Zak Starkey says Gallagher brothers “never even argued once” when he was in Oasis
Former Oasis drummer Zak Starkey has praised his former bandmates Noel and Liam Gallagher, who he said never argued while he was in the group.
Starkey, who also served as the drummer in The Who for almost 30 years, joined Oasis in 2004 as the replacement for Alan White. He remained with the iconic band until they acriminously parted ways five years after his arrival.
Famously, Oasis split following a backstage confrontation between the Gallagher brothers at the Rock En Seine festival in Paris. However, that kind of behaviour does not reflect what Starkey claims to have witnessed during his half a decade in the band.
During a recent interview with the New York Post, Starkey reflected, “I played with them for five years, and all we did was laugh. They never even argued once. Not one time.”
He fondly reminisced, “We toured for 140 shows. We made two great records. We rehearsed. We hung out all the time. Never one. Never one cross word in five years.”
Heaping further praise upon the professionalism that he witnessed during his time in Oasis, Starkey said that the band “never complained about anything, ever”.
Additionally, Starkey said of their punctuality, “And they’re never late. If it says on the sheet 5:30, at 10 [minutes] past 5:00, they’re there.”
While Starkey thoroughly enjoyed his time with Oasis, he did not receive the call to rejoin the Britpop giants for their triumphant Oasis Live ’25 tour. Instead, Joey Waronker, who previously played on Liam Gallagher’s collaborative album with John Squire, was elected as their drummer.
Last year, during an appearance on BBC Breakfast, Starkey conceded that he was “gutted” to not be asked to play a part in the reunion. He also called them the “greatest rock and roll band of my generation”.
Meanwhile, Noel recently revealed that he’s now “back at work” after taking a break following the conclusion of Oasis’ tour in November.
Oasis are yet to announce any future tour dates, but did confirm after the final Oasis Live ’25 date in Sâo Paolo that “there will now be a pause for a period of reflection,” suggesting that their reunion is far from finished.
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