Noel Edward Montague Gallagher entered the national consciousness in 1994; the same year as Forrest Gump, the sitcom Friends and the Channel Tunnel. Yet, 23 years later, Noel has evolved musically far more than those other three things put together. We all know the story of the boy from Burnley, with his mop-topped swagger, tracksuit and eyebrows Moses himself couldn’t part. The humble beginnings, touring the world with Allied Carpets and the younger brother now tolerated simply as a potential organ donor for his more talented sibling. The story of the working class boy who dared to dream is now part of our national psyche. But all that was a long time ago. This latest solo album suggests that in the rock n’ roll history books Oasis will be remembered merely as the caterpillar to Noel’s solo butterfly.
Noel Gallagher kicked off his Oasis past like a wet nappy and ran, bare-bottomed and vulnerable into a solo career that frankly could have gone either way. Now however, the entire human race must surely thank him for his bold decision as this latest album delivers a squadron of tunes so epic they transcend even the dizzy heights of his previous high-flying solo work.
« Make room
For the man who built the moon
He arrived on a knackered horse
Made no sound
From the day he left town
No-one said a word of course! »
The Man Who Built The Moon
“People are going to be surprised. I think people love Noel and they’re desperate for him to make a really big, bold, uptempo beast of a record – a lot of Noel’s music is quite mid-tempo. This one is quite fun.” – David Holmes, Producer of Who Built The Moon?
“I am a fucking genius.” – Noel Gallagher
“Despite his almost motionless stage presence, Gallagher’s ability to entertain has never been in doubt, whether on or off the stage.” – The Guardian
“The past will never be a foreign country to Noel Gallagher, but from this vantage point, tomorrow is looking pretty rosy.” – NME
