It's our annual BIG DAY OUT OFFICIAL Big Day Art issue today, with a reader-designed cover. Big props to Danielle Salvemini for her Noel Gallagher portrait.
Read the magazine online for free by clicking here.
From Noel Gallagher's 'Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere' tour diary.
Yes…
So did some mad Japanese breakfast TV show yesterday. It was bizarre to say the least. Hosted by a female comedian… what do you call them again, comedienne, or summat?
Anyways, the interview went like what they do… the usual Q's followed by the usual A's when out of nowhere and without warning (actually there may have been a warning… hard to tell over here!) she starts singing that song by Mariah Carey (or is it Dolly Parton?), "I Will Always Love You"!!!!! She wasn't holding back either, she fuckin' belted it out. So she sings a chorus and a verse and the big fuck off ending… then… silence… Not so much as a titter from the studio audience… Nothing… I FUCKIN' LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!
The actual gig was really very good. Not only was it shocking to get back up to speed so quick, it was right up there with the best so far!
My new biggest fan, that little girl was there again. She had the same clothes on (stinky little fish!!). She reiterated that she is indeed quite fond of me while holding up a letter for me like a religious artifact… strange kid.
Gotta go. I've been up since 4.30am and I'm still running late… How can that be????
Below is the setlist from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds gig at the Tokyo Dome City in Tokyo, Japan.
Setlist
(It’s Good) To Be Free Mucky Fingers Everybody’s On The Run Dream On If I Had A Gun The Good Rebel The Death Of You And Me Freaky Teeth Wonderwall Supersonic (I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine AKA... What A Life! Talk Tonight Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks AKA... Broken Arrow Half The World Away (Stranded On) The Wrong Beach Whatever Little By Little The Importance Of Being Idle Don’t Look Back In Anger
On the 17th January 2005, Liam Gallagher and Gem Archer performed an acoustic version of Wonderwall for UK Radio Aid to Benefit Victims of the Asian Tsunami.
Noah & The Whale, Florence And The Machine and Snow Patrol also enjoyed strong sales in 2011.
Coldplay, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and Florence And The Machine have been revealed as the biggest selling rock acts of 2011.
According to The Official Charts Company, Coldplay scored both the biggest selling rock single of 2011 with 'Paradise', which sold over 410,000 copies and the biggest selling album with their fifth effort 'Mylo Xyloto', which sold over 900,000 copies despite only being released in October.
Noel Gallagher's debut solo effort was the second biggest seller in the album stakes with sales just shy of 500,000. He was followed by Florence And The Machine, who were narrowly in front of Foo Fighters and Mumford and Sons.
Elbow were sixth, Kasabian seventh, Snow Patrol in eighth and in their best ever sales year Noah And The Whale were ninth, just ahead of Arctic Monkeys' 'Suck It And See', which was in 10th place.
In the singles chart, Goo Goo Dolls' 'Iris', which was first released in 1998, sold 264,000 copies in 2011 after it was brought back to life by an X Factor performance to become the second biggest selling rock single of the year.
Birdy was the third largest seller with her cover of Bon Iver's 'Skinny Love', while Coldplay made their second appearance in the chart at Number Four, just ahead of Noah And The Whale, who were fifth with 'L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.'
James Morrison, Foster The People, Snow Patrol, Florence And The Machine and The Calling made up the rest of the Top 10.
The Top 10 selling rock singles of 2011 were as follows:
1. Coldplay - Paradise (410,000) 2. Goo Goo Dolls - Iris (264,000) 3. Birdy - Skinny Love (259,000) 4. Coldplay - Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall (247,000) 5. Noah & The Whale - L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N. (242,000) 6. James Morrison - I Won't Let You Go (228,000) 7. Foster The People - Pumped Up Kicks (225,000) 8. Snow Patrol - Chasing Cars (128,000) 9. Florence And The Machine - Shake It Out (127,000) 10. The Calling - Wherever You Will Go (125,000)
The Top 10 selling rock albums of 2011 were as follows:
1. Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto (908,000) 2. Noel Gallagher - Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds (492,000) 3. Florence & The Machine - Ceremonials (384,000) 4. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light (380,000) 5. Mumford & Sons - Sigh No More (373,000) 6. Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys (327,000) 7. Kasabian - Velociraptor (279,000) 8. Snow Patrol - Fallen Empires (269,000) 9. Noah & The Whale - Last Night On Earth (261,000) 10. Arctic Monkeys - Suck It And See (223,000)
From Noel Gallagher's 'Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere' tour diary.
Well, the gig went as well as could be expected for a band that ain't played for over a month. The old voice seems to have held up and all. I expect tonight to be a little bit better. Usually takes about 4-5 gigs to get back in the groove (not that we actually do groove!).
Anyway, the usual suspects were all present. The "NOEL OR DIE" sign was down the front. Last time I saw it it was just a bit of yellow tape stuck on a black piece of fabric. It's gone all posh now!! Like a proper banner... Well done!!!!
Now I don't know if you're aware of this but during gigs in Japan in between songs there is a deathly silence. Not sure why, but it's very disconcerting. At the end of any given song you get thunderous applause for about 10 seconds then... total silence.
But last night, what can only be described as a little girl, kept shouting out rather odd "statements". She sounded EXACTLY like my eldest young son which, in itself, was quite off-putting. And this is what she had to say, and the fact that she was saying it with a slightly creepy steely-eyed stare, made it all the more weird… get on this:
- NOEL, I LOVE YOU!! (Fair enough… what's not to love, eh?) - I LOVE YOU, EVEN WHEN I'M AT SCHOOL!! (Ok?) - CAN YOU KISS ME… PLEASE? (What, now? …Right now?) - NOEL, YOU ARE MY IDEAL MAN!! (Ideal man?) - CAN I MARRY YOU? (Erm… no.) - I WANT YOUR PICK!!! (Sorry….)
She said PICK… my guitar pick, you filthy swine… I gave it to her after the show anyway, just to be nice and that (the pick!!). All in all a good night.
I'm off to Kiddyland now to do a bit of shopping. It's a toy store… it sells toys… not kids… I'm not Madonna!!!!
Xfm's New Music Award is back! Every January, Xfm names the Best British Debut Album of the last year, celebrating the diverse and impressive selection of new music and new artists across the country.
All you have to do is choose your favourite THREE albums. The album you pick as your favourite will be awarded three points. The second favourite will get two points and the third favourite will bag one point. Once all the points are collated, we'll whittle them down to ten contenders. Then it's up to a panel of Xfm and industry experts to decide on who'll win the coveted Xfm New Music Award 2012. One voter will also be selected at random to be part of the voting panel and have their say on the final winner.
What are you waiting for? Have your say here! Remember that they have to be by BRITISH artists, have been released in 2011 and have had airplay on Xfm. And to add an incentive for you to get involved, TEN voters will be picked at random and each one will pocket 100 iTUNES DOWNLOADS!
Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds are eligible in quite a few of the categories so if you have a few minutes free, why not head on over to the voting page HERE to cast your vote.
You can vote for any artist you like at this stage, as long as they are eligible in the relevant category.
Example has praised Noel Gallagher, claiming that he had all 'the ideas' in Oasis.
In an interview with the Daily Star the rapper said he hoped Noel will win the Brit Award for Best British Male Solo Artist next month.
''When you hear Noel's album, and you heard the Beady Eye stuff, it's plain to see Noel was the talent, the songwriter. Liam is a star and an amazing frontman, but the ideas were all Noel's'', said Example.
Meanwhile, Noel Gallagher has spoken about today’s current music scene, stating that Oasis and Blur were the last alternative bands in the charts.
The singer, who released his debut album last year, said he was not impressed with the ‘rubbish’ that’s in the charts.
From Noel Gallagher's 'Tales From The Middle Of Nowhere' tour diary.
es…
Well, the promo stuff wasn't too painful. Quite enjoyable actually. Apart from one guy, who sounded like a coffee percolator when he spoke, it wasn't too taxing.
I was asked many questions on many diverse subjects, such as…
- The environment. - Politics. - New music, or the lack of it. - The Music Bizness… (it's a bit shit at the minute apparently… can't say I'd noticed!!). - Time travel (for real!!). - The earthquake. - Lady Gaga? - The Stone Roses. - Cream cakes. - Manchester City (obviously). - Mario Balotelli (naturally). - And somewhat predictably… the Japanese people (they're obsessed with what people think of them).
As you can see all very interesting stuff.
One guy showed me the magazine I'm doing an interview for and I have to say, if I didn't know any better, I'd have thought it was a porn mag judging by the cover!!
Did a bit of rehearsing last night. Haven't played for nearly five weeks now. Just blowing off the cobwebs, so to speak. I tend to forget the guitar solos if I have any significant time off. Good job we did mind as a shit-load of cobwebs had grown!!
Bit of a grey day today. I'm under orders from The Mighty I to go find him some toys. Specifically, and I quote, "Robots that walk and talk without batteries or remote control." Does he mean actual real blimmin' robots??? Good luck with that, eh??
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds play the first dates of 2012 tonight with the debut shows in Japan, at Tokyo Dome City Hall on 16th and 17th January.
Following the great success of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' debut album and massive demand for tickets www.NoelGallagher.com is pleased to announce three more concerts in Japan to take place in May 2012, including a show at Tokyo’s legendary Budokan in Tokyo.
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds confirm:
23/05/12: TOKYO, Budokan 24/05/12: NAGOYA, Aichi Prefectural Art Theater 26/05/12: OSAKA, Osaka Municipal Central Gymnasium
Tickets go on general sale on Saturday 18th February through: