Liam Gallagher Still Looking Back In Anger At Oasis Years

The charismatic frontman has lost none of his fire -- especially when it comes to his brother and thirsty hacks, writes Barry Egan

Liam Gallagher has never been one lacking in self-confidence. He set his stall out early with Beady Eye.

He told New Musical Express before Christmas that he thinks his new band's debut album Different Gear, Still Speeding contains songs "as good if not better as Definitely Maybe", in reference to Oasis's seminal debut album from 1994. So, how does Different Gear, Still Speeding compare? On some songs (The Morning Son, The Beat Goes On, Bring the Light, Kill For A Dream, Millionaire) it compares favourably; on others (Standing on the Edge of the Noise, Wigwam, Beatles And Stones) not so. Either way the Beatlesy spirit of Oasis lives on in Beady Eye.

Oasis broke up on August 28, 2009, after a ferocious row between Liam and his older brother Noel in Paris. Soon after, Noel posted a statement on the band's website claiming "verbal and violent intimidation" and "the lack of support and understanding" from his bandmates.

"Absolute f**king bollocks," Liam told the Guardian last month. "That's the thing that makes me want to throw up. I just look at him now and think, 'You're a f**king fake'. It's like, if you want to f**king leave the band, leave the band. If you want to stay at home with your kids, stay at home with your kids. If you wanna have five years off, have five years off. We'll sit down as a band and talk about it. But don't start going, 'I was bullied out of the band.' F**king shite."

"I think he wrote it on the spur of the moment," added former Oasis and now Beady Eye member Andy Bell. "He's probably mortified now." "Not that mortified," replied Liam, "because he's still got it up on the f**king website, which I've tried to take down. It's been two f**king years. Take the f**king statement down. It's over. We're all grown up. We've all moved on."

Beady Eye were formed by the former members of Oasis --Liam, Gem Archer, Andy Bell --when Noel walked out. Andy Bell explained recently: "We went back to the hotel [after Noel walked out] and sat around drinking beer and we were there! The members of Beady Eye were there so it didn't take much of a leap to go, 'Let's do something'."

That something -- Different Gear, Still Speeding -- is worth checking out. You still get everything you got with Oasis (Liam's Johnny Rotten-sneer mixed with John Lennon nasal histrionics, the great riffs that owe as much to the Kinks, the Stones and the Who as to the Beatles, the attitude) but you get something extra too.

You get the sense that Liam has been liberated from Oasis. He told The Quietus website last month that he felt relieved when Oasis ended and a new chapter in his musical life started with Beady Eye. "But that's life and I could kind of see it coming. It had been brewing and Noel was acting like a f**king woman, like a bitch and I was acting like a dickhead," he said.

"But I like to think that there's a reason behind my f**king actions because I like to keep it clean. There was a lot of shit going down and a lot of shit being written about my band and Noel being so f**king close to the press."

"But you know," Liam continued, "his mates are more important than his brother or his f**king band, so f**k him. I'm not having it. You know, people who slate me in the press and coming back to my dressing room and drinking my f**king beer? F**k that; it doesn't work like that round my way, mate. You slag me off you don't come to my f**king dressing room and drink my beer. It's not all about me drinking; it takes two to tango, you know what I mean?"

Oh, I do, Liam, I do.

Beady Eye will play the Olympia Theatre, Dublin, on April 14 & 15; and Ulster Hall, Belfast on April 17

Source: www.independent.ie

Visit my newly launched Beady Eye fan site www.standingontheedgeofthenoise.com by clicking here.