Noel Gallagher: The Live 8 Backlash Goes On

Noel Gallagher (CDs) and Damon Albarn (CDs) - once bitter rivals during the dark retro days of Britpop - have both discovered they have something in common in the wake of Saint Bob Geldof’s latest Live 8 Enterprise.

While the uber-gathering is undoubtedly for a highly worthwhile cause, both Noel and Damon have raised their hands like cheeky classroom scamps and announced that they have a few ‘issues’ with the whole thing.

Albarn’s comments - that the concerts have taken on an almost apartheid line-up - are well-known by now. Noel Gallagher’s Live 8 comments came courtesy of an interview in Sunday’s Observer Music Monthly to step into the fray.

As hecklerspray has already attested, Oasis are past it. Quo-rocking dinosaurs, even more irrelevant than they used to be. We will, however, accept their continued musical presence so long as Gallagher Snr. keeps coming up with soundbite gems like these …

Revealing that he enjoyed the original 1985 concert - "I watched it in a caravan in Wales" - the Noelster went on to highlight his reservations about the upcoming July super-event: "Are they hoping one of these guys from the G8 is on a quick 15-minute break at Gleneagles and sees Annie Lennox singing ‘Sweet Dreams’ and thinks, "Fuck me, she might have a point there, you know." It’s not going to fucking happen, is it?"

He further elaborated: "[Or] Keane doing ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ and some Japanese businessman going: "Aw, look at him … we should really fuckin’ drop that debt, you know’? It’s not going to happen, is it?"

Amusing as he may be, Mr. Gallagher might have hit the nail on the head. Maybe the approach being taken by the organisers is completely wrong.

Maybe Keane (CDs) should play a bigger part in all of this. The numerous delegates could be rounded into the stadium, subjected to one or two songs before Geldof storms onto stage and announces: "Okay, boys. You know as well as I do - Keane have a whole album’s worth of simpering middle-class shite to plough through. Either we drop the debt or they carry on playing. It’s your choice."

Why, you’d never see a treaty scribbled so fast…

[story by C J Davies]