While huge stars in the music world like Katy Perry, Justin Bieber, Coldplay and Ariana Grande were flocking to Manchester several days ago for the massive fundraising concert to benefit the victims of the recent attack, one man was conspicuously absent.
Possibly one of the most recognisably Mancunian names in music, Noel Gallagher’s Oasis anthem ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ had been adopted by the city as a symbol of their resilience in the days following the tragedy, but Gallagher wasn’t in attendance at the concert that followed, leaving it to Coldplay’s Chris Martin to deliver the song instead.
The younger Oasis brother Liam flew directly from a solo show in Germany to be at the event, and fiercely laid into his older sibling soon after the show for not doing the same, labeling him a “sad ***”.
While many would have hoped to see Noel attend the show for the people of Manchester, he was in fact honouring the victims in his own quiet way, it turns out.
As NME reports, Radio X host Gordon Smart told his listeners that Noel had in fact “secretly” donated his royalties from ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ to the fundraising effort.
“I’ve seen some unpleasant headlines about Noel and why he never played the gig in Manchester at the weekend,” Smart said, pointing out that this was done before the gig was even announced.
“It’s only right to point out, and I don’t think this is public knowledge because I’m sure he would never mentioned it, but I found out today that as soon as ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ started to appear spontaneously at the vigils, he made sure all the royalties went to the families. That was before any gig was mentioned.”
Having performed with Liam at the event, Coldplay also took to social media to defend Noel’s absence, thanking him for his “blessing and encouragement to play don’t look back in anger and live forever,” and pointing out that “everyone knew in advance you couldn’t be there physically, so thank you for being there in spirit.”
