Vote For Oasis' Top 20 Songs

Last reminder that Anna Patching and Tom Earle will be playing listeners' top 20 OASIS songs on Saturday 7 June, 10pm UK time - only here on Phoenix FM.

During the show they will be mentioning listeners' favourite charts and other Oasis facts and figures.

How can I vote?

Easy - click here and scroll down the page and you'll see the voting form.

We need you to choose your TOP TEN songs in order.

The votes will then be added up (1st=10pts, 2nd=9pts etc) and a full chart will be shown on the page after the show - on which we'll be playing the top 20 as voted by YOU.

Where can I hear it? If you're in Brentwood and Billericay - tune your wireless to 98.0FM.

If you live outside the area (or even if you don't) you can listen on the Internet by clicking here.

That's enough questions ... now vote!

Paul Weller Had Some Friends Join Him In London Last Night

Paul Weller had some very special guests join him on stage last night at the Hammersmith Apollo in London.

Gem Archer joined the Modfather onstage and played guitar on 'Echo's Round The Sun'. Later in the evening Noel Gallagher arrived onstage for a final encore of 'All You Need Is Love' Noel played guitar and backing vocals.

Roger Daltry also joined Paul onstage and helped out by playing harmonica and doing some vocals on The Who's classic 'Magic Bus'.

Photographs and video from the gig will follow.

Top Boy Stevie Gets Billy Gig

Bizarre Best Actor 2007 Stephen Graham has landed another big role – playing football legend Billy Bremner.

Like his scouse namesake Stevie G, the actor is pulling on his boots to play the flame-haired fiery Scotsman in a film about eccentric former Nottingham Forest gaffer Brian Clough.

The flick, The Damned United, is about when Ol’ Big ’Ead briefly took over the reins at Elland Road to manage Leeds United.

I bumped into Stevie G at The Met Bar in London on Thursday night. The wee man was chatting to me in his best Scottish accent in preparation for his part.

He said: “I’m made up about it. I’ve got the wig to look like Billy. I’m doing football training too. He was a proper legend.”

Stevie was out with Noel Gallagher, Gem Archer and Andy Bell from Oasis plus a collection of characters from music and film.

Noel’s missus Sara Macdonald was looking cracking in shoes that the girls in the office were drooling over.

After a tear-up in the Met Bar, the hordes headed off to Bungalow 8 to carry on the party until 4am.

Inside, Noel and Stevie had a chinwag with Sopranos star James Gandolfini.

He looked like he didn’t understand a word they were saying in their broad Manc and Scouse.

Tony wasn’t too bothered mind as neither of them were whacked.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Celebs Out For The Take That Musical

Gary Barlow and co may have kept a wide berth but Take That fever still hit London last night.

A star-studded audience including Noel Gallagher, Denise Van Outen, Peaches Geldof, Ross Kemp, Michelle Collins and Johnny Vaughan were dancing in the aisles at the premiere of the Take That musical Never Forget at the Savoy Theatre.

The cheesy stage show is not based on the real band but it’s set to be a sure-fire hit.

It’s been on a tour of the UK but will now remain in London’s West End for eight months.

The crowd were in stitches as the stars rattled out a wide selection of Take That’s greatest hits including Pray, Relight My Fire, Could It Be Magic and, of course, Never Forget.

There were huge cheers from the audience when a huge curtain of water fell on the cast during Back For Good.

Other standout moments included a huge wall of fire and a raunchy scene set in a strip club.

A medley of Take That’s hits brought a standing ovation form the crowd at the end.

Denise Van Outen told The Sun: “I’m a huge Take That fan and the boys certainly did the songs justice. In fact it made me realise quite how good Take That are as a boy band.

"The dancing and singing were excellent.”

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Andy Abraham Says Oasis Should Enter The Eurovision

The UK's Eurovision entry Andy Abraham has revealed he thinks Oasis should enter the Eurovision Song Contest.

In 1998, rumours suggested Oasis chief Noel Gallagher wanted single All Around The World to be entered in the competition then last year the BBC engaged in failed talks with Morrissey to write an entry.

Now Abraham says that perhaps it's time for Brit indie acts to get involved to give us a better chance of winning.

He said: "If Oasis and Morrissey got involved in Eurovision the credibility would go up tenfold, I think, in this country. I was hoping that Liam [Gallagher] would get involved and kind of do his antics on stage and everything."

Andy competes in this year's Eurovision, which takes place tomorrow.

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Chris Martin In Be Here Row

There are raised eyebrows in the Oasis camp over Coldplays’s decision to release their new album on a Thursday.

Chris Martin and Co hope their upcoming Viva La Vida will topple Oasis’ 11-year reign with Be Here Now as the fastest-selling British record.

But the Manchester band’s team believe Coldplay are stealing their idea to do it.

Be Here Now sold almost 700,000 copies in the first three days of sale in 1997.

Oasis released it on a Thursday — rather than the usual Monday — with three days of manic sales enough to catapult it to No1. Coldplay are doing the same with Viva La Vida, out on June 12.

Their last album, X&Y, is currently second on the fastest-selling list.

An Oasis source said: “Some people reckon Coldplay have nicked their successful blueprint from Be Here Now to try to break the record.”

But an insider in the Coldplay camp said: “The band decided to release the album on a Thursday to bring it in line with the rest of Europe.

“Oasis was never an influence.” I’m looking forward to seeing how many copies they shift.

It’ll be massive ... but I think the Oasis figure is a big ask.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

The Littlest Gallagher Flashes Dad's Trademark Two-Finger Salute

The apple certainly doesn't fall far from the tree in the Gallagher family.

Oasis star Liam Gallagher's youngest son Gene appears to have picked up a rather bad habit from the notoriously hot-tempered rocker.

The seven-year-old shocked onlookers with his two-finger salute as he left London's Nobu restaurant with his father yesterday.

As well as aping Gallagher Senior's well document hostility towards the paparazzi, who also sported a bowl hair cut just like the singer and matching black leather jacket, jeans and trainers.

Liam, who married Gene's mother Nicole Appleton this year in a low-key Valentine's Day ceremony, also has a son Lennon, 8, from his failed marriage to Patsy Kensit and a 10-year-old daughter Molly with singer Lisa Moorish.

Gene is not the first celebrity's son to show a rebellious streak.

Just last month David Beckham's youngest son Cruz, 3, gave the crowd a piece of his mind as he stuck up his middle finger during a family outing in Los Angeles.

Source: dailymail.co.uk & Rex Features

Pete Doherty Covers Oasis' Whatever At Glasgow Barrowlands

Post-prison, Doherty’s short notice gig at Glasgow Barrowlands was eagerly anticipated by his legion of devoted fans.

Pete played a storming set and finished off the night with a nod to his recent release from prison with Oasis hit 'Whatever', the crowd went wild as Pete strutted around onstage, before nodding to fans, waving and skimming his trilby into the frenzied gaggle of people.

Echoes Round The Sun

Paul Weller is back with his latest offering 'Echoes Round The Sun'.

It's a collaboration between the original modfather and Oasis' duo Noel Gallagher and Gem Archer.

The tune itself actually stems from a melody that Gallagher had for a while but he'd never been able to do anything with.

It will be released alongside 'Have You Made Up Your Mind' which are the first two singles from Weller's upcoming double solo album '22 dreams', released on June 2.

Other guests to appear on the album include Graham Coxon, Little Barrie and ex-Stone Roses guitarist Aziz Ibra.

Source: www.dailystar.co.uk

New Oasis Album Out In September

Noel Gallagher yet again joined Russell Brand on his weekly BBC Radio 2 show by phone for the usual shenanigans.

They talk about a number of diverse subjects that include, Winning a Sony Radio Award, Russell's Booky Wook, Noel's ego and more.

Noel also confirmed "September" for the release of the new Oasis album, but refused to be drawn on the exact date, claiming "his manager" would tell him off for messing up the launch by letting the date just slip out.

Russell was winding him up by saying things like "Ooh, it'll be as exciting as the release of the new Harry Potter book and Grand Theft Auto"!

You can listen to the show again by clicking here, you can also download the podcast from Tuesday.

Don't Look Back In Anger

Kanu's first-half goal won the FA Cup for Portsmouth against my beloved Cardiff City at Wembley yesterday to claim the trophy for the first time since 1939.

The final was given a magnificent backdrop by both clubs' noisy and colourful fans who clearly wanted to make the most of their moment in the limelight.

Photo Credit: Myself

Acts Invited To Follow In Oasis And Coldplay's Footsteps

In The City registration opens

Acts have been invited to submit demos for the In The City music festival - which was founded by the late Tony Wilson.

The Manchester music conference, which takes place between October 5-7 is this year, is going under the Wilson-esque heading "It's All About The Music, Stupid".

The annual event is a regular showcase for unsigned talent, with the likes of Oasis, Coldplay and Arctic Monkeys taking part in previous years.

Bands wanting to take part should submit a minimum of three tracks, a biography and photo, which should be sent to: In The City, Unit 8, Brewery Year 0Deva Centre, Trinity Way, Salford, Manchester M3 7BB.

Head to Inthecity.co.uk for more information or to register online.

Source:www.nme.com

On This Day In Oasis History...

"Lyla" was the first single from British band Oasis' sixth album Don't Believe the Truth, released on May 16 2005.

The song was written by Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher, who has varyingly described the track as "specifically designed for pogoing", "annoyingly catchy", and the “poppiest thing since "Roll With It". Noting the varied influences of the song, Gallagher says that it's "a bit like... The Soundtrack of Our Lives doing The Who on Skol in a psychedelic city in the sky, or something".

However critics have argued that "Lyla" is perhaps more than simply influenced by other bands, noting the striking similarities between the song and "Confrontation Camp" by The Soundtrack of Our Lives and to a lesser extent "Street Fighting Man" by the Rolling Stones. The first line of the song reinforces the notion that the song was also partially inspired by The La's.

Noel has also joked with the fact that the Lyla in the song is actually the sister of the Sally mentioned in the Oasis single "Don't Look Back in Anger".

Admitting that he isn't very fond of the song, Noel has said that "Lyla" isn’t "even the fifth best track on the album". The song had existed as a demo since the early recording sessions for the album but was all but forgotten until practically the last minute.

Noel says that the song existed in an early form as a song called "Sing" and dated from the Heathen Chemistry-era. He also says that the title for the final song should have been "Smiler", but was changed seeing as guitarist Gem Archer's previous band, Heavy Stereo, also had a song called "Smiler".

Sony's insistence that it should be released as the first single from the album has helped to fuel the tension between the band and their record label, which has led to Oasis not renewing their contract with the record label following the release of Don't Believe the Truth.



"Lyla" became the band's seventh UK number one when it reached top spot in its first week of release. The song also debuted at #31 on the US Modern Rock Tracks chart and has reached #19 since then. It is the first Oasis song to appear on any US singles chart since 2000.

When performing on the UK music chart show Top of the Pops, Liam, who was forced to mime to the music, made no secret of the fact, walking away from the microphone with his mouth closed mid-way through lines that he was supposedly 'singing'. It would be Liam's last performance on the programme before its demise in late 2006. However, Noel and the rest of the band would return in August 2005 to perform "The Importance of Being Idle."

The song leaked on the internet during late March 2005, weeks before its May release date, after an unauthorised early airing on Polish radio station Radiowej Trójce.

'Lyla' was covered by Foo Fighters during a performance at BBC Studios.

The song is included on Oasis' compilation album Stop the Clocks. It is also included in FIFA 06 as a track.

Source: Wikipedia

Bonehead And Pete Macleod Acoustic Tour

Me and Pete Macleod are going out on tour in November, with dates in the UK, Scotland and Greece. Dates and venues to be confirmed, but looks like the tour will start at Brixton Jamm.

I will be DJ'ing at selected venues after the live set.

Don't know when we'll get the chance to rehearse, Pete lives in L.A, seems like a good reason to visit the States for a couple of weeks!!

Keep checking this page for more details, or have a look on Petes page www.myspace/petesolomusic where you can check out some of the tunes.
Bonehead.

Source: Boneheads Myspace Page

Supersonic Night In Milan

Ex Oasis member Bonehead will be spinning some tunes at a very special night that is being organised by Italian Oasis fans in Milan.

The night is being Organised by www.wonderwall.it & www.oasisnews.it and is on May 24th at Limelight, Via Castelbarco 11, Zona Porta, Lodovica, Milan.

Click here for more information and tickets.

Thanks to Fabio

Robbie Williams Drummer Joins His Enemies Oasis

He's been on strike for four months without anyone noticing... and now Robbie Williams has lost his drummer.

And to add insult to serious injury, Chris Sharrock has joined Oasis, whose mainman Noel Gallagher once dismissed Rob as 'the fat dancer from Take That'.

After parting ways with Zak Starkey - son of ex-Beatle Ringo Starr - the Manc rockers approached Chris.

We're told: "Oasis and Robbie have an ongoing feud. This move is sure to infuriate Robbie.

"Everyone thinks Chris has had enough of sitting on the picket line and not playing music.

"Oasis aren't striking against anyone so at least he'll be getting a bit of action now!"

Another cymbal of The Blobster's decline...

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Versus Cancer: Special Event

Friday May 23rd 2008 sees The Ritz on Whitworth Street, Manchester play host to a very special event...

'Thanks, Pranks and Party Pants' is a party hosted by Versus Cancer's Andy Rourke and Nova Rehman to show their appreciation for everyone who has contributed to the success of Versus Cancer since its launch in 2006, with all proceeds from the night going to Versus Cancer.

By happy coincidence the bank holiday weekend is also Nova Rehman's birthday and the line up ensures that this is one birthday celebration that will be talked about for a long time to come.

The party sees sets from local bands Frazer King and Our Fold, upcoming Manchester band Rambo and Leroy and legendary bass player Jah Wobble, performing ahead of his Chinese Dub tour. Badly Drawn Boy will perform with Andy Rourke.

The Sun and the Moon featuring ex Chameleons Mark Burgess and John Lever will be playing twenty years on from their first gig as The Sun and the Moon in the same venue DJs Dermo (Northside) and Tin Tin will be on hand to provide the tunes between sets.

Versus Cancer is known for its unique collaborations and this event is no different with some exciting collaborations planned as birthday surprises to include Aziz Ibrahim, from Ian Brown's band.

Ian McCulloch of Echo and the Bunnymen will complete the line up. In keeping with the theme of the evening he celebrates thirty years of The Bunnymen this year.

Tickets are released through seetickets.com on Friday 9th May and are priced at £12.

Thank you for your support and we hope you enjoy the show.

The Versus Cancer Team

Don't Believe The Tunes

Oasis man not worried about new songs being leaked because they're only "old" versions.

Oasis fans got a major hint as to what the band's seventh studio album could sound like, after new songs by them leaked online last week. 'I wanna Live A Dream (In My Record Machine)', 'Nothing On Me' and 'Stop the Clocks', which the band's leader Noel Gallagher had previously said are in contention for the new record, rapidly spread around messsage boards and sites such as YouTube and MySpace.

The demos were actually part of a batch of nine, including versions of songs that ended up on 'Don't Believe The Truth'

In face NME bumped into Noel in London on the day of the leak (May 6), and the guitarist did not appear to be too bothered due to the age of the demos. Confirming they dated back to sessions for his band's last album, the Oasis chief just declared they were "old", adding that none of those versions are destined for the new album.

However, the emergence of the three new songs does provide insights into the sort of music being considered for the new album, suggesting a psychedelic feel. 'Stop The Clocks', played live once by Noel in 2003 at the Zanzibar in Liverpool, is in the strung out, psychedelic mould of the La's 'Looking Glass', with 'I Wanna Live A Dream...' in a similar vein. Meanwhile 'Nothin' On Me', written by Liam in 2002 in a German police cell and borrowing heavily from Lennon's 'Gimme Some Truth' is raw, bluesy and, like all Liam's song brief.

NME Says...

They might be fresh, but these new songs are getting us very excited about Oasis' next album. Songs such as 'The Importance Of Being Idle' on 'Don't Believe The Truth' proved a watershed as Oasis broadened out beyond their trademark anthems. The psychedelic hints that these new songs drop suggest that Noel and co are now really going to push forward. We can't wait until the autumn.

Source: NME Magazine

In This Weeks NME Magazine

Noel Gallagher tells us why he’s not worried about Oasis’s tunes being leaked online.

Source: www.nme.com

Liam Shows He's Very Picky

Who said Liam Gallagher wasn’t a man of many talents?

Here’s proof the Oasis frontman can multi-task.

Not only can he pick his nose and suck his thumb at the same, he also manages to stroll with wife Nicole.

He also had a good scratch of his nether regions.

I expected to see steam coming out of his ears.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk