It was a historic weekend for music fans, not just because of Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath’s Back to the Beginning farewell show – but because Britpop legends Oasis played their first shows together in 16 years.
Liam and Noel Gallagher’s hugely anticipated reunion was one of the biggest musical and cultural stories of 2024. The two brothers put aside their bitter rivalry, ended their decade-long feud and made every guitar fan's dream come true when they confirmed – after much speculation – they’d be reuniting for a staggering 41-date tour.
Now, the dust has settled on those first few Oasis reunion shows, which took place over the weekend at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, and the message from those in attendance has been received loud and clear: the Gallagher brothers sound better than ever.
You need only watch the thrilling pro-shot footage of the pair belting out Acquiesce in front of thousands of emotional fans to fully grasp the gravity of the reunion, and if there were any remaining doubts over whether Oasis still had after all these years, they have now been well and truly put to bed.
Part of the reason Oasis have managed to make such a fine comeback and return with such an incredibly revived sound is, of course, down to the stellar OG musicians recruited for the job – Gem Archer and Andy Bell among them – but also Noel Gallagher himself, who seems to be something of a guitar player reborn.
One of the biggest talking points to emerge from those first few shows is that Noel is already looking – and sounding – seriously confident behind the guitar, and while his rhythm chops have never been in question, it’s his lead playing that has left a mark.
Noel looks like a lead player reborn going into this new era of Oasis, and after taking a step back from the role during his High Flying Birds days – during which he’d largely delegate lead duties elsewhere or forego them entirely – Gallagher is clearly relishing his return to guitar solos.
Indeed, some of Oasis’ catchiest solos and licks were crafted and executed by Noel, whose simple-yet-melodic mastery of the pentatonic box resulted in cuts such as Don’t Look Back in Anger, Champagne Supernova and Some Might Say.
Noel, by his own admission, took a step back from solos when Oasis split, but his passion for lead playing never left.
Speaking to MusicRadar in 2011, following the launch of his solo debut, Gallagher admitted, “In Oasis, I was doing a completely different thing than what I’m doing now. I was playing lead guitar. And… I do miss that. I miss being at the end of the stage and just turning up my fucking amp as loud as possible and kissin’ the sky. I do miss that, I have to say.
“[What] I'm doing now, yeah, it's different, so I have to rein in my natural urges to go for it. I'm part of the rhythm section now, so I've got to hold things down. I can't just go off on the guitar. But I'm enjoying that, really. I've got to say, I'm a much better rhythm guitarist than a lead guitarist."
Because of the nature of the gig, Noel never answered his heart’s call to resume this role in High Flying Birds, instead largely taking up the rhythm guitar. Gem Archer, who joined the lineup, often took on solos on stage, while engineer Paul Stacey recorded some in the studio.
There was also that unfortunate video that went viral of Gallagher fluffing his lines while performing Don’t Look Back in Anger back in 2023.
With the return of the Oasis, though, Gallagher is now well and truly re-embracing his solo side, and has even gone as far as to venture outside the box of his usual plucky, pentatonic-heavy style, pulling in some new techniques and licks to boot.
From a guitar fan's perspective, seeing Gallagher rekindle his passion for leads is, as mentioned, one of the reasons why the Oasis reunion has got off to such a high-flying start.
From the mountain of fan-filmed footage available, a goosebump-inducing, vibrato-heavy riff through the Live Forever solo – his first time performing it in years – is a particular highlight, while the pick scrape that launches the band into Slide Away is another indicator of a man thoroughly enjoying the return to a role he held down all those years ago.
Noel’s Champagne Supernova solo, though, is what sums up this new lease on lead-playing life that Gallagher is going through. Hair-raising bends, and some tremendous whammy bar work on the Bigsby, are utilized with impressive effect.
That Noel is playing more solos for an Oasis reunion shouldn’t come as a surprise, really, but given the length of time between the break-up and make-up, it’s nice to see Noel isn’t just tentatively picking up the reins again; he’s fully leaning back into the role of lead guitar player – and the Oasis reunion is all the richer for it.
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