noel gallagher tour diary

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Tales from the middle of nowhere vol 3: the good the bad and the bubbly.

Noel Gallagher is back on tour for his second solo album…with his personal tour diary…

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A peek at the diary of ... Noel Gallagher

Interview with Newsnight on the occasion of our Lifetime Achievement Brit Award. I told them: "If I went solo, I'd be bigger than Elvis." Even if you didn't weigh me with my hair plugs. I'd be huge.

But that wasn't all I said, because I'm always pushing that envelope, and part of the reason I am the soundtrack to British existence is my ability to cut through the bollocks that other people are too frightened to ... to cut through.

I explained: "David Cameron is no different from Tony Blair, and Gordon Brown is no different from David Cameron."

To be able to get to the age of 39 and still be able to come up with something that leftfield, something that no one else would dare to say because they're all frightened - that's what I call a lifetime of achievement. I'm not frightened. Oasis aren't frightened. We're not going away.

Living out in the depths of the countryside in a massive mansion, it's easy to see why we are still the most relevant band in the world, and definitely the most popular with young people. So to give a two fingers to the Establishment for the award, I spent 15 minutes this morning writing a song subverting this whole idea of a supergroup. It's called Colonel Mustard's Lowly Arts Club Band, and I'm f***** if it's not the most original record of the postwar years.

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Mourning Glory: Council Skies by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Reviewed JR Moores , June 2nd, 2023 07:58

Noel Gallagher's latest long player has been heralded as a return to his roots, says JR Moores, but he couldn't find his way back to where he came from even if Ringo drew him a map

The marketing for High Flying Birds' fourth album suggests Noel Gallagher has returned to his roots. Not literally, of course. One of the many ways he emulated The Beatles was to move down South as soon as it was possible. The title Council Skies refers to Gallagher's humble beginnings, while the photograph on its cover was taken at the housing estate that now stands on the site of Manchester City's former football ground at Maine Road. Gallagher's beloved club, currently based at The Etihad, is much more successful these days because it is owned by Sheikh Mansour of the Abu Dhabi royal family.

Speaking of tyrannical rim-wipes, Matty Healy of The 1975 has gone viral again. No, I'm not talking about his bigoted podcast appearances or lecherous onstage "antics". (Seriously, did none of Swifty's aids run a background check on this problematic nepo-manbaby?) They say even a stopped clock is right two times a day. Perhaps in Healy's case, twice daily he does something right-wing. Occasionally though, he is also sometimes partly correct, such as when waxing lyrical about Oasis. "There is not one person going to a High Flying Birds or Liam Gallagher gig that would not rather be at an Oasis gig," Healy told Tom Power (who is Canadian, so can be forgiven if he really couldn't give a fuck). "There is not one person that's there going, 'You know what? I loved Definitely Maybe but my favourite thing is fucking Noel Gallagher's High Flying…' Do me a favour!"

In begging the Gallaghers to settle their differences, Healy even claimed that Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory? are both in the top ten greatest albums of all time and Oasis are "potentially, right now, still… the coolest band in the world". It begs the question of how many others he's heard, the semi-sentient eyebrow mannequin. Still, if the multimillion offers to headline a few massive shows isn't enough to tempt the Gallaghers towards reconciliation, there is now an added incentive. "I would die at an Oasis gig," promised Healy.

Of course Matty Healy can't comprehend the deterrent miseries of touring for months on end alongside a vain and erratic loudmouth with an impossibly bloated ego. He's the one person in The 1975 who's never had to play in a band with Matty Healy. What if he does get to see a reformed incarnation of Oasis? Who will that even involve? It'll probably be the brothers Gall' plus a pick-a-mix assortment from the likes of Neil Finn, Steve Cradock, Sean Lennon, John Power, Mani, Nick McCabe, Matt from Dodgy and Gem "Switzerland" Archer. Even with an original or "classic" line-up on the cards, there's a good chance it could cause death by disappointment because — news flash from the olden days — Oasis didn't do much onstage and were regularly eclipsed by their superior support bands.

Then there are the fellow fans you have to worry about. When I saw Oasis, three or four lads who were standing behind us couldn't be bothered to trek to the festival toilets so they just whipped out their periwinkles and dribbled piss down the grassy hill towards our budget trainers. Later in the set, we fled to the safety of the Radio 1 tent where the crowd were gleefully chanting "Oasis are shite! Oasis are shite!..." The band who were playing there attempted to quell such disrespect, which wasn't very rock & roll of the embarrassed-looking rival headliners. Needless to say it was Muse.

The only time I, not to mention many other people, saw Liam Gallagher's Beady Eye, there were so many men there with the same haircut it was like attending the annual general meeting of the PWLS (Paul Weller Lookalike Society). It was there I learned to never trust an audience who would rather see their beer flying through the air than travelling in the appropriate direction of their own gullets.

One thing I did take from seeing Beady Eye is that, like it or not, Liam Gallagher does have some kind of mysterious, magical, irrepressible aura. An innate glow that cannot be denied. Yes, he can do as little as mangabey-spread his knees, whine like a faulty siren and wave his little tambourine with all the rhythm of a grasshopper in a tumble drier. His coolness remains intact despite our qualms and no matter how many reprehensible or disappointing things he says or does. He is, essentially, the Snoop Dogg of Britpop. He has the rock singer's equivalent of the natural comedian's "funny bones", whatever that is. They used to call it "the X factor" before reality TV reapplied that phrase to any member of the public with a cruise-ship-worthy set of pipes.

It must feel weird to be his elder brother. Before his reputation was squandered in a blizzard of gak-addled hubris, it was Noel who had both the drive and the talent without which Oasis would still be rattling around to polite smatterings in a Swan Street basement. Liam's star quality notwithstanding, Noel is the sole reason anybody knows their surname. Yet his little brother frontman will always be the cooler and more hero-worshipped of the siblings. It's no wonder this grates.

Recently heard bemoaning the lack of modern mainstream mavericks , Noel is hardly reclaiming any radical credentials with Council Skies . It's more a return to the roots of High Flying Birds than anything longer ago. Gone is David Holmes whose production helped to make 2017's Who Built The Moon? not "experimental" exactly (as some people deemed it) but at least sonically adventurous. Relatively speaking. This is Noel Gallagher, after all, who Luke Haines has long had pegged as "Britain's Least Psychedelic Man". Co-producing with the gaffer this time is Paul Stacey, who engineered High Flying Birds' debut album and before that was knocking around during Oasis' gruelling post-peak decline. The result is less challenging than junior sudoku.

"Keep dancing to the sound of the music," Gallagher advises at the beginning of a collection that's about as boogie-friendly as David Gower's cricket commentary. At least that'll ensure that concertgoers' lager might remain in the plastic pint pot.

Noel Gallagher by Matt Crockett

The whole album was written over lockdown which helps to explain why most of the songs sound like acoustic ballads that have been fleshed out later in the studio. The embellishments to Gallagher's strumming include nice thick basslines, subtle keyboard touches and soul-singer backing vocals. The most conspicuous accompaniment is the almost deafening orchestration, at various points evoking that of George Martin (naturally), John Barry's Bondisms or, when riffing on 'Raspberry Beret' for 'Open The Door, See What You Find', Wendy & Lisa's arrangements with Prince.

By its composer and reviewers alike, 'Pretty Boy' has been likened to 'A Forest' by The Cure and presumably hiring Robert Smith to remix it was an attempt to appoint him as an endorser rather than hired gun. In reality, much like the title track, 'Pretty Boy' has more in common with Stereophonics.

Those hoping that a reflective Gallagher might revive the romantic magic of the brilliant B-sides he whipped up so casually during Oasis' early run might find there are songs here that evoke that mood but don't quite match up in other, more crucial ways. That said, he comes damn close on 'Trying To Find A World That's Been And Gone' which certainly stirs memories of just how weirdly dystopian everything became in 2020. Alternatively, it could serve as the sound of Gallagher reflecting on his past, the life and career he has since led, his creative downturn and own inescapable mortality.

The twanging stomp of 'Love Is A Rich Man' provides some respite from the string-laden introspection. It's a livelier number yet also structured with peaks and troughs, offering variety both within itself and the album as a whole. However, the true star of the show is 'We're Gonna Get There In The End' even though this is, technically speaking, a bonus track, presumably because it didn't fit the mood elsewhere. More unashamedly optimistic than Paul McCartney scoring a Care Bears reboot, the song is equipped with an immediately anthemic melody and backed by extra-stirring Bacharachian brass. Before its chorus had kicked in, even this cynical listener was leaping onto his three-geared bicycle to soar down a scenic country hill where he could pick up some freshly baked baguettes and several bunches of flowers to share with local wildlife volunteers. And anyone who doesn't have that exact same reaction will be eternally cursed with what's clinically known as 'Heart of Braverman'.

Despite endless rumours of an Oasis reformation, both Gallaghers' schedules suggest this won't be happening for the foreseeable. Council Skies ' arena tour is booked into the horizon and Liam reckons he's going to be performing Definitely Maybe next year with his solo band.

So it's unlikely that when he moves into Downing Street, Sir Starmer will reimagine 1997 by dancing stiffly with Angela Rayner while the resurrected Oasis perform a live rendition of 'Fade In-Out' with guest slide-guitarist Johnny Depp looking like Lost Highway 's Mystery Man after a six-month fromage bender.

Who to book instead? If it is going to be a toss(er)-up between High Flying Birds and The 1975, Starmer would be advised to go with the act least likely to reignite Labour's antisemitism crisis. Council Skies ' strongest (bonus) track is miles better than that one by D:Ream but as unfortunate and unintended as it is, the idea that we are only going to get there "in the end" sounds too much like we're about to enter a Soviet-style sacrificial slog towards only mildly plausible societal betterment. Alastair Campbell wouldn't have liked that message.

In 1996, the year before New Labour's landslide electoral victory, Noel Gallagher had accepted Oasis' Brit Award for Best British Group with the following endorsement: "There are seven people in this room tonight who are giving a little bit of hope to young people in this country. That is me, our kid, Bonehead, Guigsy, Alan White, Alan McGee… and Tony Blair!" At that point in the speech, some viewers just hoped they would never have a nickname like Bonehead. "Power to the people!", Noel continued. In his mind, he may have been compensating for a statement he'd made earlier that night, when 'Wonderwall' had won Best Video. Directly addressing the multitude whence he'd risen, Noel blurted, "I've got nowt to say, except I'm extremely rich and you lot aren't. Ha ha."

It was a watershed moment, really. One which marked a point of no return to his roots.

Council Skies is out today on Sour Mash

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Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds will take their Council Skies album out on tour towards the end of this year, kicking off at the Hull Bonus Arena. The tour will see Noel playing arenas up and down the country, with a special show at London's OVO Arena Wembley, and a final ending at Liverpool M&S Bank Arena.

Noel has also announced his partnership with Twickets - the ethical ticket resale marketplace that enables fans to sell spare tickets at no more than face value.

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Noel Gallagher Is Planning A Solo Tour 'Of Mostly Oasis Songs'

By Katrina Nattress

June 13, 2021

Noel Gallagher 's been busy with his solo act, High Flying Birds , but despite his former band Oasis calling it quits over a decade ago, he realizes that fans want to hear those songs when they see him live. And it sounds like he's planning to give the people what they want.

Though he usually scatters some Oasis songs into his solo setlists, Gallagher's never focused a tour on his old music. But that might change.

“When I am making a record, I don’t think about my legacy. I am in the trenches with the songs and I follow my instincts. How they come out is how they come out. As a whole, High Flying Birds is a totally different set-up to Oasis. They couldn’t be more different," he explained to The Sun . “But when I put together a show, you have to merge the two. You can’t charge people £70 a ticket and not do a handful of Oasis songs, some of the most famous songs of the Nineties.”

“It is a privileged position to be in. I will probably get round to a tour of mostly Oasis songs when I do the acoustic thing," he continued. “There is always a plan to take that out properly with an orchestra on tour, but I am not sure when that will happen because of the COVID s***.”

Despite performing Oasis material during his solo sets, Gallagher's been outspoken about his thoughts on a reunion. "Oasis is done" he proclaimed during a recent interview. “The legacy of the band is set in stone.”

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Tales From the Middle of Nowhere (Vol.2) - Carling Cup Draw , Amsterdam and Yawning in Brussels

Singer/Songwriter - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

So...Amsterdam? (Or as it's known to many, "The 'Dam".)

It was pretty fuckin' grim, to be honest. Cold, wet and windy.

We was playing a gaff called the Melkweg, or as it's known to us users of the Queen's,

"The Milky Way". Which is ironic because the first time I ever visited The 'Dam was in the '80s when I was working for that band the Inspiral Carpets? Google them.

Anyway, we played the very same venue.

I have one vivid memory of being out of my fuckin' mind on some crazy weed trying (in vain) to set up the drummer's drum kit. Think it took me about three hours, which these things tend to do when you're stoned. And when the drummer arrived he duly informed me the fuckin' thing was, in fact, upside down and back to front!

Good gig though. It was a very relaxed affair. Had a good laugh with some people in the crowd. Top night all round.

The big news at the moment though is that Man City and Liverpool have been drawn together in the semi-final of the Carling Cup. I'm hoping the betting gets a bit more interesting this time, y'know, a doughnut and a glass of milk? An ice cream, maybe? Maybe some actual money will change hands this time!!!

You currently find me in the European hotspot for all things beige...BRUSSELS. (Yaaaawn).

Noel's tour diary is published in full at www.NoelGallagher.com

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Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds have confirmed a new UK show for the summer.

The former Oasis guitarist-songwriter and his band will headline Warwick Castle on July 21, with support coming from special guests Johnny Marr and The Waeve (Graham Coxon and Rose Elinor Dougall). Tickets go on general sale at 10am next Friday (February 23).

The ensemble, who put out the new album 'Council Skies' last summer, have a busy few months of gigs ahead. They'll play London's Royal Albert Hall for the annual  Teenage Cancer Trust gig series in March, following spring shows in Poole and Portsmouth.

They've also got headline festival appearances in the diary for the summer, including sets at Y Not?  and Kendal Calling , as well as some huge outdoor shows in Cardiff, Wigan, London and Halifax. Tickets for those concerts are already on sale.

Noel Gallagher Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows

Sun March 17 2024 - POOLE Lighthouse Wed March 20 2024 - PORTSMOUTH Guildhall Thu March 21 2024 - LONDON Royal Albert Hall Wed July 17 2024 - CARDIFF Castle Thu July 18 2024 - WIGAN Robin Park Sat July 20 2024 - LONDON Alexandra Palace Park Sun July 21 2024 - WARWICK Castle [NEW] Thu August 01 2024 - HALIFAX Piece Hall

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Noel Gallagher Tour Dates

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Oasis anniversary tour set to feature two Gallaghers on stage - but not the two fans want

Oasis legend Liam Gallagher has roped in the help and talents of his lookalike son, Gene Gallagher and his band Villanelle to support the legendary rockers at their upcoming shows

• 16:30, 1 Apr 2024

The new Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary tour will feature two Gallaghers on stage - but not necessarily the pair fans want most.

Oasis frontman Liam has hired his son Gene’s band Villanelle to support the rockers at their upcoming shows which kick off in Sheffield in June, performing the 1994 album in its entirety as well as some b-sides.

Liam’s brother Noel, 56, is still not participating, having regularly refused to reunite Oasis following their 2009 split. Villanelle, which features Gene, 22, on vocals and guitar, have been performing in various locations including King Tut’s in Glasgow, where Oasis were signed to Creation records.

Liam, 51, has confirmed he thinks the band is “good”, and revealed he will at least keep some elements of the upcoming tour in the family, saying: “I’m gonna put them on 1st for DM tour.”

Liam said last month that Noel had once again rejected a “big money offer” to reunite the group. He said: “He ain’t doing it. I did call him! Well, my people called Noel’s management team. We put an offer on the table for an Oasis thing – because we got offered it — and he said no.

“It was a big tour, a lot of money. He turned it down. I get it, he’s got a divorce going down. I’ll do the ‘Definitely Maybe’ thing and have a nice time without him.”

The pair had an almighty spat behind the scenes at the Rock En Seine festival in Paris in 2009, which led to Noel walking away from the group. Gene’s group Villanelle are currently supporting Birmingham group Overpass on tour, and will reportedly play Britpop-inspired music.

Model Gene, whose mum is All Saints singer Nicole Appleton, was previously in a three piece group called Grimmo. Liam is also father to model Lennon Gallagher, 24, from his marriage to Patsy Kensit, and Molly Moorish, 26, from a previous relationship with Lisa Moorish.

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