Pool's Gold
Manc popstars Oasis - the band that have Creation Records' Alan Mcgee in a tizz - are armed with booze and want to destroy! Their first NME interview
Right, let's get the rumour-mongering out of the way here and now. Yes, Oasis are brilliant. Yes, they're somewhat notorious already. And, yes, they're from Manchester. But let it be said once and for all - they have never EVER roadied for The Stone Roses
And so, back to reality. Born as all great bands are, out of the remains of a crap one (in this case comprising drummer Tony, bassist Paul and guitarist Bonehead) . Oasis came into being when newly-recruited singer Liam brought his brother Noel along for a jam. Underterred by having witnessed a "really shit" gig at the Boardwalk, Noel offered his songs to the band in rehearsal...et voila!
Naming themselves after "just something on a wall, on a poster", or Liam's favourite women's wear shop (depending on which brother you believe), and harbouring a common love of "original bands, like The Beatles" but disagreeing violently about anything post 1980 (except, oddly enough, the Roses), Oasis kept their early demos strictly to themselves. Which makes Noel's theory about the meeting with Alan McGee being fated seem all the more likely.
Having barged their way onto the bottom of the bill at the 18 Wheeler show in Glasgow, they unknowingly played to McGee, who'd turned up unusually early and was, not to put too fine a point on it, blown away. The band and the Creation impresario talked about everything from music to cars, and remembers Noel, "after give minutes we all went. 'fucking 'ell, that was easy! Where's the contract?'"
Even with 20 other mega-deals floating around, and the U2-owned Mother Record willing the double McGee's offer, there was no chance of them signing to anyone but "the greatest record company in the world".
But they don't think Creation let themselves down by not signing a Manchester band four years back?
"No! Right move. There was no-one to sign. They'd probably have got something like the Mock Turtles."
Is there a rebirth of interest in Manchester?
"There's a definite vibe," says Liam. "Like something's happening, but I don't think it'll be a big outburst."
Relieved not to be a party of a scene, they see themselves as a Manchester band (albeit an atypical one), and like to think there's room for something from everywhere in them. Are they worried about living up to expectations? Noel shakes his head.
"It'll all be apparent when 'Supersonic' (the first single) comes out. Then it'll all be WAH-HAY! from there."
And Noel isn't wrong, judging by the recent performance on The Word, where the Oasis formula sneering vocals, blatant arrogance and melodic genius simply shone beside the studied crapness of Soul Aslyum. He also rates the band higher than the latest wave of raves...
"These bands that claim to be punk rock, they've just totally missed the point," says Noel. "They're all going on about The Clash and slogans and taking speed and all that, but they're dead uptight about it. For me, punk rock was the Sex Pistols, and they were BIG TIME FUN. They covered The Small Faces and Chuck Berry, and Johnny Rotten went to Desert Island Discs in 1977 and all he played was Neil Young. (Er, I don't think so! - Punk Rock History Ed). The thing with these 'punk' bands is that it's all dead segregated - 'We like The Clash and we don't like anyone else'. The Pistols were a fucking laugh, and that's what it's about."
While giving equally short shrift to retro popstars ("All we've got to say to Blur is BLEUURGH!"), Noel cites Verve, Acetone, Grant Lee Buffalo's 'Fuzzy' and Beck's 'Loser' as current favourites, even vowing to emulate the latter slacker's break-dancing Top of the Pops performance by body-popping when they get on there. And Oasis will. Set those videos now.
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