Noel Gallagher has admitted he’s “not really comfortable” playing massive arena shows because he’s not a “larger-than-life” singer like his former Oasis bandmate and arch-rival sibling Liam Gallagher.
The 56-year-old rocker – who releases his new album ‘Council Skies’ on Friday (02.06.23) and has a number of concerts this year indoors and outdoors – prefers more intimate concerts for his solo shows with his High Flying Birds.
Speaking on Radio X, he said: “I think I prefer doing my own shows but festivals are great, because I don’t tend to headline them, Glastonbury’s for instance was great because I got to go on before McCartney… but I don’t really have much of a preference. If I could go on tour and just do theatres all over the world that would be great, in England I do big arenas which I’m still not really comfortable about…”
Asked why that is, he replied: “I think you need a singer for that kind of thing who’s a bit larger than life, I’m a bit like, ‘Look I’ve got these songs and that’s it.’ I don’t tend to do the audience participation things. Whereas when you do theatres, you’re a bit closer to the crowd, and if they start heckling you and asking ridiculous questions you can just go, ‘What was that?'”
The ‘Pretty Boy’ singer also quipped that Oasis’ lesser-known tunes don’t go down as well with US audiences as the hits.
He laughed: “The Oasis ones [gigs], I tend to do most of the B-sides and in America, you might as well be talking Chinese and they’re going, ‘Hey man, what is this?’… but in England it’s great, you’ve just got to balance it out so it’s good for you and it’s good for them.”
Noel is continually asked if he’ll put his differences aside with Liam, 50, who he hasn’t spoken to since the Britpop group disbanded in 2009 following a backstage bust-up between the pair, but unfortunately, he will keep saying the same answer.
Asked if he’s tired of hearing the same question, he said: “It used to really annoy me when I first started and now it’s just whatever… I’m fascinated with people asking the same question and getting the same answer, but the thing that is ongoing and will never get old is how the music just keeps appealing to another generation of fans.”
Liam has said he is “ready to go” whenever Noel is, however, the latter has told his sibling to call him or his manager about it, but he’s yet to pick up the phone, prompting his older brother to call him out for being “disingenuous” to their loyal fans.
Listen to Johnny Vaughan on Radio X weekdays from 4pm – 7pm and on Global Player.