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Irish Post
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Two brothers, one tour, and zero chill
WHERE do you want to start? Last August, Oasis fans everywhere thrilled to the news that Noel and Liam Gallagher had kissed and made up. 'The guns have fallen silent' said Liam on X, breaking the long-awaited news that they were putting the band back together for a stadium tour. Since then practically every week has brought fresh updates, rumours and quirky stories, some of which may even be true. ShowBiz has been assiduously squirrelling them away, and can now answer 20 of the most burning issues surrounding the tour. 1 Why are they even doing it? It's unlikely to have been prompted by a sudden desire for each other's company. The main motivation is probably financial. The success of Taylor Swift's Eras tour has undoubtedly rung up dollar signs like a Vegas slot machine in Noel's eyes, especially now that his coffers have been severely denuded by a recent £20m pay out (plus £8m mansion) to ex-wife Sara MacDonald. Or maybe (I said maybe) he's simply decided that he wants something a little more dignified for the Oasis legacy than 15 years of social media handbags with RKid. 2 So it's all quiet on the Bolton front? 'It's all done peace has prevailed he's the man I can't wait to be on stage with him blowing him kisses in between each song', ran Liam's characteristic stream-of-consciousness post on X. But just in case the unthinkable happens and the brothers start getting one each other's nerves once again, a 'military style operation' will be put in place to keep them apart as much as possible. We're talking separate dressing rooms, separate transport and separate VIP backstage areas. In short, according to 'a source' in The Mirror, ''Noel and Liam are reuniting, but don't for one minute think that this is a tour about brotherly love and going out night after night and being together 24/7. They will effectively be separate entities that come together for necessary promotional work and the gigs. Other than that, they will be apart for much of this reunion.' 3 Sounds good. So who are the support acts? For the UK and Ireland tour it's Richard Ashcroft and Cast. Some might say (they have) that they should have used the opportunity to showcase newer acts, such as Fontaines D.C. Liam's reply? 'To all the folk who are crying about us not showing love to the young bands and not letting them support there's LEVELS to this game and I'm afraid 99 p cent of ya are way off.' Members pf Fontaines D.C. responded by saying they 'couldn't really give a shit', to which Liam commented 'Fuck them little spunkbubbles I've seen better dressed ROADIES.' So, no Fontaines, then. 4 Just how big is the tour? Though initial press releases mentioned just two concerts in London, Edinburgh and Dublin, and four in Manchester, the tour has now been extended to 41 dates taking in North America, Australia, South America and Asia. 5 What was the Great Oasis Ticket Scandal about? Two words: dynamic pricing. When booking lines opened for the gigs on 31 August, 10 million fans logged on – the biggest concert launch ever witnessed in the UK As people waited in the queue, the prices steadily rose, meaning that by the time they landed on the payment page their only option was to pay £300 per ticket. Following a huge backlash, dynamic pricing was scrapped for the second round of sales, meaning fans could bag tickets for a friendlier starting price of £74.25. 6 We expect Liam was hugely sympathetic to the fans' plight, though You think? Responding to complaints on X, the mouthier Gallagher jeered 'Oasis are back your welcome,' before describing Oasis fans as the 'rudest in the world', telling them to 'shut up', and that he's 'sick of this s***' "Some days I just think to myself why do I even bother", he added. Liam also taunted fans with claims he has 'loads' of spare tickets, but 'there [sic] really expensive 100 pounds kneeling only'. He was clearly having a ball. When asked what their mum thought of the reunion, he said, "She's gutted she couldn't get a ticket'. When another fan wrote, "Not to be rude but if I'm not able to get tickets I hope the concerts get cancelled," he replied, "That's exactly what Peg said unbelievable attitude." 7 So what's likely to be the real cost to fans? Research by Wonderwallets, part of the Barclays Consumer Spend report, estimates £1.06bn will be spent by the 1.4 million fans attending the 17 UK tour dates – more than £766 a person. That includes tickets, accommodation, £75 on food and drink, £60 on merchandise plus travel and new outfits – presumably there are a lot of dad bods out there who have outgrown their '90s Harringtons. 8 How much money are the boys likely to make? Oasis are set to earn an estimates £50 million per show from ticket sales, merchandise, and other revenue streams. 9 Oh yeah, the merch – we're talking bucket hats and parkas, yeah? Oh, that's just the thin end of the wedge. Noel and Liam are said to have filed paperwork to secure trademarks which will allow them to flog everything from branded clothes and stationery to dental floss, moisturiser, fly swatters, ironing board covers and even Christmas wreaths. Think Middle-Lidl meets Britpop. 10 Speaking of Lidl… Last October the launch of Liam's new fashion collection didn't quite go to plan, with fans joking that the red, blue and yellow colourways made it look like he was wearing a 'Lidl jacket'. Lidl immediately got in on the act by taking out a billboard ad for their 24p 'jacket' potatoes on Oldham Road in Manchester right next to a mural of Liam wearing the £400 Berghaus coat. 11 Yet more Lidl The supermarket chain had also previously unveiled a blue plaque in Liam's honour at one of its Manchester stores after the star 'almost played' there after problems at the nearby Co-op Live arena. Asked by a fan at the time what he would do if his shows were affected, Liam responded: "Gig in Lidl." Lidl responded "We're gonna roll with it." That Manc bants, huh? 12 Why haven't we read any joint official interviews from the brothers about the tout? Good question. Via his favourite means of communication, X, Liam wrote 'We don't want to do interviews coz we're scared of the media asking us intrusive questions and trying to pick holes in our relationship.' It's also, he added later, because he 'can't be arsed'. 13 Let's hope they don't palm us off with new material and neglect the classics Scant risk of that. Although rumours have been flying about a new album, fuelled by teasing comments by Liam on X, there's been no sign of any new music emerging. So expect a night of all the greatest hits – just like watching an Oasis tribute band, then, but a bit better. 14 Apropos, the tribute bands must be having a field day Indeed. You can exclusively hire Definitely Oasis, Noasis, Oasish, and The Liam and Noel Experience, The Madchester Experience, Fakermaker, and Standing On The Shoulder Of Oasis for between £850-£2000 – the amount that a small group of unlucky punters would have shelled out for a group booking for Oasis gigs during dynamic pricing. 15 Oasis v Blur Of course, to give the tour that authentic '90s vibe, Oasis's arch-nemesis Blur should really launch their own comeback gigs on the exact same dates as Oasis. The next best thing comes in the form of a new comedy play by novelist and former A&R man John Niven, which follows the rivalry between the two bands which dominated the Britpop era. The action takes place in the summer of 1995 when Blur's Country House raced Oasis's Roll with It to the top of the singles charts; Blur went on to win that battle, but the band's Alex James graciously later admitted that Oasis won the war. The Battle – billed as 'based (mostly) on real events' – is heading out on a UK tour in 2026, prior to a run in the West End. Of course, age mellows the spikiest among us and the two bands have since buried the hatchet and Noel has even collaborated with Damon Albarn. In an interview last year, Noel ruminated on what his younger self would think of that. 'It would depend entirely on what side of the bed I got out of on that day', he said. 'If you caught me on a good day I'd be like, yeah, I could see that happening…On a bad day, I'd fucking knife myself in the bollocks.' 16 What about Robbie Williams? What about him? He and the Gallagher boys were mates once, then they fell out, but if there's any residual animosity these days they're mostly being too gown-up to voice it. Indeed, Robbie, who is also on tour this year, has been quick to acknowledge that the reunion is a significant cultural moment. 'The soap opera alone will either be exciting and or ghoulish to watch. As for the shows? They're gonna be incredible, off-the-scale special… a healing moment for our country. 'Liam Gallagher reading his phone on the toilet would be more charismatic and intriguing than 99.9% of the world's population at their most enigmatic. All he has to do is stand there and sing for the audience to be guaranteed their money's worth,' he said, cheekily adding and 'Noel will be there too.' Did he plan for his tour to compete with Oasis? 'No, I didn't', he said on Instagram. 'When Oasis get back together, there is no competing, really. So no, it's not a competition, even though it bloody is.' 17 The Manchester tourist board must be mad for it You bet. The city is said to expect a £100m boost from the five Heaton Park gigs, with 90 per cent of the city's hotel rooms already booked up - and at premium rates, too. On 11 July, for example, a poky windowless room at The Britannia, which normally goes for £39, will set you back £234. Airbnb owners can presumably charge whatever they like. Local hospitality is also in for a massive boost. Savvy brothers Paul and Mark Gallagher – no relation – have already opened a massive second branch of their Oasis-themed bar Definitely Maybe – 'a shriiiiiine of all things Oasis' – on the old site of Black Dog Ballroom in the Northern Quarter. 18 It's also a boon for the counter-culture Some far-sighted Manc fans have apparently taken the precaution of stashing drugs in the bushes of Heaton Park. Drug and alcohol rehab facility Providence Project told The Sun that they 'would warn organisers to be vigilant". 19 Any chance of a surprise Glastonbury appearance? None. Not only has Liam confirmed Oasis won't appear but he's trashed everyone who does. 'NO full of drips', is his expressed view of Worthy Farm. So that's that. Unless of course it's a really fiendish double bluff. 20 Care to read more? Two new books have been released about Noel and Liam; more will surely follow. You can get stuck in to the succinctly named Gallagher by PJ Harrison, which focuses on the lives and relationships of the bros, or Live Forever by John Robb, which is more concerned with their musical journey. But these are just the latest ones; there's obviously a huge backlist of biographies, behind-the-scenes reveals and books focusing on specific eras or albums, including Brothers by Noel and Liam's lesser known sibling Paul. Though to be honest there's nothing in any of them that you can't find on the net.
Irish Post
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Post
Top Irish acting talent takes to the stage
TO the 2025 TV BAFTAs, for which it is relatively easy even for an Irish celebrity columnist to get tickets because all the famous and important people go to the film BAFTAs in February instead. For many years the two events were united in a single ceremony. It must have offered a lovely ego boost for the stars of soaps and TV reality shows; posing on the red carpet alongside Hollywood royalty, they could indulge in the fantasy that they, too, were part of the A-list. This illusion was cruelly shattered when it was decided to split the two events in 1998. Confusingly they were, and still are, both called the BAFTAs – surely the BAFAs and BATAs would be more accurate? Yet more crushingly for those who do all the actual work behind the scenes, a further splintering took place in 2000 which meant all the 'craft' gongs were shunted into a separate event; and let ShowBiz tell you, the chances of getting Demi Moore or Timothée Chalamet to attend one of those is a big fat zero. With a yawning (pun intended) three-month gap between the film and TV Awards, the latter tend to feel like an afterthought. Not only do they lack the film awards' whiff of international glamour, but the selection and judging process can sometimes feel like something that was half-heartedly tossed off over a few pints down the pub. Look, ShowBiz begrudges Danny Dyer nothing, but why honour him for his bad-boy-by-numbers turn in the underwhelming Mr Big Stuff rather than for being the very best thing in The Rivals? Why no scripted comedy nomination for the Gavin & Stacey finale, despite its critical acclaim and 20-or-so million viewers? Oddest of all was Belfast cop series Blue Lights beating Wolf Hall: The Mirror and the Light to Best Drama. Of course, Blue Lines does what it does very well, but to deem it superior to the magnificent achievement of the lush period drama starring Mark Rylance and Damian Lewis, surely the TV event of the year, is beyond baffling. It's like deeming 1D better songwriters than The Beatles, or Mrs Brown's Boys D'Movie a worthier film than The Godfather II. Also, not to be pedantic (actually, I'm being pedantic) but surely the Blue Lines USP – a show about rookie cops on their first beats – is now wearing a little thin? Here's blurb for series three: 'Two years into their jobs as response officers, Grace, Annie and Tommy are accustomed to life under the blue lights.' I mean, they're positively grizzled, with broken home lives and goodness knows what else, like all fictional TV detectives. So just like any other cop show then. Caitriona Balfe returns to the big screen this year THE FRAGRANT Caitríona Balfe is back on the big screen with her new spy action movie The Amateur. The film stars Rami Malek as Charlie, a brilliant CIA tech nerd whose wife is killed in a terrorist attack. When his bosses refuse to avenge the murder, Charlie – a name which feels a terrible fit for Rami Malek, incidentally, but never mind – uses his insider information to blackmail them into giving him a new identity and a crash course in 007 skills so he can find and kill the killers. In other words, Q has improbably morphed into James Bond, using geeky gadgety skills rather than brute force and puns to get his revenge. Catriona plays an enigmatic Russian spy and hacker called Inquiline. In an interview with she was asked if she fancied more action roles in the future. 'Oh, I mean, we should have an Irish action hero, shouldn't we? That would be fun,' she said. 'Yeah, I don't know, we need to create one, don't we?' Somewhere, Liam Neeson and Pierce Brosnan are doing indignant double-takes. Saoirse Monica Jackson will take to the boards this year in Irishtown BIG NAMES in Irish acting talent is taking to the stage like lemmings. Even as you read this, Chris O'Dowd will be practising his diaphragmatic breathing in preparation for his evening's performance in Conor McPherson's new play, The Brightening Air. Co-starring at the Old Vic are Brian Gleeson and Eimhin FitzGerald Doherty, Derbhle Crotty, Seán McGinley, in a production so Irish that if you closed your eyes you could persuade yourself you were at Dublin's Abbey Theatre. Later on in the year, not a million miles away from the Old Vic at the Harold Pinter theatre, Brian's dad Brendan will head up yet another Conor McPherson play, The Weir. Ciara Elizabeth Smyth probably had joyless plays like The Weir in mind when writing Irishtown – a new satire about theatre and what it means to be Irish. It co-stars Derry Girls' Saoirse Monica Jackson, fresh from her standout turn as gangster wife Cheryl in This City is Ours, and who is making her off-Broadway debut in the comedy. Irishtown focuses on a noted Dublin theatre as they work up a new play which they worry isn't Irish enough. 'I have never been in an Irish play with a happy ending', comments a lead actress to general agreement. It's a great opportunity for an Irish actress, Saoirse told TheaterMania, adding that it's mercifully shorter than her last stage venture, as Shena in Jez Butterworth's Troubles play The Ferryman. 'You could do this play twice and The Ferryman would still be going on', she says. Although Irishtown is very funny, it has things to say. 'There's a very prominent line that rang true with me', she said. 'The only male character is talking about getting his big break, and he says to my character 'It's different for me. I could actually make it in America. You will always be passed up to play an Irish part for an English girl doing a terrible accent'.' 'It's incredible to see the success of Irish men at the moment. Cillian Murphy and Paul Mescal and Barry Keoghan shine in those ways, but Irish women are always forgotten about. 'It's so easy to romanticise an Irish male actor as being this sort of mysterious, aloof, tortured poet, but it's slightly less palatable for women, and I feel like that's because we're strong and funny and independent, and that's not always the depiction of what they want from a leading lady.' Which, of course, would take us seamlessly into Paul Mescal's return to the stage, for Tom Murphy's A Whistle in the Dark, possibly followed by a look at Nicola Coughlan in JM Synge's The Playboy of the Western World (neither project exactly taxing them on the accent front). And then there's Aidan Turner, who looked so hot in 18th century clothes in Poldark that he's doing it all again for Les Liasons Dangereuses. All three shows are at the National Theatre, but further pontifications will have to wait for another time, as ShowBiz is completely out of column space.
