By El Weiss

In the 90s, my dad saw Oasis in Philly. Between Liam Gallagher stomping off stage and yelling, “The next song is called Bollocks!” it truly was a sight to be seen. After the news broke that the brothers are reuniting, I’ve been inspired to dig into their messy history. And of course, as a music drama connoisseur, it’s my duty to share the tea with our lovely Gut Instinct readers.

Oasis Begins:

In 1991, Oasis formed after Liam Gallagher was invited to audition for Paul McGuigan, Paul Arthurs, and Tony McCarroll’s band. He suggested naming the band Oasis, and quickly assimilated with the three. Later on, Noel Gallagher saw one of their early performances, and asked if he could join as the sole songwriter and leader of the band. In 1992, Creation Records discovered the band and the following year their debut album Definitely Maybe was released. In 1995, Alan White joined the band as a drummer and (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? arguably one of the most impactful Britpop albums of all time dropped. Right off the bat, the Gallagher brothers garnered tabloid attention due to their chaotic nature and conflicts.

Oasis Ends:

After filtering through nonstop band members, Oasis finally disbanded after Noel Gallagher left in 2009. Oasis changed their name to Beady Eye and continued until 2014 and following their break up Liam started a solo career. Noel Gallagher later broke back into the music scene and formed solo band Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds which quickly garnered popularity. Skip forward to 2024, and the brothers are back at it and are once again reuniting.

The Drama:

Okay, okay. Let’s dive into their beef.

★ Tambourines in LA, 1994

During Oasis’s first North American tour, trouble emerged at the Whisky a Go Go venue in Los Angeles. Doing the city of angels dirty, Liam hurled a tambourine at Noel in the middle of their set. Noel quit the band (and joined again shortly after) and went to Las Vegas. In a famous 2006 interview with Uncut Magazine, Noel stated, “So we went to Vegas and stayed in the Luxor hotel in the Pharaoh suite, the room service guy comes dressed as a Pharaoh, we were eating fu**ing Pharoah burgers and having one of those terrible cocaine conversations about water pressure in the desert.” Man, I do love a good Gallagher quote.

★ Violence Strikes Again, 1995

Surprisingly, this time Liam wasn’t the perpetrator. Well maybe he was. During an interview with NME, the brothers got into it. “You can stick your thousand pounds right up your fuckin’ arse till it comes out your fuckin’ big toe,” Liam told Noel. Noel retorted that Liam was a “football hooligan”. Supposedly, Noel hit Liam over the head with a cricket bat later that year. Liam supposedly brought a group of his drunk friends into a recording studio, which Noel did not like at all. As mentioned above, naturally, he responded by swinging at him. Funnily enough, the cricket bat sold at an auction

★ MTV Unplugged & a Missed Tour, 1996

In 1996, Liam refused to play at the Oasis MTV Unplugged show at Royal Festival Hall in London. Supposedly feeling sick, he didn’t want to perform. While Noel performed, he was drinking and smoking in the audience while yelling at the band. Then, he pulled out of their upcoming tour.

★ Illegitimate Daughter, 2000

While out drinking in 2000 in Barcelona, Liam questioned the legitimacy of Noel and Meg Matthews’s daughter Anaïs. Reasonably so, Noel reported never forgiving Liam for the comment in 2005. It is also rumored that Noel attacked his brother and split his lip.

★ A Brawl, 2002

In 2002, The Guardian reported a story about a wild brawl that occurred in a Munich hotel. The band claimed to be attacked, and Liam left the scene missing his two front teeth and a hefty bail after assaulting a German police officer. Three of the band members were arrested.

★ Champagne Supernova, 2005

Known for frequently storming off stage, Liam’s fit at the Heineken Jammin’ Festival has become one of his most notable fits. While performing “Champagne Supernova,” he suddenly stormed off stage. Later that year, Noel told the press (Spin Magazine) that Liam is frightened to death of him and admitted to manipulating him at times. In another interview with The Mirror, he revealed targeting Liam with practical jokes- especially anything ghost related.

★ A Broken Guitar, 2009

In 2009, Oasis finally split. Right before their headlining performance at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris, things took a turn for the worst. Fighting over an ad for Liam’s clothing line, Liam burst into the dressing room holding one of Noel’s guitars over his head. Noel described it like he was holding it “like an axe”. He smashed the guitar on the ground, and at that moment Noel was done. In an interview he stated, “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.” In January 2024, Liam told The Guardian that they had split as Noel objected to his drinking habits. So who knows what really happened. Oh, and get this. In an interview with Q magazine, Noel stated (in description of Liam), “He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup.” Not quite sure what that means. In 2019, Liam affirmed the insult (?) by posting a video of him eating soup with a fork.

★ High Flying Turds & Potatoes, 2011 and 2016

Following the release of Noel’s music (Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds), Liam was very outspoken. His most notable comment was, "[He] came up with the High Flying Turds. I don't know who dressed him but he looks like something out of Westlife." Five years later, Liam turned to his favorite social media platform and dropped a series of tweets. The go-to combo was a zoomed in picture of Noel with the caption “Potato.”

It’s impossible to round up all of the insults and arguments between the Gallagher brothers throughout the years. These are some of the most notable moments that will go down in rock and roll history. Now, let’s lighten the mood with something purely hilarious.

★ Bonus: The Helicopter Incident, 2021

To decompress after immersing yourself in the Gallagher clan’s drama, I’ve included this gem. In 2021, I followed Liam on Twitter (now X) and this tweet will never leave my mind. Following a performance at the Isle of Wight festival, he reported falling out of a helicopter. His tweet stated, “So check this out I fell out the helicopter last night you couldn’t rite it all good who said RnR is dead Keith moon eat your drum skin out C’mon you know LG x.” Oh dear.

I look forward to watching Oasis’s reunion unfold. The upcoming tour could generate around $500 million (NBC News), and it makes me curious if their bank accounts are running dry. To all of the hopeful fans (including myself): I wish you the best in your endeavors and am manifesting an amazing (and drama free) concert for you.

Oasis Isn’t Really an Oasis: A Comprehensive History of the Gallagher Brother Beef

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