Noel Gallagher has praised his brother and former Oasis bandmate Liam Gallagher in a new interview.
The former Oasis guitarist has been looking back on ‘Definitely Maybe’ ahead of the album’s 30th anniversary next Friday (August 30).
Gallagher spoke to journalist John Robb at Manchester’s Sifters Records, telling the story of the band’s iconic debut ahead of releasing new limited edition versions.
During the interview, Gallagher had plenty of complimentary things to say about his brother Liam — specifically regarding his vocal ability.
“I can’t sing ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ and ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’ and ‘Columbia’ and all that,” Gallagher began, discussing the songs helmed by his brother. “I mean I can do it but it’s not the same. It’s the delivery or the tone of his voice and the attitude. I don’t have the same attitude as him.”
Gallagher went on to liken their respective voices to drinks: “Liam’s is a shot of tequila, right, and mine’s half a Guinness,” he said. “Mine’s half a Guinness on a Tuesday. It’s alright. Liam’s is ten shots of tequila on a fucking Friday night.”
Robb then joked: “And you should never mix those two,” to which Gallagher responded: “No.”
Gallagher also recalled the night they recorded ‘Supersonic’, which was sung by Liam on the 1994 album. “I sing ‘Supersonic’ with the same melody, the same words, the same inflexions, but when he sings it, it’s a bit more menacing.”
He went on to say: “When I would sing a song it would sound good, when he would sing it, it would sound great.”
Despite public rifts over the past two decades, Gallagher also seemed to praise his brother’s current work, saying: “What he did was inspire the kids at the front to do something, do you know what I mean? ‘If he can do it I can do it’. And he’s still doing that now.”
The comments continue to spur the reunion rumours that have been on the rise this year after Liam embarked on a string of ‘Definitely Maybe’ anniversary shows, and speculation emerged that Noel would join him on stage.
Before the tour kicked off, Liam shared that Noel turned down an opportunity to reunite for the shows, and even suggested that he would “send him a box of chocolates” as an apology for being “really mean” to him around the time of Oasis’ break-up in 2009.
More recently, Liam told his audience that Noel was “still playing hard to get” regarding a comeback for the band, and also replied to a fan who asked if a reunion of the band is happening next year.
The latter came as the Daily Mirror shared an exclusive report, claiming that the brothers had apparently booked dates for an Oasis reunion at Wembley Stadium this past July, before plans ultimately fell through.
Speculation about a reformation spans much further back than that though. For instance, speaking to NME in 2020, Liam said an Oasis reunion was “gonna happen very fucking soon”, and Noel revealed in early 2023 that he would “never say never” to the idea.
A dampener was soon put on any hopes though, as LG subsequently argued that his older brother had “done a lot of damage to Oasis as a brand”, and Noel claimed that his brother was too much of a “coward” to follow through with the idea, later accusing Liam of trying to “rewrite history” regarding Oasis’ “dreadful” final year together.
Since then, Noel discussed the possibility of an Oasis comeback during an interview with NME, adding that the reason why it hasn’t happened yet was because there had “never really been a serious offer about ‘The Big O’ getting back together”.
Gene Gallagher – Noel’s nephew and Liam Gallagher’s son – previously weighed in on the Oasis debate, and explained in a new interview that his dad wants the reunion to come to fruition.
The new limited edition versions of ‘Definitely Maybe’ will be released on August 30, a day after the album’s 30th anniversary. There are 4LP and 2CD formats as well as versions available on coloured vinyl, cassette and digital, with all formats including the 2014 remastered version of the album. They also include previously unheard and abandoned versions from the Monnow Valley session as well as outtakes from the Sawmills sessions, both mixed by Gallagher for the first time recently.
Also included is brand new artwork by original art designer Brian Cannon for Microdot and original sleeve photographer Michael Spencer Jones, as well as new sleeve notes from Alan McGee of Creation Records. You can pre-order here.
Fans have already been given a taste of the forthcoming collection with a rare alternative version of ‘Sad Song’ sung by Liam, as well as ‘Up In The Sky (Monnow Valley Version)’ and ‘Columbia (Sawmills Outtake)’.
This weekend will see LG perform ‘Definitely Maybe’ in its entirety when he headlines Reading & Leeds 2024. Those who aren’t attending can see how to watch coverage online and at home.
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