Mop Idol

Liam Gallagher's weird obsession with cartoon character SpongeBob SquarePants has reached worrying new, er, depths.

The Oasis frontman has commissioned an artist to paint him a massive portrait of the cartoon sponge — in the style of Andy Warhol.

It will take pride of place in the swaggering star’s living room alongside images of rock icons Elvis and Jimi Hendrix.

That’s what I call a rock ’n’ roll hall of fame.

Liam has never hidden his affection for the animated star, he even went to the 2005 premiere of the SpongeBob movie in London.

But worryingly Liam has become so enchanted by the world of the underwater character that it appears to be harming his grip on reality.

Liam thinks he is just like the “mad for it” cartoon chap and can relate his entire universe to his own.

Liam animatedly explained: “SpongeBob is a f****** mental, full-of-beans, enthusiastic sponge that lives at the bottom of the sea in Bikini Bottom. He’s mad for it.

“He’s got a mate called Squidward, who plays the clarinet and is grumpy like our kid Noel. I’m having a huge painting done at the minute, a proper Andy Warhol-style portrait of SpongeBob.

“He’ll be facing Elvis and Hendrix in the living room.”

Right. And I thought Liam was mellowing into his new family life.

But that sounds like a man who hasn’t slept for three weeks.

Along with his long-standing love of the kids’ cartoon, Liam has also developed a fascination with fish.

He has taken to introducing himself as The Salmon King to bemused regulars at a pub near his home in Henley, Oxon.

told Q magazine: “I f****** love Henley. I go into my local and say, ‘I am The Salmon King, stand back’.”

Earth to Liam. Earth to Liam. Is there anybody there?

At least his outbursts prove the rocker can still shock with the best of them, even if he now lives in a world of sponges and fish.

He proved he can still pull off the snarl, good clobber and a decent trim as the Oasis Dig Out Your Soul tour hit Vancouver on Wednesday.

Luckily Liam lost his fishbowl haircut before the Manchester legends hit the road.

And he hasn’t started dressing as SpongeBob or a salmon when he takes to the stage — yet.

ROEASIS TOP TEN:

01. You’ve Got To Rollmop Herring With It
02. Squidarettes And Alcohol
03. Morning Dory
04. Rock ’N’ Roll Starfish
05. Stop Fryin’ Your Heart Out
06. Sushi’s Electric (eel)
07. Go Let It Trout
08. Some Might Ray
09. Don’t Look Back In Angler
10. Wonderwhale
(All available on Dig Out Your Sole)

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

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Liverpool Calling

I have got myself a ticket for the first night of the Oasis UK Tour in Liverpool on 07.10.2008.

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Liam Gallagher Makes No Apologies

He's still crazy after all these years. Older, at 35, and perhaps a little wiser, Oasis' Liam Gallagher remains very much the uppity Manchester lad with a tree-sized chip on his shoulder.

"People think we're loudmouths," he said, of himself and brother/bandmate Noel. "We probably are loudmouths. A lot of Mancunians are very self-confident."

It has been exactly 14 years since Oasis barged onto the charts with its smash debut, Definitely Maybe, on Aug. 30, 1994, leading the charge for the genre known as Britpop. Alongside bands such as The Verve, Pulp and long-standing rivals Blur, the group provided an alternative to the rise of grunge in North America, by drawing influences from British rock groups of the '60s and '70s.


Liam Gallagher of Oasis: "People think we're loudmouths. We probably are loudmouths. A lot of Mancunians are very self-confident."

Oasis returned in 1996 with (What's the Story) Morning Glory? Those first two albums took the top two spots in a recent poll by Q Magazine and HMV to determine the top 50 British albums of all time (with two other Oasis albums landing in the top 25). The band has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide over the course of its career.

On Oct. 6, Oasis will release its seventh studio album, Dig Out Your Soul, leading one to wonder if the group has finally turned the page on the media-saturated roller-coaster ride of fights, expletives, drink- and drug-fuelled tirades, breakups and makeups that have made it one of the most notorious British bands of the last two decades.

At the centre of the controversy are the Gallaghers' much-ballyhooed ego battles, particularly Liam's loose-cannon persona, which spares no one, not even - especially not - his older brother.

Reached by phone last week at his England home, the singer was as candid and off-the-cuff as might be expected.

"It's f---in' heavy, man," he said, describing the new album. "It's very good. There are beautiful songs. Noel wanted to write songs that are a bit more groovy. I don't know - it sounds like Oasis. I don't care, as long as the songs are good."

Noel pens six of the album's 11 tracks, with Liam providing three and guitarists Gem Archer and Andy Bell each writing one. While he has been getting more confident in his songwriting, Liam is not one to analyse his own creative process:

"I don't know what any of my songs are about," he said. "I don't sit down to write about anything. They're about whatever you want. I don't pick subjects, I just start."

That attitude sums up Gallagher's reactionary approach to life. He doesn't think, he just does, letting the pieces fall where they may. While he has been writing more songs of late, he has no delusions, leaving the bulk of Oasis's musical direction to his brother.

His relationship with Noel is a twisted yin-yang to which, despite their protests, both are inextricably bound. Noel the songwriter needs Liam the singer and vice versa, the former's emotive anthems require the latter's inimitable mix of vulnerability, defiance and whining conviction. As much and as often as the two siblings have shoved away from each other, something always pulls them back together.

Oasis continues to this day because, though the Gallaghers have not quite patched up their differences, they have learned to function despite them.

They have agreed to disagree, often vehemently.

"We don't speak that much," he said. "We don't need to. We only speak about music. It's cool. It's professional. What's the point of speaking? We don't have much to say to each other. We don't shoot the breeze. We never did that much talking. We're not lovers anyway.

"We do hang out, we're just not buddy-buddies. We're not little f---ing nerds. We're men. We don't go to the pictures. We'll have a beer, but we don't sit together eating popcorn."

Gallagher denies there is any lingering animosity between the two: "There's no tension. It's all cool. We just don't speak to each other. It's a lot easier."

As to defining what has been at the root of their many misunderstandings over the years, he was surprisingly forthright. "It's just me being a little mad bastard," he confessed, "and him not being mad. There are things I don't like about him, and things he doesn't like about me. He wants to be me. I don't want to be him."

Old rivalries die hard, and a little brother's button-pushing provocations may never die. Liam has driven Noel over the edge many a time, leaving their musical partnership in near-shambles at times. But they have always found the will and the way to pick up the pieces.

"I didn't join this band to split up," Gallagher said. "We're not splitting up. We have lots of fun. We wouldn't be doing it otherwise. . . . I want to be doing this in 20, 30, 40 years. I love being in this band. There are loads of people in bands, and loads who don't love it. I love it. It's cool as f--k. If the Stones and Neil Young are still out doing it, I don't see why we shouldn't."

Like the Rolling Stones, the Gallaghers may well find a way to move beyond the wild days of their youth and become an enduring act.

The band seems to have emerged from a mid-career funk that saw its 2000 album Standing on the Shoulder of Giants receive mixed reviews. Its 2002 effort, Heathen Chemistry, and 2005's Don't Believe the Truth inspired more positive reactions - if not the frenzy of the band's heyday - and Gallagher is optimistic about Dig Out Your Soul.

"It's a great album," he said. "It's a proper album. It's where we should be. We couldn't have done better. They're great songs, with great players and singers."

One of those singers is Noel, who lends his soft croon to the dreamy Falling Down (available now via iTunes). Liam's voice can be heard on the psychedelic, anthemic first single The Shock of the Lightning (which has leaked online but will be officially released Sept. 29).

"It sounds exactly like Oasis, with more keys and strings," Gallagher said of the album. "The sound is massive. It's really big."

He contrasts that with the output of the current crop of young rock bands:

"I don't think it's gotten better. No one's writing big songs, classics. It's fast-food music. I'm glad the Verve got back together. And Kasabian is all right. Otherwise I'm not interested."

On his path from feisty young man to grumpy not-so-young man, Gallagher has mellowed somewhat. But as evidenced by this interview, he's still got some spark left. And he plans to use it.

"I'd like this to carry on the way it is," he said of the band, "to make more music, and get bigger. I don't think we're big enough yet. The hunger's still there. We're big, but we want to be big everywhere. We want everyone to hear us."

But though he is keen to keep on rockin', he is no longer such an enthusiastic proponent of the rock 'n' roll lifestyle. He is off the drugs and booze - for the most part. "Absolutely," he said, with a chirp that blurred the line between enthusiasm and sarcasm. "Nice, clean, healthy living.

"(I don't do it) as much as I used to," he continued. "I was just bored s---less of drinking and going to pubs and clubs. I'd rather hang with the kids and the missus."

Gallagher is the father of two sons, aged seven and nine, and a 10-year-old daughter, (allegedly conceived during an affair in L.A. shortly after he married first wife, Patsy Kensit, in 1997) all from different mothers. In February, he married Nicole Appleton, his girlfriend of several years (and mother to his second son, Gene), in a small ceremony at Westminster Register Office. Noel was not invited.

Source: www.canada.com

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Thanks

Thanks to all the numerous people who have sent in pictures from the first two Oasis concerts of the tour so far.

PLEASE KEEP THEM COMING

If you are going to any of the upcoming shows and are taking along your camera, send your pictures into us by following the instructions here.

For pictures from the first two nights of the tour click in the following links.

WaMu Theater - Seattle - 26th August 2008

GM Place - Vancouver - 27th August 2008

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Oasis Exclusive New York Club Show

Oasis is pleased to announce a rare club show in New York prior to the release of their upcoming album. This intimate show will take place at Manhattan's Terminal 5 on Friday September 12th.

The appearance at NY’s Terminal 5, which will be re-configured for the show, provides an extraordinary opportunity to see Oasis perform new material from their forthcoming studio album “Dig Out Your Soul” to be released Oct 7. on Big Brother Recordings/Reprise.

To apply for the chance to purchase tickets exclusively through oasisinet.com, click here!

Registration will close at midday on Wednesday the 3rd September. Successful applicants will be notified by email.

Source: www.oasisinet.com

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Toronto V Festival Set Times

For all you people going to the V Festival in Toronto this weekend.

Oasis will take to the stage at 9:10PM until 11:00 PM after sets earlier in the day by Paul Weller, Stereophonics and more.

Source: L4e/Virgin

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Oasis The Best Act Ever? Vote For Them At The Europe Music Awards

Let your voice be heard and vote now for your 2008 Europe Music Award nominees.

The band are in the shortlist for Best Act Ever, Rock Out and Best Album categories at this years awards to be held in Liverpool.

To cast your votes click here.

The five artists with the most votes in each category will become the official 2008 EMA nominees.

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Pictures Of Oasis In Vancouver

The first pictures from the Oasis show in Vancouver have started arriving in my inbox.

If you went to this show, or are going to any of the upcoming shows, click here to submit your pictures to the Dig Out Your Soul Fan Archive thank to Ian for the pictures.

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Oasis Actually Enjoying Itself

Beatles influence still present but band re-energized

Each in their own way, the three acts were psychedelic Wednesday night at GM Place. They wore Technicolor coats that might not have been obvious but were there to be seen just the same.

First came Matt Costa playing in front of few people and with only his guitarist accompanying him. Costa's folky side came to the fore but there was also a fragility that hinted at a Syd Barrett eccentricity.

Ryan Adams and The Cardinals were next. The quintet arrived on stage unannounced but from its first doomy chords made an impression. If Adams is the titular head of the band on the marquee, he is more one part of the Cardinals on stage.

The first song had the first hint of the gospel harmony the Cardinals would come back to a few times. Guitars coil and strike, the pedal steel screams, the drums insinuate seduction.

The band went from a funereal dirge to Bo Diddley frenzy. Along the way they created drama and a mystique. It echoed the past and created its own atmosphere. The last song was reminiscent of '60s West Coast acid rock that ended in a psychedelic strobe-like confusion.

In the past, an Oasis concert has been anticlimactic at best, just plain dull at worst. But the new Dig Out Your Soul album, which will be released in October, indicates the band is trying hard to reclaim lost ground. The Manchester band previewed a little of it last night. It isn't overly psychedelic but does invoke a bygone era at times that could be termed psychedelic. The Beatles influence is apparent anyway and tomorrow never knows.

The band started with "Rock 'N' Roll Star," which was probably the first song most people heard by Oasis, which was fitting. But over the years the track has acquired extra dynamism while the band of Liam and Noel Gallagher, Andy Bell, Jem Archer and Chris Sharrock now punches out the song like a rude boxer.

There's a little of Keith Moon in Sharrock that adds to the band's attack and makes Oasis more exciting for it.

Noel Gallagher's riffs seem to bite down harder and Liam's singing seems more energized. It was definitely the best show by Oasis I've seen.

A new song such as "Bag It Up" displays a more integrated sound rather than a riff with Liam singing over top. There's more substance now. It speaks of a band that has rediscovered itself and is revelling in sharing what it has found.

Source: www.canada.com

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Metallica Inspired To Give Up Cocaine By Oasis

Lars Ulrich quits drug with Noel Gallagher's help

Metallica's Lars Ulrich used Noel Gallagher as an inspiration to give up cocaine.

The drummer set he decided to quit the drug a few years ago, and took the Oasis guitarist as an inspiration.

"A couple of years ago I was like, 'You know? Enough of this. I don't need it'. It was literally something that happened one morning, like 'Y'know? Fuck that'," he told The Quietus.com.

He added: "I was very impressed with Noel Gallagher. As you know, I'm an Oasis fanatic, and Noel was like [adopts Mancunian accent] 'You know what? No more cocaine!' (Gallagher quit in 1998) and I thought, 'If he can do it, everybody else can do it'.

"I had my fun with it, it was always more of a social thing. We were never like rolling around and spending days in bathroom stalls, and peeking out the keyholes of doors for days."

Source: www.nme.com

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Oasis Vancouver Gig Setlist

01.- Rock & Roll Star
02.- Lyla
03.- The Shock Of The Lightning
04.- Cigarettes & Alcohol
05.- The Meaning Of Soul
06.- To Be Where Theres Life
07.- The Masterplan
08.- Songbird
09.- Slide Away
10.- Morning Glory
11.- Ain't Got Nothin
12.- The Importance Of Being Idle
13.- Wonderwall
14.- Supersonic
15.- Don't Look Back In Anger
16.- Falling Down
17.- Champagne Supernova
18.- I Am The Walrus

If you are went to this, or are going to any of the upcoming shows, click here to submit your pictures.

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Tickets Still On Sale For Some Oasis UK Tour Dates

Tickets for some of the Oasis shows in Liverpool, Sheffield, Birmingham and Glasgow are still on sale at seetickets.

Click here for more details.

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Oasis Opens A '90s Rock 'N' Roll Time Capsule

"It is so cool," North Carolina singer-songwriter Ryan Adams said as he took the stage Tuesday night, "to be here with one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all time."

Such a bold claim (Oasis? One of the greatest of all time? Really?) might have caused some head-scratching outside WaMu Theater, but inside nothing could have been more obvious to the sold-out crowd.

Concertgoers stomped and whistled their approval as Adams and his band referenced a host of bands that could give Oasis a run for their GOAT-money -- Television, The Replacements, the Stones, the Grateful Dead. There are countless bands arguably better than Oasis, but like many songwriters (Rivers Cuomo of Weezer and Adam Schlesinger of Fountains of Wayne, to name two), Adams is mesmerized by the effortlessness of the Brits' driving songcraft. Famously, Cuomo has scholarly binders dedicated to unlocking the mystery of Oasis' hits, something Adams probably would do if he had anything of the scholar in him.

Adams' songs, such as "Cold Roses" and "Rescue Blues," will never achieve "Champagne Supernova"-level radio play, but they are fine pop specimens nonetheless. The Cardinals' melodies and amphitheater rock tunes furthered the work of warm-up act Matt Costa, a honey-voiced Californian whose affable set echoed Jack Johnson as much as the Fleet Foxes.

After a short intermission, a backlit Liam Gallagher strutted on stage in an ascot and leather jacket, still very much the rock star given to preening and posing. As a group of bewhiskered blokes in the crowd began chanting "O-a-sis, O-a-sis," running back and forth trying to start a wave, the band launched into "Rock 'n' Roll Star" from the 1994 album "Definitely Maybe."

Hearing such a throwback felt like being at a strange historical re-enactment, an exhibit called "When Oasis Roamed the Earth." Even though Gallagher's countrymen Coldplay are the current saviors of the record industry, they'll never approach the level of fame Oasis had in the mid-'90s. Oasis' monolithic anthems were inescapable then, causing much of the overheated British press to believe the band was bigger than The Beatles. That seems so strange 15 years on, but the band has a certain power.

Now, Oasis' music can sound as much like Motley Crue as the Fab Four, especially when it's unmoored from '90s nostalgia. On Tuesday, the band churned through 10 songs ("How many albums do they have?" an incredulous fan behind me asked) before launching into a few songs from "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?"

That album has to make the band a little bit bonkers, since it's not all that different from the subsequent albums -- singalong choruses and major-scale melodies abound -- but no band could ever hope to achieve the success of "Wonderwall" once, let along again. That pop masterpiece is Liam and Noel Gallagher's "Freebird," and they dutifully played it near the end of the set, sending lighters up throughout the crowd as Liam's nasally voice rang out, "I don't believe that anybody feels the way I do about you now."

Source: www.seattlepi.com

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Kaiser Chiefs On Oasis

Ricky Wilson and Nick Hodgson from the Kaiser Chiefs played down recent comments made by Noel Gallagher on the Chris Moyles breakfast show describing them as "The Monkees going under a different name".

Speaking on the Chris Moyles show this morning "I think he's really clever because every interview I've done in the last week has mentioned Oasis," Ricky said.

"So I'm answering questions about their new record and he ends up in everybody's interviews. He is a publicity machine."

Nick added: "When I've seen him we've always had a good time. We saw him one time in Australia and had a good time. What a lovely man."

The Kaiser Chiefs drummer also said he once dressed up as Liam Gallagher when he was presenting the now defunct Channel 4 music progamme Popworld.

"I once remember Liam Gallagher apologising to us when we played on Top Of The Pops," Nick explained.

"It was the first time we ever did it and we were a bit nervous of Liam because he'd been slagging us off. But then we'd been presenting Popworld and I dressed up as Liam Gallagher and did an impression of him.

"He comes up to me and goes; 'So yeah right the reason I said stuff about you was because I saw you on that programme doing me and I was just about to put my biscuit in my tea and I left it in for too long and it ruined my biscuit'.

"I ruined his biscuit so he started slagging us off. That's alright isn't it?"

The pair also said they refuse to slate other bands because they always end up meeting them at some point.

Nick added: "The big problem is when you slag people off, which we used to do a lot in the old days, you always end up meeting them and it's always embarrassing."

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

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Oasis Digs Down To Basics On New Album

British rockers Oasis will make eight stops across Canada this summer including Vancouver, Aug 27; Edmonton, Aug. 29; Calgary, Aug. 30; Winnipeg, Sept. 1; Ottawa, Sept. 4; Montreal, Sept. 5; Toronto, Sept. 7; and London, Sept. 9. This is the first Canadian tour for the Manchester band formed by brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher.

British band Oasis gets back to its stripped-down rock roots on its upcoming album, "Dig Out Your Soul."

Due October 7 via Big Brother/Warner Bros., the 11-track set from the famously sparring Gallagher brothers is led by the strident rocker "The Shock of the Lightning," which is already racking up airplay well ahead of its late September release date.

The album begins with the two-chord dirge "Bag It Up," harking back to "Columbia," from the band's 1994 debut, "Definitely Maybe." It's followed by the insistent "The Turning," which winds its way down to "Blackbird"-style finger-picking and the sounds of passing traffic and car alarms.

The sludgy, Noel Gallagher sung-"Waiting for the Rapture" nods to the Beatles' "Come Together," while the clap-and-stomp blues rock of "(Get Off Your) High Horse Lady" and the boogie vibe of "The Nature of Reality" extend the back-to-basics feel of the album.

Elsewhere, the Liam Gallagher-penned "I'm Outta Time" incorporates an audio excerpt of a John Lennon BBC Radio interview just days before his 1980 death, and the Noel-sung "Falling Down" nods to the beats from his collaboration with the Chemical Brothers, "Setting Sun." Fans who pre-order the new album on iTunes will receive this track as an immediate download.

Noel penned six of the first seven songs on "Dig Out Your Soul," with Liam responsible for three others and bassist Andy Bell and guitarist Gem Archer handling one each.

Oasis began there short North American tour with Ryan Adams last night (Aug 26) in Seattle.

Source: www.canada.com

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Oasis' World Tour Opens With A Bang In Seattle

Bathed in violet light, the stage of Seattle's WAMU Theater was set last night for an evening of prodigious musicianship from fabled Britpop stalwarts Oasis, who began the North American leg of their world tour to a sold-out audience.

Solo artist Matt Costa, with his raspy yet beautifully crisp vocals and understated acoustics, opened the show, followed by Ryan Adams & the Cardinals, who took the stage for an all-out detour from Adams' alt-country style into fully-fledged rock territory, replete with drilling drums, dueling guitars, and tremendous, gospel-eque harmonies. Adams' wistful vocals and melodic guitar playing threatened to steal the entire night's show -- but as proved later, no one can take the limelight from the Gallagher brothers.

With a frenetic blast of beautiful noise, Oasis began their lightshow-infused set with "Rock'n'Roll Star," reminding the audience just who the night's headliners were and why. Though known for being aloof, Liam Gallagher belted out his vocals with gusto, providing energetic counterpoint to brother Noel's lilting melodies. Liam fronted favorites like "Cigarettes and Alcohol," "Slide Away," and "The Meaning of Soul," while Noel took center stage and offered gorgeously lush vocal and acoustic guitar arrangements on "The Masterplan" and "Wonderwall."

New material, including "The Shock of the Lightning" off the forthcoming album Dig Out Your Soul, was interspersed throughout the set, showcasing the band's masterful subtlety and restraint coupled with their unparalleled exuberance for loud, feedback-laden rock.

The show concluded with a cover of the Beatles' "I Am the Walrus," bringing a fitting end to a show that sparkled from start to finish. On opening night, Oasis' proved themselves to be an ever-evolving band whose talent and skill never fails to awe and amaze..

pictures from the gig by Jamee R. Smith can be found here

Source: www.spin.com

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Oasis Warn Drummer Not To Get Comfortable As Tour Begins In Seattle

Oasis' Noel Gallagher jokingly warned the bands new drummer not to get too comfortable as they kicked off their world tour in Seattle last night (August 26th).

Chris Sharrock, who took over from Zak Starkey earlier his year, was playing his first live show with the band at the Wamu Theatre.

After introducing Sharrock at the end of last night's set, Gallagher told the crowd that the band were “trying to break Spinal Tap's” record for drummers.

Oasis previewed a host of songs from their new album, 'Dig Out Your Soul', during the show, including 'Falling Down' and the LP's lead single 'The Shock Of Lightning'.

Source: www.gigwise.com

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First Visitors To The Sites Pictures From Last Nights Gig

The first pictures from visitors to the site have started arriving in my inbox, including the pre gig setlist.

Thanks to the people who have sent in pictures so far, and I hope it continues for the full tour.

I wll add all the pictures to the Fan Photo Archive here, as and when I get them.

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New Oasis Tour Memorabilia

Pictures of the new Oasis Tour Memorabilia: A new Jacket (front and back shown), red t-shirt, tour book and poster.

Thanks to Ethan at oasiscollectors

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Videos From Oasis In Seattle

More videos here thanks to Importance Of Whatever

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