Noel Gallagher Fan Helps Out Folks

Folks have Noel Gallagher’s “stalker” to thank after they were left stranded at a service station in Germany.

The Manchester band were supporting the former Oasis man when they suffered a freak incident on the road.

But they were rescued by a Noel obsessive before launching into an impromptu booze-fuelled car park set of Oasis covers.

Speaking after Folks’ Biz Session, guitarist Michael Beasley said: “Our van driver snapped the key in the ignition and we got stuck at a service station for 12 hours.

“Luckily they sell beer so everybody was getting f*****-up. Then one of Noel Gallagher’s stalkers turned up in this Oasis-emblazoned car.

“He offered to assist us. He got all these guitars out of his car and we ended up doing an Oasis tribute gig in this car park for three hours.

“He was more than helpful to the point where you think, ‘This is a bit weird.’

“But we took him back to our hotel and allowed him into the soundcheck for Noel’s show in Munich. Noel was alright about it.”

Singer Scott Anderson added: “We spent 11 hours with him. He was very nice. He’s coming on holiday every year with us now.”

Folks have supported such acts as The View and Miles Kane on tour so far – but the banter they shared with Noel is still fresh in the memory.

Not least because of their Manchester footie rivalry.

Michael recalled: “We’re all Manchester United fans so there’s a bit of a rivalry because he’s a City fan, of course.

“The first time we played with Noel was at the Roundhouse in London just before Christmas.

“City had just beaten us 6-1 so he was giving all the lads grief. Then he came up to me and said, ‘What about that? F****** 6-1!’

“I said, ‘Dude, I’ve had f****** 20 years of success with United. Feels good doesn’t it?’”

However, the songwriter/guitarist left Noel scratching his head one drunken post-gig night in Paris.

“There was a band playing that would perform any song that you asked for,” he said.

“As is customary, Noel had the first choice of song and he chose the Kinks. Then he looked at me and said, ‘You choose now.’ I was a bit p*****. I’m like, ‘Can you play Mother by John Lennon?’

“He came up to me and said, ‘It’s a f****** party – and you’re asking for a song about your dead mother!’”

Watch two exclusive acoustic tracks performed live here.

Source: www.thesun.co.uk

Folks Fly High With Noel Gallagher

Guitar band Folks have hailed Noel Gallagher as a "great man".

The six-piece from Manchester supported the ex-Oasis star on his European tour.

"We did his whole European tour, back in March. And he asked us again to play in Edinburgh," guitarist and songwriter Michael Beasley said.

"Noel's been around a long time now, but he still goes out to check out bands he thinks he might like, and if he does like you, he might well offer you a gig.

"There are so many people in the industry in his position, but not many are as helpful or generous. He's a great man."

The band recorded their album in just 17 days in Los Angeles.

We couldn't afford the place we had used before, Toe Rag Studios in London, so we ended up going to LA," Michael said.

"We had been working with a producer called Luther Russell, who is like LA musical royalty. He was in a band with Bob Dylan's son Jakob, grew up with Clint Eastwood's kids, and Stephen Stills's kids.

"He's a real Beatles enthusiast like we are, and loves four-track tape recorders too. His mate had a studio we could use, so yeah, it was cheaper to go to Beverly Hills and make a record than it was to go to London."

:: The band are on tour in the UK throughout July and August, with their biggest show to date at Edinburgh Castle on July 17, supporting Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. For more information, visit www.wearefolks.

Source: www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk

Details of an exclusive strictly limited 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' CD or vinyl singles collectors box can be found here.

Support Announced For Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds European And Australian Tour

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds head out to Japan this week to play the first dates of 2012, beginning on 16th January at Tokyo's Tokyo Dome City.

The full list of confirmed gigs for 2012 can be found at the website's 'Gigs' page HERE!

Support bands for the forthcoming dates in Australia and Europe have just been confirmed, details below:

23/01/12 - SYDNEY, Enmore Theatre - Deep Sea Arcade
29/01/12 - MELBOURNE, The Palais - Immigrant Union
04/03/12 - BARCELONA, Razzmatazz - Folks
06/03/12 - PARIS, Le Grand Rex - Folks
08/03/12 - HAMBURG, Alsterdorfer Sporthalle - Folks
09/03/12 - BERLIN, Max-Schmeling Halle - Folks
11/03/12 - MUNICH, Tonhalle - Folks
13/03/12 - ROME, Atlantico - Folks
15/03/12 - ZURICH, Komplex 457 - Folks

Fans may recognise the name of the band Folks as they supported Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' gig at The Roundhouse last October and also appeared on Noel's Radio 2 show back in September.

Fans unfamiliar with Folks can get a free download of their track 'Skull And Bones' from the band's Facebook page HERE!

Folks On Supporting Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds And More

Michael from Folks took the time to answer some questions ahead of the bands support date for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at The Roundhouse in London on October 31st.

Were are you guys from?
Mostly from Manchester (Scott, Michael, Elliot, Thom) - we did rehearse there but decided to rent a rehearsal room out of the way in the countryside, 15 miles out of the city. Thom is originally from Sheffield but moved to Manchester last year. I think Noel and I were born in the same hospital, St. Marys, on Oxford Road. Mine and Scotts families are originally from Miles Platting, Elliot is from sunny Burnage.

Who's in the band and how did you meet up?

Scott Anderson (vocals), Michael Beasley (songwriter/guitar), Thomas Fripp (Lead Guitar), Elliot Barlow (Drums), Harry Gumery (Bass), Wil Akroyd (Keys). Scott and I had been working on songs and after a while, asked a few friends if they knew any spectacular musicians who might want to join the band. It took a while to find the right people but once we were assembled, it came together really quickly.

What style of music best describes what you do?

It's a little psychedelic but the emphasis is on the songs, each of which is a pocket symphony. We spent a lot of time deciding on what kind of instrumentation to use on each track for the record, flutes, mellotrons, strange strings. We were invited to use Toerag Studios in Hackney, London, which is where it first really started for us. We loved using the old EMI REDD desk, Automatic double tracking and recording on analogue tape, it was preferable to what we had used before. We found that because we’re using a four track tape machine, we didn't have lots of time to think about things like you might have in a digital studio. We usually cut one track per day. Verve Records in New York heard the recordings from Toerag and gave us a little money to make some more demos, which was inspiring since Verve is the home of the greats such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald .The greats who my Grandma Ada used to have on in her house in Moston. John Leckie (Stone Roses, Radiohead, Plastic Ono Band) was an early admirer of Folks, too, and he told us to just get our heads down and work on songs and not worry about record contracts, songs come first.

What should fans expect from your support slot?

We're really looking forward to the show with Noel, we honestly couldn't be more honoured to be invited to play with him and his new band. We'll perform songs from the album we have due for release in 2012, to give people an idea of exactly who we are. The live performance is heavier than the record too, we hope people will enjoy it.

What are the bands plans for the rest of the year?

We're about to go on tour with Miles Kane throughout the UK just before we join up with Noel Gallagher. Hopefully we will get a few more shows in but to be honest, we're getting ready for the release of our full length debut album, I See Cathedrals, in early 2012.

How did the support for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds come about?

Noel's manager played him some songs from our record whilst he was making the video for The Death of You and Me. He liked them and shortly afterwards, asked us to support him at The Roundhouse. Noel also asked us to be on BBC Radio 2 when he sat in for Dermot O'Leary recently. It was the first time we’d met him and we had to perform live on the radio with just two hours sleep as we’d been on tour in Scotland. Noel still has a great love of new music. Always looking for stuff and when he likes it, he supports it, he's altruistic and generous to a fault.

Are you looking forward to the show?
It'll be our biggest show to date and we'll be in such good company, We feel very lucky. We will play our hearts out and hopefully let people know exactly why we’re there!

What are your thoughts on the tracks from High Flying Birds?

Noel is a prolific writer, he has written many amazing songs over the years that are the soundtrack to many peoples lives, including my own. That he continues to write great songs is insane. It reminds me that we've got so much to do.

Were you fans of Oasis? If so, when did you first hear them?

I think the first play of 'Supersonic' was on Steve Lamacq's Radio 1 show, and I heard it there. Then a mate gave me a cassette with some tracks on, there was an unbelievable number of great songs which were far better than anything else around. Like everyone else, we became fans. There were no other bands around nearly as good - they wiped the floor with everyone else on the music scene at that time.

Finally what are your favourite Oasis tracks and why?

There are many... Supersonic, Shakermaker, Sad Song, Rock & Roll Star,Acquiesce, Wonderwall, Mucky Fingers, Whatever, Songbird, The Importance Of Being Idle but I think if I had to choose one, it would be 'Whatever' - I'm sure I heard an eight or nine minute version that was ostentatious, ambitious with brilliant strings. It may have sounded like The Beatles but it was clearly Liam & Noel at the height of their powers. I remember thinking they could take on the world with those songs when I heard that.

The video below is the trailer to a free track 'Avalanche' which anyone can download by simply liking their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/wearefolks!



For more details about the band visit the links below.
www.wearefolks.com/
www.facebook.com/wearefolks
www.twitter.com/wearefolks
www.myspace.com/folks
www.youtube.com/wearefolks

International Fans Can Now Listen To Noel Gallagher On BBC Radio 2

Mancunian musical legend and wit Noel Gallagher presents the Dermot O'Leary Show, with Matt Morgan.

He's joined by actor John Simm and has live music from new band Folks, who are supporting Noel's High Flying Birds on tour.

David Walliams also joins the show by phone, to provide an update on his bid to swim the length of the Thames for Sport Relief.

Thanks to jordan71421

Listen Again To Noel Gallagher's Show For BBC Radio 2

Mancunian musical legend and wit Noel Gallagher presents the Dermot O'Leary Show, with Matt Morgan.

He's joined by actor John Simm and has live music from new band Folks, who are supporting Noel's High Flying Birds on tour.

David Walliams also joins the show by phone, to provide an update on his bid to swim the length of the Thames for Sport Relief.

To listen to the show click here (UK ONLY).

Noel Gallagher Tickets Sell Out Support Acts Also Announced

Tickets for three additional Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds UK dates sold out this morning within minutes, although The Roundhouse box office system crashed due to the demand.

The three dates, spread across Manchester and London, were announced on Monday evening by Noel during his live webchat with friend Matt Morgan.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds have also confirmed support bands for several of the UK dates.

The tour dates plus support band details are below:

23/10/11:: Dublin, Olympia Theatre - SOLD OUT. Support: TBC
26/10/11:: Manchester, O2 Apollo - SOLD OUT. Support: Electric Soft Parade
27/10/11:: Edinburgh, Usher Hall – SOLD OUT. Support: Electric Soft Parade
29/10/11:: London, HMV Hammersmith Apollo – SOLD OUT. Electric Soft Parade
30/10/11:: London, HMV Forum - SOLD OUT. Support: Murray James
31/10/11:: London, Roundhouse - SOLD OUT. Support: Folks

The tour will mark the first live outing by Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds and is in support of their eponymous debut album released in the UK on 17th October through Noel's own Sour Mash Records.

Source: www.noelgallagher.com