Why Did Oasis Break Up? Feud Between Liam and Noel Explained

On August 28, 2009, Noel Gallagher announced his departure from Oasis. This decision came after the band’s show at the Paris Rock en Seine festival was cancelled. His departure marked the end of an era for the iconic Manchester band.

The ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ singer shared a statement on Oasisinet.com at the time that read:

“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with [singer, his brother] Liam a day longer.”

The cancellation of Oasis’ show at the Paris Rock en Seine festival was reportedly due to an altercation between the Gallagher brothers.

The band was set to perform but pulled out shortly before going on stage, with organisers citing an “altercation” as the reason for the cancellation.

This incident highlighted the growing tension between Noel and Liam Gallagher, which eventually led to Noel’s departure from the band.

Oasis’ final show took place on August 22, 2009, at the V Festival at Weston Park. Their set included hits like “Cigarettes & Alcohol,” “Half the World Away,” and an acoustic version of “Wonderwall.”

Following the breakup, the Gallagher brothers were engaged in a highly publicized feud.

In 2019, Liam Gallagher spoke about the band’s split on Radio X, expressing that he still felt the pain of the breakup and suggesting that everything was fine at the time. However, Noel Gallagher later revealed that the split resulted from longstanding tensions within the band.

“Oasis tours were always about the struggle, anyway. The incident in Paris, that was just the straw that broke the camel’s back, really,” Noel told the Sky Arts programme Noel Gallagher: Out Of The Now. 

In the chat, he admitted his departure from the band wasn’t “a decision [he] took lightly”.

“It was my life, I directed it and creatively it was my thing. With the benefit of hindsight it was the best thing for me and for the band,” he said.

“Because the band now, Oasis back in 2009, were not lauded as one of the greats of all time. There was a kind of undercurrent of: ‘Well they should really call it a day’. That’s what I felt anyway,” he said.

In 2023, Liam Gallagher announced a tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Oasis’ debut album, Definitely Maybe.

He revealed on X (formerly Twitter) that Noel Gallagher was approached to join the tour but declined the offer. This announcement further highlighted the ongoing estrangement between the brothers.

Noel had reportedly said:

“The last tour was not happy. The other fella is trying to rewrite history that it was all fucking great. It wasn’t.

He continued:

“It was a fu**ing dreadful last year of Oasis. You get one shot at life. Why be unhappy? Whether it be in your personal or professional life, why? You’re just wasting a precious thing.”

Liam Gallagher has suggested that Noel Gallagher always intended to pursue a solo career and used Liam’s drinking as a convenient excuse for the band’s breakup.

According to Liam, Noel’s decision to leave Oasis was motivated by his desire to go solo rather than by the issues within the band.

“If you want to do your little thing because you’re not getting enough attention, feel free, mate,” he said, referring to how Noel would often play solo acoustic shows between Oasis’ touring commitments.

“I’ll go to Barbados and sit on a beach for six months, but don’t be pulling the plug on the band. That’s the way I saw it.”

“That was my behaviour since day one, and [Noel’s],” he explained, referring to his drinking habits. “That’s what made Oasis what it was.”

“I wasn’t any different, but all of a sudden, he’s turned into Ronan Keating or some soft cunt, going: ‘We can’t have that behaviour’. Meanwhile, [these days] he’s out on tour with fucking [ex-Kasabian frontman] Tom Meighan, who’s allegedly, apparently…” he added.

“And yet you won’t get back in a band with me because I’m a ‘fucking cunt’?! Eh, chill out, mate.”