The bands both Noel and Liam Gallagher hate
If there’s one thing that everyone knows about the Gallagher brothers, it’s that they’re never afraid of voicing their opinions. Ever since Oasis broke onto the scene three decades ago in a blazing ball of light, it’s the one characteristic that has always stayed with Noel and Liam Gallagher—a brutality and swagger, often aimed at other artists, but also, famously, each other.
Whether it’s a simple war of words or threats of physical violence, there’s something almost endearing to the Gallagher style in the way they have no qualms about bringing some of the biggest artists in the world down just a peg or two, frequently, just because they feel like it. Some of their insults now make for the stuff of legend, and there’s no sign of it ever stopping soon.
So, although the guns have now fallen silent and the reunion tour, so far, has gone off without one punching the other in the face, it seems Oasis are now on a rare united front. Of course, that’s good news for Britpop fans flocking to stadiums all over the world in the next year to see the pair play, but possibly, less so for all the other bands bracing for impact as a selection of Gallagher insults could get hurled their way.
After all, what’s worse than Liam or Noel giving you a cutting putdown? It’s both of them getting on your back, because soon you will be overwhelmed by the wrath of snare and ire being flung your way. There is precedent for this, with the two brothers having shared their distaste for many bands separately over the years. But putting them together, well, it’s fair to say we could see some break-ups on the horizon.
Five bands despised by both Gallagher brothers
Radiohead
As the band that burst the Britpop bubble back in the late 1990s by bringing in their clouds of darkness and moodiness, it’s really no surprise that Oasis have never held Radiohead in any kind of special acclaim. But it wouldn’t be like the brothers to reserve their judgement, instead blasting their hatred into the wide open. Indeed, Noel Gallagher once had a call to arms for Radiohead, telling them: “They’re stuck in the back of limousines telling you how bored they are being in a group. If you don’t enjoy it, retire. Do us all a favour.”
That sentiment was, not shockingly, echoed by Liam, who this time took aim at the band’s fans. “I think their fans are boring and ugly and they don’t look like they’re having a good time,” he scorned, thus taking the argument out of the privacy of backstage dressing rooms and into the hands of the masses. It would be an interesting sight – Oasis and Radiohead fans in a sparring match – but there would definitely be some casualties.
Coldplay
Speaking of casualties, there are perhaps none more wounded by insults from the Gallagher brothers than Coldplay, another product of the late 1990s and early 2000s Britpop aftermath. Being branded as making tunes for “bedwetters”, Noel admitted to Radio X: “Their music just isn’t for me. It’s for people who still live with their mum.”
By all accounts, Liam also held a similar assessment, comparing Coldplay to “The Tweenies”. Despite seemingly burying the hatchet with frontman Chris Martin back in 2017, those tensions have only recently flared up again as after Coldplay’s kiss-cam incident at their gig, Liam told fans in Heaton Park that they wouldn’t be indulging in any of the same “snidey fucking camera shit,” thus reigniting the fire.
Muse
In the eyes of Oasis, Britpop was all about blazing sentiments, booze, and boyish rule. Sure, it was fun, but maybe not the place for the most refined tastes. That’s exactly why they hated Muse so much, as the band who were attempting to give rock a more intelligent, alternative edge.
Liam was always quick to shoot Muse down, being sure to make it clear that he never, ever felt threatened by them. Instead of refined, their music was “creepy fucking shit,” and with specific aim at lead singer Matt Bellamy, “They at least play guitars, but when I hear his voice, I’m like, ‘Ah, fuck him.’”
Kaiser Chiefs
Whether it was a huge dose of ego or the truth, Oasis felt that no band could ever come close to them, as the slew of indie rock outfits attempted to take the crown in the 2000s. Indeed, they had a hunch that many bands were simply trying to emulate their successes, and the worst offenders in the firing line were the Kaiser Chiefs.
Blatantly blasting the band into oblivion, Noel Gallagher said: “The worst thing about them is that they’re not very good. They play dress-up and sit on top of an apex of meaninglessness.” But if that wasn’t bad enough, he then delivered the striking final blow. “They don’t mean anything to anybody apart from their fucking ugly girlfriends.” With that, you’d probably just bow out.
Blur
Saying that Oasis hate Blur is like saying that we need oxygen to breathe – it’s just an essential fact of life. So, although it may be an obvious statement, the Gallagher brothers’ ire for their main Britpop rivals still bears including, especially since a winner in the war has now seemingly emerged victorious.
You could pick out any number of quotes from Liam or Noel to illustrate this point, but select highlights include “Damon Albarn is a fucking knobber,” “fuck these idiots,” “music for posh brats”, as well as a range of other hateful phrases that frankly don’t bear repeating. But time has evidently been a healer for Albarn, who shockingly admitted in a recent interview: “I think we can officially say that Oasis won the battle, the war, the campaign, everything.” You still won’t catch him at Oasis ’25, though. “I hope everyone has a wonderful time but I’m going to be in a very, very different place,” he said.
