Liam Gallagher sends message to Noel with surprising setlist
Fuelling the fire of ever-growing rumours around a reunion for Manchester’s Britpop heroes Oasis, Liam Gallagher kicked off his latest tour with a direct message to his brother, Noel. The tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ stunning 1994 debut, Definitely Maybe, will see Liam perform the album in full, in addition to a selection of B-sides and fan favourites.
The tour has officially kicked off with a show at the Utilita Arena in Sheffield. As promised, the singer performed the entirety of Definitely Maybe, from start to finish – though he deviated from the original track listing, saving the likes of ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Live Forever’ for the encore. The set was filled with notable performances, including the first performances of tracks like ‘Cloudburst’ or ‘I Will Believe’ since their original release.
However, the most significant moment of the gig came mid-set, when Liam delivered a performance of the beloved Oasis track ‘Half The World Away’. The song, later used as the theme tune to The Royle Family, was originally sung by Noel Gallagher and has not been performed onstage by Liam Gallagher ever before. In addition, Liam introduced the track by saying, “I’m gonna dedicate this next tune to my brother”.
The performance of ‘Half The World Away’ seemed to be a hit with the audience in Sheffield, with its dedication to Noel adding cadence to the potential for an upcoming reunion between the brothers. Elsewhere in the set, Liam went so far as to cover the song ‘Lock All The Doors’, from his brother’s solo project, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, and their 2015 album Chasing Yesterday.
Originally, the announcement of the Definitely Maybe anniversary tour sparked rumours of a surprise reunion, following in the footsteps of fellow Britpop giants Blur and Pulp who have each reformed in the last few years. However, the Sheffield gig which commenced the tour seems to have put an end to those rumours, leaving fans to turn their attention to the upcoming anniversary of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?.
Truthfully, rumours about an Oasis reunion have been ongoing for years, almost since the band originally split up in 2009. In various interviews and social media posts, both Noel and Liam have each revealed that they would, hypothetically, be up for doing a reunion tour, before reverting back to their ongoing sibling feud.
Whether or not Liam’s dedication of ‘Half the World Away’ will lead to any kind of reconciliation between the brothers remains to be seen. Nevertheless, it should be the cause of some excitement for anybody who has tickets to see the remainder of the extensive tour.
Never Miss A Beat
The Far Out Music Newsletter
All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.