Noel Gallagher has extended an apology to his brother Liam following allegations that Oasis withdrew from V Festival in 2009 due to Liam suffering from a hangover.
Liam contemplated pursuing legal action, asserting that the remarks were “way beyond rock’n’roll banter and questioned my professionalism.”
Nevertheless, during a webchat earlier this week, Noel acknowledged, “For the record, it is a fact that he was diagnosed with laryngitis and it is a fact that he had a doctor’s note to prove it.”
“If my views on such matters offend him, then, you know, I apologise,” he added. “However, this is all becoming quite silly and slightly out of control, and it’s not very cool. But there you have it.”
Naturally, he would be inclined to apologise… after all, he relies heavily on frontman Liam. Although Noel is credited with writing the vast majority of Oasis songs, let’s face it… musically, they aren’t particularly remarkable.
Your average ‘bloke down the pub’ would vehemently disagree, but that’s mainly because most of them are clueless about music.
Damon Albarn famously dubbed Noel’s band of three-chord songs as ‘Quoasis’, drawing a comparison to Status Quo, who openly confess their love for the simplicity of three-chord compositions.
I’ve seen Oasis perform numerous times, yet they have offered very little in terms of both albums and live shows since the onset of their decline with the release of their third album. Visually, they are hardly captivating. Their movement is limited, and Noel wears a concentrated expression while executing his four or five-note solos. Thank goodness for Liam’s on-stage bravado. And honestly, each time I witness their performance, Noel seems to resemble Parker from the Thunderbirds more and more… I’m not joking… it’s true.
Additionally, if you examine the trajectory of bands that have disbanded, it’s almost always the vocalist who achieves success, while the guitarist/songwriter often struggles to regain momentum… regardless of their talent level.
Take the Stone Roses, for instance. Upon their split, Ian Brown catapulted to massive success, despite being a rather poor live vocalist. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy solo Ian Brown, but I wouldn’t deem him an artist. Conversely, John Squire, a brilliant guitarist and songwriter from the Stone Roses, went on to achieve… well… nothing significant. He was involved with a group named The Seahorses for a bit (the highlight being John Squire’s guitar work), before disappearing into the depths of musical obscurity.
Moreover, consider The Smiths. Morrissey ventured into a successful solo career. Johnny Marr, who made guitars appealing in the eighties. Let’s be honest, seeing Duran Duran didn’t exactly make you want to join a band or learn an instrument… in fact, it more likely made you feel like throwing up violently. However, Johnny Marr did collaborate with Crowded House and had a band with Bernard Albrecht from New Order… yet he never replicated the success or quality of The Smiths or Morrissey’s solo output.
There are other examples, but I trust my point has been made. Without his younger brother, Noel Gallagher is bound to experience a significantly lonely time, so an apology was necessary… and just when I thought Noel might dissolve into the musical void… never mind. More disputes are sure to arise in the future, leaving a glimmer of hope for a potentially positive outcome for all.
by Wallace McTavish
