Click into each picture to make them bigger...
Thanks To OASISBROTHER
Perth Concert Review
In stark contrast to the flashy fanfare preceding concerts from single-name superstars Robbie, Kylie and Elton in the past few weeks, Noel Gallagher's solo tour of Australia has been relatively low-key.
The tour was announced only weeks before it was due to take place and the tickets sold out within minutes, yet many fans didn't even know Gallagher was coming.
For the lucky couple of thousand who scored tickets to this intimate acoustic performance, this was a chance to hear tracks Oasis never play and see Noel Gallagher perform them without being upstaged by the simian-like antics of his younger brother, Liam.
During the hour-and-a-bit show last night at the Perth Concert Hall, Gallagher played some of his favourite songs, many of which were album tracks and b-sides, and a few well-loved classics.
Joined by Oasis guitarist Gem Archer, who shifted from guitar to a theatrical box organ, and Terry Kirkbride on snare and percussion, Gallagher sauntered on to the stage with his trademark "come on" hand gestures before plonking himself on a stool, plugging in his acoustic and launching into (It's Good) To Be Free.
Focusing his attention at his feet, Gallagher was hardly an energetic performer, but what he lacked in showmanship he made up for with sincerity, handling each song like an old friend and delivering it flawlessly.
Talk Tonight was a crowd pleaser and got several audience members on their feet. It was followed by the Noel-sung acoustic and much better version of Fade Away.
Addressing the lad-heavy crowd, Gallagher asked: "So how are you anyway?" before acknowledging that England's cricket team were not doing too well. The team had arranged to be at the show, but given the misery of their day at the WACA, who could blame most of them for opting for a warm bath and cup of tea instead.
Introducing Archer and Kirkbride, Gallagher pointed to himself and said: "And I of course, is Liam's brother." The remark was greeted by cheers as the always straight-faced Gallagher launched into Cast No Shadow.
A barrage of quips, requests and banter from the Brit-packed crowd flowed throughout the night, causing Gallagher to remark: "Is there anybody here who is not from England?"
During a rare moment when all fell silent in the Concert Hall, Gallagher looked up and said: "This is why Liam doesn't come to things like this. It would do his head in. Just that 45 seconds of silence would do his head in."
It was a rare and welcome treat to hear obscure Oasis songs and see the elder Gallagher playing outside of the Oasis stadium rock environment without the necessary posturing and posing of his younger sibling.
The song selection reflected the laid-back vibe of the performance, from Gallagher's latest favourite, The Importance of Being Idle, to the excellent Slide Away, crowd pleasers Wonderwall and Don't Look Back in Anger and even a cover of Strawberry Fields Forever.
Possibly one of Oasis's greatest b-sides, Listen Up, was greeted by an enormous roar that caused Gallagher to remark: "You all think it is Supersonic and it's not, so you can take that cheer back."
"No I'm not doing Rock N Roll Star that would be ridiculous," he remarked to another heckler.
"If you keep shouting songs at me I will just shout them back," he said, before reeling off a few ending with Beethoven's 5th.
"Fortunately it's not as good as this one," he remarked of the maestro's masterpiece before playing his own gem Half The World Away.
A slightly different version of Wonderwall prompted the explanation of: "I wrote it, so I sing it the way I want to."
Gallagher’s wit and unchecked ego were both in full flight and it was clear he was lapping up the limelight, in his own way.
With the "goodbye I'm going home" strains of Married With Children, Gallagher, who would the very next morning be boarding a plane back to England "to do the Christmas shopping", gave the audience a clap and walked off stage.
It was hardly the gig of the year, but it was a rare and warm treat delivered with style by England's premier rock ‘n’ roll songwriter. Gallagher, at least, did England proud.
Source: www.news.com.au
Gallagher Turned Down Ashes Tickets
Noel Gallagher turned down the opportunity to watch the English cricket team in action in Australia last week (ends17DEC06), because he was convinced his countrymen would lose.
The Oasis star was Down Under to promote greatest hits LP Stop The Clocks and was offered tickets to watch the third Ashes test match in Perth.
But he says, "I couldn't be bothered hanging around to watch them get beaten again." England are currently trailing three-nil in the five-match series.
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Gallagher Defends Reality Check
Oasis star Noel Gallagher insists on carrying out mundane tasks everyday because doing his chores keeps him down to earth.
The Wonderwall rocker refuses to hire staff to run his life for him, and insists other celebrities should do the same, because it reminds him that most people are in a worse situation than himself.
He says, "I think doing your own shopping is pretty good therapy. "I know all the ladies who work the checkout in the supermarket on my high street and it kind of reminds you that life is pretty s**t for some people.
"It kind of brings you back down to earth a little bit, if one was ever getting ideas above your station."
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Q&A With Noel Gallagher
Always quotable, Oasis singer/guitarist Noel Gallagher played a rare solo show in Brisbane last night. Patrick Lion heard the swear jar rattle 17 times in the space of just 14 questions backstage at the Tivoli Theatre.
Q: This is a solo tour to promote Stop The Clocks, your new 'best of' album. What is it like touring by yourself, without the band and particularly your brother Liam?
A: It's a lot calmer and lot more peaceful. Oasis are a big f--king band and there's a lot more people involved with it. There's only six of us on the road here. There's usually about 50-odd so in that respect it's a lot calmer. I've never actually toured without Liam. This is the first time I'm doing it. It's different. Liam would be doing his usual whingeing his f--ken arse off. It would be a pain in the arse if he was here. He doesn't do interviews because no one wants to talk to him anyway. He doesn't like acoustic. In his words: `He's in a f--ken rock `n' roll band'.
Q: What sort of show can we expect tonight?
A: We're doing a cover of The Beatles' Strawberry Fields Forever but that won't be a surprise to anyone who has a computer because they no doubt f--ken heard it on the internet. I don't see these sort of shows as nostalgic. The reason I'm doing these gigs is they wanted me to come all the way over here and do the promotion. That's like being on tour without the good bits. My manager said, ``well, what's the good bits?''. I said, ``doing some gigs'' and he said we'd do that then. I'm really enjoying it and being here and the gigs have been great. It's just nice to get out of England. It's just freezing f--ken cold.
Q: You're a big Beatles fan. What do you think of Love, their new remix album done by Sir George Martin and his son Giles?
A: It's f--ken ridiculous. I don't like it and it annoys the shit out of me. I hate everything about it: the cover, the sleeve notes, the way the tunes are mixed and sound. Why would you do that? God forbid that ever happens with our music, although we would be powerless to stop it.
Q: Why didn't you want Stop The Clocks to be released?
A: It wouldn't have been my choice to put it out but I am powerless to stop it (due to their contract with Sony BMG). If we were to disown it, we wouldn't have been involved in the artwork and seeing as we're only going to do one best of we thought it was better to be involved. There's 11 hits not on this one. I'm sure that Sony will be putting together a singles album in the near future. I would if I was them. It would sell. I'm powerless to stop it. There's nothing I can do about that.
Q: You put the track listing together. Would it have been different had Liam done it?
A: You'd have to talk to Liam but he would probably tell you some f--ken crap about it being completely different to what I came up with. It would have been the same. If he wanted to, he would have got involved.
Q: Most of the songs are from the first three years in the mid 1990s. Has Oasis got another big album left in the can?
A: If he could tell you that, young man, I wouldn't be in the f--ken music business, I'd be in the gambling business and I'd make a f--ken fortune.
Q: Apart from them all, what was the best song you've written?
A: It's not for me to say what my best song is but I will tell you what my most important song was. Live Forever because it announced us to the world. Before that we were a very British phenomenon and then after that it kind of exploded. I dare say, that was the first song you heard by Oasis.
Q: You've spoken a lot over the years about who is the biggest band in the world. Who is right now and is that title still important?
A: I think U2 has consistently been in the biggest band in the world over the past 20 years. Red Hot Chili Peppers. Green Day this year, too. It was only important before we were the biggest band in the world (in the mid 90s) because that was something we set out to achieve. As preposterous as that sounded when we were all on the dole in Manchester, and as mad as people thought I was, we got there in the end, albeit briefly for about six months. I've got to say it was a lot of f--ken hard work to get there, to be honest. It's not something I think about now.
Q: Is it harder to hold the title, then?
A: So it would seem (smirks).
Q: Oasis and Brisbane have a bit of a history. In 1998, there was the biffo on the plane flight when Liam was arrested. Then you came back for Livid 2002 just 100 metres around the corner from here and blitzed it. Did you feel you had point to prove after the disappointment, on and off the stage, of 1998?
A: In a way, yes. That Australian tour in 1998 was an aberration. We weren't in the right place mentally. We were all high and taking a lot of f--king drugs at the time. We George Best'd it really. We kind of did have a point to prove but not that that made us play any better because we are a great f--ken band anyway. We wouldn't be going so long if we weren't. There's not been many gigs like that 1998 one.
Q: Robbie Williams is in town, staying at the same hotel as you. Any chance of a reconciliation beer after the gig to smooth over your past differences?
A: Unfortunately he is an alcoholic and doesn't drink. A mineral water? I wouldn't have thought so. There is a bit of history there. I don't like his music. No (I won't be going to the concert and) I shall be flying out tomorrow and going to Sydney.
Q: How hard has it been watching the Ashes cricket series?
A: I find it incredible England lost that last Test in Adelaide. How did they stuff that up? If Australia win the toss in Perth, then it is all over. To be honest I'm not a massive cricket fan, and I find it hard to get excited about a contest over a trophy which is that big (small gesture with fingers). That's just stupid. I'm disappointed for the team because finally we have decent cricketers in Kevin Pietersen and Andrew Flintoff. Australia are the best cricket team in the world so there is no shame in losing to them.
Q: You had a swipe at our Socceroos a while ago, suggesting they stop trying to win the World Cup because it was pointless? England didn't go to well and neither did Manchester City on the weekend.
A: Don't get me wrong. Don't forget England are f--ken dreadful, too. The Socceroos as a name is f--ken ridiculous. It's like a cartoon for kids. It's just ridiculous. And as for Manchester City, that was lame. All my sporting allegiances are shite. It's a good job I'm brilliant at music otherwise I'd be a miserable old bastard.
Q: But we see the soccer World Cup as the last frontier in world sport to conquer?
A: (Leans back into couch, belly laughing) Win the World Cup? F--king hell. You've got more f--king chance of having a champion skier. F--king hell.
Source: www.news.com.au
How Awesome Is He? Ask The Man Himself
Noel Gallagher is his own worst critic and biggest fan, he tells Bernard Zuel.
There is not a lot of Noel Gallagher under that mop of Beatles-gone-shaggy hair which, since Gallagher and his brother, Liam, arrived in the early 1990s with their band Oasis, has been the do of choice for a generation of British rockers.
Slimly built, of barely average height and no fan of the gym, he is not made for any kind of fighting, though he is famous for rucking with his brother and inciting all kinds of passion and aggression in friends and foe alike.
You could say Noel Gallagher is all mouth and trousers - faded black ones tonight in Melbourne, worn with a dark brown pinstriped jacket. You could add he's a walking opinion who shovelled too much Colombian up his nose for a few years, a mouthy git and an egomaniac whose best years were a decade ago. He'd almost certainly agree.
"All the bad things that have been written about me, I've thought worse of myself; all the great things that have been written about me, I've thought better than them," Gallagher says equably, rocking back and forth on his tilted chair with the relaxed air of the lord of the manor.
"I'm my own worst critic and my own biggest fan."
He laughs, his eyes lighting up with amusement under the shag. "I seriously am a big fan of myself."
And there you have the conundrum of Noel Gallagher. He is a man who is verging on the insufferable but simultaneously charming and amusing. A man whose band has been bombastic and dull very often but whose best moments have always been the small and personal. A man whose Australian tours with that band have been patchy at best but who later on the day of our interview plays a wholly captivating solo set, at the renovated church home to the Live at the Chapel series, backed only by a guitarist and a drummer playing snare and bells.
"On the one hand, I don't actually think as a person, if you were to take away my songwriting, I am anything special. But luckily for me, I'm a f---ing awesome songwriter. And," Gallagher smiles broadly, daring you to take offence, "that makes me more f---ing special than [other modern songwriters], all right?"
Well, you are mouthier than the rest, I can't help but add.
"I guess, I guess. I certainly don't censor myself but I know for a fact that most of my peers, before you get to interview them, you are handed a list of what you can and can't ask. Ask me anything, anything, I've got an opinion on most things.
"However ill-informed my opinion is," he chuckles, "at least I've got one."
You couldn't ask for a better example of this truth than the recent brouhaha over Gallagher's comments to a London tabloid about Iraq, which incensed all the usual suspects. Essentially he said the war was messier for the Iraqis than the soldiers who had signed up for battle and that's where his sympathies lay.
"If you've got a problem with flying bullets, here's the thing - and call me old-fashioned - don't join the f---ing army. The way I see it, if f---ing idiots didn't join the army, there would be no war because there would be no soldiers, hence the world being a better place."
He pauses and says, his thick Mancunian accent adding an extra layer of self-mockery and self-amusement: "There, my Nobel Peace Prize is on its f---ing way, I think."
Gallagher's comments echo one he made a few years ago, originally directed at Radiohead (the more intellectual, esoteric flipside of British rock in the '90s to Gallagher's Oasis) but applicable to many others who say they hate the attention their careers give them. It boiled down to this for Gallagher: if you don't want to be famous, if you don't want the attention, don't join a rock band and sell records.
He tells a story about being in the supermarket once "when I was doing the shopping with the missus" and he knocked back a request to have a photo taken but the fan persisted, sneaking shots from the next aisle. There were raised voices among the juice bottles and cleaning products and, when Gallagher left, the store's security staff insisted on accompanying him out - not to punish him but to protect the by now seriously embarrassed musician from the stalker fan and his angry mates. It's a small price to pay, he reckons.
The most salient point in that tale, though, is that he does the shopping. Recently he suggested the likes of Elton John and Robbie Williams had lost touch with reality precisely because they never did things like buying groceries.
"He [Elton John] got really upset when I said that but I'm just assuming that a man who wears Versace underpants, spends a hundred grand a year on flowers, doesn't do his own shopping," Gallagher says. "I could be wrong. But I bet he couldn't tell you how much a pint of milk is."
Can Gallagher?
"Well they don't do pints any more, they do litres, but it's 79 pence a litre."
He goes on: "I think doing your own shopping is pretty good therapy. I know all the ladies who work the checkout in the supermarket on my high street and it kind of reminds you that life is pretty shit for some people. It kind of brings you back down to earth a little bit, if one was ever getting ideas above your station."
Did he ever get ideas above his station? Get a bit carried away for a while when the money and adulation rolled in? "Yeah, but you are supposed to get ideas above your station, you are a f---ing rock star, for crying out loud. Of course I did."
Noel Gallagher, rock star, laughs and shakes his shaggy hair. We are amused.
Source: www.smh.com.au
MTV Australia To Air Melbourne Concert
Hearing an acoustic, solo Noel Gallagher perform his band's magnum opus, Wonderwall, it was hard not to wish he'd sung it in the first place. Of course, it was his brother Liam - the surly one - who belted the Cool Britannia anthem out in his usual unmeasured style on the the 1995 Oasis release (What's The Story) Morning Glory?. (It was great, of course. Liam Gallagher has never been one of England's most technically proficient vocalists, but he is one of the most compelling.)
In the hands of its writer Noel - the curmudgeonly one - the song might not have had the energetic angst of the record, but it had light, shade and nuance and it was apparent the song actually meant something to its composer.
The feeling was typical of Noel Gallagher's performance during an intimate gig in Melbourne recorded for MTV's Live At The Chapel series on Monday night. The gig was held before Gallagher's sold-out show at Enmore Theatre in Newtown on Wednesday night.
Accompanied by Oasis guitarist Gem Archer and percussionist Terry Kirkbridge, Gallagher performed a handful of Oasis hits as well as a whole lot of B sides with which only fans, or those in possession of the recently released Oasis best of, Stop The Clocks, might be familiar.
Introducing the Kinks-esque 2005 British hit The Importance Of Being Idle, Gallagher called it the "last great song I wrote" with a wistfulness that provided a deliciously voyeuristic insight into the psyche of the loudmouth as artiste.
No such intro for Talk Tonight, the gorgeous B side of the hit Some Might Say. But Gallagher's delicate (yes, delicate) performance of a song containing the lyrics "I wanna talk tonight ... 'bout how you saved my life" left a lingering sense of his vulnerability and not just a whiff of boyish charm.
Gallagher hadn't gone completely soft though. A few choice digs at his favourite sources of derision, brother Liam and Robbie Williams, kept his motormouth rep well intact. His taped performance, Noel Gallagher At Vodafone Live At The Chapel, will screen on MTV December 26.
Source: Sun Herald
Dedicated Fans Ruined Gallagher's Fame
Oasis star Noel Gallagher's initial rock star success was soured by the runaways who used to congregate outside his London home.
The rocker faced gangs of kids every time he left home and it quickly stopped being fun when worried parents stared showing up, looking for missing sons and daughters.
He explains, "I used to have, without fail, 100 kids outside my house 24 hours a day. "The City came and actually put a bench outside my gate so these kids could f**king sit and stare. The neighbours got p**sed off about it.
"I'd have kids' parents turn up on my doorstep saying that their daughter had run away to London to find Oasis and had I seen her? I was like, 'Yes, go right on in, I've got her under the f**king stairs.'"
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Gallagher Upset By Bandmates' Crystal Meth Use
Noel Gallagher has come clean about his reasons for walking out on Oasis during a 1990s US tour - his bandmates were all high on crystal amphetamines.
The guitarist's departure hit the headlines, prompting many to believe the band was on the verge of splitting up.
Gallagher insists he wasn't upset that his bandmates were drugged up before an important Los Angeles show; he took objection to their drug of choice.
He says, "The reason why I left is because crystal meth is like cheap speed, and I was into far more exotic drugs at that point. "I was quite upset my band members had become punks when I was busy reaching for the stars."
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Gallagher Is His Own Biggest Fan
Rocker Noel Gallagher is eternally grateful for his songwriting ability, because he's "not anything special" without the skill.
The Wonderwall rocker believes if it wasn't for his musical talents he would just be a normal guy. He explains, "On the one hand, I don't actually think as a person, if you were to take away my songwriting, I am anything special.
"But luckily for me, I'm a f**king awesome songwriter. And that makes me more f**king special than (other modern songwriters), all right?"
But Gallagher also admits criticism upsets him - but luckily he's such "a big fan of himself" it doesn't matter. He says, "All the bad things that have been written about me, I've thought worse of myself; all the great things that have been written about me, I've thought better than them. "I'm my own worst critic and my own biggest fan."
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Gallagher: 'Better To Speak Out Than Stay Silent'
British rocker Noel Gallagher has defended his outspoken views on life - and believes its better for celebrities to speak out than stay silent.
The Wonderwall rocker is notorious for his opinionated rants, and his recent targets have included Sir Elton John, The Beatles, Scissor Sisters and Green Day.
But Gallagher insists not censoring yourself is much better than being a "no comment" run-of-the-mill celebrity. He says, "I certainly don't censor myself but I know for a fact that most of my peers, before you get to interview them, you are handed a list of what you can and can't ask.
Ask me anything, anything, I've got an opinion on most things. "However ill-informed my opinion is, at least I've got one."
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Gallagher Attacks Green Day For Ripping Off Wonderwall:
Oasis star Noel Gallagher has accused punk trio Green Day of "ripping off" his Wonderwall anthem for their hit Boulevard Of Broken Dreams.
The British guitarist has been a longtime outspoken critic of the American Idiot hitmakers, but admits he was fuming the first time he heard their 2005 hit.
Gallagher explains, "If you listen, you'll find it is exactly the same arrangement as Wonderwall. "They should have the decency to wait until I am dead (before stealing my songs).
I, at least, pay the people I steal from that courtesy." And the rocker's rant continues: "They consider themselves to be - and I quote - 'a kick-ass rock 'n' roll band'. They could not be less kick-ass if they tried."
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Gallagher Celebrates Nine Drug Free Years
Oasis rocker Noel Gallagher is planning to celebrate his ninth anniversary as a drug-free man in the new year (07).
The Lyla hitmaker quit hard drugs in 1998, but refuses to disclose what aids he has used to keep him clean. He says of his aids, "I am sticking to... I won't tell you what I stick to."
Source: www.contactmusic.com
Noel On Playing In A Fan's House For Jo Whiley's Live Lounge Tour
NME: So you're playing a gig at a fan's house.
Noel: "I'm in Stockport at his house with all his mates and all their mams and dads and various neighbours. Plus a film crew and all that."
What's it like?
"On a scale of one-to-10 in weirdness, it's approaching 11."
Apparently he's got new furniture in to impress you.
"I've got to say it does look like it's just been f***ing bought yesterday. Looks like changing rooms have been in (laughs)."
So no-one's fainted yet?
"No, but they've got about 10 grands worth of food in! More cakes and biscuits than I've ever seen in my entire life."
What is the fan, Ben Hayes, like?
"The kid's a massive Oasis fan. He knows more about it than I do, you know?"
What's he been saying to you?
"We've just been talking about gigs and stuff. But listen, man, I've gotta go there's a man pointing at us..."
Source: NME Magazine
Oasis Ready To Start New Album
The band admit they're ready to record, as Noel Gallagher plays the strangest gig yet on his acoustic tour
Noel Gallagher has declared that Oasis are ready to start on a new album, but says he'll take his time. The guitarist - who contributed new song 'Lord Don't Slow Me Down' to the band's road movie of the same name - admitted he has lots of material ready for a follow-up.
"We had 11 songs left after the last album ['Don't Believe The Truth']. We've got seven that are good and four that are great, so we could crack on tomorrow, but the tour finished in March, which doesn't seem that long ago. It's not long enough away from Liam!"
Despite his break from the band, Noel has kept busy with acoustic sessions, including an impromptu performance last week (December 1) in a fan's house in Stockport for Jo Whiley's Radio 1 show.
Along with his smallest ever gig - which saw him play 'Half The World Away', 'The Importance Of Being Idle' and Don't Look Back In Anger' in Ben Hayes' front room - he also played an acoustic show for Mencap at London's Union Chapel (November 26) and dates in Manchester, Europe, America and Australia.
"It's been great," declared Noel. "The Mencap gig was mega. I really, really enjoyed it. It's good to play the songs we never normally play, like 'Half The World Away' and 'Cast No Shadow', because it's difficult with Liam - you can't cover Liam.
He's like Johnny Rotten. He's one of those singers you fail miserably trying to cover, so I've just stripped some of the songs down and re-arranged them. It's been great, I've really enjoyed it, man. It might give Liam a kind of nudge next time we do a gig, to say like, 'Look, come on, man - let's forget 'Cigarettes & Alcohol' for a bit. Let's do some of these B-sides'."
Noel also said that Oasis' only commitment for 2007, so far, was to pick up a Brit Award recognising Oasis' career so far. "We're doing this thing for the Brits in February," he said. "That's the only thing that's decided. What award are we winning? It's the greatest, outstanding achievement to road safety, as neither Liam and I can drive!"
Meanwhile, his brother Liam, speaking at a fan Q&A, insisted the band have yet to make their perfect album. "I don't believe we have made the perfect record yet," he said. "'Stop The Clocks' is alright, but we haven't got our heads down yet."
Noel however put a limit on Oasis' career, "At 60-odd it might look daft [to be touring]," he said. "It might look a bit silly." Liam though was having none of it, telling his brother: "What else are you going to do? I dare you to split this band up."
The brothers than laid into their contemporaries. "Kasabian are great, they have it," declared Liam. "The rest are just indie bands."
Noel also backed his friends, along with Arctic Monkeys and The Coral, but he was less impressed with 2006's newcomers. "I haven't heard a good album in a while apart from Kasabian's. There's lots od good songs but not albums. But maybe it's good for music - apart from The Horrors who are f***ing s**t!"
His brother admitted Oasis could also be improved if Noel swapped personalities with SpongeBob Squarepants! "I'd ask him for his autograph and a kiss and cuddle," said the singer. "I'd die a happy man!"
Source: NME Magazine
Liam's New Wedding Gest
Prodigy star Keith Flint is marrying Mayumi Kai on Saturday — and I hear he’s invited some unlikely people.
I’m A Celeb weirdo David Gest is due to show up with jungle king Matt Willis.
It was always set to be an odd day with a wildman like Keith getting hitched. But now David’s coming, it will be a freakfest.
The music mogul tells me he met Keith through his bandmate Lism Howlett. And Liam is a good pal of David’s new bosom buddy Liam Gallagher.
I can just see Gestie and Gallagher dancing like twisted Firestarters . . .
Source: www.thesun.co.uk
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)