Combining the perfect chords with an unforgettable melody—it’s alchemy, a sense that the result is preordained. The art is songwriting, and Noel Gallagher is one of its most effortless practitioners. Beginning with Oasis classics like “Live Forever” and “Wonderwall” and winding through his psych-tinged work with High Flying Birds, Gallagher’s career is characterized by earthy frankness and a universal way with hooks. The Manchester tunesmith opens up about the magic of guitar, the role of effects, and his endless search for melodies.
Guitar Magic
Noel Gallagher has championed the power of rock music since the early 1990s when Oasis burst out the gate with a clutch of immediate anthems. As a torchbearer for guitar-based music in 2023, what keeps him excited about picking up the instrument?
“The guitar, for me, has always been a magical portal into some far-off imaginary corner of the soul where anything is possible,” Gallagher explains. “It’s how I communicate with the universe and vice versa.”
"The guitar, for me, has always been a magical portal into some far-off imaginary corner of the soul where anything is possible."
That sense of infinite possibility resonates through all his work in the chiming chords, McCartneyesque twists, and the odd mind-expanding lyrical foray. Like Sir Paul, Gallagher is also a fan of elegant old-school basslines. “I do write on the bass from time to time,” he confirms. “The songs of mine that are all bassline-driven will have been played on the bass by myself.”
A Sonic Journey
With his vintage aesthetic and psychedelic inspirations, it is clear that sonics play a role in Gallagher’s work. Yet they always serve the material; songs come first, and the sound follows. It’s been that way from the jump. “Oasis had its sound,” he recalls. “It was the sound of the five broke Irish Mancunians in a damp basement rehearsal room. We didn’t own one pedal between us. The songs were so good, so simple, we didn’t need them.”
Still, as his solo releases have become increasingly adventurous, how have effects played into the creative process? As a proud Gemini, Gallagher has no problem being of two minds on an issue. “It depends really,” he says. “I’ve made records that have had virtually no effects pedals whatsoever, and I’ve made records that were all about effects. There’s no definitive right or wrong way to make a record.”
The Effect of Time
Yet, as venue size and the band’s fame increased, Gallagher did add pedals to his setup, famously the BOSS TU-3 and DD-3 for Oasis’ legendary Knebworth appearances. Speaking to That Pedal Show, Gallagher reveals that he used a mere piece of plywood with those two pedals on it for those monumental shows. During the same conversation, he calls the DD-3 the “greatest delay pedal of all time” and confirms he’s had the same roadworn unit for twenty years.
Flash forward to today, and BOSS effects remain constant companions on his pedalboard. Currently, Gallagher uses his beloved mainstay DD-3, as well as the RE-202 Space Echo. He describes the RE-202 as sounding “great” and “close to the original” and is keen to dig into the DM-101. “If it sounds half as good as it looks, then it’ll be amazing,” Gallagher says of the pedal.
Electronic Flirtation
Despite a lifelong adoration of amps and strings, he’s had sporadic dalliances with electronics. (“Setting Sun,” his moody 1996 Chemical Brothers collaboration, comes to mind.) “‘Pretty Boy,’ ‘Black Star Dancing,’ ‘Blue Moon Rising,’ and ‘Force Of Nature’ were all inspired by drum machine presets,” he says of a gaggle of High Flying Birds tracks. Gallagher also has a quick answer for a standout piece of synth gear. “My JUPITER-4,” Gallagher states plainly. “The greatest analog synth of all time.”
Still, in mercurial Gallagher fashion, don’t take that as a direct foreshadowing of his future plans. “The idea is to make an album with no electronic instruments at all. I have it started, but put it on the back burner for a while.” He makes it clear the world may have to wait to hear those sessions, however. “As for when it’ll see the light of day, who knows? Not even me!”
"I've made records that have had virtually no effects pedals whatsoever, and I've made records that were all about effects. There's no definitive right or wrong way to make a record."
The Search Continues
“Dead To The World” off Council Skies may be the artist’s most cinematic song to date. The track’s sweeping scope begs the question as to whether anyone has asked him to collaborate on a movie score. “It’s a funny thing, but I’ve never been asked to score or produce music for any kind of film project,” he shares.
Gallagher remains in constant motion as a writer and performer, to which his touring itinerary and discography attest. After achieving so much, what’s left on the bucket list? “Nothing really—just to keep on searching for the melody.” In Gallagher’s restless, creative hands, that quest seems unlikely to end any time soon.
