October 25, 2011 (New York, NY) -- "I've got to say, the football overshadowed everything yesterday," Noel Gallagher said yesterday while accepting the 2011 Q Icon Award, referencing his beloved Manchester City's 6-1 victory over rivals Manchester United. But Gallagher's new solo outfit, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds are flying high indeed.
The album, "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" (out here in the US on November 8th), topped the UK charts in its first week out. And Gallagher debuted his new band at Dublin's Olympia Theater Sunday night to raves from press and punters alike.
Gallagher told me a few months back that he did not relish the idea of being a frontman, but after a few weeks of rehearsals with his new band he had softened that stance when we caught up again about 10 days ago. He needn't have worried.
Good quality bootlegs (and not-so-great YouTube videos) are already circulating and Gallagher and Co. sound fantastic, certainly tighter and more confident than you might expect. There's a swagger and energy to Gallagher's performance that is undeniable. And the songs -- 20 of them in all, including a brand new track called "Freaky Teeth" -- soar throughout.
For those who have followed my coverage of the release of "Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" you'll certainly recall that I gave the album 5 stars and tipped it to be the best release of new music yet in 2011. The tour, which kicks off in Toronto on November 7th and 8th and hits New York City's Beacon Theater on November 14th and 15th, started off with relatively intimate shows in the UK but is already booking bigger venues for 2012, and looks to give Gallagher the sort of success that may make him think twice about reuniting with his brother Liam for the much-talked-about 20th anniversary of Oasis's seminal "(What's the Story) Morning Glory" in 2015.
No matter, whichever way the wind blows, fans of Oasis and especially Gallagher have some great new music and live shows to look forward to in the coming months and years. With Gallagher's collaboration with Amorphous Androgynous set for release next Summer and two more solo albums proper planned after that there's no need, really, to pine for the days of the Wibbling Rivalry.
If spoilers don't bother you much, here's Sunday's setlist from Dublin:
Its Good To Be Free
Mucky Fingers
Everybodys On The Run
Dream On
If I Had A Gun
The Good Rebel
The Death Of You And Me
Freaky Teeth
Wonderwall
Supersonic
I Wanna Live In A Dream In My Record Machine
AKA What A Life
Talk Tonight
Soldier Boys And Jesus Freaks
AKA Broken Arrow
Half The World Away
Stranded On The Wrong Beach
Dont Look Back In Anger
The Importance Of Being Idle
Little By Little
And look for screenings of the documentary "It's Never Too Late To Be What U Might Have Been - The Making Of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds" in most major cities in the beginning of November, sponsored by Filter Magazine.
This article is copyright 2011 by Jeff Slate. No part may be reprinted or referenced without permission and/or attribution. All rights reserved.
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