which they never quite cracked. The What’s the Story (Morning Glory)? album shifted 22 million copies and the band helped found a music movement (Britpop), a cultural one (Cool Britannia) and an ideological one (Laddism). Everyone, not just northern working-class tykes, wanted to talk like them (lots of swearing) and walk like them (the way carpetfitters do, as if lugging heavy rolls under each arm). With the cigarette-lighter anthems Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back in Anger, they encouraged men to show their emotions, or at least to indulge in beery hugging-wrestling at the end of yet another Binge Britain night. Even Tony Blair, after receiving Noel at Number 10 and reflecting on the historical significance of the cheese-and-wine, slurred into Gordon Brown’s ear, “You’re my best mate, you are.” (Well, almost).
The man who wrote the songs, Gallagher was a big, big star and always acted like it, but at 44 this is how normal his life is now: “I do the supermarket shop. In fact, I do it so often that when my trolley is full of Guinness and crisps the whole store knows Sara must be back in Edinburgh with our kids. Ask me what are the best-value nappies and I could tell you.
“People seeing me there for the first time are always surprised. They’re like, ‘Mate, what the f*** are you doing here?’ They watch me with my Pampers and six-packs of yoghurt, and their faces are a mixture of sympathy for me and their own personal disappointment. They want me in a top hat and a cape with a syringe hanging out one eye. It’s what’s expected, even on a Tuesday afternoon.”
He tells his stories well. A born comedian with his own catchphrase, the incredulous response, “I’m not having that.” There’s just the right amount of pause and local colour in the yarns and the throwaways that are actually crucial to the build-up of the drama. For instance, this is Gallagher on how he and Sara finally decided to get married after 11 years together. “I was watching TV one Sunday night … Coast, I think, with that Scottish bloke with the hair [Neil Oliver]. I remember there was this interesting item about a silted-up bit of the Humber, and Sara came and stood in front of the screen and said, ‘Just so you know, I’m not getting married when I’m 40.’ I had to ask how old she was – 39. Then I said, ‘So are you asking me to ask you to marry me?’ We’d talked about it before but no one wanted to organise it. She’d say, ‘But I’ve got the kids to look after’ and I was like, ‘But I’ve got the band to look after’.”
Who had the tougher job, the one involving the most wailing? It would be a close-run thing. The sibling relationship at the heart of Oasis was never less than highly flammable, fascinating psychologists and tabloid editors alike. When I worked for a more excitable journal, one Liam walk-out triggered the setting up of a special investigative unit. Each morning we would be asked, “What’s the Oasis follow-up today?” Anyone with a point of view was interviewed, including Hue & Cry’s equally combustible Pat and Greg Kane. We lasted a week before the subject was exhausted. In the new century, the band became much less vital, but in 2009 the Gallaghers squared up for one last ding-dong involving smashed guitars and a flying prune. Oasis were no more. Well, until that big reunion tour, obviously.
This seems the right moment to ask: how are things with Liam? “I’d better not talk about him,” says big brother. Last year there were assorted spats played out across the front pages of the NME, culminating in threats of legal action. Are they speaking? “Well he has been round the world [with new band Beady Eye] and now I’m doing it. Through the wonders of modern technology, it’s possible to speak without actually speaking. Other than that, we communicate through our mum.”
Gallagher is Down Under with his High Flying Birds, less a group than a bunch of musicianly mates. Last year’s self-titled album, while not a giant leap for him, was well received and is still selling well. And yet he says he only made it because Sara was fed up of him hanging around the house. “That’s not a joke, by the way. I’ve never wanted my music to be like a real job; if you put out too much stuff, people get bored. After Oasis, I think they were definitely fed up with us, and I was very happy doing nothing for a year, no interviews for two years, because I’ve got a young family and as much as possible I want to see them grow up. But after a while I was like, ‘This shit ain’t going to pay for itself.’”
His remark about needing to earn some money sounds like a joke; surely not even Oasis could have blown the proceeds from, all told, 55 million albums on mansions, cars and cocaine? Nevertheless, is he surprised by the success of High Flying Birds? “Well, part of me is like, ‘Wow, this is incredible’ but there has always been this voice which goes, ‘F*** off, you’re the bollocks.’ Apart from the first two albums, Oasis were never a critics’ band – they loathed us. But the people’s faith never wavered.” Still flaunting his bollocks then, but now with added humility – this seems to be Gallagher in 2012. Yes, he lived the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle to the fullest, and why not? There’s a lock-up in Buckinghamshire that houses, “without guilt”, half a million quid’s worth of art. This isn’t the spoils from some lottery splash – he wrote those songs and played those shows. But then he tells you about the Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on him by Q magazine. “I found that slightly embarrassing, to be honest – but in a good way.” Suddenly, after all that sneering about being too obviously influenced by the Beatles, he had the respect of his peers. “The guys from U2 and Queen gave me a standing ovation. I’d never had one before, not even at my own wedding.”
Gallagher grew up in Burnage, Manchester, the middle son of Irish immigrants, and his violent and abusive father told him he’d never amount to anything. Of the journey from obscurity to omnipotence, he says, “You start off as a kid in an Adidas top and you end this guy in a fur coat and two pairs of f***in’ sunglasses.”
He insists he was at his happiest before fame, as a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets, earning £300 a week to set up the drums, a “normal lad” in a great city pulsating with the fab new sounds of Madchester. And he also talks wistfully about his decade on the dole. “My mate Paul Kelly did such a noble thing: he was the first of our gang to get his own flat and he set it up to be a drugs den where we could smoke weed, watch the kind of telly that’s been on today and listen to Simon & Garfunkel. I’m forever indebted.”
But it doesn’t take a genius to work out he has never been more content than right now. “I’m glad I lived through the madness – the fur coats and the crocodile-skin shoes and the women.” Here he’s talking about Supernova Heights, the house in London’s Primrose Hill he shared with Meg Matthews, and to which he returned from tour in 1988 to find it full of people who’d transformed his home into a nightclub.
He resolved, “I’m not having that – I need to get a f***in’ life” and never touched cocaine again. “The day I left Oasis I was offered the chance to write my memoirs. but I’ll never do a ‘My drugs hell’,” he adds. “I absolutely loved being famous. It was all great, up until the point when it wasn’t.”
But contrast Supernova Heights with his present abode in Maida Vale. The big attraction for him and Sara moving there was a garden for their sons, Donovan, four, and Sonny, 16 months, although Paul Weller has just bought a flat across the road – “He can see right into our kitchen and he’ll often text: ‘Milk and two, mate’” – and he likes this connection to his old life.
He’s a full-on dad – nappies, bedtime stories, trips to the park. No qualms about private schooling – he wants his boys to have a better education than he had. And this is his parenting philosophy: “You have to make the effort with children. You can’t have them thinking that I reckon I’m special otherwise they’ll start thinking they’re special. I want them to feel normal for as long as possible because God knows they’ll reach an age when they’ll be told they’re not.”
Normal Noel and his normal boys, and he was “playing at pirates” with them – that attention to story detail again – when Simon Cowell phoned up to offer Gallagher a job as a judge on The X Factor. “I love the show but could you have imagined the ‘judges’ houses’ week: all those checkout girls from Rochdale trampling on my daffs and scaring the cat? I wasn’t having that.” At least one girl was devastated that the gig went to Gary Barlow: Anais, his 12-year-old daughter by Matthews. “She was raging when I turned it down and still hasn’t forgiven me.”
He met Sara in a nightclub on Ibiza, not believing in love at first sight – but that was what it was. He loves visiting Edinburgh, her favourite restaurants, can’t remember their names, but is just happy being part of someone else’s world. His all-time favourite night out – “Imagine how many I’ve had” – was in the city on Hogmanay, when he and his friends in Kasabian started a conga outside the Balmoral Hotel. “I turned round and there must have been 300 people tagged on the end.”
And Sara’s parents, did they want to lock up their daughter after finding out who she was dating? “I think they had enough faith in her judgment to realise I wasn’t Pete Doherty. If you meet me, I’m obviously not a dickhead. I mean I was once, and quite proud of it too. But, you know, they were smitten with me right away.”
You’ll have noticed by now that Gallagher has mellowed. Once a firebrand on politics and class, it’s difficult to get him going now. He says he has lost faith in politics since the MPs’ expenses scandal, is mildly dischuffed to find himself governed by a coalition when that wasn’t on the last election’s voting slips, but in any case had put his cross next to “this guy standing as a pirate”.
Meanwhile, about posh rockers and the charts being 60 per cent privately educated, his response is considered rather than angry. “There doesn’t seem to be any working-class heroes now – guys like Ian Brown, Shaun Ryder, Richard Ashcroft, Bobby Gillespie and Liam who were knowledgable, proud, looked good and made something of themselves. Instead of being a way out, music is now a career move. A lot of the stuff I hear is utterly forgettable. You wouldn’t stand in the rain to hear these guys. You don’t want to dress like them and you don’t want to be them – they’re squares.”
He used to say he could never imagine Oasis splitting up because his little brother was the one who could always make him laugh. “My wife can do that now,” he says, “and so can our four-year-old.”
But surely Oasis will get back together one day? “We’re not reforming before The Smiths – or The Kinks. If I thought getting back with our kid would make me happy then I’d do it. But until that day, I don’t even think about it.” He’s just not having it.
From Noel Gallagher's 'Tales from the Middle of Nowhere' tour diary.
Yes…
Well, so the gig in Dublin was somewhat predictably supermegadoubletop!!!!
Another great, great crowd. They've done that venue up, and all… I really, really like it… Well done!!!!
Some girl flashed me too!! (Which was nice.) TWICE!! Just in case I hadn't noticed the first time, which of course I had. Thanks anyway. Much obliged.
Flew into Manchester airport yesterday and guess who I saw? Go on, guess… You'll never guess… MARADONA!!!! MARA-FUCKIN'-DONA!!!! I've met him before, but still… Maradona? Wonder what he's doing here in Manchester? Visiting Agüero, maybe? Or hopefully come to give Tévez a clip round the ear and tell him to sort his head out!!
Off to Sheffield tonight. Playing the big arena. Always a bit special for me this gig as it was Oasis' first ever arena gig, and also where 'Don't Look Back In Anger' was aired for the first time! Good times…
Gotta scarper back to London straight after though. Got rehearsals for them Brits tomorrow. Is that a major pain in the arse I can feel forming? I think it bloody well is!!
'Good Pals' Noel Gallagher and Chris Martin Ready to Hit The Stage Together
Tabloid Alert
Th Brit Awards have pulled in some memorable collaborations over the years.
But Noel Gallagher and Chris Martin on stage together for the first time this Tuesday will be pure class.
Coldplay frontman Chris suggested the idea to former Oasis guitarist Noel before Christmas and they agreed it would be an ideal way to cap a brilliant year of gigs for both of them.
I asked Noel if the duet was on and he replied with a nod and a wink: "I couldn't possibly comment."
If it wasn't true, the answer would have been: "P*** off, you Scottish fantasist."
A source added: "Chris and Noel have become good pals over the years.
"Noel has a lot of respect for Coldplay. He was blown away by their Glastonbury gig when he saw it on telly. They are both up for doing something special."
Noel, up for Best Male, has a number of tracks he could perform, although no rehearsals have been done yet.
AKA... What A Life! with Chris hammering away on piano would be quality.
I saw Coldplay live in LA last week and they were on brilliant form. They played Beatles song We Can Work It Out at a MusiCares gig in honour of Sir Paul McCartney and it was stunning.
At The Grammys they performed Princess Of China from Mylo Xyloto with Rihanna, which was different class too.
The flashing wristbands also burst into life during Paradise. Hopefully they will do the same at The Brits.
Last night a Brits spokesman said: "There is lots of speculation about the performances next week but we can't confirm anything. You'll have to tune in on Tuesday."
There will also be a ten-minute Blur spectacular to close the show — the longest any Outstanding Contribution act has ever been given on the night.
From Noel Gallagher's 'Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere' tour diary.
Well, where were we? Aberdeen? Let's start there then, shall we?
A great night, I think. Feeling much more at home now up on the big stage. Think the actual size of the Manchester gig may have freaked me out there for a while!!
Good singers, that lot up in Aberdeen. Not much happening post show though. Legged it sharpish. Had to be up early the next day to travel to Belfast. A day of pure fuckin' mither! Why is it that you travel the entire surface of the globe… Back and forth and up and down all over the place and everything seems to run like clockwork yet you get back home and all you encounter is delay after delay after cancellation?? Why is that? It's a fuckin' shithole nightmare, that's why!!!!
Arrived in the great city of Belfast in the dark and the wet. Not much time to do anything other than order what could only be described as a bit of psychedelic room service. Chicken Maryland anyone? No… me neither. This dish (Chicken Maryland) consisted of some kind of chicken, whether it was fried or not is still not apparent, BUT it came with a banana (which was most definitely fried!). That's right, a fried banana AND a fried pineapple!!!! Now I'm no chef, but fuck me that can't be right, can it? That top Michelin star psycho Gordon Ramsay would have garrotted whoever came up with that masterpiece… Sorry? But what did it taste like, you ask?? Absolutely delicious!! It didn't even touch the sides.
So… To the gig in Belfast. A great, great night. Right up there with the best. They were the kind of crowd you would love to take round the world with you. Loud and proud. Young kids too. Very special. My keyboard player (who shall remain nameless) had the gig of his life. If you were there you'll know what I mean… Think Rick Wakeman mid-stroke!!
You currently find me in Dublin. Say no more. Tonight will be another great, great night. No doubt.
Win Invite Only Tix to Noel Gallagher's Intimate Glasgow Gig
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will perform a special 30 minute invite-only acoustic gig in Glasgow on Tuesday 28th February at 6pm. The intimate performance will be broadcast on radio through Clyde 1, Forth One, MFR, Northsound 1, Tay FM, Radio Borders, West Sound and West FM from 7pm on March 11th. The gig will also be available from then to stream through www.IndemandScotland.co.uk
To be one of a handful of lucky fans going to the gig answer the question below and email your answer to info@rkid.co.uk including the following information with 'Glasgow Bauer Gig' in the subject line:
- Full name
- Age
- Address
- Mobile phone number
QUESTION:
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will play which famous castle in Scotland this year having sold out the venue in record time:
T&Cs: Please note this competition is only open to fans in the UK. The prize includes: 2 x general admission tickets to see Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds in Glasgow on 28th February 2012 at 6pm. Winners must be 14 years or older (under 16s must be accompanied by an adult). The winner's travel and accommodation are not included in the prize. The competition will close at 12:00 (UK time) on Friday 24th February. The winners will be notified by email so please remember to check your inbox!
The Chief on Pulling the Plug on 'Champagne Supernova' Drum'n Bass Track
Noel Gallagher has been asked why did he stop the Urban Cookie Collective's drum'n' bass version of 'Champagne Supernova' from coming out?
The songwriter told the current issue of the NME "Because it was shit. I was in a bar once in f**king Bangkok - I know that's a line that usually ends in a different tale from what I'm gonna tell you - and I was listening to a hi-NRG version of 'Some Might Say'. Can you believe that?! I went up to the DJ and went 'What's this?' and he goes 'This is Oasis'. I'm like 'No, WHO is it?!?!' and he goes 'It's Oasis!' I never found out. But to get back to the 'Champagne Supernova' thing, I don't recall ever actually hearing it. But I'm not a fan of the dance cover in general."
From Noel Gallagher's 'Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere' tour diary.
Yes…
Now then, that gig last night was just as I thought it was gonna be… A bit big, a bit loud, a bit, well… difficult.
Having not played arenas for a few years the step back up the ladder comes as a bit of an unwanted pain in the arse-hole!! I suppose I best get used to it and quickly, eh?
Still, there were some echoes of familiarity though… A big punch up down the front during the third song!! Reminded me of them good old days.
I had to laugh though when I reminded all the boys and girls in the crowd that it was Valentine's Day today… There were a few booos!!! They booed a day??!!
Got off-stage to the incredible news that Carlos Tevez is to return to Man City!!!! I speak to all supporters of MCFC here when I say try not to boo him. We shouldn't be booing our own players, no matter what stunts they might have pulled. We're on course for glory. We don't need him but it might just make the run in a little less stressful… If we must let him know how we feel then we should sing Mancini's name even louder than usual… That'll do for now.
You currently find me in Aberdeen… The coldest place on earth.
Noel Gallagher has revealed that his collaboration album with Amorphous Androgynous may not be released until next year.
Speaking in the new issue of NME, the former Oasis chief said that he wanted to wait until he had finished touring his debut solo album 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' before finishing work on the new LP.
He said:
I've got a break in the middle of this tour in July, so now the plan is to do something then, and then to finish it off after the tour in October. So it might come out at the end of the year, but it's more likely to be next year now.
The guitarist also said he was keen to make sure the album matched his high-standards, adding: "I set the benchmark pretty high with this record ['Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds'], and I'm not just putting a record for the fucking sake of it. At the moment it's not a great record – so it won't come out until it is."
Last month (January 23), it was announced that Noel Gallagher will be presented with the Godlike Genius Award at this year's NME Awards. Gallagher, who will pick up the gong at the ceremony on February 29 at London's O2 Academy Brixton, said of his win: "I would like to thank NME for bestowing upon me such a great accolade. I have dreamt of this moment since I was 43 years old. I accept that I am now a genius, just like God."
To read the full interview with Noel Gallagher, in which he explains why he'd rather collaborate with Damon Albarn than Thom Yorke and gives his views on everything from ROFLcopter to Manchester City footballer Mario Balotelli, pick up the new issue of NME, which is on UK newsstands now or available digitally.
Meanwhile, a special collectors' issue dedicated to Noel Gallagher produced by the teams behind NME and sister title Uncut is also out now.
Watch Noel Gallagher Performance On the Silver Screen
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will play the O2 Arena in London on Sunday 26th February as part of their sold out UK arena tour.
The concert sold out in a matter of hours but fans who were unable to buy tickets will now have a chance to see it live on the big screen as the performance will be directly broadcast via satellite in high definition and Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound into select Vue Cinemas across the UK!
Fans will get a chance to see Noel perform songs from his critically acclaimed number one album, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, as well as some of the best known songs from his rich catalogue. The concert will be preceded by 30 minutes of programming including an exclusive interview with Noel.
For tickets to this unique event and details of participating cinemas go to MyVue!
Noel Gallagher launches UK arena tour in Manchester
Noel Gallagher launched his maiden solo arena tour last night (February 13th), with a hometown gig at the MEN Arena, Manchester.
With support provided by Reverend & The Makers, Gallagher stuck primarily to the setlist which has served him well throughout a world-wide tour of theatres since the release of ‘Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds‘ last October, playing a mix of songs which comprise that debut along side various classics from the Oasis back catalogue.
Noel Gallagher’s UK arena tour will move on to the Aberdeen Arena tonight, with a live appearance also due at the Brit Awards later this month.
Setlist:
(It’s Good) To Be Free
Mucky Fingers
Everybody’s On The Run
Dream On
If I Had A Gun
The Good Rebal
The Death Of You And Me
Freaky Teeth
Whatever
Supersonic
(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine
AKA… What A Life!
Talk Tonight
AKA… Broken Arrow
Half The World Away
Solder Boys And Jesus Freaks
(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach
Little By Little
The Importance Of Being Idle
Don’t Look Back In Anger
Review:
via menmedia.co.uk
Just like his beloved Manchester City, Noel Gallagher seems to be on a roll – and keeping just ahead of a close rival.
It was brother Liam who hit the ground running after Oasis split amid rumours of hurled guitars – and fruit – in 2009.
But while the younger Gallagher’s new project Beady Eye got the early plaudits, it’s Noel who, like so many Oasis songs, is proving the slow-burning hit.
Tonight his band – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds – have come home to Manchester. And even Liam - who branded his elder brother’s new project ‘boring’ - might have looked at a packed Arena with more than a little sibling envy.
The gig starts – ironically perhaps – with It’s Good to be Free, the b-side from Whatever.
Gallagher, wearing a leather jacket and jeans and sporting a hint of a tan from his recent stint in Australia, then launches into a furious rendition of Mucky Fingers, from Heathen Chemistry.
Only then do we get the first song from his post-Oasis catalogue – the foot-stomping Everybody’s on the Run – followed immediately by the new single, Dream On.
The first big cheer of the night, though, is for an Oasis classic: a keyboard-heavy acoustic version of Whatever.
It’s a fairly low-key start – particularly given the relative lack of banter from Gallagher.
So a rocket-fuelled Supersonic is exactly what the night needs – and brings the thousands to their feet.
The reaction seems to warm Gallagher up as well as the crowd. He dedicates What a Life, one of his new group’s biggest hits so far, to ‘the greatest living human being on earth’ – controversial Blues’ striker Mario Balotelli.
Half the crowd cheers and half the crowd jeers, which strangely seems to be exactly the kind of reaction Gallagher wanted.
Many of the fans here got a sneak preview of what was in store in October, when Noel and the band played a euphorically-received gig at the Carling Apollo.
But anyone thinking the less intimate setting of the Arena might dilute the impact needn’t have worried.
If there’s one thing we learned from Oasis’ glory days, it’s that Gallagher knows how to fill the biggest stadiums with sound. Half the World Away – the Oasis number made famous as the theme tune to The Royle Family – raises the roof.
By the first encore, Little by Little, Gallagher seems to be visibly shattered. Maybe being both front man and lead guitarist - not to mention the fact he'll be 45 this year - is taking a physical toll.
The anthemic The Importance of Being Idle is well received, before Don’t Look Back in Anger transports an audience full of thirtysomething men back to their youth.
As a musician, and songwriter, Noel has not withered with age, but rather adapted. The Oasis classics have already stood the test of time.
Tonight is a demonstration that the new material – while more measured and plaintive – will almost certainly do the same.
With a wave and a ‘see you later’, he’s gone.A girl behind me wails: ‘But he’s not done Wonderwall!’It’s true. He might have mellowed but Gallagher still seems to like confounding expectations and springing the odd surprise. Just like Mario.
Noel: Some Might Say is One of the Best Oasis Songs
Noel Gallagher thinks his best lyrics are on obscure tracks.
The former Oasis guitarist is now fronting his Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds project, and says that through almost twenty years of songwriting he has become an expert in writing about city life.
He told thevine.com.au: "The best lyrics are the ones that you mean. Some of my best words, I think, are on more obscure tracks like the B-sides. Instead of trying to write big stadium rock anthems I try to write what I'm an expert about.
"And what I'm an expert about is life in the big city. I live in the centre of London and I know what it's like. I try to let my words speak to the listener, rather than speak about me. I don't really want people listening to lyrics about me. I would rather open a window and shine a light on a part of you that you didn't see.
"Although, I can still write a healthy dose of nonsense when I want to."
Noel thinks Oasis single 'Some Might Say' is one of his best compositions because it is both melancholy but also upbeat and anthemic.
He added: "For my mind, one of the best Oasis songs is one of the saddest and uplifting songs and that's 'Some Might Say'. It's a great chest beating air thumping anthem, but if you read the words it's almost like you're trying to find redemption from something."
Noel Gallagher'sHigh Flying Birds new single 'Dream On' is released in the UK through Sour Mash on 12th March (11th march on download). The B-side to the single will be 'Shoot A Hole Into The Sun', the first track to be released from the sessions Noel has recorded with Amorphous Androgynous.
The single will be available to pre-order from next week and will be available on limited edition 12" on heavyweight vinyl, CD and download. All orders until the 18th March of the CD and the 12" via the official store will receive a free set of badges. The 12" is individually numbered exclusively to the store and limited to no more than 3,000 copies. The digital download will also be available as a bundle including the video. Both Noel and Director Mike Bruce rate this video as the best yet, as well as being the most fun to make.
To celebrate the release of the video www.NoelGallagher.com have a very special competition prize for one lucky winner. Mike produced storyboard books for those working on the video shoot which outline the video shot-by-shot. To win a signed copy of the booklet head on over to the Competition section of the website HERE!
On Monday Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds head out on a tour of the UK and Ireland taking in the following dates:
13/02/12 – MANCHESTER, MEN Arena - SOLD OUT 14/02/12 – ABERDEEN, P&J Arena - SOLD OUT 16/02/12 – BELFAST, Odyssey Arena - TICKETS AVAILABLE 17/02/12 – DUBLIN, The O2 - SOLD OUT 19/02/12 – SHEFFIELD, Motorpoint Arena - TICKETS AVAILABLE 23/02/12 – NEWCASTLE, Metro Radio Arena - SOLD OUT 24/02/12 – GLASGOW, SECC Hall 4 - SOLD OUT 26/02/12 – LONDON,The O2 - TICKETS AVAILABLE 01/03/12 – BIRMINGHAM, NIA - SOLD OUT
Other dates confirmed for the UK this year:
17/07/12 – EDINBURGH, Edinburgh Castle - SOLD OUT 04/09/12 – BOURNEMOUTH, BIC - TICKETS AVAILABLE 06/09/12 – LIVERPOOL, Echo Arena - TICKETS AVAILABLE 09/09/12 – CARDIFF, Motorpoint Arena - TICKETS AVAILABLE 10/09/12 – NOTTINGHAM, Capital FM Arena - TICKETS AVAILABLE
