Noel Gallagher refers to brother Liam as Oasis’s ‘tambourine player’

Brothers haven’t performed together since 2009

Noel Gallagher has added fuel to his long-standing feud with brother Liam as he referred to him as the “tambourine player” of Oasis.

The Gallagher brothers formed the classic rock band in 1991, but haven’t performed together since 2009, when Noel left the band after a backstage brawl at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.

During a recent interview on The Evening Show with Dan O’Connell on Radio X, Noel, 56, spoke about the last days of Oasis.

Asked if he ever gets nervous before a gig, the Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds frontman said: “Never, and it really f***ing annoys people as well.”

He continued: “Towards 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, you know, it’s cool. I don’t get nervous at all.”

Noel also spoke about his aversion to pre-gig rituals, saying: “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?’

“‘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 and Liam on stage in 2008, one year before Oasis split (Getty Images)

The Independent has contacted Liam for comment.

A year after the Oasis split, Noel formed Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The band have released four studio albums, including the recent Council Skies.

Liam, 50, meanwhile formed Beady Eye, who performed together from 2009 to 2014. Liam now performs live as a solo act, but performs Oasis songs during his set.

While rumours about an Oasis reunion have long been circulating, the animosity between the brothers has remained.

Liam has typically led calls for a reunion to happen, while Noel has previously shut down claims that Oasis were set to get back together.

In an interview in March, however, Noel said: “[Liam’s] got my number. He’s got my manager’s number. Call us.

“He should get his people to call my people to call my people. They know who they are. They know where we are. Stop talking on the f***ing internet and let’s see what you’ve got to say.”

Seemingly in response days later, Liam tweeted: “Here’s how I see it the little fella aka potato has done a lot of damage to Oasis as a band / brand.

“He’s got a lot of making up to do not just to me but to you the fans the people that put us where we are today as you were LG x.”

Additional reporting by Press Association.