Gallagher brothers now: What happened to Liam and Noel Gallagher and what are they doing now? | Explainer

They were part of one of the biggest bands of the 1990s, with a string of hits, including Wonderwall.

Oasis would eventually go on to sell more than 75 million records worldwide – but behind the scenes, the toxic relationship of the Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, was ripping the band apart.

Eventually, after countless feuds, including physical assaults, the band disbanded in 2009 after Noel Gallagher walked out, and despite one of their biggest hits being called Don’t Look Back In Anger, it seems the two are yet to patch up their differences.

So what happened between Liam and Noel Gallagher and will the two brothers ever make up?

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Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher were born in Manchester, England, to Irish Catholic parents Peggie and Thomas.

Noel, their second child – there is an older brother, Paul – was born on May 29, 1967, while Liam followed five years later on September 21, 1972.

Noel has alleged they both grew up in an abusive home with an alcoholic father who would beat both himself and Paul. Both older brothers developed stammers, which Noel believes was made worse by the abuse.

Their mother eventually left their father and raised them as a single mother.

Noel and Liam regularly skipped school. By 14, Noel was on probation for robbing a corner shop. Around this time, he taught himself to play a guitar his mother had given him.

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At 15, he was expelled from school and started to work in the construction industry.

After injuring his foot at work, he was given a job in the company’s storehouse, and when he wasn’t busy at work he would play guitar and write songs.

In 1988, Gallagher became crew for the band Inspiral Carpets.

Around that time, he and Liam attended The Stone Roses gig, which Liam credited with changing his life and setting him on the course of a musical career.

In 1991, Liam joined the band The Rain with school friend Paul McGuigan. As well as singing, Gallagher co-wrote songs with the band’s guitarist Paul Arthurs. Tony McCarroll was on drums.

Noel was invited to manage the band but declined, instead asking to join the band on the condition he would have creative control and be the sole songwriter, promising them ‘superstardom’ in return.

Their big break came in 1993, when they learnt a talent scout would be at a gig in Glasgow. Their performance earned them a record deal.

Their first song, Supersonic, was released in 1994, and made it to No. 31 on the UK charts.

Their album, Definitely Maybe, followed later that year and became the fastest-selling debut album in Britain after entering the charts at number one.

But cracks started to emerge that same year during the band’s tour of the US. According to The Mirror, Liam would change the lyrics of Noel’s songs to annoy his brother.

The two reportedly had a physical fight after a gig in LA and Noel left the tour and flew to San Francisco.

He was eventually tracked down and agreed to continue with the tour.

The band released their second album, What’s the Story, Morning Glory?, in 1995. It became the second fastest-selling album in the UK, and went to number one in the UK and number four on the US Billboard chart.

More hit singles followed, including Wonderwall and Don’t Look Back in Anger, both of which were written by Noel Gallagher.

But behind the scenes, Oasis was falling apart as a result of the brothers’ fighting. An article in The Mirror said Noel hit Liam with a cricket bat in a recording studio, while the two repeatedly swore at each other during an interview.

In 1996, during an MTV Unplugged performance, Liam refused to go on stage. He instead sat in a VIP box and heckled Noel as he sang.

Noel began working with other acts as a songwriter before the band’s third album, Be Here Now, was released in 1997. The album did not achieve the same level of success, and Noel Gallagher later blamed his drug use at the time he wrote the album’s songs.

In 1999, Arthurs quit the band, followed by McGuigan, leaving only the brothers and drummer Alan White, who had already replaced McCarroll, to record their fourth album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants.

In 2000, during a tour of Spain, the brothers again came to blows when Liam questioned the paternity of Noel’s daughter, Anais, whom he shares with former wife Meg Mathews.

There were also fights on stage. In 2002, Liam walked off stage during a gig in Japan, reportedly after Noel hit him with a tambourine.

After many delays, the band released their sixth album, Don’t Believe the Truth, in 2005. It followed a tumultuous period during which the band’s drummer Alan White was replaced but, like their previous five albums, it debuted at number one in the UK.

The band went on a successful world tour.

In May 2009, they released their seventh studio album, Dig Out your Soul, which went to number one in the UK.

They embarked on another world tour that included a high-profile show at Wembley Stadium, London, on July 9, 2009. Unbeknown to anyone, it would be their last live show.

They were due to headline the V Festival in England on August 23, 2009, but pulled out, reportedly because Liam had laryngitis.

Then on August 28, 2009, moments before they were due on stage at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris, Noel left the venue, leaving Oasis to cancel their appearance.

That night, Noel issued a statement which 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 Liam a day longer.”

So why did Oasis fall apart and what is the Gallagher brothers’ relationship like today?

Two years after the Paris incident, Noel alleged Liam became “quite violent” that night and swung at him with a guitar.

“I was like, you know what? I’m out of here. I kind of got in the car and I sat there for five minutes and I just said, ‘I can’t do it anymore’.”

Noel has since said they had argued over Liam’s clothing line and he wished he had gone on stage that night and things might have blown over.

In 2010, when Oasis won Best British Album of the Last 30 Years for (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? at the Brit Awards, Liam collected the award before thanking the other band members, but not Noel.

There were hopes they might put their differences aside for the Manchester One Love concert in 2017, but when this didn’t eventuate, Liam took to Twitter, now X, writing, “Manchester, I’d like to apologise for my brothers [sic] absence, last night… he’s once again shown his true f—ing colours.”

Since then, Liam has spoken about his desire to reconcile with his brother, although he said he would no longer be the one to reach out.

In 2017, he said he would like to patch things up for their mother’s sake, and admitted the two had no contact with each other’s children.

It is not known if Liam has ever met Noel Gallagher’s two youngest children, Donovan Gallagher and Sonny Gallagher, who he had with second wife, Sara MacDonald.

In April 2023, there were reports the pair were planning to meet in an attempt to salvage their relationship. But within months, they were publicly feuding again and it is thought Liam and Noel Gallagher remain estranged.

While they do not speak to each other, Liam continues to have digs at his brother in the press.

When Liam announced Oasis would go on tour this year without Noel, he blamed his brother for the band not getting back together.

For his part, Noel accused his brother of trying to rewrite history and said life was too short to be unhappy.

”The last tour was not happy. The other fella is trying to rewrite history that it was all f—ing great. It wasn’t. It was a f—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.”