Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds

Gallagher. That name has made history more than once (probably three times I would say, but Rory Gallagher is not related to our protagonists). The two Gallaghers brothers are well known to the public, either for their great music, or for their "sex, drugs and rock'n'roll" behaviour.

 

These lads originally from Manchester were the core of my favorite Rock band: Oasis. The story of this band is very strange. Liam, the lead singer, first formed a band with his friends under the name "The Rain", but without much success. On the other side, Noel was touring with American rock stars, playing guitar for them. Noel got interested in his smaller brother's band and one day simply said he would join their band only if they'd let him compose all the songs (his words were: "Let me write your songs and I'll take you to superstardom, or else you'll rot here in Manchester"). The other members agreed and their rise to success started.

 

 

Noel's composition genius really stood out, even though they were performing in the most competitive country in terms of Rock: the United Kingdom. Over the years, they gave us incredible songs such as Wonderwall (although it derives from their original style), Champagne Supernova, Whatever, Supersonic, Live Forever, the list goes on. In 2007, they were nominated by NME as the second best band in Rock history, after the Beatles, in competition with bands such as Blur or Coldplay (when they still made good Rock). All of their studio albums have been n°1 in the charts in Great Britain... I could go on forever about this band.

However, the two brothers did not get along at all. Their rivalry and their gigantic egos led to very strong arguments. The last argument was in 2009, in Paris, just before their concert in Rock en Seine. After Noel refused to plug Liam's clothing brand for free, his brother allegedly attempted to hit him with his  own guitar. The oldest brother enraged announced he was leaving the band for good. Oasis ended that night, leaving the Parisians without a show.

 

Noel was really the genius behind this band, and even though Oasis democratised over the years, he was still composing most of the songs. He announced after his departure, the beginning of his solo carrier, which I awaited eagerly. He announced his comeback in 2011with the band "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" and released his first "solo" album named after the band.

Through this album I re-lived Oasis' genius, with very orchestral songs, mixing Rock and a bit of fanfare in some songs, giving it a unique sound. I was very excited to discover this album and was pleasantly surprised by its quality, its originality, while still maintaining the basics which had once taken Oasis to the top.

Good on you Noel.

 

On another note, his new album was released last February!

 

Here is an extract (my favorite)

Enjoy: