66: Tensions, Break-Ups, and Sibling Rivalries

There’s always a competitive nature between siblings. Being the eldest of three growing up we were always trying to outdo each other. But when it comes to brothers in bands it hardly ever becomes happy families. Just ask Dave and Ray Davies of the Kinks or David and Mark Knopfler they didn’t end well. This brotherly band makes them look like small fry. This week the Beats Marches On to 28th August 2009 when Oasis breaks up.

 If you look at the history of Oasis, then you notice that the Gallagher brothers didn’t keep their disagreements behind closed doors. When they were at the top, every front page of the tabloids had a story about them.

To know what led to the breakup, I have formed a timeline of the big events that led to, what some might say is the inevitable moment. I haven’t included the first moment Liam upset Noel when he urinated over his older brother’s brand-new hi-fi system, which has been admitted as the start by the frontman.

The NME Interview (April 1994)

 In what was supposed to be a 15-minute interview promoting their debut single, Supersonic, the brothers spent the whole interview arguing about a recent incident that happened on a ferry on the way to Amsterdam.

They never make it to the city as Liam gets into a fight with a bunch of Chelsea football fans. The band gets arrested and is told when they dock to go back to the UK.

This was supposed to be the band’s first performance outside of their home country and Noel was upset that Liam had ruined the opportunity. The interviewer, John Harris, had recorded the whole thing and although he had nothing to write about, he released the footage as a single in November 1995 when the band had become one of the top in the country. The single charted at number 53 on the UK charts.

 The First American Tour (September 1994)

The result of this incident made Noel quit the band for two weeks! The band were going to America for the first time, starting at the world-famous Whisky-a-Go-Go in Los Angeles. The band were playing terribly to their dismay as their live reputation was one of the best in the UK. As it would turn out they mistook cocaine for crystal meth which was the reason why they were so bad. Noel was playing a completely different song to the rest of the band.

Things come to a head between the brothers when Liam changes some of Noel’s sacred lyrics. Angry at the change the guitarist squared up to the singer on stage. In response, he bopped him on the head with his tambourine. The older brother stormed off the stage and quit the band. He flew to San Francisco and wrote one of his best songs ‘Talk Tonight’

 Recording of ‘What’s the Story (Morning Glory)’ (May/June 1995)

 For most bands making a second album is difficult. Even the most all-together bands can crumble under the pressure. Inevitably the troubled relationship between the Gallagher brothers meant recording was going to be stressful. There was one particular incident at the recording studio that stands out.

Liam goes to the pub while Noel puts the finishing touches on some tracks as he has nothing else to do. When the pub shuts, he wants to carry on the party so invites the patrons back to the studio where they were staying, much to his brother’s chagrin as he is still working.

The two get into an argument again and this time Noel hits Liam over the head with a cricket bat. Party over. The band took a week to cool off and the bat would eventually get sold at auction in 2011 with a certificate of authenticity.

The Ill-Fated Unplugged Show (August 1996)

At this point, Oasis is the biggest band in the world. It was only a brief moment, after the release of …Morning Glory and the success of the single ‘Wonderwall’ the band were having their moment. Having just had their momentous homecoming concert at Knebworth in front of 250,000 fans over two nights, a gig in which 4% of the UK’s population tried to get tickets (I believe it’s law to say this when mentioning the Knebworth performances)

It went from one extreme to another though as they went from Knebworth to an intimate unplugged performance for MTV at the Royal Albert Hall. Well, for most of them, it was. Liam decided he had a sore throat and couldn’t perform that night so dropped out at the last minute. Noel took over on vocals and proved he could be a frontman himself.

Liam did get to see his brothers’ then standout performance though. He decided to heckle him from a balcony while smoking and drinking with his entourage. This was a turning point for Noel as a frontman, if he could put up with that, he could put up with anything on stage.

Children Legitimacy (May 2000)

Although the band had been out of the headlines for a while, they were never too far away from trouble. Mid-way through a European tour they had to cancel a gig in Barcelona, not due to a fight this time as drummer Alan White had injured his arm. The cancelled concert led to one of their best pastimes, drinking.

As the drinks go down in the Spanish sun the brothers get into a heated debate about Noel’s children and whether they are his. His daughter Anais to be precise, the child he had with ex-wife Meg Matthews. It’s unclear if it’s a wind-up or serious by Liam, but the anger from his older brother simmered over and he attacked him. Splitting the younger Gallagher’s lip and leaving them to finish the tour without the guitarist. It was years before Liam apologised for his actions.

V Festival (August 2009) 

The years post the child legitimacy incident had put further strains on the band. By this point, the brothers had stopped speaking to each other off-stage. The nineties’ success was far behind them and although the last album ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ was a moderate success and critiqued as back to form after a lull, fans were only watching them for the classic tracks rather than the newer ones.

The band were scheduled to appear at the V Festival in Chelmsford but dropped out last minute with Liam claiming he had laryngitis. Noel wound him up and said he was hungover in return his brother sued him for libel. The guitarist had to apologise, and the case was dropped. This felt like the end even if the brothers didn’t know it yet.

The Last Straw For Noel (August 2009)

About a week later Oasis was due to play a festival in Paris however, this was never to be. Liam’s anger had driven Noel to quit the band. This time permanently. The band had been put into a confined dressing room. Maybe the singer was still reeling from the comments made at the V festival, but when Noel tried to cool down with an argument between his brother and fellow band member Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs, Liam turned onto him.

Suddenly, Liam threw a Plum at Noel and stormed out of the dressing room. He came back wielding one of his brother’s guitars like an axe and tried to hit him with it. Scampering away the guitarist managed to get back to his private car and he was left with a decision The Clash put it best: Should I stay or should I go?

He decided to go and this time go for good. He couldn’t put up with Liam’s crap anymore. To this day the brothers haven’t performed together. In 2010 Noel started a solo career with a backing band called the High-Flying Birds, who are still recording and performing to this day.

Liam and the rest of Oasis formed Beady Eye and released a couple of albums, but never reached the heights of his former band. They split in 2014 and three years later the singer started a solo career which is still going on to this day.

The question that’s been asked to both brothers ever since Oasis broke up is when are they going to reform? Liam seems up for it (or I guess being from Manchester madferit!) but Noel has always been the stubborn one. Every press conference or interview he has there is always the question about reformation. At this time nothing has been announced but things do look promising. Noel has said to have his brother’s people call his people and that is the closest we’ve been to any reunion. If anything it’s most likely going to be in the next two years as that is the 30th anniversary of their first two albums.     

 The Beat Marches On is a music blog written by Jimmy Whitehead. Jimmy has been blogging for five years specialising in Sports (especially American Football). If you want to follow Jimmy on Twitter: @Jimmy_W1987

The Beat Marches On has a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/The-Beat-Goes-On-Blog-107727714415791  and a Twitter page: @TheBeatGoesOnB1

The websites used for research were: 

Why did Oasis split? The full story of Liam and Noel Gallagher’s feud – OasisMania

The 7 most batshit crazy stories of Oasis’ destructive career (happymag.tv)

Gallagher Brothers Fights: Noel and Liam’s Timeline of Beef | Pitchfork

If you want to request a story for The Beat Marches On blog, you can contact jwhiteheadjournalism@gmail.com. We cannot guarantee that the story will be published but will be considered