With a cocksure attitude and swaggering vocal style, Liam Gallagher achieved both fame and notoriety as the lead singer of Oasis; since the band's dissolution, he's undertaken a number of musical adventures as a solo act and collaborator. After a long time as the singer only, Gallagher began stepping out of the shadow of his songwriter brother Noel, contributing original tunes for Oasis starting with the 2003 single "Songbird." The brothers split in 2009, leading Liam to take the remaining members of Oasis to form Beady Eye. Once that group ran its course, Gallagher launched a solo career in 2017 with As You Were, a number one hit in the U.K. Gallagher remained at the top of the British charts with 2019's Why Me? Why Not (along with its accompanying 2020 MTV Unplugged set) and 2022's C'Mon You Know, records that found him collaborating with a wide range of musicians including Greg Kurstin, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, and Dave Grohl. A 2024 album with Stone Roses' guitarist John Squire found the duo joyfully updating the sounds they had both helped define decades earlier. Gallagher was born in Burnage, Manchester, in 1972 to Irish parents Thomas and Peggy Gallagher. Liam, the youngest of three, had two older brothers, Noel and Paul. Having suffered abuse at the hands of their father, both Liam and Noel went on to have troubled teenage years. Although Liam displayed little interest in music early on, in his late teens he began listening to the Beatles, the Who, the Stone Roses, and the Kinks. It was at this time that his lifelong admiration for John Lennon developed (he later named his son Lennon as a tribute to the late Beatle). Gallagher joined his school friend Paul McGuigan's band the Rain as the lead singer, along with guitarist Paul Arthurs. Meanwhile, Liam's brother Noel had been touring the U.S with Inspiral Carpets as their roadie, and upon his return, he guided Liam's fledgling band toward a more successful future. Featuring Noel as chief guitarist and songwriter, the newly renamed Oasis went on to secure a record deal and make their debut album, Definitely Maybe, in 1994. Upon its release, it became the fastest-selling debut album in Britain to date. As the band's music began to make headlines, so did Liam, as the tabloid press speculated about his drug use and volatile behavior, which included spats with his brother. Just a year later, the band released (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, which eclipsed their debut's staggering popularity. That same year, Oasis went head to head with fellow Brit-poppers Blur when both bands released singles on the same day. Blur emerged victorious with "Country House" while Oasis' "Roll with It" languished in second place. The chart war, along with the tabloid press, fueled the rivalry between the groups, pitching them as opposing forces within the Brit-pop scene -- working-class northerners Oasis versus middle-class southerners Blur. All the while, Liam continued to dominate the press on his own, which included an assault charge while on tour in Australia. Oasis' fourth record, 2000's Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, would feature Gallagher's songwriting debut. "Little James" was an ode to his then-wife Patsy Kensit's son with Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr. It was a trend that would continue, as over the band's final three albums -- 2002's Heathen Chemistry, 2005's Don't Believe the Truth, and 2008's Dig Out Your Soul -- Gallagher emerged from his brother's songwriting shadow to contribute more of his own compositions, like "Songbird" and "I'm Outta Time." Along with an increased input to the band's records, Liam continued to make headlines with his extracurricular activities, including a 2002 fight in a Munich bar that left him with several broken teeth. Relations between Liam and Noel continued to be fractious, and in 2009 they reached a nadir that resulted in Noel leaving the band. The following year, Gallagher announced he had formed a new group with former members of Oasis. He also launched his own clothing brand, Pretty Green, named after a track by the Jam, and featuring the by-then-classic Gallagher getup of parkas and desert boots. By 2010, the brand had its own flagship store on London's celebrated Carnaby Street. In 2011, Beady Eye's debut record, Different Gear, Still Speeding, was released. The band headlined a Japan tsunami relief concert at London's Brixton Academy, and also supported the Stone Roses in 2012. Beady Eye presented their second record, BE, in 2013 and toured in support of the album, but by 2014 Gallagher had announced via Twitter that the group had disbanded. Having previously dismissed any suggestion of a solo career via his Twitter account, Gallagher made a U-turn in 2016 and announced he would in fact be releasing a solo record. "Wall of Glass," the first single from the album, arrived in May 2017. Following the terrorist bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, the singer organized a benefit concert at Old Trafford Cricket Ground and Gallagher made a surprise appearance, playing Oasis classics "Live Forever" and "Rock 'n' Roll Star" alongside Coldplay's Chris Martin and Jonny Buckland. Gallagher continued an intensive promotional campaign leading up to the October release of his first solo full-length, As You Were. The album debuted at number one in the U.K. and hit the Top 30 on the Billboard 200. In June 2019, Gallagher returned with "Shockwave," the first single off his sophomore follow-up, Why Me? Why Not., which was released that September. Three other singles -- "Once," "One of Us," and "Now That I've Found You" -- were pulled from the album, and during its promotional tour, Gallagher recorded an MTV Unplugged, which was released in June 2020. That November, he issued "All You're Dreaming Of," a Lennon-inspired, piano-driven ballad as a stand-alone single. It became the biggest-selling vinyl single of the year in the U.K., with all profits going to the charity Action for Children. For much of 2021, Gallagher stepped away from public view, only rearing his head on an October duet with Richard Ashcroft: a reworked take on the former Verve frontman's solo track, "C'mon People (We're Making it Now)." However, in February 2022 he returned with "Everything's Electric," co-written with Dave Grohl & Greg Kurstin. The Foo Fighters frontman also drummed on the track, which reached the U.K. Top 20, becoming Gallagher's highest-charting single to date. It was the first material to be issued from his third studio LP, C'mon You Know, which appeared that year alongside Down by the River Thames, a December 2020 live set recorded on a London barge. Featuring contributions by Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, Ariel Rechtshaid, and Andrew Wyatt, C'mon You Know debuted at the top of the British charts upon its release. Gallagher teamed with John Squire, the former guitarist for the Stone Roses, for Liam Gallagher & John Squire, a collaborative album released in March 2024. Preceded by the single "Just Another Rainbow" -- which peaked at 16, the highest position yet achieved by Gallagher in his solo career -- the record spliced the pop classicism of two major Manchester rock sensibilities. Gallagher also commemorated the 30th anniversary of Oasis' Definitely Maybe with several live shows in 2024. ~ Bekki Bemrose, Rovi

Sonicmania 2017

Liam Gallagher

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