It’s not every day that I find a limited edition Oasis concert poster from 2002 hiding in the dark recesses of the studio (which I did, yesterday). What I do see most every day is another tabloid article about the Gallagher brothers, sometimes them commenting on other bands, most of the time commenting on themselves. Back when they were still together, an endorsement from Oasis could mean a huge leap in popularity, though a negative review could certainly work just as well. If you happened to be a popular band from the UK in the late 90s or early 00s, you could count on one of the Gallaghers saying something about you (probably negative). Klaxons, Kaiser Cheifs, Bloc Party, even Peter Gabriel couldn’t escape their wrath. This week’s Five celebrates the best bands (in no particular order) that Oasis ever burned.
1) Radiohead
Both Gallaghers got in on this one. Noel called them a “bunch of moaning children” and also posed the question, “they’ve been making the same record since Kid A, have they not?” Brother Liam reviewed their latest album The King of Limbs, and wasn’t exactly enamored with the concept: ” Them writing a song about a f*cking tree? Give me a f*cking break! A thousand year old tree? Go f*ck yourself!” Anyways, it really shows that they aren’t afraid to speak their mind about a band as big as Oasis was.
Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees
2) Phil Collins
Yes, you read correctly: Noel Gallagher couldn’t even keep himself from Phil Collins. When asked who to vote for in the 2005 UK General Elections, Noel replied, “Vote Labour: if you don’t and the Tories get in, [Collins] is threatening to come back from Switzerland, and none of us want that.” This has even elicited a response from the currently retired Genesis frontman, and illustrates the Gallaghers’ disregard for seniority and stature.
Phil Collins – In The Air Tonight
3) Coldplay
Though Coldplay has gotten a bit of respect from Noel (even playing acoustic versions of each other’s songs together, see below), Liam made it explicitly clear that he did not like the band’s sense of style at the 2009 Grammy Awards, where Coldplay wore their usual concert attire. He compared their style to that of garbagemen, and coming from a guy who has his own fashion line, it makes a bit of sense.
Chris Martin and Noel Gallagher – Live Forever
4) Franz Ferdinand
Liam strikes again: he compared Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos to early 90s pop group Right Said Fred, commenting, “I just don’t like the music and I think he sounds like the guy out of Right Said Fred.” Liam added that he was going easy on the band, saying, “You don’t want to know what I really f*cking think of them.” The feud continued with Kapranos saying that Liam was like a “neurotic young girl at a high school,” among other things. It’s nice to see someone stoop down to their level, if only just for a while.
5) The White Stripes
Noel Gallagher’s comments about the White Stripes writing a song for a Coke ad back in 2005 show how much the brothers loved to criticize others’ actions while forgetting about their own. At the time, Oasis was sponsored by Toshiba and was helping endorse one of their phones (and supposedly making a fortune doing it). Apparently writing a song for an ad was a travesty, while being sponsored was just fine. Noel made sure to add that Jack White looked “like Zorro on doughnuts.”
The White Stripes – Hotel Yorba
These are just a few of many feuds that the brothers started/nurtured, if you have any more that you would like to add, post in the comments section!
