The Blow Monkeys singer Dr. Robert lost drummer Alan White to Oasis.
The It Doesn’t Have to Be This Way singer was touring as a solo artist in the 1990s and Alan was part of his live band.
After Oasis’ original drummer Tony McCarroll was fired from the band in April 1995 by Noel Gallagher, the guitarist’s friend Paul Weller told him that Alan would be a great fit for the Supersonic rockers.
Paul’s own drummer Steve White is the brother of Alan and he had heard about his drumming talent from Steve and from Dr. Robert, who previously played in Weller’s band The Style Council and is a close friend of “The Modfather”.
Dr. Robert remembers being on the road in Japan in April 1995 when Alan got a call from Oasis asking him to join straight away so he could appear with them on TV show Top of the Pops when they performed their first number one single Some Might Say.
In an interview with Contact Music, Dr. Robert said: “I was touring in Japan at the time when they rang up Alan White, he was drumming with me, and they said, ‘Do you want to join our band? We’re number one and we’re doing Top of the Pops next week.’
“I said, ‘Alan, you better go.’
“He’s Steve White’s brother. Steve used to play for Paul Weller and The Style Council and Alan was drumming for me, so there was a connection.
“Alan’s a brilliant drummer, he played on the first solo album I did and he was magnificent.
“I played a lot with his brother Steve, who was phenomenal. He’s, like, the greatest British jazz drummer there’s ever been, he’s so good.
“Alan’s different, he’s really good at playing on songs, he was perfect for Oasis. You can really hear it on Wonderwall, his drumming on that.”
Alan was in Oasis from 1995 until 2004 and played on four albums – (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, Be Here Now, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants and Heathen Chemistry – before departing and being replaced by Zak Starkey – the son of Beatles drummer Sir Ringo Starr.
Dr. Robert thought that Alan, 53, or Zak, 59, would get the call to re-join Noel and Liam for the Oasis Live ’25 Tour rather the brothers choosing new drummer Joey Waronker for the reunion tour.
He said: “I thought Zak Starkey would get the gig.
“Although I did like the original drummer Tony McCarroll. He had a lazy style, and he was dreamy, sort of behind the beat, I loved all that.”
The Blow Monkeys will release their 13th studio album Birdsong on 15 August 2025, followed by a 10-date UK tour in October with The Christians.
The band bring out new single The Penny Drops – the first track to be released from the upcoming LP – on 17 June.
Tickets are on sale now from the official Blow Monkeys website.
The Blow Monkeys full list of tour dates is as follows:
Oct 11th – Gateshead, The Glasshouse
Oct 13th – Glasgow, Clyde Theatre
Oct 14th – Edinburgh, Queen’s Hall
Oct 16th – Liverpool, Philharmonic Hall
Oct 18th – Manchester, RNCM Theatre
Oct 19th – Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall
Oct 21st – Bexhill, De La Warr Pavilion
Oct 22nd – Watford, Colosseum
Oct 23rd – London, Shepherds Bush Empire
Oct 24th – Fareham, Live Theatre