Entertainment

Noel Gallagher: It was easy to quit Oasis because fans dictated to us

The 52-year-old rocker said he became ‘restless and bored’ during his final years in the band.
The 52-year-old rocker said he became ‘restless and bored’ during his final years in the band. The 52-year-old rocker said he became ‘restless and bored’ during his final years in the band.

Noel Gallagher has said it was easy to quit Oasis because the band had allowed itself to be dictated to by its own audience.

The former songwriter in the Manchester band admitted they had begun to produce “stadium rock” because they thought that was what the fans wanted.

But their output left Gallagher “restless and bored”, prompting him to exit the group.

Q Awards 2018 – London
Q Awards 2018 – London Noel Gallagher and his wife Sara McDonald at the Q Awards (Ian West/PA)

Speaking on boxing promoter Eddie Hearn’s No Passion, No Point show on BBC Radio 5 Live, the rocker said: “One of the reasons it wasn’t much of a struggle leaving Oasis was that we’d allowed ourselves to be dictated to by our audience.

“They wanted stadium rock and we thought that was it.

“Towards the end of Oasis I was getting restless and bored with the music.

“And now I trust my instincts. And if it sounds good to me…

“I picked all the singles in Oasis and I got by on my taste running that band.

“And more or less I’ve got it right so when I’m in the studio and I’ve come up with (new single) Black Star Dancing, I think: ‘Well if I like it, a healthy percentage of people will like it too’.”

Liam Gallagher pens song for estranged daughter
Liam Gallagher pens song for estranged daughter Former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher (Ian West/PA)

The 52-year-old, who releases under the Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds moniker, also told Hearn that Oasis was “all about the struggle” and going solo had made his life “serene”.

Gallagher quit Oasis in 2009 following a backstage fight with his brother, lead singer Liam Gallagher, at Rock En Seine festival in Paris.

He also explained his dislike of social media.

He said: “I’m quite a private person.

“I’m not interested in people seeing what socks I’m wearing or taking a photo of a croissant and going: ‘Breakfast anybody?’

“I don’t want anyone to know anything about me at all.

“I’m not interested in people seeing the real me.”

The full interview with Eddie Hearn for No Passion, No Point is on BBC Sounds.