Vote For Oasis At The Q Awards 2009

The world's finest music awards is upon us once more. Ladies and Gentlemen, start your voting engines - and win the chance to join us on the day!

Last year's Q Awards with Russian Standard Vodka saw Grace Jones in a devil mask, Coldplay wearing Napoleonic army cast-offs and Kaiser Chiefs dressed as, er, bin men. This year's Q Awards, on Monday, 26 October, will be a similarly star-studded affair and will no doubt also feature plenty of sartorial madness - and, of course, much more besides.

HOW TO VOTE

Oh yes, you're in charge of who wins what. To vote, just register your details below then nominate your favourite artist, track or video in the various categories shown.

WIN TICKETS

Two tickets to the most prestigious music awards of the year are up for grabs. Everyone who votes online will be entered into a prize draw, with one winner chosen at random from a very large hat. Travel and accommodation are not included. Entrants must be aged 18 years or over. The judges' decision is final and the closing date for all entries is 9 October 2009. The lucky winner will be notified within a couple of days.

The Awards are voted for by the readers and listeners of Q magazine, Qthemusic.com, Q Radio and by the staff at Q. The final decision is the reserved right of the Q staff.

Click here to cast your vote, Oasis can be nominated in a number of catergories.

Favorite Oasis Youtube Moments

Sydney’s biggest Oasis fan and Britpop DJ, Mucky Fingers, gives us his favourite Oasis moments as seen through YouTube:

So, this is apparently it. Noel has left Oasis for good. Despite the fact that the band, and particularly the Gallagher brothers, have always been volatile, it still seems odd to think that we may never see them perform together again.

To celebrate their amazing history, here is some of their best moments; a collection of performances, interviews and assorted tomfoolery. As Noel said in the announcement of his departure; “I take with me glorious memories”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNc9jiDHvLo
Long before they were famous or had even had a record deal, here’s the original Oasis line-up in their rehearsal room in 1992 performing All Around The World; a track that wouldn’t be released until 1997’s Be Here Now. Noel had spoken a lot about this song before it finally came out; once saying that he wanted to enter it into the Eurovision Song Contest. “Orchestras, man? It’s not got to be one, it’s got to be two”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a_lzy_kMF1c
Their debut performance of Supersonic. As far as debut singles from debut albums go, there are very few that are better. The opening line can be pin-pointed as the band’s statement of intent for the next 15 years.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1EzpPCjHUk
Just to show how seriously Oasis were taking their chart battle with Blur, the Gallaghers decide to trade places and make a mockery of Top of the Pops’ use of miming. This is right before their “friendship” with Robbie Williams turned sour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Ln_nF1OaYc
Oasis perform their cover of I Am The Walrus with a little help from their friends, The Bootleg Beatles, in 1995. Throughout their career, the band have always been dogged by criticism by lazy journalists and uneducated listeners for supposedly being Beatles copyists. What these people tend not to remember (or know) is that, for a start, Oasis really sound nothing like the Fab Four and that The Beatles themselves were blatant plunderers of a load of other people’s work.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vp4yp54DLE
After losing out to Blur in both the previous year’s Brit Awards and in the infamous chart battle between Roll With It and Country House, Oasis get a little bit of their own back by sweeping the 1996 Brits and putting their own spin on Blur’s hit Parklife.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkCqC9ROBEk
This clip comes from Oasis’ infamous debut Australian tour in 1998. I can still remember this time as if it was yesterday. The whole country seemed to be up in arms about their supposed “bad boy” behaviour. From this moment on, declaring yourself an Australian Oasis fan became almost an open invitation to be chastised forever. When Oasis did finally make their second tour, in 2002, one of the airline unions tried to have them banned from all flights in the country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pn4AcgWDiwY
Following the excess of the 90s, Oasis returned in 2000 with a new line-up and their fourth Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants. This video comes from that tour. The main reason I chose this is because of the banter between Noel and Liam at the start. Maybe a future in comedy is what lies ahead?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRHjDnSprfM
This comes from the DVD special features of the film Live Forever. If you haven’t seen it, get off your computer and go and buy it now! Noel is a great storyteller. There are very few people in music that can do interviews that are laugh-out-loud funny. The other great thing about this clip is the seat he’s sitting on. It’s a throne!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kGL4WHFZOU
Noel being interviewed for Video Hits a couple of years back. This was trainwreck TV at its finest, with Noel taunting knob-exposing jazz-warbling host Axel Whitehead over the course of six icy segments. It wasn’t long after this that said knob exposure occured at the ARIAs. Could it be put down to post-Noel stress?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDvz_0_2VvA
Performing what might be their last ever single, Falling Down, on a special Top Of The Pops earlier in the year. Their most recent album, Dig Out Your Soul, was their best in a decade and this was one of the best songs from it. One version of the track was remixed by electronic-psych duo Amorphous Androgynous and clocked in at a whooping 22 minutes. If Noel does go solo, could he get the rest of Oasis minus Liam to be the band?

Tomorrow never knows what it doesn’t know too soon.

Oasis. Live Forever. 1991-2009.

Source: www.britpop.au

Classic And Curious Beatles Covers

As part of the BBC's Beatles Week, BBC Four programme Sings The Beatles has delved into the BBC archives to look at some of the classic and curious cover versions of the Fab Four's tracks.

I AM THE WALRUS, OASIS, 1994

Much has been mooted as regards the derivation of the nonsense lyrics of I Am The Walrus.

A two-note police siren becoming "Mr City Policeman", Lennon enjoying sitting in his garden, and Lewis Carroll's The Walrus and the Carpenter apparently all providing inspiration. Written in 1967 at the peak of the first Summer Of Love, it was Beatles avant-garde at its best.

Originally the reverse of Hello, Goodbye, Oasis reinvented the Walrus as another B-side; for 1994 anthem Cigarettes & Alcohol. The Manchester rockers often closed their live shows with the track, and played it on Later...With Jools Holland.

The "eggman" in the song is supposedly a reference to Animals front man Eric Burdon, who, it was rumoured, liked to break raw eggs onto the bodies of naked groupies.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Have a look at what other songs were selected by clicking here.

Why Liam Gallagher Should Not Soldier On Without Brother Noel

The Chief has quit, but should Liam carry on without him? In a word, no.

The walkout“I will never leave Oasis”, stated Noel Gallagher in an interview only two months ago, shortly prior to the band’s gigs at Wembley Stadium. The media, clearly unable to stop recycling the same tired stories of an Oasis split, had been publishing rumours that the band were on the verge of doing just that - again. It would only take Liam to look at Noel the wrong way on stage for them to sensationalise it into being “the end”.

Then rumour became reality. Minutes before they were due on stage at a festival in Paris, a fracas broke out backstage between the Gallagher brothers which allegedly involved a punch up, a smashed guitar, and an ambulance. Thousands of fans waiting for the band’s arrival on stage were left absolutely gutted and shortly afterwards in a statement posted on the band’s web site Noel officially stated he had quit. Same shit, different tour, was my immediate thought, as any Oasis fan will know this was yet another case of deja vu. Then followed a second statement, which crushed any hope that this was going to blow over anytime soon. Noel cited “verbal and violent intimidation” and a “lack of support and understanding from management and bandmates” as his reasons for quitting. This sadly suggests that it is not only his relationship with Liam that has been damaged, but with others too, so it might take a lot more work to heal the wounds this time round.

That solo album

Noel is an intelligent man, he knows that quitting the band will hurt Liam more than any insult or punch ever could. Despite the fact they obviously do not get on, it’s obvious Liam deeply respects his brother and admires him greatly. How could you not have respect for a man that joined your band and wrote the songs that propelled the group to levels on par with the legends that inspired you? Not to mention making you a millionaire. Liam could never forge the type of successful solo career that Noel is more than capable of achieving. “When I grow up I want to be Paul Weller”, Noel once said in an interview. Well now is his chance. Whether or not Oasis did ’split up’, it was likely he was going to do a solo album after this tour was complete regardless, and so he should as it is well overdue.

Noel had got that edge back on the last two Oasis albums, Don’t Believe The Truth and Dig Out Your Soul, more-so on the latter. Given the platform to record an album not under the Oasis name, I’m convinced Noel will feel more confident to expand his musical horizons and throw in a few curve balls, as well as deliver some acoustic gems which suit his voice so very well. Speaking of which, vocally, he has never sounded better, and if the new songs he’s been singing at sound checks that leaked online are anything to go by, there is a lot of potential for the album to be something very special. As a long term Oasis fan, the prospect of an album written entirely by Noel is exciting, as we haven’t had one of those in over 12 years since the cocaine fuelled Be Here Now.

Should Liam carry on with Oasis?

So with Noel more than likely out of action with Oasis for the foreseeable future, should Liam carry on the band without him? No, is the answer. Liam has an incredible voice and is probably the last great rock star left (and no, Bono is not a rock star). His snarling Mancunian delivery is both charismatic and distinctive. He has a voice that can turn a great song into an even better one. Would Some Might Say have been as brilliant with anyone else singing it? would it fuck. With that said, without his brother in the band, it’s simply not Oasis. It’s a car without a steering wheel, it would inevitably end up wrapped around a lamppost. Both Gallagher’s must be involved for Oasis to justify using that name, collectively they are the heart and soul of the band, but apart the glass is half-empty.

It was Noel who wrote the timeless songs that changed lives and inspired people to pick up a guitar, a talent demonstrated at its best on their debut album, Definitely Maybe. Rock n’ Roll Star is a glorious statement of intent. Live Forever is an epic anthem that still tops ‘greatest ever song’ polls on a regular basis. Supersonic’s swagger and attitude has not been matched by a single band since it’s release. Cigarettes and Alcohol is social commentary done in a way no one can anymore, and Slide Away is a truly great love song, probably the best Noel ever wrote. These songs, among countless others, mean a lot to people, in some respects they are bigger than the band.

Oasis’ greatest songs were born out of a hunger to break free from the confined trappings of limited opportunities in Manchester during the Conservative period, these songs are inspiring and uplifting. They document the hope, aspirations and determination of a young man wanting to make a better life for himself and live the dream. The theme on Definitely Maybe can be summed up in five words on Cigarettes and Alcohol - “you gotta make it happen”, and he did. Noel has been criticised for being creatively a spent force as of late, but he can still undoubtedly write a great song, if not as often as he used to.

Liam’s role in Oasis should also never be undervalued. They would not be the band they are today without that voice. He has also written a handful of decent songs, and a couple of very good ones, namely Guess God Thinks I’m Abel and I’m Outta Time. But let us not kid ourselves, neither he, Andy, nor Gem could ever write a song that would sit alongside any of Noel’s best. Gem and Andy between them have come up with a few solid tracks. Turn Up The Sun and To Be Where There’s life are great tunes. I’m sure it is healthy for the chemistry of the band to have everyone contributing to the song writing process, which has made for mixed results. What is important though, in this band at least, is that the man responsible for writing their best material and steering the ship for nearly two decades is involved. You can lose as many drummers, guitarists and keyboard players as you like because at the end of the day they are replaceable. Noel is not.

Entertaining the thought of Noel-less Oasis is ludicrous, especially if they toured. They would become an absolute joke. It’d be as awful as the remaining members of The Jam touring as From The Jam without Weller, its inexcusable and a disgrace. I’m hopeful enough that if Liam is actually keen on carrying on as Oasis without Noel, that Andy and Gem will persuade him not to and convince him that this is an absurd idea. There is no doubting that an album without Noel on board would be decent at least. Between Liam, Gem and Andy I’m sure they have enough songs good enough to put together a record that wouldn’t be substandard, but if that really has to happen, they need to change their name and not rely on the laurels of ‘Oasis’. It would be riding on the coattails of Noel’s hard work and talent. Alternatively, Liam should record a solo album and collaborate with Andy and Gem who can chip in as co-songwriters. If Liam’s motives for potentially continuing Oasis are based on proving a point to his brother, then he’s in it for the wrong reasons.

The future

Many critics have said Oasis should have quit at their peak in 1996 after the Knebworth gigs, with even former rhythm guitarist Bonehead agreeing that this would have been the best time to bow out. Two classic albums, a stack of great b-sides, the biggest gigs and most records sold by any band in a very long time, it would have been an impressive legacy to leave behind. Nobody could have predicted what would become of Oasis after that point, to say they have never been the most stable of bands would be an understatement. If this really is the end now though, 13 years after those gigs, as far as stories in rock n’ roll go, what a dramatic ending to the saga it would be. Given the choice between choosing this ending and having Liam soldier on and make a mockery of the band I love, it’s not a hard decision. At least there’s always the hope of a box set release with tonnes of unreleased tracks and demos at some point in the distant future.

Liam has allegedly said he’ll have news on Oasis in January 2010. What this means is anyone’s guess at the moment, but if it involves use of the words “carrying on without Noel” it will not be met with the warmest reception. In an interview with the Gallagher’s that featured on the DVD from the Stop The Clocks best of package, they were asked about the time Noel walked out of the band in 1994. “Who cares, he’s back now,” Liam said with a surprising demeanour of happiness and relief in front of his brother. Will we ever hear him say that again? who knows, but until then Oasis as a band should be put on the backburner until both parts that make up the puzzle are able to stand in the same room together without someone having to call an ambulance. Worst case scenario? Bonehead makes a comeback and takes over Noel’s place. Nevermind, as someone once said, it’s just rock n’ roll.

Source: www.live4ever.uk.com

Robbie Williams Is Fans' Dream Desert Island Companion

Robbie Williams has beat out competition from his arch-rival Liam Gallagher to be voted as the singer most people would want to be stuck on a desert island with.

The Angels hitmker, who has had a longtime feud with the Oasis singer, came out tops in a new poll of the most popular male entertainer to be marooned with.

Beatles legend Sir Paul MCCartney came second, while Mick Jagger and Eminem took the third and fourth spots, with Gallagher lagging in fifth.

Aussie superstar Kylie Minogue topped the women's list, while Girls Aloud beauty Cheryl Cole was the second favourite female. In third was Leona Lewis, with Madonna and Lady Gaga coming fourth and fifth respectively.

The survey was conducted by staff from music royalties company PRS, who polled 1,000 people in the U.K.

Source: www.contactmusic.com

Upside Down: The Story Of Creation Records

Upside Down:The Story of Creation Records, Cinema release Nov/Dec 2009, TV/DVD release Summer 2010.

Millions of sales, near bankruptcy, pills, thrills, spats, prats, success, excess, pick me ups, breakdowns and of course some of THE defining music of the late twentieth century, this is the definitive and fully authorised story of the UK’s most inspired and dissolute label.

Register by sending your email to info@documentuk.com for updates on all information regarding the film.

Click here to watch the trailer for Upside Down: The Story Of Creation Records.

Also

The company producing the documentary film for the story of Creation Records, are after any Oasis memorabilia while they were signed to the Creation or any Creation memorabilia at all e.g. gig tickets, posters, vinyl sleeves etc.

They are looking to borrow such items in return for a thank you credit on the DVD.

Contact: Joe Powell, Document Productions @ joe.powell@documentuk.com

The Pretty Green Autumn/Winter 09 Collection Is Causing A Stir…

The Autumn/Winter (launching in October) collection is currently being seen in London by every respected fashion buyer in the industry and will be available to buy from reputable outlets, as well as on the Pretty Green website (keep a look out for the confirmed retail list on the site in a few weeks) . The reaction to the collection has been incredible and people are already touting Pretty Green as the next big thing in menswear.

As well as the top industry people, we invited some of our community customer’s along last week to have a look and see what’s coming this October.

Every single person who attended was blown away by what’s to come this season from Pretty Green.

We wanted to share some of their thoughts and comments with you…

“It was a brilliant day and I left buzzing to get my hands on the majority of the new range! I haven’t been able to stop talking about the new range, whilst making people aware that pretty green is about to shake up the marketplace in a big way! I left knowing that pretty green is creating clothes specifically for people like me. People with similar interests and the same desires about what their clothes should say about the people who wear them and the envy they put into the people who are not wearing them” (Ben D)

“I love my clothes and from what I saw today i have no doubt that from now on all I will buy is Pretty Green. Thank-you Dean and all at Pretty Green, as Liam would say you are all BIBLICAL!” (Jaswant)

“I thought everything in the new range was fantastic, I loved the t shirts, jumpers, jeans in fact it was just all brilliant and as for the leather jacket that was just amazing it’s top of my wish list, got me fingers crossed for that lottery win! However I’m currently throwing most me clothes out to get some space in the wardrobe for an October shopping spree! … Anyway keep up the good work, Pretty Green is shaping up to be the best brand out there!” (Ben P)

Source: www.prettygreen.com

Beatlemania Is Set To Sweep The World All Over Again

Fans and celebs alike are going wild with excitement as 14 of the Fab Four’s legendary albums are reissued today on what is being called Beatles Day.

The famous recordings – painstakingly remastered to give the Mersey sound a stunning new edge – are expected to swamp the album charts as a whole new generation thrills to The Beatles, 47 years after the Liverpool lads’ released their first hit single Love Me Do.

And today’s pop idols admit just how much their music owes to the influence of their heroes – John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr.

Outrageous Lady GaGa, 23, reckons listening to the Abbey Road album helped her to write her debut record The Fame.

“It’s the sense of melody in conjunction with the very liberating, strange storytelling,” she explains.

“They were masters of songwriting and just as relevant now as they ever were.”

Oasis have often told how The Beatles inspired their own hits. Noel Gallagher, 42, says: “I was playing guitar before I heard the Beatles, but as I got older and listened to the tunes I realised they were amazing.

“They inspire me more now than they did when I was a kid and are still the greatest. There will never be another Beatles.”

The list of artists who have covered Beatles songs is immense, from Tom Jones to The Killers to Kaiser Chiefs and McFly. Killers frontman Brandon Flowers, 28, says: “When someone mentions the Beatles

to me, the first thing I think of is those cool grey suits and those boots. Iconic imagery has always been a big deal for me.”

Both Carl Barat, 31, and Pete Doherty, 30, have covered Beatles songs, with Pete even dedicating She Loves You to ex-girlfriend Kate Moss, 35, at a gig.

Blur frontman Damon Albarn, 41, believes there’s nothing in music today that can match The Beatles.

“The Beatles were always an adventurous, funny, witty band,” he says. “Where’s the intelligence in this music now?”

The band’s guitarist Graham Coxon, 40, is a huge fan. He says: “They express a soul in their singing.” Another admirer, pop king Robbie Williams, 35, has a Beatles tattoo on his lower back, of the music to All You Need Is Love.

Beatles tunes are even a favourite on The X Factor, with hotly-tipped Danyl Johnson, 33, wowing the crowd at his audition singing With A Little Help From My Friends.

And in America – where today’s album launch is causing just as big a stir – actor and singer Jamie Foxx, 41, says: “Everything they did – incredible talent, man.

“It’s amazing how they infl uenced our culture and the music stands up today.”

Back home in Liverpool, where The Beatles’ amazing story began at the Cavern Club, the magic still lives on.

Last weekend saw 300,000 fans from 40 different countries flock to the city for the start of Beatles Week. Cavern Club owner Bill Heckle, 53, reckons the band’s continuing appeal is down to the fact they pushed the boundaries of pop music.

He says: “The Beatles are the first ever band to have been played in space – last year Nasa transmitted Across The Universe to a star 431 light years from Earth.

“That was the music they believed best represented the whole of humanity. “And that is why today, The Beatles are bigger than ever.”

Source: www.dailystar.co.uk

Writer Vents His Feelings Towards Oasis

"You don't know what you've got till it's gone," Janet Jackson once famously sampled, and how true it is. Only now that Noel Gallagher has left in a firestorm of brotherly acrimony can I truly take stock of my feelings toward OASIS.

I spent my youth hating them for their worst ballads, "Wonderwall" and "Champagne Supernova" — songs of the round-specs days, the Prince Valiant–cut days. As I grew older and angrier, I resented them for the shabbiness of their pastiches of superior groups, from the Kinks all the way to the Stone Roses. They even grabbed Andy Bell, superior guitarist of Ride, and made him their goddamn bassist. Finally, in recent years, I became engulfed in the total Oasis indifference that's shrouded our continent for a decade. To most Americans, the big shocker this week wasn't that Oasis broke up. It was that Oasis had still been together.

(One could be forgiven for having the vague recollection that they split up back in 2000 or so. This is actually the second time Noel has left the group after a squabble with his brother. I'm writing under the assumption that now it'll stick.)

I never managed to like Oasis. I tried going back and giving them a second and a third chance, but the genuine, empirical crapness of their songs always thwarted me. Even so, the break-up is bittersweet. I'm going to miss the pure comedy of their existence. So, rather than crowing over their demise, I'd like to take a moment to remember all the good stuff:

• With so few enduringly BIG bands left, there was a certain comfort in knowing how huge they were across the pond. To this day, the UK rock press reveres them as gods — probably because their faces still sell magazines after all these years, and interviewers can always count on Noel for a rugged Mancunian witticism and Liam for a dumbshit quotable. The mere existence of such an institution — a rock band who could make headlines just by calling another band shit in a drunken backstage interview — toasted up my cockles a little.

• A credible rock band getting sued for ripping off a commercial jingle seems like an obvious killer blow, but Oasis managed to get through the ordeal only lightly scathed. Their early single "Shakermaker" grabbed the tune from the classic Coca-Cola jingle "I'd Like To Teach the World To Sing," and Oasis paid a hefty fine. You've gotta love them for perfecting the art of the brazen, reckless homage: witness the similarity between "Cigarettes and Alcohol" and T-Rex's "Bang a Gong," or "Mucky Fingers" and the Velvet Underground's "Waiting for the Man," or "Part of the Queue" and the Stranglers' "Golden Brown."

• There was a certain magic in their unwavering view that they were the greatest thing in history. From their frequent proclamations that they'd be bigger than the Beatles to their condemnation of Keith Richards as "senile" and George Harrison as a "nipple," their resolute commitment to delusion and obnoxiousness was as inspiring as it was irritating.

• Those YouTube videos of Noel Gallagher getting toppled like a bowling pin by some nutcase at a Toronto-festival appearance! I must have watched it happen a hundred times, from multiple angles, and seeing Noel getting hurt was the greatest sort of wish fulfillment.

• Ah, those faces! Music be damned — every photograph of the Brothers Gallagher and their ridiculous mugs brought me joy. Liam, always sullen and glassy-eyed, frequently V-signing the camera, monobrowed, uncomprehending. Forever a model for the latest cutting-edge British haircut — many of which have not stood the test of time and have become retrospectively hilarious. And Noel, with that wondrous sphere of a head, those squinting, wide-set eyes, the fixed, toadlike grump of his countenance. Such a gruesome pair of walking carnival caricatures we may never see again.

"Live Forever" indeed, Noel and Liam. Thanks for the laughs — you can keep the songs.

Source DAVID THORPE dthorpe@phx.com The Boston Phoenix

Serge's No-asis

Kasabian axeman Serge Pizzorno has ruled out of ever stepping into 42-year-old pal Noel Gallagher’s shoes.

The Mercury Prize nominee, 28, told me: “I’m really sad as Oasis were a massive influence on us, and so many bands.

“I’m sure one day they’ll come back.

“I spoke to Noel briefly, but it was mental on the day the news came out.”

He added: “I could never replace him. Oasis should be left as a masterpiece.”

Source: www.dailystar.co.uk

Win An Exclusive Oasis Print On NME.COM

Oasis photographs from the 1990s previously unseen by the public are set to go on display at a new exhibition in London on Friday (September 11).

The exhibition features the work of photographer Michael Spencer Jones, who photographed the Gallaghers from the '90s and into this century, with his work including the cover for the band's debut album 'Definitely Maybe'. It will take place at the This Feeling club-night at the Parker McMillan venue.

Entitled 'Out Of The Blue', the exhibition will feature previously un-exhibited photos including shots from the Manchester band's 1993 photoshoot for the 'Cigarettes And Alcohol' single cover. See the new issue of NME, out now, for an exclusive look at one of the shots from the session.

Head to MySpace.com/thisfeelingclub for more information about the exhibition. See Spellboundpublications.com for more of Jones' work.

Meanwhile, Jones is giving one exclusive Oasis photo print away to one NME.COM reader. Head to NME.COM/win to enter the competition.

Source: www.nme.com

Spandau Ballet Can Empathise With Warring Oasis Siblings

"Gary and I were in a similar situation where the pressure of the band came down on us all.

It was left to the brothers to sort things out. For a good 10 years with Spandau Ballet we were the pressure cooker and it was bound to explode now and again."

Spandau Ballet star Martin Kemp can empathise with warring Oasis siblings Liam and Noel Gallagher after years of feuding with his brother/bandmate Gary.

Source: www.contactmusic.com

In This Week's NME

Inside this week's NME Magazine on sale from Wednesday 9 September, NME readers give their verdict on the Oasis split.

Oasis Special Un-Seen Exhibition And More

An extra special TF for you this Friday Sept 11th…(don’t worry, we’ll still be doing TF last Friday of month in Sept!)

Noel Gallagher called time on Oasis last week and spookily we’ve got an un-seen Oasis photographic exhibition & Phil Smith the Oasis Tour DJ this Friday.

A five year journey which began in 1993, Michael Spencer Jones worked closely with Oasis to create the first three album covers and their accompanying singles. Come down and see never before seen photographs, prints, alternative album covers, little known facts & then get off your Rockin’ Chair!

Drink deals galore & DJ dance-floor mayhem till 3am with live music from Black Cherry, Buster Shuffle, Call Me Laura and FC 20.

£6 cheap advance tickets here or £8 on door

TF TOWERS

Win! Jet signed albums and gig tickets here.

Text For England 2018

England 2018 has launched a new text message service to help even more fans get behind its Bid to stage the FIFA World Cup. With the whole country ready to cheer on the national side in the crucial upcoming fixtures, supporters will be able to Back the Bid by simply texting ENGLAND to 62018.

Organisers hope a groundswell of support will sway Fifa chiefs to opt for England when the host nation is announced in December 2010 .

Oasis star Noel Gallagher, one of many celebrities urging fans to text ENGLAND to 62018, said: "The buzz would be incredible. We live and breathe football."

England captain John Terry added: "Fans' support can help us get it."

Fans can also Back the Bid by logging onto the newly redesigned official website, www.england2018bid.com

A host of England 2018 news, video and photography can be found at www.england2018bid.com including pictures of the most recent celebrity backers.

Liam Gallagher's Strum Cheek

Liam Gallagher led his Oasis bandmates in a game of air guitar over the weekend – perhaps poking fun at his feud with brother Noel, 42, who recently quit the group.

The singer, 36 – plus guitarist Gem Archer, 42, bassist Andy Bell, 39, and drummer Chris Sharrock, 45 – were in the Garden Gate pub in Hampstead, north London, on Saturday with Prodigy pal Liam Howlett, 38, family and crew members.

An onlooker told me: “Everybody was in good spirits, particularly Liam, who was making everybody laugh.

“He was doing lots of air guitar movements and chuckling. Whether it was taking the mick out of his brother it was hard to tell.

“There was a real party atmosphere and it seemed like a farewell booze-up following the end of the tour, or maybe a proper goodbye.

“It appeared like Noel was the real outcast in the band and Liam is still top dog in their circle.”

Source: www.dailystar.co.uk

John Lydon Mourns Gallagher Walk-Out

Punk legend John Lydon is devastated Noel Gallagher quit Oasis - because the band's music cheered him up.

The Sex Pistols frontman is a big fan of the 'Wonderwall' hitmakers, and is convinced singer Liam Gallagher has borrowed his vocal style.

So he was saddened when guitarist Noel walked away from the British band after a bust-up with his brother before a show in Paris last month.

Lydon, who went by the moniker Johnny Rotten during his punk heyday, says, "It is sad. They're a nice backdrop on a dull day. There's no content or depth to Oasis but it's still poignant.

"Noel is fantastic, one of Britain's finest. Liam's alright if you want a second-rate Rotten. I remember hearing Rock 'n' Roll Star for the first time and it sounded like John Lennon and John Lydon mixed together."

Source: www.3news.co.nz

Loud And Proud Gallaghers Were Rock 'N' Roll Stars

Oasis were much more than an overrated Beatle tribute band, writes long-time fan Andrea Byrne

It's hard to know whether Noel Gallagher's estrangement from his brother and dramatic departure from their band Oasis is permanent. We have, after all, been here before (four times in total) which is why the latest acrimony doesn't really surprise many. However, what is odd is the countless music critics who have greeted the news with a certain amount of sadistic glee.

One reviewer last week wrote how "Oasis, the most, overrated band in the history of music, have finally done the decent thing and split".

I'm not a music critic, nor would I claim to be any sort of rock buff, but what I am in tune with is popular culture, and for a very long time Oasis was the face of a musical generation. And for that, the band should be duly acknowledged.

If you look at the rock bands currently in vogue, you'll find many, if not most of them, seem to boast an Oasis-like sound. Take for example fellow Mancunians Kasabian -- one of the most popular bands around, a band that, whether the band members like it or not, find themselves constantly the subject of Oasis comparisons.

Oasis themselves should be all too familiar with comparisons. At the height of their success, many critics, in an attempt to deride, accused them of sounding too like the Beatles. I never understood this, given that the Beatles was a brilliant band, and to this day is still one of the most successful. Why is sounding like them a negative thing?

The aforementioned review also commented how Oasis encouraged a yobbish culture. Well yes, many of their fans wore Man City jerseys, drank lager, swore a lot and boasted garish forearm tattoos, but you could say the same about the Manic Street Preachers or The Prodigy or Blur.

Sure, you'd even be liable to find a rough element at a Take That concert.

Undeniably, the Oasis boys were loud and vulgar, and were unapologetic for it, but at least they had personality, unlike the manufactured, saccharine-coated, borderline robotic musical acts that currently saturate the charts. When the Gallagher brothers fought, they hid nothing from anyone, refusing to allow a damage-control PR machine splutter into action. The Oasis boys were pure rock 'n' roll and it wasn't contrived.

On their most recent tour, Liam and Noel travelled separately and didn't communicate unless it involved barbed comments made in interviews.

It all came to a head when the brothers met backstage at the third last concert of the tour. Allegedly, Liam was drunk. A fist-fight ensued between the pair, with Liam also reportedly smashing one of Noel's guitars.

"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight," Noel said in a statement. "People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer." The drama between the two makes an episode of Eastenders appear tame in comparison.

Anyone who has ever had the privilege of interviewing Oasis, will probably tell you what a wonder of unpredictability it is to be in their company. The two brothers are polar opposites. Liam, the younger of two, is positively nuts. Noel is a deeper thinker and more articulate, but he has a temper too. Married to a former member of a girlband, Liam befriends celebrities, Noel prefers musicians.

While, they may not complement each other on a family level, musically they gel. Whatever you may say about Liam's gravely voice, at least it's original. While, Noel has proved over the years that he's an excellent songwriter.

I have been lucky enough to see them in concert twice. The most recent of which was earlier this summer at Slane Castle. Despite the alleged tensions in the band, they sounded brilliant, offering a great mix of old and new.

However, many fans commented on the fact that Oasis could have been playing in Uzbekistan, so lacking was the interaction with the audience. But the Gallagher brothers have never pandered to an audience, they don't feel the need to wave a tri-colour or get the audience to sing 'The Fields of Athenry' in order to satisfy. For that I admire them. Also, they have never pretended to have gone into this career for anything other than the money. Which again is refreshing.

Definitely Maybe and (What's The Story) Morning Glory are two of my favourite albums. I, along with many of my friends, listen to them with the same appreciation and enjoyment we did a decade ago. OK, so admittedly the lyrics aren't worthy of awards and don't exactly captivate on any great intellectual level, but they are memorable nonetheless, the kind of songs you'd belt out at a party in the small hours of the morning, because you know there would be plenty of people who would join in the chorus. In 10 years' time, most people will remember the words, or at the very least the chorus, to 'Wonderwall'. I doubt the same can be said for the current rash of rock stars out there.

Source: www.independent.ie

Liam: Oasis Will Not Split

OH brother - Liam Gallagher is going to continue with Oasis despite Noel binning the band for good.

The mad fer it Manc wants to Roll With It and keep the music alive as he holds the rights to the super band.

This week Liam said he wouldn't talk to his brother until January - because he thinks Noel will need that long to cool off.

I'm told by a contact in Liam's camp: "He's decided that just because the guitarist has quit, it doesn't mean the band should collapse.

"He's been on holiday with bassist Andy Bell and both of them reckon they can keep going and create good music - even without Noel.

"Liam has been writing a lot and Andy has made a big contribution to the band."

I'm also told that Noel has agreed to meet with Liam at the start of next year.

But on one condition - his MUM is there to make sure there's no fisticuffs.

Source: www.newsoftheworld.co.uk

Celebrity Clothing Ranges In The Men’s Market

If, thanks to the likes of Kylie Minogue, Jennifer Lopez and Elle MacPherson, the women’s wear market has long accepted direct celebrity involvement, it is – apart from the hip hop and urban clothing market – still a new idea for men’s wear. Until now.

In November new men’s wear label Pretty Green, a casual wear line with leanings towards Mod culture, will launch in Selfridges. It also happens to be designed by former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.

Alongside the singer’s new venture comes Nikki Sixx, bassist and founder of band Motley Crue, who will launch his Royal Underground brand in the UK this autumn, not to mention Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen, who are planning a men’s wear line to complement their women’s wear label The Row.

But will such name recognition help or hurt a brand when it comes to men’s wear? “There’s always a danger of losing credibility when a celebrity is behind a fashion brand,” says Pharrell Williams, of the band N.E.R.D., who partnered with Tomoaki Nagao, the Japanese designer behind A Bathing Ape, to create the Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream lines. “When it’s a world you don’t know much about, you need to team up with an expert. That said, however, name recognition also helps – we’ve been able to build up a dedicated fan base quickly,” he says.

According to Simon Aboud, director of brand consultancy Make Believe, now may be the best time for a new brand to have genuine celebrity involvement. During a recession consumers are more likely to re-examine brand values and seek those with heritage and integrity. And, says Aboud, “Celebrity values are among the most potent, especially now that fashion advertising has collapsed.”

Yet stars can be divisive, too. For every man who buys David Beckham’s forthcoming sportswear collection for Adidas Originals, there may be many who will be put off precisely because it is Beckham who is involved. A celebrity-backed men’s wear line is, says Nigel Grant, director of Pretty Green, a complex proposition to manage, as the demise of Vinnie Jones’s 2003 fashion line suggests.

Barry Grainger and Neil Adam, co-founders of new British men’s wear brand Citizen Seven, whose main investor is the Manchester City and England footballer Shaun Wright Phillips, have been subtle in publicising their famous backer.

“It has to be a drip feed,” Grainger says. “Clearly there is value in mentioning Shaun – it gives the brand appeal to terrace fashion fans. But we also know that it may alienate some people, maybe even simply because they support a rival team.” Although Phillips’ involvement is largely financial, the new label’s promotional material does mention him. “You have to accept that a brand with deeper celebrity involvement, rather than mere endorsement, may need more time to find acceptance.”

Grant of Pretty Green adds: “Consumers are seeing through those brands that have simply had a celebrity name lent to them. Ultimately, the product has to stand on its own.”

Trace Ayala, who co-founded William Rast with singer Justin Timberlake in 2005, says: “Running a brand with a celebrity is a double-edged sword. Men are more inclined to think that if a celebrity is involved, it’s them lending their name for the cheque. And there is a danger of the celebrity overshadowing the brand, which is why, after a while, it helps if they move into the background.

“That said, a famous name generates media interest and tends to open doors with buyers. Ask a department store to stock you, and the buyer is invariably not interested. Tell them that Justin Timberlake wants to meet them for dinner to discuss matters, and you get an altogether different response.”

Source: www.ft.com