“Pretending to be a gang”: Did Noel Gallagher forecast the breakup of Oasis in 2003?
All great things must come to an end, and great bands are no exception. The members gradually run out of gas or decide to pursue new projects. They quit while they’re ahead, or they fumble their own legacy through reunion tours and greatest hits records before finally giving it up. Even the smooth-running and successful groups, including Oasis, need to call it a day eventually.
Oasis were wildly successful, but they were never a particularly well-oiled machine behind the scenes. While their music was melodic and anthemic, borrowing from the guitar stars who had preceded them in the 1960s, the personalities they presented for themselves were nowhere near as soft as their strums. They were argumentative and arrogant, proclaiming their own greatness while insulting their peers
They built an image on their laddy tendencies, indulging in substances and squabbles in equal measure. The Gallagher brothers were constantly feuding, bickering in the way that only siblings do. The band became attached to their immature comments and activities, something that Noel Gallagher knew he couldn’t keep up forever.
The band were in their 30s when they first found fame amidst the rise of Britpop. With the turn of the century, Noel Gallagher began approaching his 40s, an age by which he knew he could no longer sustain the image or lifestyle they had set up for themselves. “You can’t keep that up at 35,” he admitted during a 2003 interview with DW World.
“I think it’s sad when you’re 40 and you’re still pretending to be a gang,” Gallagher added in his characteristically biting tone, “I won’t be doing this when I’m 41.” Noel predicted spending five more years with the band before dipping out. It was likely an off-hand comment at the time, but it almost perfectly forecasted his future with Oasis.
He was wrong about leaving Oasis by the time he was 41, but he wasn’t too far off the mark. Oasis broke up in 2009 when Gallagher was 42 years old. The feuding between Noel and his brother became too much, leading the Britpop band to call it a day on Oasis. Noel may have stayed with the band for a couple more years than he had predicted in 2003, but he had stuck to his guns and shed himself of his Britpop days in his early 40s.
Now, it seems that Gallagher might have changed his tune on the idea that it’s “sad” to still be in a band in your older age. Earlier this year, Oasis announced a reunion tour, overcoming their decades-worth of feuding to play a series of headline shows in their home country. Gallagher is now 57 years old but gearing up to return to the stage next year.
Perhaps it’s the lessened feuding and the distance from their original, more immature image that has convinced Noel to give it another go. Although both he and Liam have continued to throw insults at each other in the press, they seem to have been able to put their differences aside for this reunion tour.
Noel’s initial predictions about his stint with Oasis were right, but he didn’t predict that, 15 years later, he would be reconciling with his brother and drawing thousands of fans to ticketing sites trying desperately to secure a ticket. You can’t win them all.
