Manchester rockers Oasis were a cultural and commercial force throughout the 1990s and 2000s, coming to a standstill in 2009 when the famously mercurial Gallagher brothers could no longer bear the company of one another.
Despite core members Noel and Liam having since found success through other musical endeavors – Noel with Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds and Liam with his solo career, respectively – The 1975’s Matty Healy insists that the time has come to let bygones be bygones.
During an interview for Q with Tom Power on Thursday, Matty Healy pulled no punches in what the 1975 singer/songwriter and guitarist called a “public service announcement” regarding the Oasis situation.
“What are Oasis doing,” an exasperated Healy rhetorically queries. “Can you imagine being in potentially – right now, still – the coolest band in the world, and not doing it because you’re in a mard with your brother?”
The Gallaghers exploded onto the scene with their 1994 debut Definitely Maybe and would spend the ensuing decade and a half making headlines for being at one another’s throats more often than not.
In spite – or perhaps even as a result of – the abiding conflict between the two, Oasis would become bonafide superstars upon the release of (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, which would go on to become one of the biggest selling albums of all time, the following year.
Healy insists that, despite whatever bad blood may still exist between the brothers, to remain committed to the estrangement of one the most important musical acts of the modern era based on a sibling squabble could be considered less than mature.
“I can deal with them dressing like they’re in their twenties and being in their fifties, but acting like they’re in their twenties – they need to grow up. Stop marding!,” he exclaims.
“They’re like men of the people and they’re sat around in like Little Venice and Highgate, like crying over an argument with their brother. Grow up, headline Glastonbury.”
Despite having failed to replicate the immense success of their original band, the two Gallagher’s have attained notable success both critically and commercially after striking out on their own. Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds have released a string of well received albums and have toured successfully. Similarly, Liam Gallagher has released three highly praised LPs and has become an in-demand touring act. Still, it is unlikely that even the fans continuing to follow the musicians in their current iterations are beyond holding out hope for an Oasis reunion.
“There is not one person going to a High Flying Birds gig or a Liam Gallagher gig that would not rather be at an Oasis gig,” Healy boldly proclaims. “There is not one person that’s there going, ‘You know what? I loved Definitely Maybe, but my favorite thing is [expletive] Noel Gallagher’s High Flying [Birds.]”
Brazen as they may have been, one can’t help but feel that Healy’s remarks were made from a place of respect and reverence for the enormously influential Britpop act.
“Do me a favor: Get back together, stop messing around. That’s my public service announcement for today,” Healy concluded.
The platform from which the statements were made, Q with Tom Power, has even since established a petition “to help get the British icons to come together in peace and harmony.”
The Gallagher brothers have made no attempts to conceal the details of their decades-long conflict, and have habitually made reference to one another even after the band’s official breakup.
It does not appear at the time of writing, however, that either Gallagher brother has responded to Healy’s “public service announcement” through a public forum. As such, it remains unclear whether the singer’s urging could in fact spur an unanticipated reunion of one of Britain’s biggest musical acts. But it can be said with a degree of certainty that many fans are hopeful that this will indeed be the case.
Additional LOOTPRESS music coverage can be found here.