Noel Gallagher has given his first major interview since the long-dreamt-of Oasis reunion tour began this summer, and it’s quite surreal to hear some of the candid commentshe made in his most recent talkSPORT appearance.
Appearing on a radio show this week, the world-famous Mancunian songwriter spoke with lead anchor and friend, Andy Goldstein, as well as guest host Darren Bent, on how the tour has gone so far, even addressing talk of more shows next year.
Steady, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet…
Nevertheless, the clip of the rather off-the-cuff chat quickly went viral online, with the elder Gallagher brother beginning by stating that “it’s difficult to put into words”, joking that he’s “not usually” short for them – and that’s just the intro.
"I'm completely blown away."
"It's difficult to put into words. It's been truly amazing."
Noel Gallagher speaks on being 'blown away' on the response to Oasis' reunion gigspic.twitter.com/m8aKCCAoOb
As he goes on to explain, each night of the Live ’25 tour has had that element of “the first time”, especially given that each set of fans inside the various arenas each night is genuinely ending their 16-year wait every time they step out on stage.
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But, most notably, it’s what Noel goes on to say about his brother Liam that has been lapped up on social media, and it’s not hard to see why.
After being probed by Goldstein on what it’s like to be back playing with him post-reconciliation, the 58-year-old admitted, “It’s just great being back in the band with Liam” and the rest of the boys.
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Perhaps most surprisingly, Noel went on to say: “Liam‘s smashing it […] I’m proud of him”, confessing that he doesn’t think he can deliver that same level of stadium-size frontman energy night after night.
One part that particularly moved us and millions of others online was the moment he simply said, “I forgot how funny he was.”
We’re not crying, you are.
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👏 "It's great being back in the band with Liam. He forgot how funny he was."
While he wouldn’t be drawn into any overly emotional talk about reuniting with his previously estranged sibling and bandmate, reiterating that there are just not those kinds of people, you could clearly hear how touched the Manc music legend has been by the whole experience already.
Conceding that “when it’s all said and done, we’ll sit back and reflect on it”, the images of him welling up mid-song, laughing and joking with Liam, dancing with Bonehead as they play guitar opposite each other, and so many other moments paint a thousand words.
The reaction from fans has been just as wholesome and heartwarming, too; some joked that “the planet has well and truly healed”, another said, “You have no idea how happy this makes me,’ and one went so far as to say ‘I’ve never heard him talk about Liam like this.”
You can hear everything from the Oasis-related section of Noel Gallagher’s most recent talkSPORT interview in full down below:
We’ve heard Noel talking about Liam before, and multiple times in talkSPORT appearances, but he’s never given an interview like this.
Featured Images — Raph_PH (via Flickr)/Publicity Picture
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‘Powerhouse’ Manchester named in top 10 global cities for music in 2026
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 cities across the globe for music in 2026 have been named, and Manchester has earned its place.
If there’s one thing Manchester is known and loved for over anything else, it’s music.
From Oasis and Joy Division, to Happy Mondays, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, The 1975, and even more modern-day acts, there’s no end to the amount of talented artists this city has produced or been home to over the years, all contributing to Manchester being one of the most prestigious music cities there is.
The city’s live music scene has always been thriving, and that continues right through to this very day, as you’ll see big-name musicians including Manchester as a destination in their UK tour schedules more often than not.
Manchester has been named in the top 10 global cities for music in 2026 / Credit: Mylo Kaye | Nathan Mullet (via Unsplash)
Last summer was a sensational celebration for Manchester, as an immersive art trail, Music for the Senses, took over the city, and the annual Manchester Day was music-themed too, marking one of the biggest years for Manchester music in a long time.
Oh, and there was also the small matter of Oasis reforming for a UK tour, including a run of gigs at Heaton Park in June… in case you don’t remember, somehow (*wink wink*).
These next two months are also set to be huge for Manchester too, given the fact it is hosting both the 2026 BRIT Awards and MOBO Awards, on 28 February and 26 March respectively, for the first time at Co-op Live.
So it would only seem right that our city has earned itself a place in SeatPick‘s top 10 list of global music cities for 2026 – slotting right in there at a respectable number four.
Overall, Manchester claimed a score of 7.90 out of 10, as the city apparently hosts a total of 1,204 concerts per year across 116 venues, and even supports 380 music artists and 72 music-related businesses in the process, as well as hosting 26 different music festivals annually too.
“From indie and electronic to arena-filling acts, Manchester continues to punch above its weight as a powerhouse of British music,” SeatPick said in its new rankings of global music cities.
Other UK cities that feature in the top 10 are London at number two, and Glasgow and Bristol and number eight and nine, while claiming the coveted top spot of the list of global music cities for 2026 is the German capital of Berlin.
“What really stands out in this data is that the best music cities aren’t always the ones with the most artists,” explained Gilad Zilberman, who is the CEO of SeatPick. “Rather, they’re the ones where live music is tightly woven into everyday life.
“Cities like Berlin and Manchester have fewer artists than London, but higher audience concentration per venue, which typically leads to stronger ticket demand and more consistent sell-outs.”
Featured Image – Vishnu R Nair (via Unsplash)
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First batch of special releases for Record Store Day UK 2026 announced
Danny Jones
Yes, it’s nearly time for Record Store Day 2026, and the list of the first dozen or so limited edition releases here in the UK has just been announced.
With a fair few familiar and, more importantly, Northern names on there (but of course), #RSDUK26 is set to be another great one.
A total of 15 songs have been named on the lineup for this year so far, and yet again, the drops are in support of War Child, who will also be hosting a number of very special and intimate charity gigs during BRITs Week.
The two organisations have collaborated for the sixth time after having first joined forces back in 2020, and it feels like both the annual observance and its catalogue have only got better ever since.
Plenty that have caught our attention already, and there’s only more set to come…
As detailed in the post on social media, the Record Store Day team have retierated that “£1 from every single copy sold of these releases will be donated to the charity, helping to protect, educate, and stand up for the rights of the children who are living through conflict around the world.”
We quickly noticed the likes of The Cure, Fleetwood Mac, Kaiser Chiefs, Mark Knopfler and Bring Me The Horizon, just to name a few.
Once more, here is the RSD 2026 release list in full:
Record Store Day release list | 2026
Corinne Bailey Rae – Live In New York
The Cure – Greatest Hits and Acoustic Hits (compilations)
Divorce – Live at Get Together 2025 for War Child
Dr Feelgood – Oily City Confidential (OST)
Fleetwood Mac – The Original Fleetwood Mac (compilation)
James Dean Bradfield – The Great Western
Kaiser Chiefs – The Future Is Medieval
Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris – ‘All The Roadrunning’
Nicky Wire – Intimism
Primal Scream – Echo Dek
Rory Gallagher – Calling Card
Sigrid x BMTH – ‘Bad Life’
The Streets – Computers & Blues
The Vaccines – What Did You Expect…. Demos and B-sides
As always, all of these titles will be available behind the counter exclusively at indie record shops all over the country on Saturday, 18 April to celebrate Record Store Day UK 2026.
Oh, and if you need help with where to start, look no further.
Danny Jones -
20th August 2025 
