Oasis Tipped For Top Gong In Confused NME Awards:

Oasis have been named among the top bands in the country by the NME, which has nominated the ageing Manchester rockers for its Best British Band title.

But the Madchester lads have a fair bit of competition from Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Pete Doherty's Babyshambles and Muse, with the winners announced at the NME Awards on March 1st.

There are, however, a few contradictions in the nominations, revealing a certain amount of fickleness in the music industry.

Lily Allen, for instance, is up for Best Solo Artist and Sexiest Woman, but also Worst Dressed and Worst Album, while indie rockers The Kooks are up for Best New Band and also Worst Album.

Both Razorlight and lead singer Johnny Borrell have come in for a bashing from the NME, with Borrell nominated for Villain of the Year and Worst Dressed and the band up for Worst Album and Worst Band.

Source: www.contactmusic.com

More Info On Guitar Exhibit

The event starts in London this week

Guitars played by Noel Gallagher, Kasabian and Franz Ferdinand will all feature at Europe's largest ever guitar exhibition, which kicks off in London later this week (February 2).

The event, called 'Harrods Rocks', takes place at the Harrods store in Knightsbridge from February 2 until March 3.

The collection includes many rare and extremely valuable guitars, both vintage and modern. Other famous names whose guitars are included in the collection include The Edge, Brian Jones, Keith Richards and Marc Bolan.

There will also be a collection of personally customised guitars from the likes of Neil Young, Bono, Duran Duran's Nick Rhodes, Graham Coxon and Jennifer Lopez.

The exhibition space includes an art exhibition featuring the work of Rolling Stones legend Ronnie Wood , who will also be staging his own art installation in one of Harrods' main windows.

Further information is available now at www.harrods.com

Source: www.nme.com

Shockwaves NME Awards 2007: Best British Band Nominations

The nominations for Best British Band at this year's Shockwaves NME Awards have been announced tonight (January 29).

This year's awards will pit relative newcomers like Arctic Monkeys alongside legends like Oasis.

The full nominations are:

Arctic Monkeys
Babyshambles
Kasabian
Muse
Oasis

Source: www.nme.com

Bag Your Free BRITs Mag Today!

The Official BRIT Awards magazine 2007 is out today. It’s filled to the brim with exclusive features, and includes unique interviews with this year’s top acts. From Outstanding Contribution To Music recipients Oasis to the Comeback Kings Take That, we’ve got ‘em all — plus Corinne Bailey Rae, Lily Allen, Snow Patrol, Razorlight and more! There’s even a sneaky peek at what host Russell Brand’s planning for the big night…

Getting hold of a copy is easy. Just pop down to you local High Street music retailer, and 68 pages of behind-the-scenes BRITs news could be yours. Stockists include HMV, Woolworths, WH Smith and Virgin. Be quick… or they’ll be gone!

BRITs magazine stockists
Woolworths
Virgin Megastores
ASDA
WHSmith
Sainsburys
O2
Choices UK
Borders UK Ltd
FOPP
Plus over 50 Independent stores...

Source: www.thebrits.co.uk

The BRITs Are Coming

Hurrah! Worry no more — you have a hot date for Valentine’s day!

Yep, you can forget booking a table at the most expensive restaurant table in town. All you’ve gotta do is just settle down on the sofa — this is your invite to the biggest event of the music industry year!

The BRIT Awards 2007 will be broadcast on ITV1 on Wednesday February 14. The completely live show is hosted by man-of-the-moment Russell Brand, so you can expect some off-the-wall-moments as well as memorable performances by the biggest names in showbiz.

We’ve already arranged a truly unique set from Oasis, winners of our Outstanding Contribution To Music award. To see Liam, Noel, and loads more gob-smacking performers, just tune in! And if you can’t wait, keep logged on to brits.co.uk. We’re first for big BRITs exclusives!

UK TV Times

The BRITs Are Coming

Presented by Fearne Cotton — watch the teaser
Show #1: Sat 20 Jan 4.10pm, ITV 1
Repeated: Tue 23 Jan 11pm, ITV 1

Show #2: Sat 27 Jan 4.40pm, ITV 1
Repeated: Tue 30 Jan 11pm, ITV 1

Show #3: Sat 3 Feb 1.15pm, ITV 1
Repeated: Tue 6 Feb 11pm, ITV 1

Show #4: Sat 10 Feb 4.30pm, ITV 1
Repeated: Tues 13 Feb 11.00pm, ITV 1

The BRITs Red Carpet
Presented by Matt Willis
Wed 14 Feb 7pm, ITV 2

The BRIT Awards 2007 — LIVE
Presented by Russell Brand — watch the teaser
Wed 14 Feb 8pm, ITV 1

The BRITs 2007 Encore
Presented by Matt Willis
Wed 14 Feb 10pm, ITV 2

The BRITs Backstage
Presented by Fearne Cotton
Fri 16 Feb 11pm, ITV 1

International TV And Radio
To be announced…

Source: www.brits.co.uk

Noel Gallagher Interview On Rock TV 2 Live & Two Songs

Thanks to DabrowHymn

Noel Gallagher & Paul Weller In German Rollingstone Magazine

Thanks To James for the scans.

Manchester Band Is United

England’s glory, Oasis, the Beatles of the ‘90s and beyond, introduce their double-disc greatest hits album Stop the Clocks with Rock and Roll Star.

It’s a smart and fitting choice, for nobody embraced the benefits of success better in their heyday than these cocky Brits.

This song is the aural equivalent of the Oasis attitude: brash, confident, celebratory and enjoyably arrogant. Like most of Oasis’ popular cuts, it has a raw, melodic cut mated to the strutting riffs.

And of course it has Liam Gallagher’s classic call, part appeal and proclamation. This style has won Oasis legions of fans, and the spectacle of the Gallagher brothers’ escapades has been a welcome diversion from the whiny ‘90s and the angst-ridden ‘00s.

These lads from Manchester openly draw their inspiration from the front of rock immortality, The Beatles. They do resemble the Fab Four in a sonic sense, but have stamped their own raucous melodic edge on the style. They play like they believe in themselves and have faith in the good time liberation that their rock brings to the believer.

If one follows the British rock scene, there’s always been a dividing line between bands from London and its suburbs and the rest of the country (or island, for that matter.) For a period in the ‘80s and ‘90s Manchester had a certain zeitgeist and became the new Liverpool, and the focus of a cool Britannia feeling that hadn’t been seen since the bright times of swinging London in the ‘60s. Manchester spawned influential groups such as The Stone Roses, The Smiths, Inspiral Carpets, (whom Noel Gallagher roadied for) and then Oasis. Did I forget The Bee Gees? That was a different decade!

There are others, but I can’t remember ‘em.

There might be something in the water in that northern town. It’s entirely in keeping with Oasis’ proud regionalism that they released a double hits CD.

It occurred to me in listening a few times to both sides that many people won’t be familiar with some of these songs. Songs such as The Importance of Being Idle, which sounds like it might’ve been conceived in 1965, but recorded in 2005. That notion might well apply to Oasis in general. But no matter, these are very smartly written and inspired-sounding pieces of song and production.

When Wonderwall comes drifting in after The Importance... then you can hear the effect and drive of the group’s spirit, and begin to connect the dots. The mood of Wonderwall is so strong that it can’t really be ignored whether you like the song or not. This is the same for Oasis’ music overall.

Every song on Stop the Clocks is written, played and presented as if it’s a huge hit waiting to be discovered, even though some of the material sounds unfamiliar. The songs have a sense of the grand and the gritty that can cause shrugging of the shoulders and acceptance of Oasis’ lofty ambitions and dreams. They have believability and their songs reflect this. Anyone else probably would have been content with a single disc hit release, but with 18 songs of this caliber it doesn’t matter. They fill the spaces with big numbers and stately noises.

Cigarettes and Alcohol defines their piratical and well-meaning takeover of rock and roll from the navel-gazing and over-sensitive concerns of the grunge era.

Supersonic and Acquiesce similarly carry themselves in a head-held-high swagger that rolls along like doors opening off a drab street into a pub pulsing with energy.

In The Masterplan they use this bold stroke in a different fashion, utilizing sparkling guitar hooks and acoustic textures.

This is the other side of Oasis; the yearning far-reaching spirit that inhabits Don’t Look Back in Anger, which could be an English football chant realized in music.

This liberating sound has been suggested as the real British national anthem, and contains the essence of what one writer calls “English Soul.” That could be a realistic summing up of Oasis’ sound and appeal.

Source: www.vernonmorningstar.com

Paul Weller And Noel Gallagher Interviewed Together For German Rolling Stone Magazine

They have been friendly for years, but never however gave an interview together. In our Britpop summit meeting, Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher talk about good music, bad fashion and the light that never goes out...

Source: www.rollingstone.de

A Chance To Get Brit Awards Tickets

Tickets for the Brit Awards on February 14th, can be purchased Here for £65 by seetickets.com and are only available to MasterCard holders.

Source: www.seetickets.com

Billy No Mates Of The Pop World

Fast becoming the Billy No Mates of the pop world, Keane have taken another lashing.

This time Noel Gallagher's had a pop, calling them c****. "I've said it before and I'll say it again," he rages.

We think it's time Tom Chaplin and boys (whose fab gig earlier in the week is on Virgin Radio today) stuck up for themselves. C'mon, boys, are you men or mice?

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Kasabian's Empire Building

Look in the mirror and what do Kasabian see? Oasis, apparently.

Though one is from Leicester and the other from Manchester the two bands are, according to Kasabian at least, mirror images.

It all comes to light when Kasabian guitarist Serge Pizzorno reveals the day he knew his band was going to make it - "The moment we started," he says.

"There's been a sequence of events that just had to happen. I don't believe in God, but something's happening, some sort of fate, some road that's already been laid. It was never gonna be any other way."

One of these fated things, apparently, was winning the praise and friendship of their heroes in Oasis.

"Seriously, that was in our path, it was just gonna happen," bassist Chris Edwards says.

"We always knew one day they'd get to hear our music and something'd happen - we'd get to meet 'em and even to know 'em.

"So for them to invite us out on tour and to get on with them as well as we have, and to be such similar bands without even knowing it..."

"It's eerie," Pizzorno agrees. "Especially with Oasis."

Just like Oasis's Noel Gallagher, Pizzorno is guitarist and songwriter. What else do they have in common?

"Erm, same taste in shoes and clothes," Pizzorno says.

The lanky Pizzorno surely has a shoe size or two on the pint-sized Gallagher, however.

"He's an 8, I'm an 11."

As for the rest, Edwards says Kasabian singer Tom Meighan "is exactly the same as Liam. Even when they'd never met it was 'F---ing hell, how much are these alike?' You know, eccentric lunatic. Tom's got more confidence than you can put in a man's body!"

Drummer Ian Matthews, Pizzorno suggests, is "like Moon and Starkey".

Second guitarist Jay Mehler is a dead musical ringer for Oasis's Gem - "he'll have a go at everything and he can play it," Edwards says.

"And then Andy Bell's like me, he just sits back and plays his stuff, just chilled out."

This formula, they declare, has worked for all the "rock 'n' roll superpowers" - everyone from Oasis to the Stones to the Who.

The problem is when one band has two of the same personality types. One Liam and one Noel? Fine. Two Liams? Disaster.

"You know straight away when there's two of the same person, you're f---ed," Pizzorno says.

Kasabian, who formed in 1997, had just such a problem between albums one and two.

Guitarist Chris Karloff, a founding member who played on their 2004 self-titled debut, was given his marching orders just as they began work on their follow-up, Empire.

Pizzorno describes the departure as a case of "when you don't want to go out with your bird any more, you treat her like s---, because you've got neither the balls to get out yourself. That's exactly what it was, in honesty."

Though their debut had a handful of strong moments (LSF, Club Foot, Processed Beats and Reason is Treason) and sold well in the UK, it didn't necessarily suggest a band with a long life span.

Pizzorno knew the perception was out there, but also knew that Empire (released late last year) would blow the lid off it all.

"We knew what we had in our hands and we were like right, 'OK, see what you make of this then, you wankers'.

"It's always been a people's band, as in the media didn't help. They wrote about it, but they didn't tell it how it really was.

"They just thought we were mouthy idiots, they didn't know what we were doin'."

Kasabian's reputation for living the rock 'n' roll lifestyle didn't help.

"It seems to me you're taken more seriously if you're miserable, but I just think they're idiots," Pizzorno spits.

"They thought we were rehashing the Manchester scene from the '80s and '90s," Edwards offers.

"Every time we told 'em 'Look, when this music was out we were like eight years old'."

Instead, Kasabian's aim was to "make psychedelic dance music", Pizzorno says. "The combination of making a record sound like the Beatles, DJ Shadow and the Chemical Brothers.

"We just happen to be out there on our own. Love us or hate us, there's no one like us. That's great."

Empire turned out to be a UK No.1. Has it changed the band's already lofty goals?

"When we started, it was wanting to be the biggest band in the world," Pizzorno says.

"But you don't really know what that means when you first start. But you need to believe it, need to think it, need to aim for it."

Now, his aims are simpler.

"Just to carry on, just to continue making good albums.

"And just to stick together, with each other, 'cos I don't like a lot of people, and I like these lot.

"We're lucky 'cos you get to do these amazing things with the people that are dear to you. So it's great coming to Australia - but without me mates... I want me mates."

Source: www.news.com.au

Noel Sits Down With Stuff Magazine

After 10-plus years of rocking, rolling, snorting, drinking, yelling and fighting (not to mention writing some of the best rock songs ever recorded), Oasis are releasing their much-awaited best-of collection, Stop the Clocks. We caught up with the (slightly) less potty-mouthed songwriting half of the Gallagher brothers and listened to him talk a whole lot of shit. Our apologies to Green Day.

STUFF: When was the moment you realized you could play in a rock ’n’ roll band for a living?

NOEL: I can’t remember that far back, really, but now that I think about it, it would be around the time I wrote “Live Forever.” That’s a fuckin’ good tune, man.

You wrote that in your bedroom around ’91, right? You hadn’t made it yet at that point.

No, we didn’t even have a record deal. I’d written most of Definitely Maybe before I wrote “Live Forever,” but once I wrote that, I said to myself, “This is undeniably fucking great.”

Who’s the first person you played it for?

A very uninterested girlfriend, I think. But then I took it to the boys during a rehearsal, and we all knew that was it.

All these years later, what do you think the appeal of Oasis is?

I’d probably say it’s my seemingly never-ending good looks and Liam’s charming behavior. I don’t know, to be honest. I’d like to think it’s the music, but I don’t know.

We read that you didn’t want Stop the Clocks to come out while Oasis were still together. Does it feel weird to have fans look back at your work even though you’re still making music and performing?

Every time we put a new record out, people are always looking at us retrospectively. There’s always a new generation of fans and journalists who want to give their take on the massive phenomenon that is Oasis.

You’ve said that you wanted to handpick the songs that went on it because if the record company did it, the album would be “shit.” Did you get any heat from your label for choosing B-sides and songs that weren’t commercial singles for Stop the Clocks?

I guess. I mean, at the end of the day, I did it my way, but there were a few mutterings behind the scenes and all that. But really, fuck those people. What do they know? They didn’t write “Live Forever”—or even “Acquiesce,” for that matter.

Usually when a band puts out a best-of album or a live album, it’s to fulfill their contract to their label. Was this released to make good on your deal?

You’re a sharp one. We fulfilled our contract with Epic when we did Don’t Believe the Truth, but they were going to do this “best of” anyway. So it was really a choice between getting involved and making it great or standing over on the sidelines and waiting to slag it off when it was released.

Do you have any regrets about your records? We know Be Here Now didn’t quite turn out the way you wanted it to.

Well, most of the songs are too long and some of the lyrics aren’t too well thought out. And of course some of the tunes on Standing on the Shoulder of Giants are a bit shit. But they’re all perfect expressions of their time, and you can’t change them, so why worry about it?

What would you say was the high point of Oasis’ most decadent behavior? There’s that famous story about the show in L.A. in ’94 when some of the band allegedly took a shitload of crystal meth and you stormed out. Was that sort of stuff common back then?

Well, first off, 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. But in regard to the drug thing, it was omnipresent.

Was there ever a point when you said to yourself, “This shit is wild”?

Well, when you look at yourself in the mirror at 7 A.M., wearing big fucking round sunglasses and a black fur coat with a fucking 50-pound note up your nose, and you say, “Yeah, man, this is what it’s all about,” you might be a bit fucked.

Can you give me a ballpark figure on how much money Oasis spent on drugs in the ’90s?

[Long pause] I couldn’t even calculate it.

A million pounds?

Whoa, man. I mean, a million pounds is a lot of fuckin’ money. But it’s got to be at least half a million. Wait, what the fuck am I saying—it’s got to be more than that. Just print 10 million. Put it next to my picture: “I blew $10 million on drugs!”

Are there any bands around today that you think need to be put in their place?

Green Day. What the fuck’s that all about? 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.

What about them do you find so reprehensible?

They’re obviously a corporate punk band—and they ripped off one of my songs!

Which one?

[Sings] “I walk these lonely streets…” Fucking “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”! If you listen, you’ll find it is exactly the same arrangement as “Wonderwall.”

We don’t know if you’re one to point fingers about knicking riffs from other groups.

Yeah, but not whole songs! They should have the decency to wait until I am dead. I at least pay the people I steal from that courtesy.

Source: Stuff Magazine

Liam Would Love To Be A Contestant On Countdown

Rock hardman Liam Gallagher is a huge fan of Countdown and would love to be a contestant. The Oasis frontman confessed to host Carol Vorderman that he is a massive fan of the Channel Four show. Carol told Reveal magazine: "Liam told me he gets really excited when there are loads of consonants." She added, bizarrely, that Liam loves it when the letter C and D come up, adding: "CD is his special word."

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Oasis: Glamour Isn't Our Style

Oasis have ignored calls from Brit Award bosses to glamorise their finale performance at next month's ceremony, insisting it's not their style.

The group will receive the Outstanding Contribution to Music Award at the event on 14 February and are set to close the show with a medley of their hits.

Noel Gallagher says, "We won't do anything special because that's not the way we are. "But I guess some clown will have dressed up the stage with a fancy backdrop and we'll get the hump."

The bands' request for a full set was turned down by the event organisers, with the group allocated 15 minutes for their performance.

Gallagher adds, "We might do three or possibly just two songs. "I don't mind because our songs are quite long. If we were the Arctic Monkeys we'd be able to do about six."

Source: www.itv.com

Banner Competition Results

We received a great number of entries, some with technically amazing graphics, and the final decision was tough.

But there can only be one winner, and that winner is Miss Karina Marin of Mexico.

Big thanks to Francois Kanouni, Mark Riley, Jorge Arriagada Sanchez, Jenny Reardon, Derek Wilkinson, Maria Soledad Zapico, Alex Payne, Marlene & Yessica Vergara, Marc Simons, Eliana Fern¡ndez, Jennifer L. Zwolak, Daniela Chocobares, Bill & Oasisbrother for taking the time to enter.

Some of the 100 banners I received during the competion.

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20

I will be using all of the entry's I received around the site, thanks again for all you're entries.

Europes Largest Guitar Exhibition To Be Held At Harrods

"Born To Rock: The Life and Times of the Electric Guitar", Europe's biggest guitar exhibition, will open at Harrods on 2nd February to 3rd March 2007.

The exhibition will feature over 150 guitars, including “The Frying Pan” – the world’s fist electric guitar. The idea for the event came from the “RockCouture” collection, a set of 50 stunning and unique electric guitars, which have been personally customised by some of the biggest names in fashion, music and design. This includes the likes of Bono, Patrick Cox, David LaChappele, Jennifer Lopez and Theo Fennel and many more.

The Born to Rock will also showcase many rare and extremely valuable guitars, both vintage and modern. Visitors will also get the chance to get up close to the guitars, played by artists such as Brian Jones, The Velvet Underground and Noel Gallagher.

After the exhibition the RockCouture guitars will be auctioned off to charities.

For further information on how you can bid for the RockCouture guitars visit www.borntorock.tv

Source: www.ukmusic.com

Noel: We'll Roll With It At Brits

Noel Gallagher says his band Won't make a special effort for their top spot at the Brit Awards.

The ultra-cool songwriting legend says Oasis will just rock up and play, despite organisers’ best efforts to make things glitzy.

Noel said: “We won’t do anything special because that’s not the way we are. But I guess some clown will have dressed up the stage with a fancy backdrop and we’ll get the hump.”

The band wanted a full set but are only being allowed 15 minutes. Noel added: “We might do three or possibly just two songs. I don’t mind because our songs are quite long. If we were the Arctic Monkeys we’d be able to do about six.”

Oasis will get the Outstanding Contribution Award and close the show on February 14 in London’s Earls Court.

It’s sure to be a superb end to the Brits. And the mad fer it Mancunian has promised to stir things up.

He added: “I love the big awards ceremonies because there’s always someone there you can antagonise.” Jarvis Cocker, who stormed the stage during Michael Jackson's Earth Song in 2000, has been nominated for Best Male.

He said: “Last time, I left there in a police van so I hope not to leave in the same circumstances.”
So with Noel, Jarvis and hell-raiser Amy Winehouse in the same room we should be in for some explosive entertainment.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Noel Gallagher Is Mad Fur It

Oasis hardman Noel Gallagher has become addicted to a wildlife programme — about Meerkats.

The usually wild rocker revealed he was mad about the furry stars of a TV nature series.

When asked if he was still a hellraiser, Noel replied: “Mostly I sit at home with my daughter Anais watching Meerkat Manor.”

The series, narrated by Love Actually star Bill Nighy, follows a group of the sociable animals living in southern Africa’s Kalahari Desert.

The “Whiskers” family is made up of Flower, Shakespeare, Daisy and Carlos.

And millions across the world have been tuning in as cameras capture every family squabble and “love affair”.

Wild side ... Noel is huge fan

The 12in-tall critters live in burrows and survive on a diet of worms, insects and lizards. They are the subject of a ten-year study by Cambridge University.

In the US, chat show queen Oprah Winfrey has admitted she is a big fan. And Hollywood legend Whoopi Goldberg even called producers and asked if a meerkat could be named after her.

Noel, 39 — famed with Brother Liam for saying “mad fer it” — has been watching the show on DVDs and the Discovery Channel.

He has been glued to the screen at his London home with little Anais, who celebrates her sixth birthday next week. But from tomorrow night the rest of Britain can enjoy the series when it is launched on BBC2 at 6.10pm.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Enjoy The View, Oasis For The MySpace Age

"Noel Gallagher came and listened to us when we were mastering the EP at the studios," beams Kyle in his munching-gravel voice. "He thought it was cool."

Quite an accolade for the group that originally converged at their local Catholic school as a covers band, blitzing through a repertoire that included "The Beatles, The Stone Roses and Oasis".

None of the members are older than 20 (the average age is 18), and look so alarmingly young, you'd imagine their favourite chat-up line ends in "up a tree K-I-S-S-I-N-G".

Up and down the land, they're connecting with teenagers, with tunes that razzle with humour and charm. Wherever they go - even when they nip to the urinal for a discreet pee - they find themselves assailed by the signature terrace-chant of "The View! The View! The View are on fire!"

Their popularity, considers Kyle, is partly a reaction to art-pop and indie-karaoke bands that were prevalent at the time such as Franz Ferdinand and Kaiser Chiefs.

"We were very influenced by bands like Oasis and the way The Libertines went about things on stage, treating it like it was like nothing else, rather than standing there and pouting. I think that's what The Libertines changed: for the audience to be at one with the stage."

"We're a working class band - we lead the same lives the audience leads. People can look at us and know that could be them up there."

Source: www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk