Snippet Of Noel Gallagher Interview For 3FM

Below is a short video of the interview that's being broadcast next week.

Monday 10th October is the start of 'Noel Gallagher week' on the 3FM radio station in The Netherlands.

Between the hours of 19.00 and 22.00 (local time) DJ Michiel Veenstra will broadcast parts of an interview with Noel.

For more details click here.

Beady Eye Roll Into Padova

Beady Eye will play at the Gran Teatro Geox in Padova, Italy later today (October 8th).

If you are going to the show, and you are able to scan your ticket or send in pictures email them to us @ scyhodotcom@gmail.com and I will do my best to get them on the site.

Visit my Beady Eye fan site standingontheedgeofthenoise.com by clicking here.

Gallery: Beady Eye In Rome

Click here to see a gallery of Beady Eye from yesterdays gig in Rome.

Noel Gallagher To Appear On The Jonathan Ross Show

Jonathan Ross has confirmed on Twitter that Noel Gallagher will be one of his guests on 'The Jonathan Ross Show' on ITV on October 22nd.

Thanks to Bella Ferri

Listen To 30 Second Clips Of Track's From Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Click here to listen to 30 second clips of each track from Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

Noel Gallagher Interview To Be Broadcast All Of Next Week On 3FM

Monday 10th October is the start of 'Noel Gallagher week' on the 3FM radio station in The Netherlands.

Between the hours of 19.00 and 22.00 (local time) DJ Michiel Veenstra will broadcast parts of an interview with Noel.

For more details click here.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Album Review From The BBC

Songwriters who listen to too many records can struggle to come up with fresh ideas for their own. They’re too cowed by their own taste, too aware of pantheons and precedence, and too easily influenced by old and dusty sonic blueprints.

It’s hard to say whether this is a greater problem for the artist or the listener. Certainly it would be easy to provide a list of reference points for Noel Gallagher’s pugnacious solo debut, some of which come from his old band – two songs reference Wonderwall. But that’s missing the point.

Which is: Noel’s got his confidence back. After years of watered-down Oasis albums, where anyone with a band membership and a silk scarf could throw an authentically scuffed tune into the pot, this is not a tentative recovery, nor does it bluster and huff. It rests on a bed of quiet authority, that sense of calm over turmoil, which comes from Noel’s mournfully bullish voice. Or to put it another way, this is the sound of a man who no longer has to give a stuff what the rest of the band thinks.

You can divide the songs into three categories: one, the jazzy shufflers – Dream On, The Death of You and Me, Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks. Two, the Oasis throwbacks – If I Had a Gun, AKA… Broken Arrow, (Stranded On) The Wrong Beach. And three, the big rock anthems – Everybody’s on the Run, (I Wanna Live in a Dream in My) Record Machine, Stop the Clocks. The exception is AKA… What a Life, which takes Noel out of his traditional comfort zone and into a disco, albeit a very lean and spartan sort of disco. It suits him well, and he knows it.

Jazzy interludes aside, there’s nothing particularly new here, and certainly nothing that will change anyone’s mind about the music of Noel Gallagher: he’s listened to a lot of records and he knows what he likes. But, finally freed of the burden of his old band, their hot streak and their lead singer, he can concentrate on making enjoyable records for other people to enjoy.

Source: www.bbc.co.uk

Noel Gallagher's iTunes Playlist

Noel Gallagher has done a playlist on iTunes, click here to view the tracks.

Review: Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds

“I’m free to be whatever I, whatever I choose and I’ll sing the blues if I want”. Never have the lyrics to Oasis‘ 1994 single ‘Whatever‘ sounded so pertinent.

Now liberated from the restraint of the Oasis vehicle, which to an extent became a redundant medium for Noel’s songwriting output in recent years; the chief is now free to flex his creative muscles and experiment with ideas that we only ever saw glimpses of in his former band. It doesn’t feel as if they’ve been gone that long as we became accustomed to the dreaded gap between album releases, and coincidentally we’d be almost due a new record from them by now.

Instead, we’re on the cusp of Noel’s debut solo release and there’s something in the air that makes this the most exciting build up to a new record involving a Gallagher since 1997′s ‘Be Here Now‘. Why? because we’ve been waiting for what feels like an eternity for it, and this will be the first record consisting solely of Noel Gallagher penned tracks since that aforementioned album.

The dust still hasn’t settled since the events of over two years ago in Paris. Noel and Liam have continued to air their dirty laundry in public with constant bickering back and forth in the press. Accusations of plum throwing and “high flying turd” quips have dominated the column inches, but it’s all gone a bit quiet on the war of words front since Liam upped the ante by getting lawyers involved after comments Noel made about him during a press conference.

The brothers will no doubt reconcile at some point down the line, but whether they’ll ever record together again is another question. The PR machine for Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds is in full swing now, and attention has refreshingly turned back to the music.

The demise of Oasis might have been hard to swallow, but on the flip side Noel has broken free from the shackles of a band that since 2005 – a period that sparked a resurgence in his songwriting, held him back from putting out a wealth of material that will inevitably feature on his forthcoming solo albums. ‘Don’t Believe The Truth‘ and ‘Dig Out Your Soul‘ featured some of their finest material since ‘…Morning Glory‘, but it’s frustrating to imagine how much better they might have been if Noel had written every song on those albums.

The democracy in songwriting may have been healthy for the band’s chemistry, but as Noel reacquainted himself with his love for writing he could probably have filled those records with all his own tracks without sacrificing any quality. Via his own admission, he had also built up a stock pile of songs that sat around collecting dust in the vaults because they never fitted in with the ‘Oasis sound’.

All being well, Noel’s solo album could have been sandwiched between the standard 2-3 year period between Oasis’ records, but this idea would never have sat well with Liam who once said of solo album rumours after Noel’s walkout of their Giants tour in 2000: “If you’re not thinking about Oasis when you’re in Oasis, then you shouldn’t be in Oasis”. Beady Eye silenced a lot of their critics with a satisfactory debut effort, but it was always going to be Noel’s record that the majority of fans anticipated the most. After all, he wrote the songs that mattered, the ones which have become part of the fabric in British society. It might have taken blood, sweat, tears and lawyers to get here but perhaps this was just a rite of passage Noel had to endure for him to finally reach this inevitable point of his career. The trademark cocksure arrogance we’ve come to expect from Noel in the run up to a new release has been notably diluted. He’s been making far less noise about this one. So does the music speak loud enough for itself?

Opening the album in spectacularly grandiose fashion is the dramatic ‘Everybody’s On The Run‘. Thanks to the wonders of modern technology this one has been floating around the internet for a while in the shape of a soundcheck, but now it’s been given the Dave Sardy treatment and the results are astonishing. The first few seconds of coughs and some incoherent mumbling are soon bulldozed by a marching beat and choir. Taking a deep breath it then slows down, fades out and makes way for Noel, who roars like a tenor from the depths of his stomach. “You can’t fight the feeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelin”. The string’s really take off by the fourth minute and provide an epic finale to what is arguably the finest song on the album.

‘Dream On‘ is care free, pure pop indulgence. It’s also the first example of several tracks that carry a very strong Kinks influence. A moody piano contrasts an upbeat, stomping rhythm which makes this unashamedly brilliant, pub jukebox fodder. Should it have been the first single? Well, certainly in terms of commercial viability it ticks all the boxes, but musically it is inferior to ‘The Death Of You and Me‘, which has much more layers to devour. Its irresistible catchy bridge glides beautifully into a big chorus of “Dreeeeeeeeam on..” Noel hasn’t sounded like he’s had this much fun in years.

Dark, moody and beautifully haunting; ‘If I Had a Gun‘ is also responsible for producing one of the most memorable hooks of the album. “Excuse me if I spoke too soon..” is made of the stuff that Noel’s earliest songs were sprung from. It’s a ballad that follows a chord structure that he may have revisited several times before, but if the method isn’t broke then why try and fix it? The decision to give this track the full electric treatment might divide fans who have been drooling over a live acoustic version on YouTube for the last two years. The full band approach does strip away some of its appeal, but the song is so good that it doesn’t suffer from it.
Noel has clearly been listening to The Kinks. A lot. It’s no surprise as they did inspire one of the best compositions to come out of the latter half of Oasis’ career – ‘The Importance Of Being Idle‘, and their influence on his songwriting is scattered all over this album. ‘The Death Of You And Me’ bleeds The Kinks and shares a lot in common with the aforementioned Oasis track, but manages to find its own identity in the shape of some mild experimentation. A brass solo which had jaws dropping with both excitement and bewilderment when the track was first premiered sounds right at home on this album.

The first of two tracks Noel has stated were intended for previous Oasis albums begins with ‘(I Wanna Live In A Dream) In My Record Machine‘. It’s not a great deal different to the demo version that has been doing the rounds on the internet for a good while now, but it bites alot harder; slightly faster than the demo and with a more impassioned, aggressive vocal from Noel.

Dave Sardy has polished the track and given it a very shiny spark, it also features a rare commodity on the album – a guitar solo. “You can’t give me a reason, I don’t need one to shine” is on par with the bridge in ‘If I Had A Gun’. Spine tingling stuff. Despite all its merits – could Noel have done more with this track? Probably. Perhaps ‘Be Here Now’ is the devil on his shoulder, holding him back from really going out on a limb and fleshing this one out. An Amorphous Androgynous take on the track might be a little more fruitful.

At the midway point of the album we arrive at ‘AKA…What A Life‘, not quite the huge step out of his comfort zone that many might have expected. Within the context of the album, and the journey it takes us on, it fits perfectly and glues the two halves of the record together. After three mid paced tracks it’s a revitalising slap in the face. It remains to be seen whether this will also feature on the Amorphous record as it does lend itself to a more experimental sound that could be manipulated no end. Developed a bit more and perhaps a neat little guitar solo thrown in toward the end, this could have been one of the best on the album. Criticism aside, it’s one of the most refreshing songs on the record and boasts a ridiculously catchy melody.
‘Soldier Boys and Jesus Freaks‘ steers us back into Kinks territory with a ‘Dead End Street‘ vibe and even a lyrical nod toward to one of the band’s albums. “All the people on the village green have gathered round their TV screens..” Guitars make way for trumpets which dominate the track and the mood turns to more serious subject matters after taking tigers outside for a ride.. Its chorus of “on and on weeeeeeee go..” is not like anything Noel has written before.

‘AKA…Broken Arrow‘ may very well be the one above all others on the album that splits opinion. A heavily acoustic driven, mid paced number with bongos that lacks the immediacy of the preceding tracks. Lyrically it is ‘Stop The Clocks‘ counterpart, sharing the same themes.”If I die in a dream, then let me live my life..” It marks a turning point in the record that sounds less hopeful than the previous tracks. Doubt, insecurity and darker subject matters are embarked on. It is the weakest song on the album, but this is not a huge criticism when taking into consideration the overall standard of the songs. New b-side ‘Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me‘ might have been a smarter move. Nevertheless, Noel’s been quite careful with quality control and there isn’t a stand out dud on the entire album.

Never mind all that talk of ‘AKA…What a Life’ being disco – what about ‘(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach’? This is a sleazy slice of pop and far removed from the Noel Gallagher of old. Goldfrapp meets The Kinks with a subtle, moody, glam stomp, and there’s a continuation in the lyrical theme that has taken a U-turn somewhat in the latter half of the album. “Pour me one for the road, its a long journey baby, and where it’s gonna take me just depends on the weight of my load”. It’s glaringly obvious example of a song that would have never made it onto an Oasis album. It closes with the lyrics “sinking in the quick sand, stranded on the wrong beach, come and rescue me” and ends with sounds of the ocean.

Once described as the best song he’s ever written, later demoted to one of the best song’s he’s ever written, ‘Stop The Clocks’ closes Noel’s debut solo album, and what a wait it has been to finally hear a finished version of a track that’s been talked about for nearly ten years. There are allegedly up to six versions of it in the vaults, and that bestows a mammoth weight of expectation on this one. Noel’s homage to The La‘s ‘Looking Glass‘ has been worth the painful wait.

Fresher and with more vigour than the demo version, it also includes female backing vocals which are a subtle yet sweet addition to the song. It builds and builds until its explosive eruption of squealing guitars and a less defined guitar solo than the demo that is much more Matt Bellamy than Noel Gallagher. If it is true this won’t be played live, it is a crying shame that the dying moments of this track are not witnessed on stage as it’s one of the few moments on the album where Noel really lets loose with his guitar. Remember ‘Champagne Supernova‘ at Earls court 1995? There’s no doubt fans would kill to see Noel give the same sort of treatment to this song, stretching it out for 10 minutes and tearing his strings to pieces.

This is an album not short of variety. A healthy mix of classic Noel interspersed with fresh ideas and experimentation with new sounds which make this a very rewarding listen. The production is rich, glossy and inventive as the record is peppered with different sounds that make it quirky and unpredictable. Noel dips his toe into unfamiliar territory, particularly on the second half of the album, and it proves to be a healthy leap forward in his songwriting. He draws from the same old influences, but with a new twist by diversifying his use of instruments and thinking outside the box a little bit more. Guitars take on a less paramount role and make way for trumpets and piano and unsurprisingly the entire album is bursting at the seams with melody and hooks. The first half of the record is undoubtedly better than the second, but it does redeem itself with ‘Stop The Clocks’.

Satisfying, and at times unbelievably good, it’s the kind of album that doesn’t tell the full story the first time round, but it’s a journey that warrants the repeat button again and again.

(Matt Humphrey)
* Released: 17 October 2011
* Label: Sour Mash
* Formats: CD, LP, digital download

Source: www.live4ever.uk.com

Steve Lamacq Talks About Noel Gallagher In His Blog

Taken from Steve Lamacq's blog that can be found here.

A day later, Noel Gallagher walks into our studio with a hangover, rubbing at his forehead. He’s been out the previous night to the theatre – to see a friend in a play – and then onto the opening of a new private members club in London.

He is, as always, a terrific raconteur. Although this is a slightly different NG to the old one: this one is musically single for the first time in his career and – if you can read anything into the lyrics of his new High Flying Birds album – more reflective than on past records.

He says he doesn’t like explaining the words to his songs but does admit that several of them were written in the aftermath of the Oasis split, which might have coloured them a little.

And when did you first feel lonely after Oasis ended?

“We made a video for the single in the desert and I was sitting in my trailer on my own…(he does a bored whistle)…I thought about phoning Gem up and finding out what he was doing.”

He also has a new neighbour, who you really couldn’t make up. But that’s another story….

Interview finished we wander outside for the obligatory promo picture when he says: “You’ll never guess who I was drinking with last night.”

“There we were, going ‘What was all that Britpop stuff about. How did all that happen’.” There is a grown-up spark in his eye, which – like parts of his record, suggests a certain sense of closure.

Looking up, with an almost baffled smile, he concludes: “It was only Damon Albarn.”

You can hear the Noel Gallagher interview in full (including the stuff about his neighbours and life on tour with the Inspiral Carpets) on 6Music on October 11.

Beady Eye Roll Into Rome...

Beady Eye will play at the Atlanico in Rome, Italy later today (October 7th).

If you are going to the show, and you are able to scan your ticket or send in pictures email them to us @ scyhodotcom@gmail.com and I will do my best to get them on the site.

Visit my Beady Eye fan site standingontheedgeofthenoise.com by clicking here.

First Listen Noel Gallagher's High Flying Bird's

Everybody’s On The Run

The potential of this song, everyone has known since the low-fi mobile phone version was getting hundreds of thousands of plays on YouTube and being shared online amongst fans. Even Noel’s biggest fans couldn’t have predicted how ‘epic’ he could get this song to sound. It’s far more complex than its simple acoustic version could have suggested and is a simply brilliant opener to the album fans have been waiting for since Oasis first started.

Dream On

Dream On is arguably the stand out track of the whole album. You wonder why songs this good didn’t make Oasis albums and can only assume this was written recently. It sounds anthemic without needing Liam which is something Noel has questioned in interviews since coming back, the song plays out with horn overtures with the line ‘Shout It Out For Me’, reminiscent of songs like Round Are Way and All Around The World.

If I Had A Gun

Another song that has been around for a few years since it was recorded by a fan at a soundcheck on the Dig Out Your Soul tour, the ‘demo’ suggested a delicate acoustic song but the finished version is certainly beefier in sound. A brilliant first single (if only in the US). With reverby acoustics, this will sound brilliant live.

The Death Of You And Me

The first single released from the album, TDOYAM surprised a lot of people with its waltzy-retro sound and falsetto vocal. In the context of the album it is a perfect follow up to If I Had A Gun and changes things up a bit after the first three quite full-on tracks.

(I Wanna Live In A Dream) In My Record Machine

The new album version of this song is virtually the same as the demo that came out in the spring of 2008 but has much more refined production and feels a lot ‘warmer’ than the demo. It has more emphasis on the contrast between the verse which is really soft and the epic build up/ending. Not quite the ‘9 minute’ epic Noel once talked about but sat in the middle of the album it works perfectly. It’s a shame it has been around for so long because if you were hearing it for the first time it would be arguably the most memorable song of the album.

AKA…What A Life

This song represents unchartered territory for Noel, it doesn’t sound like anything he has done before and is kind of a metaphor for the whole album. It is essentially a dance track and could easily have a house beat over the top and get played in clubs. If this was 1996 the single would probably have about 6 remixes as b-sides. As it is, it represents Noel trying something different out of the framework of Oasis and will be an impossible track to skip. Another (another!) stand out track even if you’ve been playing it non-stop over the last few weeks.

Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks

This should be a highlight in the live sets. A soft TIOBI style organ and cymbal-snare beat under a choir and horn section. A lot of reviews so far have focused on the lyrics and their political content which does stand out (in a good way). It’s difficult to pin down, sounds a bit like a theme tune to a cop-drama and something closer to Noel’s DBTT era songs.

AKA…Broken Arrow

An up-tempo ballad if that makes any sense? Could imagine this song being sung slow with an acoustic guitar, as it happens this version is quite up-beat and has some percussion in the background. Understated but will be a grower after people have digested the ‘singles’ on this album. No specific influences spring to mind, like with the best Oasis songs. Could describe it as ‘Brit Pop’?!

(Stranded On) The Wrong Beach

The most interesting vocal on the album. An intricate melody and another track that doesn’t sound like anything Noel has done before. Has a sinister tone and although it’s not as instantly memorable as some tracks its far from being a filler. Will be some people’s favourite song on the whole album. Has a slight guitar solo at the end. Will sound mega when it’s being played live in a big venue.

Stop The Clocks

As good as the ‘demo’ was, this is still an improvement. It’s hard to release a track in 2011 that has been in the public domain since 2003 but this first ‘official release’ is fantastic. A perfect album closer, something that finishes what ‘Everybody’s On The Run’ started. Book ends a brilliant collection of songs and next time If Noel releases another album you’d think it will be 10+ new songs. This album is a greatest hits of his stuff that’s gradually come out over the past 10 or so years and having this at the end is a brilliant way to sum up the journey. Some scratchy strings and probably Noel’s most un-hinged and ‘out there’ guitar solo gives an eerily hint of what’s to come with the Amorphous Androgynous album.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds is released on October 17th, visit www.noelgallagher.com for more details.

Win A Signed Photo Of Beady Eye

Beady Eye's US and Canadian record label Dangerbird Records have given us a signed picture by the band to give away to one of the sites visitors.

Beady Eye will be returning to North America in November and December, click here for more details on ticket availability.

All you have to do to to win the photo is join the Beady Eye and Dangerbird mailing lists, details are here.

One winner will be picked at random by Dangerbird Records on October 11th 2011.

A picture of the photo is below.

Thanks to Dangerbird Records.

Another Review Of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

A little over two years on from Oasis’ rather abrupt break up, big brother Noel releases his debut album later this month to much anticipation and speculation on what it may include. The biggest surprise of all may strangely be that there are no real surprises. While rumours spread about possible new directions after Noel kept himself away from the media spotlight for a large portion of his time away, what he actually comes out with is an album which shows every influence and feeling that we’ve always associated with him.

Over the last twenty years Noel Gallagher has soundtracked a generation of people who grew up during the ‘Britpop’ era, during which time he wrote some of the most well loved and biggest selling songs of all time. All the while he provided a steady supply of B sides which hinted at another side to his writing which it was always assumed would be turned out in a solo project at some point and now, with his High Flying Birds it has arrived.

All the influences you would expect to hear are liberally scattered through this album, sounds of ‘The Kinks’, ‘The La’s’ and ‘The Beatles’ pop up on a regular basis as well as the expected Oasis esque feel. Going in you expect to hear euphoric choruses, sing along lyrics and instantly memorable melodies and that’s exactly what you get. However it’s not as simple as a re-hash of what he’s done and heard before.

Indeed, album opener ‘Everybody’s On The Run’ kicks things off with a mass of strings and a backing from the Crouch End Choir, who were most recently seen performing with Ray Davies. It provides a constantly undulating wall of sound before Noel’s trademark vocal kicks in more strongly than it has seemed when still part of Oasis, perhaps a sign of an increased comfort now he is truly his own boss.

There are plenty of the traditional Noel moments too. Throughout the album there is a trail of melancholic lyrics wrapped up in layered guitars, a healthy smattering of strings and rolling drums while almost every track has you humming, tapping or singing along from the very first listen, second track ‘Dream On’ already has the sound of a live favourite.

Two ‘lost’ Oasis songs appear in the form of ‘(I Wanna Live In A Dream In My) Record Machine’ and ‘Stop The Clocks’ both of which offer versions far superior to those which have floated around the internet for several years now. ‘Stop The Clocks’ providing a spectacular close to the record as it builds to a noisy crescendo before quickly sliding off among a reverberating echo of feedback.

Already released singles ‘The Death Of You And Me’ and ‘AKA...What A Life!’ have already been heard by most and happily the latter provides the weakest moment of the album with its dance inspired sound feeling half-hearted and a little confused. Noel himself has said he had to be persuaded to keep the track, perhaps he shouldn’t have listened.

The undoubted highlight of the album is ‘If I Had A Gun...’ which is another that has had various versions doing the rounds on the internet. It’s wistful lyrics and softly delivered vocal provide a dreamy feeling while ‘Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks’ shows a side of Noel we haven’t seen much of as he makes a strong lyrical statement. An unapologetically anti-war song wrapped in a shiny Kinks-pop tune singing of soldiers who “go to heaven on holiday” is much more direct than a typical Noel lyric and it’s a positive sign of what may come later in his solo career.

The main complaint people are likely to have with this album is that it doesn’t sound different enough and there are undoubtedly some lazy moments, the intro to ‘Dream On’ for example sounds eerily similar to that of Oasis’ ‘Lyla’. However, this was never likely to be some sort of groundbreaking piece of music. That sounds like it’s being saved for Noel’s ‘other’ album where he has teamed up with Amorphous Androgynous, due to be released early in 2012.

This isn’t the masterpiece many fans would have hoped for or expected, although I’m sure some will claim it to be but it is still a very good album. What has to be remembered is that, despite feeling like he’s been around forever this is a first attempt at a solo effort and, to compare to his most obvious peer in this situation, it stands up very well to Paul Weller’s self titled solo debut. The true test will be if Noel can progress his solo sound the way Weller has done since.

Over the past twenty years Gallagher senior has established himself as one of the best songwriters Britain has produced and this album will do nothing to tarnish that reputation while leaving plenty to anticipate what may come next.

'Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds' is released on October 17th on Sour Mash Records.

Source: www.stereoboard.com

Noel Gallagher Picks His Favourite Videos For GOTV In Austria

Noel Gallagher will be picking his favourite videos for GOTV in Austria on Sunday, the show starts at 11am (local time).

The show will be repeated on the 14/10 at 21:00 and 15/10 at 16:00.

Noel picked

Arctic Monkey - Don't Sit Down 'Cause I've Moved Your Chair
Kasabian - Switchblade Smiles
Talking Heads - Once In A Lifetime
Grace Jones - Pull Up To The Pumper
Beck - E-Pro
Rolling Stones - Undercover Of The Night
David Bowie - John, I'm Only Dancing
Zoot Woman - Grey Day
Bob Marley -Could You Be Loved
Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - The Death Of You And Me

Canadian Fans: Win Tickets To An Exclusive Noel Gallagher Acoustic Performance

Virgin Mobile Canada is hosting a special intimate acoustic performance with Noel Gallagher at the Virgin Mobile Mod Club, Toronto on Saturday November 5th, 2011. Sour Mash Records have arranged for NoelGallagher.com members to have a chance to get on the Virgin Mobile guest list by entering HERE!.

If you are a Virgin Mobile Canada Member, then you qualify for the chance to meet Noel to have him sign a poster of the event at the November 7th and 8th Massey Hall shows in Toronto by entering here – virginmobile.ca/gigs

Source: www.noelgallagher.com

High Flying Birds, Musical Kettles And Exploded Psych: Noel Gallagher Speaks

It was on January 27, 2000, when I was sitting with a group of journalists in the Albany pub on Great Portland Street having a long liquid lunch, when Noel Gallagher caught me napping. We were waiting in the vague proximity of the Portland Hospital – with its celebrated maternity ward favoured by rich and famous Londoners – for news of Meg Matthews who had entered the day before to give birth. I barely had chance to look up from my drink and get my notepad out when I saw the Britpop star striding towards the table. “Alright lads!” he beamed, “What are you having?” He bought everyone present a pint of Guinness, having a half himself, before filling us in on the birth of his daughter Anaïs, the health of her mother and how made up he was. “You got everything you need? I’d better go and get some flowers for the wife,” he said before marching back out to a round of applause.

I was no longer a news reporter by the time Liam Gallagher’s wife Nicole Appleton went into the same hospital to give birth to their son Gene 16 months later but I did read in the paper the next day that after leaving the hospital the proud dad had assaulted a photographer.

The one detail from these two brief vignettes that probably needs illuminating is the fact that Noel Gallagher knew the Albany pub quite well. He’d been a semi-regular at the Heavenly Social held in the basement club below stairs, where he mixed with Tricky, the Manic Street Preachers, Tim Burgess, Beth Orton, regular DJs The Chemical Brothers and other, slightly more open minds during the Britpop period. While Noel had lived just yards from The Chems while they were still The Dust Brothers back in Levenshulme and running Naked Under Leather in the early 90s and they had both been regulars at the Hacienda during its heyday, it was down the rickety steps in the 100 capacity central London club in 1994 that they first met. The next significant time they bumped into each other would be backstage at Glastonbury in 1996 and the plan to record ‘Setting Sun’ - the strangest, most fucked up electronic single ever to make number one in the charts – was hatched.

This was a crucial time for Oasis as John Tatlock rightly pointed out in a feature for us; Gallagher senior was being exposed to the world’s best hip hop, house and techno, recording chart topping psychedelic electronica and was keen on pushing his group out of its Beatles pop phase into its Beatles experimental phase. During the 1997 sessions for the Be Here Now album he was experimenting with playing riffs over hip hop breaks and espousing the joys of N.W.A. evangelically to the rest of the boys but they were looking at him “like I was talking French”.

But if he wasn’t exactly leaning on an open door, then he wasn’t exactly pushing all that hard either, and we know what happened after that. Oasis were simply already too big for the formula to be fucked with. As the Be Here Now producer Owen Morris said: "The only reason anyone was there was the money."

Some 14 years later Gallagher Senior is finally getting to indulge and explore these more experimental tendencies. Now free to embark on a solo career he is preparing for the release of his debut, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, a pleasingly sun-dappled album of warm-hearted psychedelia which could be filed next to Shack’s HMS Fable and The Soundtrack Of Our Lives’ Behind The Music and certainly towers over Beady Eye's Different Gear, Still Speeding. Not only that but the finishing touches are being put on his joint album with Amorphous Androgynous which, if their epic remix of ‘Falling Down’ is anything to go by, should be some Optrex for your third eye.

Talking of which, my third eye is just starting to open in all of its terrible glory as my other two eyes are drooping shut as I nod off. Sitting by the phone, waiting for the call, it looks like Noel Gallagher’s caught me sleeping on the job again.

Noel Gallagher: John, how are you doing?

Er... Hello... Not bad. Alright.

NG: Are you sure? You don’t sound alright.

No, I am actually. I’ve got a five month old boy so sleep’s at a premium but things are actually really great.

NG: My youngest turned one on Saturday, so I know what you mean.

Nice one! Happy birthday to him. Speaking as working rock & roll father of young children, how do you tie it all in with songwriting and making noise after a certain time and all that?

NG: I tend to do a lot on the road now because I’ve given up writing at home. It used to be the other way round but now that I don’t burn the candle at both ends any more I write on the road – that’s where I get some peace and quiet.

My boy will happily listen to any music that sounds like the washing machine, so he’s alright listening to black metal.

NG: [laughing] With the kids we only listen to music on the radio in the morning and in the car, but my eldest boy who is four loves acid house. And when he says, ‘Dad can we have some acid house please?’, I’m going to have to sample it and stick it on a fucking record because it sounds great.

Speaking of house music, there’s a link of sorts between that genre and the debut album of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, isn’t there?

NG: Well, on the track ‘[AKA...] What A Life!’ definitely there is, and maybe on the other songs simply via their sense of hope. On that particular track, it just came about because of a beautiful accident really. I’d started off writing something completely different and then ‘Strings Of Life’ by Rhythim Is Rhythim came on the stereo at home and totally influenced it. I had one of those moments of, ‘Oh wow, that song might work if I do it like that…’ I went down that avenue with it and it came out great.

A quick Google before the interview revealed to me that the world’s highest flying bird is actually the Asian goose, and while it looks like a rather charming yet undynamic bird it can fly at over 20,000 feet, and clear the Himalayas without troubling its underfeathers. Now I was wondering if you were named after a skein of Asian geese, or if there was an even better story to the name?

NG: [laughing] I’m afraid it’s just a really fucking shit story. When I was recording the album I was passing by Shepherd’s Bush Empire one night on my way home and somebody was on – I can’t remember who – but I remember thinking, ‘Do I really want to see my name up there? I mean it’s a bit boring… Noel Gallagher. It’s hardly Ziggy Stardust, is it?’ And I didn’t think much of it really, because I had all this other stuff going on. I was making an album; no one knew about it; did I want to find a band?; and if I found the band would I have to get a singer, because he would probably turn out to be a dick... - that kind of thing. Then one day I was at home doing the washing up and ‘Man Of The World’ came on the radio and the DJ said, ‘That was Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac. And I thought, ‘Wow. What if I was Noel Gallagher’s Something Or Other? That would be really cool.’ So I thought of loads of different things for months and it never really went away. I liked it because the name could apply to me solo, or a band or to a collective, it could mean anything. And then one day I was at home looking through some CDs and I was looking at Jefferson Airplane’s debut album and I saw the track ‘High Flying Birds’, and I thought, ‘Oh, fucking hell… that’s it.’

You’ve nailed it.

NG: I’ve fucking nailed it. Genius! But there’s no interesting story there…

Read the rest of the article here.

Russell Brand 'Drugs' Woman In Sinister Gallagher Promo

Russell Brand pins a terrified woman to a couch and force-feeds her psychedelic drugs in the sinister promo for Noel Gallagher's new single.

The former Oasis rocker revealed last month he had agreed to give his pal a cameo in the video for AKA... What A Life!, but he refused to reveal details of the role.

Now the eight-minute film has been unveiled online - and Brand has a substantial part as an evil drug-pusher who forces a petrified blonde to go on a bizarre hallucinogenic trip.

At the start of the creepy promo, Brand - wearing a top hat and an ivory necklace - lures the woman into his lair and tells her, "There's really no decision at all. You already know what you are going to do... Once you have taken a little sip of this splendid brew, the world will never look quite the same again. And as I explained to you, you never really had a choice."

Two female slaves then appear alongside the woman and help to pin her down as Brand pours the blue concoction into her mouth, sneering, "Ladies, make it a little easier for her. Don't be flustered. It's okay. It's just a drizzle."

The track then begins and the weeping woman embarks on a bizarre drug trip before being 'rescued' from the trunk of a car by Gallagher at the end of the film.

Source: yahoo.com

Noel Gallagher: I'm Perfect For X Factor

Noel Gallagher has revealed he would have made the perfect judge for the X Factor - after correctly predicting the final 16.

The star turned down Simon Cowell's request to join the panel, but said he had no real objection to the show.

In an interview with Real Radio Yorkshire, he said: "I don't mind the X Factor, I've got an 11-year-old daughter; she's obsessed with it as all 11-year-old girls are.

"I was watching it on Saturday actually, and I managed to pick everybody they put through to the live finals."

In the interview, to be broadcast on Saturday morning, Gallagher tells presenter Daryl Denham he had a personal invitation from Cowell to be an X Factor judge.
"I know him and he was going 'we want you to be on it', I was going 'you don't really want me on it - I won't put anyone through, and I can't have people round my house crying in the kitchen when I don't put them through because they'll frighten the cat'. And the cat can't be frightened."

Guitarist Gallagher, who releases his first solo album, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, later this month, said his daughter Anais was upset when he refused to do the ITV1 show.

"She went into a rage when she found out I'd turned it down."
"So we're watching it Saturday night and I was saying 'that fat idiot - he's rubbish, get him off'. And she looked at me and she gave me a withering look and said 'well, you could have told him that yourself, couldn't you?' And I was like oh ... get to bed."

But he added that he would not reconsider. "No, no, no it's not for me, no, I couldn't," Gallagher said.

Source: The Press Association

Watch Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Video For AKA... What A Life Now!

Video for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds' new UK single 'AKA... What A Life!' featuring Russell Brand and directed by Mike Bruce.

The single is available to download now and is released by Noel's own label Sour Mash Records. The track will be available to buy as a digital bundle and on 7" and CD from 17th October featuring the exclusive b-side 'Let The Lord Shine A Light On Me'.