Liam Gallagher teases fans about Knebworth concert
alan.davies@whtimes.co.uk
@alpdavies
PUBLISHED: 09:03 19 August 2019 | UPDATED: 09:20 19 August 2019
Liam Gallagher is due to release his second solo album Why Me? Why Not. Picture: Tom Beard
Tom Beard
Liam Gallagher has teased fans about a return to Knebworth where Oasis played two huge concerts 23 years ago.
Liam Gallagher's new album Why Me? Why Not is released on September 20.
Oasis played two nights at Knebworth Park in August 1996 at the height of Britpop in front of a combined audience of a quarter of a million people.
Since then, the Definitely Maybe band have split up, and the chances of an Oasis reunion are slim due to the feud between the Gallagher brothers, Noel and Liam.
Ahead of the release of his eagerly anticipated second solo album, Why Me? Why Not., Liam Gallagher took to Twitter on Friday to hint that he'd be up for returning to Knebworth in 2020.
Rock 'n' roll star Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) tweeted to his 3.1million followers: "Any body fancy knebworth nxt summer c'mon you know"
Any body fancy knebworth nxt summer c'mon you know
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) August 16, 2019
The tweet has been retweeted more than 3,200 times and gained more than 28,000 likes.
At Oasis' peak, more than three million people applied for tickets for the band's two era-defining gigs in the grounds of Knebworth House.
The first date - Saturday, August 10, 1996 - featured support from The Bootleg Beatles, The Chemical Brothers, Ocean Colour Scene, Manic Street Preachers and The Prodigy.
The following day's show on Sunday, August 11 featured support acts Kula Shaker, Dreadzone, Cast, The Charlatans and Manic Street Preachers.
In 2003, Let Me Entertain You and Angels singer Robbie Williams beat Oasis' two nights at Knebworth with a three-night residency at the legendary Hertfordshire rock venue.
Red Hot Chili Peppers played Knebworth in 2012, and, excluding music festivals, there hasn't been a huge single artist's concert there since.
On the festival front, metal extravaganza Sonisphere first rocked Knebworth 10 years ago this month in 2009, with Linkin Park and Metallica headlining over the weekend.
Sonisphere returned in 2010 with Iron Maiden, Rammstein and Alice Cooper as headliners.
An Oasis poster for the band's Knebworth concerts
Metallica were back at Knebworth in 2011 as part of thrash metal's Big 4 show alongside Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax.
Slipknot and Biffy Clyro topped the bill on the other two nights of the third Sonisphere festival.
Electronic dance music festival Eastern Electrics arrived at Knebworth in the summer of 2013, before Sonisphere returned in 2014 with both Metallica and Iron Maiden headlining.
Celebrating 40 years of rock concerts at the Hertforedshire stately home, The Prodigy headlined the opening Friday night of Sonisphere 2014 - 18 years after the Firestarter band had supported Oasis.
Oasis Knebworth 1996 gig ticket
Britpop inspired 1990s festival Cool Britannia arrived at Knebworth last summer for the first time with Ocean Colour Scene, who also supported Oasis in 1996, and Happy Mondays closing the main stage over the weekend.
Cool Britainnia is back at the end of this month with James and a DJ set from Basement Jaxx headlining on the main stage.
After playing the RiZe Festival at Hylands Park, Chelmsford, last summer, Liam Gallagher recently announced a major European tour in support of Why Me? Why Not.
Almost the entire UK and Ireland segment of the tour quickly sold-out, resulting in additional shows in London and Dublin.
The programme for Oasis' 1996 Knebworth gigs
The follow-up to As You Were, Liam's second album is due for release on Warner Records on September 20.
Liam's all-conquering solo debut album was a commercial smash. It debuted at number one, outselling the rest of the Top 10 in the process, and was soon certified platinum.
Liam's ambition for Why Me? Why Not is to outdo As You Were.
Not short of confidence, he has stated: "It's a better record than As You Were. Which is saying something, as that was epic, wasn't it?"
Oasis concert guide for the band's 1996 Knebworth gigs
Liam has already released lead single Shockwave and The River from the album, and shared new tracks Once and One Of Us.
He said: "Once is one of the best songs I've ever had the pleasure to be part of, and believe you me I've sang on many a great tune."
Why Me? Why Not was written by Liam with producers Andrew Wyatt and Greg Kurstin, and recorded in Los Angeles and at RAK Studios in London.
Wyatt won the Academy Award for Best Original Song as co-writer of Shallow from the film A Star Is Born.
The Oasis stage at Knebworth in 1996
Multiple Grammy-winner Kurstin and Wyatt previously contributed writing and production to Liam's debut solo album As You Were, and the former Oasis singer was keen to get even deeper with them this time.
Liam explained: "I wrote some songs on my own for the last album, but this time it's all co-writes. Reason being is I want it to be even better than As You Were.
"I know my strengths and I know my limitations. I'm an OK songwriter, but I'm a great singer and frontman.
"I want the second album to be a step-up because the hardest thing to do is to make something the same, only better. So that's what we've done."
The Oasis stage at Knebworth in 1996 seen from Knebworth House
The album cover features a new portrait courtesy of photographer Tom Beard.
The record is now available to pre-order from https://liamgallagher.com/whymewhynot/ and will be available on a variety of CD, vinyl, download and streaming formats.
There will also be a special limited collector edition package which compiles a deluxe CD, a sun yellow vinyl album and a one-sided etched 12" which features three deluxe bonus tracks along with a demo recording that's exclusive to this format - all packaged in a hardcover book.
Show times for the first Oasis gig at Knebworth on August 10, 1996
Oasis set times for the band's Knebworth gig on Sunday, August 11, 1996
Knebworth House