Liam Gallagher To Perform With The Who Next Month

Liam Gallagher is set to make his first public appearance since the news of Beady Eye's split at a special Teenage Cancer Trust charity gig in London next month.

Gallagher will be one of a list of musicians performing Who classics at Shepherds Bush Empire on November 11 with each artist performing a song of their own choice from the band's back catalogue.

Other artists who will perform with The Who Band on the night will be Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Wilko Johnson, Kaiser Chiefs' Ricky Wilson, Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield, Geddy Lee of Rush, The Strypes, Brody Dalle, Tom Odell, Amy Macdonald, Andy Burrows and Rizzle Kicks.

The Who's Band feature Simon Townshend, Pino Palladino, Billy Nicholls, Frank Simes, Loren Gold, John Coury and drummer Zak Starkey, who played with Liam Gallagher in Oasis. Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey will take a back seat for the occasion as others perform in their place.

Gallagher confirmed via Twitter on Saturday (October 25) that Beady Eye have split. The band were fronted by Liam Gallagher and featured former Oasis members Andy Bell and Gem Archer. Andy Bell has also tweeted about the split, telling fans that he "had a blast" with the band.

Tickets for An Evening Of Who Music In Aid Of Teenage Cancer Trust are on sale from 9am Friday October 31 via Ticketmaster .

Source: www.nme.com

Check out the current collection and offers from Pretty Green here.

XFM Presents: An Evening In Conversation With Noel Gallagher

Noel Gallagher is easily one of the most important songwriters of all time, as famous for his charisma as for his  musicianship. Over the last twenty years Noel Gallagher has helped shape contemporary music and change our notions of celebrity.

Now, for the first time ever, Noel Gallagher will put down his guitar to speak with a panel of music industry insiders at a special one-off XFM charity event. For over 90 minutes, a group of prominent music figures will delve in to Noel's life in music. All this in front of an audience of just 120 people.

The panel will consist of Manic Street Preachers' Nicky Wire, former Creation Records boss Alan McGee, and Shortlist magazine's deputy editor Hamish McBain. The night will be hosted by XFM's John Kennedy.

Noel Gallagher has said: "Having rarely stopped blowing my own trumpet since April '94, it'll come as no surprise I jumped at the chance to let the people catch me at it again, so to speak, while at the same time raising a few bob for the kids. It'll be a pleasure.”

The event will take place at the Hammersmith Club, London on November 3 to raise money for Global’s Make Some Noise. For Noel fans, young musicians, or anyone with an interest in music, this is an unmissable event.

Tickets will cost from £40 - £100 and will go on sale Wednesday at 8am.

Global’s Make Some Noise is a new national charity to improve the lives of disadvantaged children and young people.

To learn more about Global's Make Some Noise, look here.

Source: www.xfm.com

Check out the current collection and offers from Pretty Green here.

On This Day In Oasis History...

On August 11th 1996, Oasis played the second of two nights at Knebworth. Support for the two days included The Prodigy, Ocean Colour Scene, Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers, Kula Shaker and Dreadzone.

Below is a video of the gig.

Members Of Beady Eye, The Vaccines And The Charlatans Perform At Jon Brookes Tribute Concert

Bonehead along with members of Mumford & Sons, New Order and Manic Street Preachers joined charity celebration.

The Charlatans headlined A Night For Jon Brookes, a tribute concert for their late drummer, at London's Royal Albert Hall last night (October 18).

The evening started with Birmingham band Dumb, followed by Tim & Friends, a line-up featuring New Order's Stephen Morris and Gillian Gilbert, Mumford and Sons' Winston Marshall, The Vaccines' Freddie Cowan and Arni Arnason, and The Pretenders' James Walbourn, with Tim Burgess on vocals.

They performed New Order's 'Love Vigilantes', The Vaccines' 'Melody Calling' and finally Joy Division's 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', with Burgess explaining how the band came to be. "I asked The Vaccines, but the singer was on holiday. I asked New Order, but the singer was on holiday. That wasn't going to stop us, so I said I'd sing."

Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield was up next, delivering a three-song acoustic set comprising 'Motorcycle Emptiness', 'A Design For Life' and 'If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next'. Speaking between songs, Bradfield said: "I don't want to get too deep because there are people here who knew Jon a lot better than I. But we met a fair few times over the years, and he was always fucking beautiful. And the boy had groove."

Liam & Friends came next, essentially Beady Eye without injured guitarist Gem Archer who, incidentally, was in the audience, walking with a crutch but otherwise looking to be in good shape. Instead of Archer, former Oasis guitarist Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs performed with the band as they ripped through Oasis songs 'Live Forever' and 'Columbia'.

Finally, The Charlatans came to the stage, with former The Verve drummer Pete Salisbury filling in for Brookes. Speaking to NME before the concert, Charlatans bassist Martin Blunt said: "There was a tour when Jon was ill and wasn't going to be able to play. We asked who he wanted to replace him, and his first choice was Pete Salisbury."

Blunt added: "There is one special song in the setlist, for Jon, but I've found since he passed that every song has taken on a new meaning. Lyrics that I never thought about before have suddenly become really poignant. The whole evening had to be a celebration. A big send-off, as well as a big thank you to everyone for their support and a chance to raise money for an under-funded charity. We've learned since Jon was ill that brain tumours are being detected a lot more, but research, care systems and funding is severely lacking."

The band's singer Tim Burgess said he'd been "amazed" by the support from musicians following Brookes's death. He said: "I'll think about Jon during every line of every song."

They began their set with 'Forever', and moved through some of their best-known songs including 'North Country Boy', 'Just Lookin'', 'The Only One I Know', 'One To Another' and 'How High'. There was also a particularly moving version of 'My Beautiful Friend', before which Burgess said: "I think we can all guess who this is for."

After 'How High', three of The Charlatans left the stage, leaving guitarist Mark Collins and keyboard player Tony Rogers with Liam & Friends, who returned for a version of George Harrison's 'My Sweet Lord', dedicated by Gallagher to "Jon's missus Debbie". Finally The Charlatans returned for their traditional encore of 'Sproston Green'.

Jon Brookes passed away in August, aged 44. He was first diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2010 and underwent several operations and treatment for the condition. Proceeds from the night went to The Brain Tumour Charity, of which The Charlatans are now patrons. The charity say more than 9,000 people are diagnosed with a brain tumour each year in the UK, with the condition being the biggest cancer killer among those under 40. The charity have also set up The Jon Brookes Fund as a lasting tribute to the drummer.

The Charlatans played:

'Forever'
'Just When You're Thinking Things Over'
'North Country Boy'
'Blackened Blue Eyes'
'Just Lookin''
'The Only One I Know’'‘Oh Vanity'
'One To Another'
'Here Comes A Soulsaver'
'My Beautiful Friend'
'Then'
'How High'
'Sproston Green’

Source: www.nme.com

On This Day In Oasis History...

On August 11th 1996, Oasis played the second of two nights at Knebworth. Support for the two days included The Prodigy, Ocean Colour Scene, Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers, Kula Shaker and Dreadzone.

Below is a video of the gig

.

Oasis, Coldplay, Muse, Gorrillaz And More Feature In New 'War Child' Album

War Child have revealed plans to celebrate their 20th anniversary by releasing a compilation album featuring a collection of the tracks recorded for their charity albums over the past two decades.

The charity will celebrate its 20th anniversary next week and the occasion is being marked with a major exhibition, an intimate Muse show and a new compilation album, 'The Best Of War Child'. The charity are also set to win the Lifetime Achievement Award at this years' BRIT Awards.

"The compilation documents the way War Child has had this integral, credible and proud relationship with the great and good of British music," says War Child’s musical director Ben Knowles. "It's one of the most amazing stories of British music history, the incredible support that came together around War Child back in 1994 and 1995 and has continuedever since."

Released on February 18, 'The Best Of War Child' will feature tracks by Radiohead, Paul McCartney, David Bowie and Coldplay. A live version of Muse's 'Time Is Running Out' can be downloaded for free via the War Child website now.

'The Best Of War Child' tracklisting is as follows:

Smokin' Mojo Filters (McCartney, Weller, Gallagher) - 'Come Together'
Radiohead - 'Lucky'
Oasis - 'Fade Away'
Portishead - 'Mourning Air'
Massive Attack - 'Fake The Aroma'
Manic Street Preachers - 'Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head'
Suede - 'Shipbuilding'
Passengers (U2 and Pavarotti) - 'Miss Sarajevo'
Muse - 'House Of The Rising Sun'
The Prodigy - 'Ghost Town'
Paul McCartney - 'Calico Skies'
David Bowie - 'Everyone Says Hi (Metro Mix)'
New Order - 'Vietnam'
Coldplay - 'How You See The World No.2'
Gorillaz - 'Hong Kong'
Keane - 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'
Hot Chip - 'Transmission'
Beck - 'Leopard-Skin-Pill-Box-Hat'
Lily Allen (ft. Mick Jones) - 'Straight To Hell'
Elbow - 'Running To Stand Still'

Source: www.nme.com

Noel Gallagher Picks His Perfect Playlist

The current issue of Q features a Perfect Playlists for ever occasion picked by Noel Gallagher, Bat For Lashes, Robbie Williams, Paul Weller, Kasabian, Manics, Jake Bugg & more...

Liam Gallagher Speaks About Rivalry With 'Pansies' Blur

Beady Eye frontman says he 'hated' them at the time – but insists it was really 'just good fun'.

Liam Gallagher has spoken out about the fierce rivalry his old band Oasis used to have with Blur in this week's 60th anniversary edition of NME.

The feud between the two bands helped make Britpop into a national obsession and originated in the magazine's pages but, in this week's special collectors issue, Gallagher – who now fronts Beady Eye – said that although had previously "hated" Damon Albarn and co, the war-of-words they exchanged in the media had been "just good fun".

When asked whether he thought the rivalry between the two bands had been manipulated by the music press, he replied: "I don't think so. At the time I hated Blur, I thought they were just pansies from London and we were a totally different thing. You might have done certain things, but no-one told me whether I liked someone or not. I thought it was just all good fun."

Gallagher is just one of the eight iconic cover stars on this week's special collectors issue, with his older brother Noel, Arctic Monkeys, Patti Smith, John Lydon, Manic Street Preachers, The Killers and Paul Weller completing the set.

Inside, all eight cover stars reflect on their relationship with NME over the last 60 years – the high times, low times and all the hilarious moments. It's also packed with interviews from Kasabian, Green Day, Biffy Clyro and Beth Ditto talking through their favourite ever NME covers.

It also includes a free copy of the first ever issue of the magazine. The issue, which was published in 1952, features all the biggest stars from the era, including Vera Lynn, Alan Dean and Heath and Hylton, plus the big debate on whether two-beat Dixieland music rules over four-beat Big Band.

It's also packed with timely news coverage – including an exclusive story announcing that the Government would soon introduce commercial radio in Britain for the first time. Plus the hottest new music tips – including a certain "sexy singer from America" – future Amy Winehouse collaborator Tony Bennett.

You can pick up this very special edition of the magazine on newsstands today (September 26), or digitally now.

Source: www.nme.com

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds embark on a UK tour in September and will tour the US and Canada alongside Snow Patrol and Jake Bugg later this year.

More details on the above dates and more can be found by clicking here.

Collector Editions Of The NME Are On Sale Now

This week's collectors edition of the NME features eight different covers including Liam and Noel Gallagher, Arctic Monkeys, Patti Smith, The Killers and Manic Street Preachers.

It is on sale now.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds embark on a UK tour in September and will tour the US and Canada alongside Snow Patrol and Jake Bugg later this year.

More details on the above dates and more can be found by clicking here.

Noel Gallagher: The 90s Was The End Of The Rock Star

Noel Gallagher has confessed to Xfm that the decade 'was not the beginning of something - it was the end of something'...

Noel Gallagher reckons that the 90s was the end of the rockstar era. Speaking to Xfm backstage at the iTunes Festival the singer admitted that he believes he and his Britpop contemporaries were the last of their kind.

"The 90s was not the beginning of something - it was the end of something. It was the end of the music business as we knew it. We were the last rock stars," he told Xfm's Dan O'Connell backstage.

He continued, "I will argue it to my death: there will never be another time like it where any given time in the top ten there were bands - who we all cared about - like Pulp and Blur and Oasis the Manic Street Preachers and they're selling shitloads of records and shaping youth culture - that's never going to happen again."

 Noel was speaking before his headline set at the iTunes Festival at London's Roundhouse - where he also admitted to us that he is taking next year off - to avoid creating another lacklustre album like Be Here Now.

Source: www.xfm.co.uk 

 Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds embark on a UK tour in September and will tour the US and Canada alongside Snow Patrol and Jake Bugg later this year.

More details on the above dates and more can be found by clicking here.

On This Day In Oasis History...

On August 10th 1996, Oasis played the first of two nights at Knebworth. Support for the two days included The Prodigy, Ocean Colour Scene, Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers, Kula Shaker and Dreadzone.

Below is a review and videos from THE TIMES of the show.
Review: Oasis at Knebworth, 1996

One in 20 Britons applied for tickets to see Oasis in concert at Knebworth. Our critic joined the crowd on Saturday.

Three million people, 5 per cent of the population, applied for tickets and those lucky enough to get them were treated to two new songs, My Big Mouth and It's Getting Better Man , along with tried and tested hits. With a guest list of 7,000 there were plenty of opportunities for star-spotting: Mick Hucknall of Simply Red, Jarvis Cocker and Kate Moss made their way to the celebrity enclosure to compare bodyguards with Liam Gallagher and Patsy Kensit, and all looked disingenuously surprised when mobbed by amateur paparazzi.

For those not chosen as Kate Moss's plus one, there were tickets still available at a price. Cro-Magnon touts were willing to get you into "The Gig of the Decade" for £300, a sizeable mark-up from £22.50. Once inside, many would have gladly paid £300 to avoid queues. There were 400-yard tailbacks for each bar and toilet. But with the temperature into the 70s and a PA so powerful everyone was guaranteed to leave touched by tinnitus, such matters were of little importance. Oasis took to the stage at 9pm, greeted by a roar so huge that flocks of birds took to the sky from Knebworth's old oaks.

"Hello, hello, hello," Liam said, making a fairly good job of John Lennon's famous "retard" impression. "Let's go." And off they went, kicking out the music that has made the Top 40 truly exciting for the first time in ten years and working hard for the estimated £5.6 million the weekend accrued.

Joined for the inevitable encore of Champagne Supernova by The Stone Roses's ex-guitar player John Squire, Oasis bowed out in a blaze of guitar solos and a firework display. As many tired and emotional punters fell over backwards, disorientated from staring at the sky so long, Martin Carr of the Boo Radleys said: "Everyone in Britain - except Damon from Blur - loves Oasis. They can do no wrong." He would appear to be right.











Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' new single 'Everybody's On The Run' is available now digitally and in stores more details can be found here.

The NME Want Your Questions For Noel Gallagher!

Ever wanted to ask the ex-Oasis man something?

We're going to be hooking up with 2012 Godlike Genius Noel Gallagher soon for a quizzing session – and we want your questions for him.

The most interesting, probing, thought-provoking and funny questions will be put to the former Oasis man and we'll then print the results in a future edition of NME magazine. So leave your questions in the comments box below – and remember to include your name, age and location too or we won't be able to use it.

Noel Gallagher will be presented with the Godlike Genius Award at this year's NME Awards. The guitarist will pick up the gong at the ceremony on February 29 at London's O2 Academy Brixton.

Previous recipients of the award include last year's winner Dave Grohl, The Clash, Paul Weller, The Cure, Manic Street Preachers, New Order and Joy Division.

A special collectors' issue dedicated to Noel Gallagher is coming next month. Produced by the teams behind NME and sister title Uncut, the magazine will feature Gallagher's greatest interviews, unseen photos and a competition to win albums signed by the man himself. The issue will be available on newsstands and digitally from February 2.

Source: www.nme.com

Beady Eye, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Bird's, Radiohead Score Best Selling Vinyl Singles Of 2011

Beady Eye scored the biggest selling vinyl singles of 2011, with three of their singles featuring in the top five of the year's best sellers.

The band's debut single 'The Roller' was the biggest selling vinyl single of the year, with its follow-up 'Millionaire' not far behind. Morrissey's one-off release 'Glamorous Glue' was third, with Beady Eye at Number Four again with the 'The Beat Goes On' and the ex-Oasis' men's former bandmate Noel Gallagher at Number Five with 'The Death Of You And Me', reports The Official Charts Company.

Arctic Monkeys were sixth with 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair', while Noel Gallagher was at seven with '…AKA What A Life', Beady Eye were also at Number Eight with Miles Kane and the Manic Street Preachers occupying the other two places in the top 10.

Radiohead had the biggest selling 12" singles of the year, with their split single 'Supercollider'/'The Butcher' taking the top spot. Behind the Oxford band in Number Two was Paul Weller with 'Starlite', then the Tuff Productions' single 'Always Searching'. Radiohead were also at Number Four and Six with Kasabian inbetween them at Number Five.

Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Rhythm Robbers and Burial made up the rest of the Top Ten.

In terms of vinyl album sales, Radiohead's 'The King Of Limbs' came out on top, just ahead of Noel Gallagher at Number Two and Adele at Number Three. PJ Harvey was fourth with 'Let England Shake', while Arctic Monkeys were fifth with 'Suck It And See'. Bon Iver, Beady Eye, Kate Bush, Alex Turner and Pink Floyd's re-released 'Dark Side Of The Moon' made up the rest of the top 10.

The Top 10 selling vinyl singles of 2011 were as follows:

1. Beady Eye - 'The Roller'
2. Beady Eye - 'Millionaire'
3. Morrissey - 'Glamorous Glue'
4. Beady Eye - 'The Beat Goes On'
5. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - 'The Death Of You And Me'
6. Arctic Monkeys - 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair'
7. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - '...A.K.A What A Life'
8. Beady Eye - 'Four Letter Word'
9. Miles Kane - 'Come Closer'
10. Manic Street Preachers - 'Postcards From A Young Man'

The Top 10 selling 12 inch vinyl singles of 2011 were as follows:

1. Radiohead - 'The Butcher/Supercollider'
2. Paul Weller - 'Starlite'
3. Tuff Productions - 'Always Searching'
4. Radiohead - 'Morning Mr Magpie'
5. Kasabian - 'Days Are Forgotten'
6. Radiohead - 'Little By Little'
7. Arctic Monkeys - 'Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair'
8. Kasabian - 'Re-Wired'
9. Rhythm Robbers - 'Plastic Dreams'
10. Burial - ' Street Halo'

The Top 10 selling vinyl albums of 2011 were as follows:

1. Radiohead - 'The King Of Limbs'
2. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds'
3. Adele - '21'
4. PJ Harvey - 'Let England Shake'
5. Arctic Monkeys - 'Suck It And See'
6. Bon Iver - 'Bon Iver'
7. Beady Eye - 'Different Gear, Still Speeding'
8. Kate Bush - '50 Words For Snow'
9. Alex Turner - 'Submarine OST'
10. Pink Floyd - 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'

Source: www.nme.com

Top Ten Selling Albums In the UK This Week

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, drops down two places on this week's Official Album Chart.

The Top 10 UK albums are:

01. Florence + the Machine - Ceremonials
02. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto
03. Professor Green - At Your Inconvenience
04. Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds
05. Michael Bublé - Christmas
06. Alfie Boe - Alfie
07. Adele - 21
08. Ed Sheeran - +
09. Rizzle Kicks - Stereo Typical
10. Manic Street Preachers - National Treasures: The Complete Singles

AKA.. What A Life has moved down nine places on the Official Singles Chart to 31, after eight weeks in the chart .

Liam And Noel Gallagher Feature In Q's Special Anniversary Edition

The next issue of Q hits UK newsstands on Tuesday next week (27 September) and it's a special one - it's got 25 collector's covers (and two bonus ones) for starters.

Celebrating our 25th birthday, Q304 features covers and interviews with the most important acts who are shaping music right now.

Each one talks about how music shaped their life, singling out the key tracks, albums and artists that have made them the musicians they are.

We will be telling you more about this special issue on Qthemusic.com next week, but in the meantime click here for a sneak preview of all 25 covers, plus the exclusive Jay-Z subscribers covers and the limited edition Manic Street Preaches cover which comes with an special vinyl version of the band's forthcoming singles collection National Treasures.

Order your favourite artists' covers now while stocks last at Greatmagazines.co.uk/Q25.

Source: qthemusic.com

Sex Pistols, Smiths, Oasis Photographer Offers 'Rock Masterclass'

Plus check out Paul Slattery's work on NME.COM

Renowned rock photographer Paul Slattery is offering up a masterclass in rock photography – and NME.COM is hosting a collection of his greatest work.

Slattery started out in the ’70s photographing Motorhead before working at the heart of the punk explosion with Sex Pistols and The Clash. He went on to take iconic shots of bands including The Smiths, Oasis and Manic Street Preachers.

You can see a selection of his work along with the stories behind the shots here.

Meanwhile, Slattery will be giving an exclusive 'masterclass' session at the British Music Experience exhibit at London's 02 Arena complex on February 17.

See British Music Experience for details.

Source: www.nme.com
Photo Credit: Paul Slattery

Visit my newly launched Beady Eye fan site www.standingontheedgeofthenoise.com by clicking here.

The Five Most Overrated Britpop Bands

The Over/Under: Britpop

The Britpop phenomenon might have ended nearly 15 years ago, but it cast such a shadow over the U.K. music scene that its presence is still felt today.

Where would groups such as Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys or the Killers be without Blur, Pulp and Oasis? Often maligned as a scene obsessed with fame and fashion, the mid-’90s saw a revival of British creativity and provided a pop-friendly rebuttal to the dominant American grunge sound. By looking backward to the Kinks and Beatles, Britpop set the musical standards for years to come. With Blur back together and Jarvis Cocker on tour, it’s the perfect time to examine the most overrated and underrated bands of the Britpop era.

:: The Five Most Overrated Britpop Bands

1. Oasis

In the Britpop trifecta of Oasis, Blur and Pulp, Oasis was the most successful and the least interesting of the lot. While the band made some good pop songs and had a genuine lunatic in Liam Gallagher, Oasis was the very definition of overrated. From overhyped 1994 debut Definitely Maybe to the NME covers it still graces, Oasis received more praise than it merited. Oasis is like the Quentin Tarantino of the pop world; its first two efforts showed real talent, but the band has spent so long rehashing the same formula that it’s damaged the very reputation those initial works established. How many other groups have soldiered on despite producing nothing of interest since 1997? In a way, it’s impressive. But in another, more accurate way, it’s just sad.“Roll With It”:

2. Supergrass

Sure, Supergrass was nice and loud. But as much as critics liked to peg the band as “eclectic” and “ambitious,” and even though Supergrass took on everything from psychedelia to house music, somehow the songs tend to blend together. Because Supergrass was ostensibly more thoughtful than Oasis, the critics hyped the group to high heaven, and a massively overrated outfit was born.“Alright”:

3. Elastica

Elastica was a perfectly fine pop group, but with only one decent album under its belt, it’s difficult to see just what has made the band so celebrated. Was it Justine Frischmann’s badass persona? The group’s legacy as one of the few female-friendly crews in Britpop? Upon closer examination, that statement doesn’t really hold: What about Salad, Sleeper, Echobelly, Lush, the Cranberries and other bands with female members that found success during the Britpop era? Elastica’s reputation has grown over the years, while many of those equally interesting groups have been forgotten.“Car Song”:

4. The Verve

The Verve has one—count it, one—great song, and that is “Bittersweet Symphony.” Not only that, but “Bittersweet Symphony” was immeasurably improved by a Jay-Z remix. The most impressive aspect of the Verve is how Richard Ashcroft has successfully tricked the world into thinking of him as a deep, insightful writer, despite penning lyrics as inane as “Are you invited/To the party of life?/Now you’ve decided/Do you live ’til you die?” The answer to that question is, by the way, yes. Despite having more high-profile break-ups than Jennifer Aniston, the Verve has endured both commercially and critically. While 1995 sophomore album A Northern Soul had its moments, 1997’s Urban Hymns (the band’s biggest success) is one of the most bloated, boring and overpraised albums of the ’90s.“Bittersweet Symphony”:

5. Manic Street Preachers

The Manics were always in an awkward position; sneering at Britpop’s success but benefiting massively from the scene it helped create, making hit albums such as 1994’s The Holy Bible and 1996’s Everything Must Go. Guitarist Richey Edwards’ mysterious disappearance in 1995 (his family declared him dead in November 2008) made him a martyr for the group, and while his loss is still felt by family, friends and fans, it doesn’t mean that we have to take self-indulgent trash like “If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next” as “art.” If the Manics had embraced their pop sensibilities, below all the condescending trappings (see “Faster” or “Revol” for a pop sound buried under layers of production) they could have been truly great.“Faster”:

Source: www.magnetmagazine.com

Cigarettes And No Toll - Oasis Frontman On Wales

Rowdy Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher gave more than a great performance when his band were in Cardiff 10 days ago.

He gave one Welsh fan a forthright take on playing in the capital, life on the road and what he thinks of Welsh songstress Duffy.

The Manchester megastar said he enjoys coming to Wales “when you get in for nowt”.

Referring to the band’s trip over the Severn Bridge he said: “Yeah, I don’t know about that ******* paying to get in, but we got in tonight for nowt.

“We were stuck in traffic and the police came and helped us in, so that was nice.

“We had our money ready and everything but they just went ‘You’re all right’.

“Miracles do happen.”

He went on to tell Cardiff super fan Louise Davies that he “didn’t know there was a Welsh music scene” – even though his band was being supported at the Millennium Stadium gig by Welsh group The Peth.

“I’ve not heard the ******* Peth man,” the 36-year-old singer said. “I got here late.

“Nah, I do like Rhys, I like The Super Furry Animals and all that stuff.

“Stereophonics are cool and the Manic Street Preachers.”

He had harsh words for retro soul star, Grammy and Brit Award-winning Duffy.

“She was all right ’til she opened her mouth.

“The music’s alright, know what I mean?

“Until she did that ******* stupid advert and things like that.

“It’s ******* ridiculous.”

Source: www.walesonline.co.uk

Tickets are still available for a number shows on Oasis' largest-ever UK Stadium tour, click here for availability of tickets.