Noel Gallagher makes solo debut after Oasis split
AFP
LONDON- Noel Gallagher played his first concert since splitting from Oasis, earning rave reviews Friday for an acoustic set entirely composed of the band's classics.
The guitarist, who quit the British rock group after one bust-up too many with his vocalist brother Liam, played 17 Oasis songs, written by him, for Thursday's first of two gigs at the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Gallagher, backed on stage by Oasis guitarist Gem Archer, said the concert for the Teenage Cancer Trust was "not the right time or right place" to be trying out new material.
Noel Gallagher
The Gallagher brothers' famously tempestuous relationship finally reached breaking point in August last year after a blazing backstage row in Paris.
The Who singer Roger Daltrey, who is a patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust charity, said the concerts would be Gallager's only shows this year.
The Sun newspaper gave the show five out of five.
"Show me another man who could play a set list filled with B-sides and still send the crowd home singing," it said.
"Could Liam do the same alone? No chance."
The BBC said Liam Gallagher was not mentioned throughout.
"Gem had been rumoured to be in Liam's new band, so whether this means he has switched sides, or just stayed neutral, remains to be seen," the broadcaster said.
The gig was "a rousing trip down memory lane, but the question still remains -- what next for Noel? And, more to the point, will it compare to his past masterpieces?", it said.
The Times newspaper said: "With each passing song, the question on which you involuntarily found yourself dwelling loomed a little larger. Did the evening want for another Gallagher?
"Oddly enough, the answer was no, not really."
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