Manchester-born British rock band Oasis, led by the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, dominated the Britpop cultural movement in the mid-1990s and soon became a sensation as their debut album, Definitely Maybe, swept the music world. Oasis was not just a rock band but a cultural phenomenon, crowned the kings of Britpop among rival bands like Blur, Suede and Pulp. At the centre of this creative storm were the talented Liam and Noel Gallagher, but their volatile Cain and Abel-esque sibling rivalry and barely controlled, very public rifts, which shocked the band as well as their fans, finally reached a breaking point in 2009, when Noel decided to leave the band after a backstage quarrel with his brother. (Also read: All about Dogpool: From ‘Britain’s ugliest dog’ to the cast of Deadpool and Wolverine)
The feuds between the brothers were picked up by the tabloids and became a permanent part of the band’s mythology, as iconic as the music they made. Indeed, their creative genius was fuelled by this rivalry, which took Oasis to great heights, while also threatening to blow it up in smoke. Liam’s unpredictable and sometimes completely volatile personality often clashed with Noel’s wiser, more calculated approach, as the latter once told Q Magazine that Liam was “the angriest guy you’ll ever meet. He’s like the man with the fork in the soup world.” The tension between the two grew to such an extent that it was difficult to sit through an interview without them arguing. In fact, in a 1994 interview with NME the two argued over who was more rock and roll, and this was released as a 14-minute single called ‘Wibbling Rivalry’, which comically became a chart-topper.
However, the Oasis brothers have reconciled after 15 years of estrangement, much to the delight of fans around the world. In a surprise announcement on August 27, the band announced their upcoming shows in the UK and Ireland and the possibility of touring outside of Europe starting in July 2025. Their infamous history of canceling shows due to petty fights and walking off stage mid-show has left fans concerned about the success of the new shows. Still, whether the siblings have resolved their dispute or not, the estimated $530 million in cash should speak louder than any fraternal rivalry.
So (what’s the story) of the Gallagher brothers? While all roads were certainly winding for the Champagne Supernova hitmakers, here’s a look back at the legendary fraternal battle of rock lore that made Oasis Live Forever.
It all started in the bedroom:
The animosity between the feuding brothers possibly began in their teens when they had to share a bedroom in their parents’ home, while eldest brother Paul got his own bedroom. In Mat Whitecross’s 2016 Oasis documentary, ‘Supersonic’, Liam recalls one particular incident that may have been the defining start to their long-running war – “One night I came home angry and couldn’t find the light switch, so I peed on his new stereo. I think it basically came down to that.”
Favorite weapon? Duffle.
After the release of ‘Definitely Maybe’ in 1994, Oasis’ first full US tour went awry when the band played the famous Whisky a Go-Go in Los Angeles. In a bid to humiliate Noel, Liam changed the lyrics of Live Forever to “Maybe, I don’t really want to know, why you scratch your nose”, insulted the audience, hit his brother over the head with a tambourine, and stormed off stage before their set was over, all while high on meth. Noel promptly quit the band the next day but was soon persuaded to rejoin.
Roll With It – Cricket Bat Edition
In 1995, while recording their second album ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ in Wales, Liam brought a group of drunk strangers he met at the pub into the studio while Noel was trying to record. Noel didn’t like this nonsense at all and when an argument broke out, he decided to smash Liam’s head with a cricket bat that coincidentally was lying there. Later in an interview, Liam recalled that their whole studio was smashed to pieces, but the good thing was that the bat was later auctioned off for $1800.
Sore throat treatment? Cigarettes and alcohol
Shortly after one of the band’s biggest gigs at Knebworth, Liam refused to come on stage for their MTV Unplugged show at London’s Royal Festival Hall, pretending to have laryngitis. “When they said, ‘Ladies and gentlemen, Oasis,’ we walked out and [Liam] Noel said in an interview with Far Out Magazine, “There was nobody there.” However, after walking out of shows and some of their practice sessions, Liam appeared in the audience, drinking, smoking and teasing his brother heartily, without any visible vocals. Later that month, they also pulled out of their US tour, leaving Noel as the frontman, resulting in the tour being cancelled after only two weeks.
Liam crosses the line with a comment about Noel’s daughter.
After Oasis’ Barcelona show was cancelled in 2000 due to drummer Alan White’s arm injury, the band began drinking heavily, resulting in a bitter row between Liam and Noel. Liam reportedly questioned the legitimacy of Noel’s daughter Anais. “Noel got on top of Liam in an instant, punched him, ripping his lip off,” reports The Guardian. “After this, Noel left the tour, with the rest of the band travelling around Europe without him.” Noel told Q magazine in 2005 that he still hadn’t forgiven Liam because he never apologised.
Axe instead of guitar?
After several public spats and irregular appearances at several shows and festivals, the brothers’ already heated feud finally boiled over in 2009, when Noel left the band for good after an explosive fight backstage at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris. Just before Oasis were to headline the festival, the argument erupted over a trivial matter – an ad for Liam’s clothing line, Pretty Green, being shown at the event. Liam reportedly stormed into Noel’s dressing room, swinging his guitar “like an axe” and smashing it. Noel claimed, “It was an unnecessarily violent act and he nearly blew my face off. People will write and say whatever they want, but I couldn’t work with Liam another day.”
Twitter War:
Even after the 2009 incident, having launched their solo careers, the Gallaghers have been at each other’s throats, antagonising each other in press interviews and on social media, and some of it has been pretty hilarious. As anyone who follows the bandmates on social media will know, Liam is quite active on Twitter and his comments and replies are by no means ridiculous. After 10 years of being offended, Liam responded to Noel’s soup and fork comments on Twitter by posting a video of himself drinking soup with a fork, captioned “#happymanwithaforkinaworldofsoup”. Other funny examples include Liam rebranding his brother’s new band, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, as ‘High Flying T*rds’ and posting photos of his brother and the two with the caption “Potato”.
The announcement of the band’s surprise reunion tour comes just ahead of the release of the 30th anniversary edition of Definitely Maybe on August 30. Hopefully the passionate duo will stick to their reconciliation and, as some might say, brighter days will come for Oasis fans!
