Noel Gallagher reflects on night of Oasis split: ‘That was just the straw that broke the camel’s back’

Solo artist appears in a new Sky documentary where he addresses the breakup

Noel Gallagher has suggested that Oasis breaking up helped cement their legacy as one of the greatest British bands of all time.

The rock group split in 2009 after Noel’s heated confrontation with his younger brother Liam at Rock en Seine festival near Paris.

The breakup devastated fans, who have bombarded the brothers with pleas for a reunion ever since.

While Liam has supported the idea and tweeted at his brother to get on board, Noel has repeatedly said he is against it.

In an appearance for the Sky Arts programme, Noel Gallagher: Out of the Now, he has now said the decision to quit Oasis was not one he took lightly.

“I'd written every meaningful song that was ever recorded by Oasis. And it was my life, I directed it and creatively it was my thing,” he said. “With the benefit of hindsight it was the best thing for me and for the band.

“Because the band now, Oasis back in 2009 were not lauded as one of the greats of all time. There was a kind of undercurrent of, 'Well they should really call it a day.’ That's what I felt anyway.”

He added: “And I felt that people had stopped listening to the records and were coming to see us trot out the hits and it's a position I never wanted the band to be in. But now of course we're seen as up there with all the greats.”

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Reflecting on the night in Paris, Noel said Oasis tours were “always about the struggle”.

“The incident in Paris, that was just the straw that broke the camel's back, really,” he said.

He was sitting in the back of a car outside the festival when he made the decision to quit the group, he revealed.

“And the driver pulled off and that was it. I didn't feel a sense of relief because I knew there was a s***storm coming. And there was going to be a lot of nonsense talked about it.

“One of the biggest bands ever imploded, finally. And I couldn't go back to England because the press had descended on my house and my missus was there with my kids. So we had to kind of spirit her out in the middle of the night and they came to join me in France somewhere. And then when we eventually got back to England, of course all f***ing hell broke loose.”

Last month, Noel claimed he would agree to an Oasis reunion for £100m.

His brother Liam previously claimed that they had been offered the sum of £100m to reform the band, alleging that his brother had turned down the money.

Appearing on The Jonathan Ross Show, Noel rejected Liam’s claims.

“Why do you say ‘it’s not necessarily untrue’ - because it is untrue. There isn’t £100m in the music business between all of us,” he told Ross.

“If anybody wants to offer me £100m now, I’ll say it now, I’ll do it. I’ll do it for £100m. Ludicrous. What is funny though is that I think Liam actually believes it, which is the funny thing.”

Noel Gallagher: Out Of The Now airs on Sky Arts, Freeview Channel 11, on Thursday 10 June at 9pm.

Additional reporting by Press Association