Noel Gallagher doesn’t get pre-gig band huddles: “What are you f***ing saying?”

3 August 2023, 13:29

Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds Perform at Crystal Palace Bowl. Picture: Gus Stewart/Redferns/Getty

By Jenny Mensah

The former Oasis rocker revealed he has no rituals when it comes to what he does ahead of gigs and he doesn’t believe in pep talks either.

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Noel Gallagher doesn’t have any pre-gig rituals and he doesn’t get band huddles.

The former Oasis rocker spoke to Radio X’s Dan O’Connell ahead of his headline set at On The Beach Brighton on Sunday (30th July), where he discussed everything from touring the world to the impact of his biggest anthems.

Asked if he had any pre-gig rituals, the Pretty Boy singer replied: “No. I never have… Even in the early days with Oasis, we used to see bands at festivals go into a huddle before the gig and we’d be like, ‘What do you think they’re f***ing saying to each other?”

He jokes: “‘Right lads you go to keep tight at the back, make sure you go forward as a unit, defend as a unit, give it your best, play to the whistle. ’I mean what are you f***ing saying? I’ve seen thousands of bands do it, I wouldn’t know what to say."

Noel Gallagher talks touring at On The Beach 2023

Gallagher also believes he doesn’t need to give motivational speeches to his High Flying Birds band members, because he believes that everything is ironed out in rehearsals.

Quizzed if he believes in giving his band pep talks, he revealed: “No nothing, I barely talk to them. There’s nothing to say, once you’ve rehearsed it all, rehearsing is where you get all that out of the way, you make sure everybody’s doing the right thing, nobody’s overplaying.”

“You’ve gotta to keep your eye on the keyboard player,” he joked. “You gotta keep an ear out for the backing singers that they're doing it right… I like it to be second nature so you’re not even thinking about it.”

Despite never getting nervous of his performances, the 56-year old rocker did admit that being on stage with his brother Liam towards the end of Oasis had him feeling uncertain.

"Towards the the end of Oasis, you were always stepping into the unknown, because the tambourine player was a bit of a loose cannon and it was like, 'Well is this gig gonna finish?'

"Now, you put a band together and all the people around you and you know it's cool. I don't get nervous at all".

The Ballad of The Mighty I singer also talked about stage presence and charisma on stage and revealed he has no desire to have a godlike presence on stage like the Coldplay frontman Chris Martin or U2 legend Bono.