“I’d hear Blur or Pulp on the radio and think, F**k these idiots… We were ready to wipe everybody out": Noel Gallagher on why Oasis were the best band of his generation

Photo of Noel GALLAGHER and Liam GALLAGHER and OASIS in the netherlands
(Image credit: Michel Linssen/Redferns)

Noel Gallagher has spoken about the self-belief that fuelled Oasis' rise to stardom, and recalled his band's desire to "annihilate everybody".

Speaking in the current issue of MOJO magazine, Gallagher says that Oasis had "unshakable self-belief" and that he always knew that the band were destined to make a huge impact upon the British music scene, and beyond.

"Back then, I’d hear Blur or Pulp or Suede on the radio and think – fuck these idiots," he admits. "But looking back at it now, it was an amazing time for indie music, or whatever you want to call it. But we were ready to take over. We were ready to wipe everybody out." 

Gallagher goes on to state his belief that many of Oasis' peers had "one or two" great tunes... "but we had twelve."

"However loud they were, we were louder," he says. "However fast they were, we were faster. However good they were, we would trump it. They were all great bands, but we were better. It was as simple as that."

"My ambitions were way bigger than just selling out [London's 4,800-capacity] Brixton Academy. Every band I met that was always their ambition, maybe even do two nights. I’m not arsed about Brixton Academy or John Peel. We’re going to take U2 on. That’s where my band are heading. I don’t give a fuck about Felt or Ned’s Atomic Dustbin. I’m aiming for bigger shit than that. Once you’ve written Rock And Roll Star, Live Forever, Supersonic, Slide Away, it’s like, come on, everybody get out the way now… The confidence came from the fact that we had these songs and we could fucking play them."

In the same interview, Gallagher describes Oasis' debut album Definitely Maybe as "the last great punk album".

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.