7 Things You Need to Know About Oasis’ Liam Gallagher Before He Takes Over Manila

7 Things You Need to Know About Oasis’ Liam Gallagher Before He Takes Over Manila

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When someone talks about the 90’s British music scene, it is highly unlikely not to mention Liam Gallagher.

Yes, the thick-browed former frontman of the English quintet Oasis, whose unique vocal style and erratic attitude have made him a larger-than-life act.

Together with his brother Noel and the rest of the gang, he brought life to some of the biggest anthems that defined the decade including “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Champagne Supernova,” and “Wonderwall.”

His Manila debut, slated on August 14 at the Mall of Asia Arena is a long time coming. Twenty-three years since the release of his band’s first-ever record, “Definitely Maybe,” the 44-year-old Manchester-born icon is finally performing for his Filipino fans.

Whether he’s singing Oasis classics, tracks from Beady Eye (the group he formed together with his Oasis bandmates after Noel’s headlining exit in 2009), or materials from his forthcoming solo album, “As You Were,” one thing is for sure – Filipinos are more than ready to sing their hearts out and see him perform right before their very eyes.

And right before the momentous musical event, let’s get to know 7 amazing facts about the rock and roll icon that is Liam Gallagher:

1. Liam was voted as the greatest frontman of all time, beating other legendary vocalists such as the likes of Queen’s Freddie Mercury, U2’s Bono, The Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and even The Beatles’ John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This was from a 2010 reader poll by Q Magazine, one of United Kingdom’s biggest music publications.

2. The English rock star’s only musical influences are John Lennon and “music” itself, according to Ovation Productions, the presenter of Liam’s Manila concert.  He even named one of his sons, Lennon Gallagher, after the late Beatle member.

3. Some of the acts who were influenced by Liam and his revered rock/Britpop crew include Coldplay, Maroon 5, The Killers and Arctic Monkeys, among others.

Coldplay frontman Chris Martin previously revealed that their acclaimed 2005 “X & Y” album would not sound as it is had he not watched Oasis’ “Definitely Maybe DVD”.  

He said:

“So a large part of that is thanks to the Definitely Maybe DVD. I was at home watching this DVD that came out [in 2004]… and watching how they [Oasis] started off very technological and trying to do everything perfect, with great studios and [it] ended up just being the five of them in a room, bashing out the songs…I suddenly realized that’s really what we haven’t been doing, so we went back to a tiny rehearsal space and we started the album all over again…“

4.  Liam spilled the reason for his trademark style of singing with his arms behind his back. He said that this posture “allows him to project more power through his voice.” This interesting factoid came from the 2004 DVD release which commemorated the 10th anniversary of the “Definitely Maybe” album.

5. Liam’s first foray into songwriting was a song titled “Little James” from the album “Standing on the Shoulder of Giants” which he dedicated to his then-stepson.

Though considered by critics as one of the band’s weakest tracks, it did not hinder him to write more songs for the band. Their succeeding records, “Heathen Chemistry” (2002) and “Don’t Believe the Truth” (2005), would later include six more compositions from him, including “Songbird,” which speaks about his romance with his now-estranged wife, Nicole Appleton.

6. This list wouldn’t be complete without Liam’s well-documented beef with his older brother Noel.

Their fans pretty much know about this on- and off-stage feud – how Liam hit Noel with a tambourine during their infamous 1994 gig at the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles; how Noel abruptly quit the US legs of their world tour back in 2000 after the Gallagher brothers got involved in a serious fight; how the older Gallagher finally called it quits in August 2009, saying that he “simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”; how Liam took to Twitter his rants about his sibling in 2016; to, most recently, how he called out on his bother for not showing up to support the One Love Manchester benefit concert, following a terror attack in an Ariana Grande concert held at their hometown in England.

7. Despite Noel’s Oasis exit, Liam and company continued performing as a band under the name Beady Eye. The group, which allowed the dynamic frontman to explore some elements of jazz music, went on to release two studio albums – 2011’s “Different Gear, Still Speeding” and 2013’s “BE” – before disbanding in October 2014.

After a three-year hiatus, Liam now returns to the music scene, embarking on a series of tour to promote his debut album as a solo act, “As You Were.”

The “fab new record,” set for release this October, includes “Wall of Glass” and “Chinatown,” which he dropped last May and June, respectively.

“Liam Gallagher: Live in Manila” is presented by Ovation Productions. For ticket inquiries, visit www.smtickets.com.