On Friday, August 28th, just minutes before Oasis was to hit the stage and play to a sold-out audience at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris, France, Noel Gallagher decided he no longer wanted to be a part of the band that made him and his younger brother, Liam, Britpop legends.
Bloc Party, a supporting act at the festival, was left to break the news to the fans that Oasis would not perform that evening. At the same time, a message appeared on the big screens, substantiating the shocking news: "As a result of an altercation within the band, Oasis has been cancelled." It was reported that this altercation reached its culmination when Liam smashed Noel's guitar.
Noel Tells the World
Word of the split spread quickly outside the festival as Noel posted a statement on his "Tales from the Middle of Nowhere" blog at oasisinet.com, the band's official website, that same evening: "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer. Apologies to all the people who bought tickets for the shows in Paris, Konstanz and Milan."
Noel followed up his initial post the next morning with another statement to fans at oasisinet.com: "The details are not important and of too great a number to list. But I feel you have the right to know that the level of verbal and violent intimidation towards me, my family, friends and comrades has become intolerable. And the lack of support and understanding from my management and band mates has left me with no other option than to get me cape and seek pastures new."
The previous weekend, Oasis pulled out of their headlining gig at the V Festival at Chelmsford, England because Liam was supposedly suffering from viral laryngitis. The cancellation only added fuel to the rumours of recent months that an Oasis split was imminent. In addition to Friday's show in Paris, Oasis had just two stops remaining on their current tour - the next night in Konstanz, Germany, and two nights later in Milan, Italy.
Noel and Liam a Fighting Duo
The feuding between the Gallagher brothers has been an ongoing theme since the band formed in Manchester in 1991. In the time between their 1994 debut album, Definitely Maybe, and their seventh release, 2008's Dig Out Your Soul, the relationship has had its share of low points. In September 1994, at a concert in Los Angeles, Noel's displeasure with Liam's drug-fueled act onstage led him to fight his sibling backstage.
In another incident, during a recording session for the band's second album, 1995's (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, Liam appeared at the studio with a crowd of people from a local pub while Noel was recording his vocals for "Don't Look Back in Anger". This, combined with tensions created earlier when the brothers debated about who should sing lead vocals on certain tracks, resulted in a fistfight between the brothers in the studio.
And this past Friday is not the first time Noel has left the band. In 2000, Noel quit Oasis's European tour after Liam reportedly made derogatory remarks about Noel's then-wife Meg Matthews and questioned the legitimacy of Noel's daughter, Anais.
Oasis Stays Together; Gallagher Relationship Remains Hostile
Though Noel and Liam have always managed to patch up their relationship enough to continue making albums and touring, the patchwork has been far from perfect. Liam recently claimed that he and Noel no longer speak, travel separately on tour and only see each other onstage.
Liam summed up his relationship with Noel to UK music magazine NME by simply saying, "He doesn't like me and I don't like him, that's it." Their primary means of communication had become Twitter, a battleground of sorts where they exchanged insults about one another.
But Noel's remarks from this weekend were more focused on the band that he helped build to be one of the biggest acts in the history of music. "In closing I would like to thank all the Oasis fans, all over the world. The last 18 years have been truly, truly amazing (and I hate that word, but today is the one time I'll deem it appropriate). A dream come true. I take with me glorious memories."
Liam has yet to comment about the split.
Is this definitely the end of Oasis? Maybe.
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