The song Liam Gallagher never gets tired of playing live: “Power and energy”
As rumours of a potential Oasis reunion begin to circulate, questions arise about how a setlist could look. There’s a reason so many people want to see the band take to the stage again: throughout their discography, they have a string of hits that would be impossible not to want to see live and sing along to.
Once the band broke up, both of the Gallagher brothers went on to pursue their solo careers. This really highlighted some of the differences between the two artists, as the different directions they took represented different aspects of Oasis that fans were drawn to. Both the upbeat and rock-heavy and the slower singalongs were on display throughout their music.
Liam Gallagher went down a much heavier route. While he released some slower songs on his solo outings, such as ‘For What It’s Worth’, fans enjoyed tracks like ‘Wall of Glass’, which invoked some of the more upbeat and energetic numbers that Oasis were famous for. He kept the sound of the band alive in a very stylish way, which was a lot of fun for fans to listen to.
Contrast with what Noel Gallagher went on to do with his band, the High Flying Birds. Noel has a much more prominent singing voice and, as such, decided to lean into that with the music he made. It was a lot sweeter-sounding, incredibly tranquil in delivery, and reminiscent of some of Oasis’ slower numbers.
This is all very relevant as it begs the question: If Oasis did decide to reunite and do more shows as a band, has their taste changed so much that putting a set list together could be tricky? Both artists have their preferences, so it could prove incredibly difficult to agree on a run of songs they would like to play during their gigs.
One piece that Liam would miss playing and would probably try to include in a setlist would be his solo number, ‘Greedy Soul’. Released on his 2017 album As You Were, the track is an upbeat and exciting number that he never gets tired of playing live.
“It’s got power and energy, it’s aggressive, it’s a good vibe. It’s like having a vindaloo,” he said in an interview when discussing the track. “When you’re singing it, you’re sweating – it’s like having a really hot curry. You know when you have hot curry, and you go, it’s fucking mad this, but ‘It’s good cos you’re sweating your tits off’.”
Oasis’s versatility is what appealed to fans; they could slip from a heavy number to a gentle one in the blink of an eye and continue to appeal to all their fans. It’s been interesting to see Noel and Liam go in separate directions, as it reflects that Liam is a big lover of biblically energetic songs, ‘Greedy Soul’ being one of them.
