Noel Gallagher quits Oasis

The future of rock group Oasis was plunged into doubt Saturday after lead guitarist Noel Gallagher dramatically announced he was quitting because he can no longer work with his brother Liam.

Lead singer Liam (right) and Noel have had a notoriously stormy relationship since the …More Enlarge photo Lead singer Liam (right) and Noel have had a notoriously stormy relationship since the …More Enlarge photo Noel Gallagher said he "simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer" Enlarge photo Oasis was at the vanguard of the Britpop music wave of the mid-1990s Enlarge photo More photos: Celebrity

"It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight," Noel said in a brief statement posted on the band's website Friday.

"People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer."

It brings an end to months of speculation about the future of Oasis, which was at the vanguard of the Britpop music wave of the mid-1990s and went on to become one of the most commercially successful British bands in years.

Lead singer Liam and Noel, his older brother and the main songwriter, have had a notoriously stormy relationship since the band formed in 1991, but rumours grew in recent days that their differences had become insurmountable.

"I think this is pretty major. Noel's a proud person, he won't go back on it. And he knows he could make a successful solo album," said Alan McGee, the founder of Creation Records and the man who originally signed the band.

He said it was a "really, really sad day" but predicted that they would "probably" work together again, even if it took years.

Noel, 42, announced his decision after the group suddenly cancelled a concert at a music festival near Paris on Friday, with organisers saying the brothers had had a fight backstage shortly before they were to play.

A spokesman for the organisers of the Rock en Seine festival told the 30,000 crowd: "The group no longer exists. They will not play tonight and they are cancelling the rest of their European tour."

The director of the festival, Francois Missonnier, told journalists: "For reasons which are unclear, a fight broke out between the brothers. Noel left the festival and no one could make him come back."

British singer Amy Macdonald, who was playing at the festival, wrote on her Twitter page: "Oasis cancelled again with one minute to stage time! Liam smashed Noel's guitar, huuuge fight!"

Last weekend the band pulled out of a concert at the V Festival in Chelmsford, southern England, with organisers saying Liam, 36, had lost his voice due to viral laryngitis.

The cancellation prompted media suggestions of a split, but Liam rejected this on his Twitter page.

After Paris, Oasis had been scheduled to play at the Rock am See festival in Germany and in Milan. In his statement, Noel apologised to fans who had bought tickets for the concerts.

Liam revealed this month that his relationship with his brother was so bad that they no longer speak, travel separately on tour and only see each other on stage.

The group's fans took to Twitter to express their sadness at Noel's departure.

PsychedelicAdam posted: "Noel Gallagher leaves Oasis? Gutted, no more Oasis then I guess, they were one of my favourite bands."

Another fan, MattGriffin, said: "This is the worst day ever."

Liam was part of the original lineup of the band, then called The Rain, with Noel joining soon after.

They launched their debut album as Oasis, "Definitely Maybe", in 1994 and have since sold a reported 50 million records worldwide.

Their guitar-driven songs, with a nod to The Beatles, put them at the forefront of a wave of mid-1990s British music dubbed "Britpop" by critics, along with London-based Blur, with whom they had a public feud.

In 1995, they released the critically acclaimed album "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?", and "Be Here Now", released two years later, became the fastest-selling album in British chart history.

Reports of the brothers' rows and rock star excesses began filling newspapers, however, and the band's popularity waned.

But they found fresh success with recent albums "Don't Believe the Truth" and "Dig Out Your Soul".


Fuente: Yahoo News