Wednesday 7th January 2015 by Alexandra Pollard | Photos by WENN

Noel Gallagher: 'If you're No.1 in the charts now, you must be s**t'

The Oasis frontman isn't happy with modern music

Oasis - 'Wonderwall': Never has a song that is essentially all on one note been quite this effective. It's hardly a shining beacon of Liam Gallagher's vocal gymnastics, and yet it's got a certain undefineable charm that's caused it to become quietly iconic.

Oasis - 'Champagne Supernova': Noel admits that "some of the lyrics were written when I was out of it." That explains the chorus. We've no idea what "Someday you will find me caught beneath a landslide in a Champagne Supernova in the sky" means, and we don't think Oasis do either. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, 'Champagne Supernova' is one of the band's greatest songs.

The Chemical Brothers - 'Setting Sun': Noel provided the vocals for this neo-psychedelia number, and though it's the probably the instrumental parts that are the most iconic, when the unmistakable tones of Noel Gallagher cut through the electronica, the song steps up a level from its contemporaries.

Oasis - 'The Masterplan': "That's my favourite song I have ever written I think," said Noel of 'The Masterplan'. "I was really fucking proud of it and I still am." Rightly so.

Oasis - 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out': One of fairly few Oasis songs to be accompanied, for the most part, by a single piano, with very little guitar. The lyrics are unashamedly sentimental, yet with none of the saccharine falsity often associated with sentimentality. When Gallagher sings: "All of the stars are fading away, just try not to worry, you'll see them some day", you believe every word.

Oasis - 'Don't Look Back In Anger': With lyrics like "Please don't put your life in the hands of a rock 'n' roll band who'll throw it all away", 'Don't Look Back In Anger' is an intelligent, nostalgic, self-deprecating beauty.

Oasis - 'Live Forever': The first Oasis single to reach the top ten in the UK, 'Live Forever' manages to be both euphoric and melancholic, delivering moving, introspective lyrics in an entirely unsentimental tone. Always a favourite at festivals.

Oasis - 'The Importance Of Being Idle': The opening guitar riff itself is a strong enough intro to justify the song's existence, but the "I don't mind" bridge gently slides the rug out from under the listener's feet just enough for them to stand up and pay attention. The song builds to a chorus which never quite arrives, and yet it never feels incomplete.

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds - 'The Death Of You And Me': The instrumental to this song is surprisingly light and fluffy, but Gallagher's vocals, even when they're in falsetto, provide just enough grit to cut through any potential sickliness, and strike a perfect balance.

Oasis - 'Waiting For The Rapture': Taken from the band's underrated Dig Out Your Soul, this song signals an evolution from their '90s Britpop sound that makes it even more tragic that they never recorded another album.

Tags: Noel Gallagher

Noel Gallagher has criticised the state of modern pop music, the industry and charts in a new interview.

Speaking to NME, the former Oasis singer lamented the current state of music now compared to the '90s, at the height of Britpop.

"If you're No.1 in the charts now, it automatically means you must be shit," he said.

He continued, "Bands now go cap-in-hand to the industry and the industry has already decided what it wants for the fucking chart stars. But the charts are all the fucking same. Every single song in the Top 10 is the same shit with a different voice."

Gallagher also speculated that "if Oasis were starting tomorrow we would have nowhere near the impact, because you're judged instantly on your first gig, and then Radio 1 will judge you on how many fucking followers you've got on Facebook.

"Oasis never had an A&R at Creation – we were given the fucking keys to the kingdom and they went, 'Off you go, see you in a bit'. Now, the manager is accountable to the A&R guy, who's accountable to the guy above him, who's gonna lose his fucking job."

Noel Gallagher will headline the Teenage Cancer Trust Benefit at London's Royal Albert Hall on Saturday 28 March, following on from his headline UK tour. Full dates are below, and tickets are on sale now. Buy tickets safely and securely at Seatwave here.

Belfast, Odyssey Arena (March 3)
Dublin, 3 Arena (4)
Nottingham, Capital FM Arena (6)
Glasgow, The SSE Hydro (7)
Manchester, Arena, (9)
London, O2 Arena (10)

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