It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.

Noel Gallagher: August 28th, 2009

Well, that’s that then. The band who burst on to the scene back in 1994 and revitalised the British music industry in the process, are no more. After what was apparently a physical confrontation which involved Liam smashing one of Noel’s guitars, the man who turned indie never-weres Rain into world beaters Oasis has finally left his brother’s band. The radio stations will be playing Oasis tracks for weeks now, and I’d guess that the next Best Song Ever chart to roll along will be stuffed with Oasis tracks. But for me, the band have been dead for years.

Back in the mid 90s, after the Gallaghers had sacked original drummer Tony McCarroll, George Michael said something about how, in doing so, they had sacked their soul. His argument was that whilst replacement drummer Alan White (also sacked a few years later) was undoubtedly more talented, what had made Oasis so appealing was their simple, straight up energy. Fancy drum rolls and the like would be no replacement for what had made them so great, And, bizarrely, he was probably right.

Back when they first started, many of Oasis’ best tracks were wistful songs of ambition & regret: even if they were played at ear-splitting volume, they seemed to reach for the stars from very humble beginnings. Fade Away, D’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman & Acquiesce to name but a few. But as the money & coke rolled in, and they moved to Supernova Heights, the songs regressed to being little better than bad Beatles/Kinks/T Rex/insert 60s or 70s band here cover versions. Where Noel had once been a mischievous tinker, lifting little bits of Burt Bacharach here, getting nicked for borrowing some Stevie Wonder there, he ended up just reliving others’ past glories, and adding nothing to the musical canon in the process.

I didn’t buy any Oasis album after (What’s The Story) Morning Glory and really don’t feel like I’ve missed anything: if you own it, Definitely Maybe & Stop The Clocks, there’s really nothing else you need to buy. Whilst I’ll be interested to see what Noel does next (I really couldn’t give a fuck about Liam: he hasn’t been able to sing for years & if he wasn’t in a band the twatt would probably be in prison or dead by now), I’ll keep remembering Oasis as they were at their peak: arrogant yet vulnerable and looking over their shoulders whilst taking over the world.

Graveyard by peterastn on flickr