Oasis are back as the Gallagher brothers reunite for their highly anticipated Live 25 tour this summer.
The Britpop legends will begin their reunion tour in Cardiff on July 4, with three gigs in Edinburgh also on the cards.
Although they have been infrequent visitors to Tayside over the years, the Gallaghers still have several interesting links to the area.
Liam Gallagher having a ‘lovely time’ with Angie from Dundee
In a 2022 interview, Liam Gallagher recalled attending his first music festival in Glasgow and namechecked a friend from Dundee.
In a clip from the interview, which resurfaced after the band’s reunion was announced, Liam said: “I remember taking something a bit nice, and I remember the Primal Scream song Come Together came on, and I wandered off into this smoke-filled room and I had a lovely time.
“What was it called? Was it called Slam or something?
“I’ll speak to my mate Angie about it, cos she was at it, she was from Dundee.
“I can’t remember what it was called, it was up in Glasgow anyway.
“I had a lovely time, I don’t remember anyone that I saw, I was just in the smoke, just loving life to Come Together by Primal Scream.”
Despite lots of speculation and The Courier making several inquiries on the back of the video, Angie’s full identity has never been revealed.
Liam Gallagher’s future sister-in-law is a Gem of a Bird
Liam also has links to Dundee through his fiancee, Debbie Gwyther.
Debbie, who is also Liam’s manager, runs Fear PR with her sister – and Liam’s future sister-in-law – Katie.
Their agency looks after a number of acts, including Dundee rockers The View.
Katie’s links to The View go way back.
It is said that the band’s song Gem of a Bird from second album Which Bitch? was written about Katie – while she performed vocals on the track alongside lead singer Kyle Falconer.
Katie also co-wrote How Long, the band’s first single from their 2012 album Cheeky for a Reason, and has worked with the band since their debut album.
The View have another strong Oasis connection through their drummer, Jay Sharrock.
Jay, who has performed with the band since their return in 2022, is the son of Oasis’s former drummer Chris – who has also played with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds for years.
Meanwhile, Kyle has supported Liam at various gigs as a solo artist.
Playing to 74 punters in Dundee
One of the most famous local stories involving Oasis surrounds their only gig in the city, which took place on April 5 1994 – six days before the release of their debut single, Supersonic.
The band played at Lucifer’s Mill on Session Street as part of a tour in Scotland.
Only 17 advance tickets were sold for the show, with 74 punters paying £3 and a 25p booking fee to see the band.
Former Courier writer Roddy Isles attended the 50-minute set, which started with Liam encountering a dodgy microphone.
Just a short time later, the band were propelled to stardom.
Headlining T in the Park
Oasis headlined T in the Park once, back in 2002.
It was their only appearance as a band at Balado, having played at the previous venue at Strathclyde Park in 1994.
The band got into a backstage bust-up with fellow rockers Starsailor in Kinross-shire.
After their split in 2009, both Gallagher brothers performed separately at the festival.
Liam’s new band, Beady Eye, featuring ex-Oasis members Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Chris Sharrock, performed at the festival in 2011 and 2013.
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds played on the main stage before The Stone Roses in 2012, then closed the festival at its final home of Strathallan Castle in 2015.
Noel Gallagher’s friendship with Kinross native Gordon Smart
Noel has a longstanding friendship with Gordon Smart, a journalist and radio presenter from Kinross.
Speaking on the Big Jim Show podcast in 2023, hosted by former Scotland rugby player Jim Hamilton, Gordon gave an insight into his relationship with Noel.
He said: “You’ve got to stay on your f****** toes, he’s a formidable human being.
“He’s brilliant to me. I went to his 40th, his 50th, which is one of the best weekends of my life.
“I owe an awful lot to Noel. He also gave me a blessing to other people and went, ‘He’s alright, you can trust him’.”
Noel also joined Gordon on his Radio X show several times over the years.
Gordon, who spoke to The Courier in 2023 about a health scare that nearly ended his broadcast career, maintains strong local links.
He is married to Kate, the daughter of Dunfermline legend and Provost of Fife, Jim Leishman.
A drunken Oasis set at Gleneagles
A couple of months before their Dundee appearance, Oasis were invited to Gleneagles to play for music executives at the Sony Music Conference.
They played eight songs on the night, including Shakermaker, Cigarettes and Alcohol and Live Forever.
In his 1997 biography, journalist Paolo Hewitt recalled his time at the Perthshire hotel during a two-year spell travelling with the band.
He remembered Noel getting so drunk on free brandy that he was forced to lean on a speaker during the performance.
Footage of the Gleneagles show can be found on YouTube.
Noel Gallagher’s return to Tayside after Oasis split
Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, who also feature Gem Archer and Chris Sharrock, have released four albums since Oasis split up, with the first three topping the UK album charts.
In 2018, the band travelled north to headline the three-day BBC Music’s Biggest Weekend at Scone Palace.
During his visit to the venue, Noel wrote a cheeky message in the visitors’ book: “A palace? My gaff’s bigger than this.”
The elder Gallagher brother then returned to Dundee for the first time in nearly three decades to perform at Slessor Gardens as part of the Summer Sessions festival in 2022.
Along with some of Noel’s solo stuff, the band played a range of Oasis hits including Whatever, Wonderwall and Stop Crying Your Heart Out.
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