After years of silence, solo ventures, and trading barbs from afar, Noel and Liam Gallagher have decided to bury the hatchet — at least long enough to announce their reunion tour: ‘OASIS LIVE ’25’.
But as we gear up for what’s sure to be an epic return, it’s hard not to remember the trail of chaos these combative brothers have left in their wake over the years.
The Gallaghers don’t just clash – they go to war. These brothers have taken on everyone, hurling as many insults at other stars as they have at each other. From Blur to Eminem to Jay-Z, their fiery confrontations have left a decades-long trail of scorched egos across the music industry.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and revisit the Gallagher brothers’ most explosive Oasis-era feuds with some of the biggest names in music.
Blur vs. Oasis: The Battle of Britpop
No discussion about Oasis feuds would be complete without starting with Blur. The rivalry between Oasis and Blur in the mid-90s wasn’t just a battle between two bands; it was a cultural war that defined the Britpop era. Oasis represented the working-class grit of Manchester, while Blur was seen as the art-school sophisticates from the South.
The feud hit its peak in 1995 when both bands decided to release singles on the same day—August 14th. Blur’s “Country House” and Oasis’s “Roll With It” went head-to-head in what the British media dubbed “The Battle of Britpop.” Blur won the chart battle, selling 58,000 more copies that week, but Noel Gallagher’s response became the stuff of legend.
Speaking to The Observer, Noel famously quipped, “I hate that Alex [James] and Damon [Albarn]. I hope they catch AIDS and die,” a statement he later retracted and apologised for.
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Years later, Noel reflected on the rivalry, telling The Guardian in 2005, “It was ridiculous, but at the time, we really did hate them. We were better than them and they knew it.”
Robbie Williams: From Friend to Foe
Robbie Williams was once close with the Gallagher brothers, particularly Noel. After leaving Take That in 1995, Robbie became fast friends with Liam Gallagher, and the two were often seen together at events like Glastonbury.
But things turned sour when Noel publicly referred to Robbie as “the fat dancer from Take That.” The feud escalated in 2000 when Robbie, on stage at the Brit Awards, challenged Liam to a fight, saying, “Liam, a hundred grand of your money and a hundred grand of my money, we’ll get in the ring, we’ll have a fight and you can all watch it on TV.”
Liam didn’t take the bait, but the tension remained high.
Noel was particularly dismissive of Robbie, telling NME in 2003, “He’s a fat dancer who can’t even sing.” Robbie responded with a series of jabs, even sending Noel a pair of tap-dancing shoes after Robbie sold out Knebworth for three nights, surpassing Oasis’s record of two nights at the same venue.
Robbie later referred to Oasis as “bullies” in a 2022 interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, saying, “They were gigantic bullies too, to the whole industry, everybody in it—and I didn’t like that.”
Liam responded on Twitter: “I’ve never bullied anyone in my life I’m a massive piss taker for sure and probably gone a little too far sometimes, but if I’ve ever hurt anyone’s feelings I apologise.”
I agree with him on the vital ting not on the bully thing I’ve never bullied anyone in my life I’m a massive piss taker for sure and probably gone a little too far sometimes but if I’ve ever hurt anyone’s feelings I apologise
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) November 4, 2022
Jay-Z: Hip-hop vs. Britpop
In 2008, Noel stirred controversy when he criticised the decision to have Jay-Z headline Glastonbury.
“Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music, do you know what I mean? Even when they throw the odd curveball in on a Sunday night you go, Kylie Minogue? I don’t know about it. But I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong,” he told BBC News.
Jay-Z responded in the best way possible—by opening his Glastonbury set with a cover of Oasis’s “Wonderwall,” guitar in hand. The moment became iconic, and Jay-Z later remarked that Noel’s comments had been a catalyst for his performance.
Noel later downplayed his comments in an interview with NME, saying, “I said what I said, and it was wrong, or it was taken wrong. I’ll have a beer with him one day, and it will be fine.”
Eminem: The War of Words
Eminem’s feud with Oasis was less about direct confrontation and more about a war of words through the media.
The tension began after Eminem dissed Oasis in his 2004 track “Can I Bitch,” where he rapped, “Some people only see that I’m white, ignoring skill / ‘Cause I stand out like a green hat with an orange bill / But I don’t get pissed, y’all don’t see the larger picture / I stand in the shadow of them white Gallagher bitches.”
Noel responded in a 2005 interview with The Guardian, stating, “I fucking despise hip-hop. Loathe it. Eminem is a fucking idiot and I find 50 Cent the most distasteful character I have ever crossed in my life.”
“Eminem’s new song about his kid – isn’t it the most ridiculous piece of music you have ever heard in your life? I just don’t like the dragging women around on dog leads and all that stuff. I’m not fucking having that.”
Over a decade later, Noel continued his verbal attack on Eminem, calling him “boring” for repeatedly rapping about drugs and rehab.
In a 2019 interview with Ireland’s Sunday Independent, Noel commented, “He is one of those guys that goes into rehab and then they sing about it for the next 20 years. You did a bit of fucking coke. You had a drink. Haven’t we all. I have never felt the need to be one of those fucking people. It’s boring.”
George Harrison: When Oasis Faced the Wrath of a Beatle
One of the more surprising twists in Oasis’s tumultuous journey was their unexpected feud with George Harrison, a member of The Beatles—the very band Noel had long idolised. For Oasis, who often hailed The Beatles as their greatest influence, Harrison’s harsh words must have felt like a gut punch.
In a candid 1996 interview with Q Magazine, Harrison didn’t mince words, critiquing Oasis with his signature bluntness: “The music lacks depth, and the singer, Liam, shouts instead of sings.” He went further, adding, “The rest of the band don’t need him,” suggesting that Oasis might be better off without their notorious frontman.
Noel, clearly stung by Harrison’s comments, fired back in an interview with Mojo, saying, “George was always the quiet one, and maybe he should have stayed that way. I love The Beatles, but what the fuck does he know about rock ‘n’ roll?”
Liam, never one to shy away from a confrontation, responded with characteristic bluntness. Speaking to MTV, he said, “I still love The Beatles and I still love George Harrison as a songwriter in The Beatles. But, as a person, I think he’s a fucking nipple.”
Oasis vs. Coldplay: A Clash of Musical Worlds
Coldplay didn’t escape the Gallagher brothers’ sharp critiques. Noel once famously dismissed their music as “bedwetters’ music,” a phrase that perfectly encapsulated his disdain for what he considered overly sentimental and bland tunes.
“It’s not that I hate them,” Noel explained in a 2006 interview with Radio X, “but their music just isn’t for me. It’s for people who still live with their mum.”
Liam had previously likened Coldplay to “The Tweenies” and remarked that they “look beyond shit.” However, after performing with Chris Martin at the One Love Manchester concert, Liam extended an olive branch, saying, “I’m sorry about all that shit, that I keep fucking slagging you off. You know I don’t fucking mean it.” Martin, taking it in stride, reportedly responded, “Nah, nah, no worries, we love it, mate. Carry on!”
But as Liam later remarked, “He’s fucked me right off now.”
Walking Dread: Oasis vs. Keith Richards
The feud between Oasis and Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones sparked when Richards dismissed Oasis as “amateurs.”
Noel fired back with a sharp retort: “Keith Richards looks like he’s from The Walking Dead. He should shut up and enjoy the rest of his time on this earth.” Noel didn’t stop there, adding, “He’s just an old man who wants to be young again, but it’s not gonna happen.”
Despite the biting exchange, Noel has openly acknowledged The Rolling Stones as a major influence on Oasis. He once remarked, “The Stones have got the best back catalogue of any band in the world. But just because you’re a legend doesn’t mean you can’t be a dickhead too.”
Wonderwall of Words: Gallagher vs. Yorke
Oasis and Radiohead have never really seen eye to eye. Noel once had a go at Thom Yorke and his band, saying, “They’re stuck in the back of limousines telling you how bored they are being in a group. If you don’t enjoy it, retire. Do us all a favour.” He wasn’t impressed with Radiohead’s artsy approach, especially when he heard they wrote a song about a tree. “Give me a break!” he said.
Liam also didn’t hold back. He once said, “I don’t hate them. I don’t wish they had accidents. I think their fans are boring and ugly and they don’t look like they’re having a good time.” He even took a swipe at Radiohead’s refusal to play their hit song ‘Creep’, with Noel saying, “People will always want to hear you play ‘Creep’; get over it.”
Thom Yorke, however, had his own response. “I did [go to art school]. It taught me to respect other artists,” he shot back. But Yorke didn’t always stay quiet. In a 1996 radio session, he cheekily covered Oasis’s “Wonderwall” and joked, “It’s always good to make fun of Oasis, though.”
