Noel Gallagher thinks that Guns N' Roses headlining Glastonbury is "mad", and not in a good way: "Are you being serious? That’s crazy sh*t"

Noel Gallagher and Axl Rose
(Image credit: Noel Gallagher - Dave J Hogan/Getty Images / Axl Rose - HELLE ARENSBAK/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images)

Noel Gallagher is never shy about voicing his opinions, and on the eve of this weekend's Glastonbury festival, the former Oasis man has declared that he considers the idea of Guns N' Roses headlining the event to be "crazy shit".

This year's festival has received criticism for its choice of Pyramid Stage headliners - Arctic Monkeys, Guns N' Roses and Elton John - and its the inclusion of Axl Rose's band which has baffled Gallagher, it appears.

“I thought, ‘What? Are you being serious? That’s crazy shit’,” he tells UK tabloid newspaper the Daily Star. “When you think of all the huge British artists who’ve had albums out this past year, having Guns N’ Roses headlining the Saturday is mad.”

Exactly why having a non-British headliner is blowing Gallagher's mind is unclear: last year's festival featured two American headliners in Billie Eilish and Kendrick Lamar. Famously, in 2008, the singer/songwriter declared that he "was not having hip-hop at Glastonbury" after hearing that Jay-Z had been booked to headline, insisting that it was "wrong": the rapper responded by starting his Glastonbury set by strumming Oasis hit Wonderwall.

Fans of meat and potatoes rock n' roll made in Britain will be delighted to hear that Oasis' former leader will return to Worthy Farm at some point in the future.

"There’s always next year to go back to Glastonbury – I’m not going anywhere," Gallagher says.

Gallagher's High Flying Birds are currently on tour in the US with Garbage, and the singer has found audience reactions to material from his new album rather lukewarm.

“[It’s] terrible" he tells Rolling Stone. "I’m starting off with [four or] five new ones. People should have bought the fucking album, then, shouldn’t they?”.

Gallagher continues, "So they’re gonna stand there with their mouths open thinking, ‘What the fuck is this?’ I should advise them to go to their preferred streaming service.”

Paul Brannigan
Contributing Editor, Louder

A music writer since 1993, formerly Editor of Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazine (RIP), Paul Brannigan is a Contributing Editor to Louder. Having previously written books on Lemmy, Dave Grohl (the Sunday Times best-seller This Is A Call) and Metallica (Birth School Metallica Death, co-authored with Ian Winwood), his Eddie Van Halen biography (Eruption in the UK, Unchained in the US) emerged in 2021. He has written for Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q, hung out with Fugazi at Dischord House, flown on Ozzy Osbourne's private jet, played Angus Young's Gibson SG, and interviewed everyone from Aerosmith and Beastie Boys to Young Gods and ZZ Top. Born in the North of Ireland, Brannigan lives in North London and supports The Arsenal.