Noel Gallagher, the man who, in 1991, formed Oasis, one of the world’s biggest touring rock bands of the past 15 years, yesterday put what might be the final nail in the coffin of the band, after it was announced at a French music festival that:
“the group no longer exists. They will not play tonight and they are canceling the rest of their European tour.”
The news follows Oasis cancelling their appearance at V Festival in the UK earlier this month, and appearances which have featured the band as only a threesome.
Apparently, at the final French show, the announcer told awaiting fans that Liam and Noel Gallagher had “a fight backstage” which resulted in the statement made to fans that “the group no longer exists”.
Noel Gallagher has told how he can no longer work with his brother, Liam, on the band’s MySpace page, where he announced:
“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight.
People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer. Apologies to all the people who bought tickets [for the European shows].”
While Oasis fans will be saddened by the news, those with long memories will recall that Noel Gallagher has left Oasis twice before, the last time in 2000 when he walked out of a gig in Paris during the band’s World Tour.
However, this time, statements have been posted on official pages, and the breakdown has been coming over a period of months: it may well be that the final straw has come for Oasis as we know it.