Guitar

LIAM GALLAGHER isn’t planning on putting his feet up for long after the biblical success of Oasis’s reunion tour.

I’m told that the motor-mouthed rocker has been offered the chance to make a second record with Stone Roses guitarist John Squire.

The Manchester greats, who were at the funeral of Stone Roses bass player Mani last month, dropped their first collaborative album in March 2024.

They toured with a new band that included Joey Waronker, who ended up on drums for the Oasis reunion tour.

Insiders revealed the pals had discussed the possibility of working on a new record together if Liam could make his schedule align with John’s.

My music mole said: “Liam and John are close friends and speak regularly.

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“John has told Liam that he has a batch of songs ready to record and that he’d love to have him on board.

“Although Oasis is Liam’s priority, he doesn’t want to take a year off making music.

“Since he went solo in 2017, he has released music almost every year. Liam was proud of what he and John created in the studio and is up for a second record if he can find the time to make it work.”

Their self-titled debut album was entirely penned by John, who also played on the Stone Roses’ 1994 record Second Coming.

Despite writing songs in Oasis and as a solo artist, Liam has always maintained he is content to be a singer rather than a songwriter.

He said: “I never tried to write songs to compete with big brother or to get publishing rights.

“Sometimes, you play the guitar at home and something happens.

“You write a little song and that’s it, but I’ve never been into it. I’m not a songwriter.

“I prefer singing songs. I don’t care if I never write another song again, as long as I can sing it that’s all that matters.”

Fans are now eagerly awaiting news of Liam and Noel’s plans for the coming months.

My phone is still blowing up weekly with gossip about what’s coming next, including potential shows at the Etihad in Manchester and massive concerts at Knebworth.

There is also Steven Knight’s amazing film about Noel and Liam’s reunion, which I hope will see the light of day later this year.

Steven and his team filmed the brothers non-stop in rehearsals and on the road.

For us fans, it will be a must-watch for 2026.

BIFFY YOUNG BOOST

AFTER three decades together, Biffy Clyro’s fanbase is bigger than ever among young people.

Frontman Simon Neil said in an exclusive interview: “It’s really encouraging because for a few years – I guess the last ten – guitar music hasn’t seemed as relevant or mainstream.

“But seeing these 15 and 16-year-olds starting bands, picking up instruments and the amount of talent out there, that’s what blows us away.

“We learnt how to play music together and so many of these younger folk are so natural with it, so we feel really privileged to still be in this world and to see so much inspiring stuff coming through.”

They are fans of emerging bands including Gene Gallagher’s gritty group, called Villanelle.

Simon said: “I was speaking to Villanelle the other week and they really love their rock music.

“It was nice to chat to them and realise how much they get it. They are really coming from that American, almost grungy, kind of stuff. So I said I might go and write a tune with them.

“If anyone from a younger generation wants to work, it’s really nice to.

“There’s just so much talent.

“We can learn so much from working with someone younger, and hopefully they learn a little something from working with us.”

Miley hints at Hannah

MILEY CYRUS will mark the 20th anniversary of the role that launched her to stardom – Hannah Montana.

The singer is planning to celebrate the milestone of Disney’s TV show about a teenager who lived a double life as a popstar.

Miley looked chic in a black suit and open shirt as she appeared at the Palm Springs Film Festival over the weekend, along with Paul Mescal and Kate Hudson and said of the plans: “We’re working hard on them.”
She added: “Many new things are coming.

“The next few months will be focused on Avatar until the end of March, when we’ll shift our focus to Hannah Montana.”

On the role that made her the youngest person to be recognised as a Disney Legend in 2024, Miley said: “A lot of my time right now is being spent on how I can honour Hannah.

“Without Hannah, there wouldn’t be this, this me. It’s still crazy to think I started as a character I thought was going to be impossible to shed.”

PISTOLS HOLOGRAM IS VICIOUS FOR GLEN

SEX PISTOLS rocker Glen Matlock doesn’t want the band to ever become holograms – because he’d be ditched for Sid Vicious.

Glen was the original bass player in the punk group and co-wrote ten of the 12 songs on the band’s only official album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols.

But he left the band in 1977 to be replaced by Sid. Glen’s bandmate Steve Jones is keen to see the Pistols become holograms, just like the Abba Voyage show, and has told Glen that any AI version would see Sid back in the band.

Glen said: “I’ve had the discussion with Steve and he thinks it’s a good idea.

“And I said, ‘The thing is, Steve, you’ll probably do Sid, won’t you?’. And he said, ‘Well, yeah, that’s true’.”

JENNIFER STANDS UP FOR FANS

JENNIFER LOPEZ is making sure nothing stops fans having a good time at her Las Vegas residency.

J-Lo is in a run of shows at Caesars Palace at The Colosseum, and has put up a sign telling crowds she actively wants them to stand and dance.

Adele famously paused one of her shows at the same venue after staff repeatedly told one fan to sit down during her concert.

The furious star warned them to leave him alone and let him dance, saying the enthusiastic fan had been “bothered all night”.

It seems J-Lo does not want a repeat, with signs reading: “Please be advised that our guests are permitted and encouraged to stand during the performance.”

Good for her.

EX-FUN Lovin’ Criminals frontman Huey Morgan has joined Virgin Radio UK from BBC 6 Music.

He will host weekend mornings from 10am until 2pm, kicking off this Saturday.

The lovely Emma B is also coming to the station alongside Ana Matronic, who takes over Saturday nights from 6pm to 10pm.

MOLOTOV DUO’S LIFE ON TOUR

THE MOLOTOVS have today released their new single, Get A Life.

The track is taken from their upcoming album, Wasted On Youth.

Siblings Matt and Issey Cartlidge dropped the song as they gear up for a massive month of gigs, kicking off at King Tut’s in Glasgow tomorrow.

The rockers, who count Blondie, The Libertines and Iggy Pop among their fans, will then play shows across the UK, including in Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham, Southampton, Cardiff and London.

The Molotovs are one of the most exciting bands I’ve seen live in yonks.

So if you get a chance to check them out, it’s well worth the price of a ticket.

COLDPLAY £2BN GIGS

COLDPLAY are officially the biggest British earners on the road since the start of the millennium.

Chris Martin and his band have now taken almost £2billion from their tours across the world.

New stats from Pollstar have revealed Coldplay, along with U2, The Rolling Stones, Ed Sheeran and Sir Elton John, have all hit the billion quid mark since 2000 thanks to tours alone.

Taylor Swift is the biggest-ever earner, making £2.33billion from her 575 shows.

Jeff Kelly, from US entertainment firm PRrppd, told me: “Coldplay’s success is astonishing.

“They have barely stopped working over the last 25 years and have grown every year in their appeal to audiences.

“For them to generate almost two billion pounds speaks volumes, especially given that their average ticket price is so reasonable.

“The British Isles is incredibly well represented in that top ten chart, with half the spots.

“The last quarter of a century shows that Brits still serve up incredibly powerful music and connect to fans who want to see them live.”

A floating community sauna on frozen Lake Oulu seemed as good a place as any to ask Finnish locals what they think of the European Capital of Culture bandwagon that will be rolling into their city in 2026. Two women sweltering on the top bench seemed to sweat more over my question than over the clouds of sauna steam – the result of a beefy Finn ladling water on the wood-fired coals with a grim determination to broil us all.

“Hmmm, yes, it will bring people to Oulu, which is good, but we don’t really know much about it,” said one of the women. “We know it’s happening, but we haven’t had many details.”

Outside, queueing for the pleasure of a dip in the frozen lake, the question elicited the sort of shrug rarely seen outside France. “We know it’s happening because the posters and signs are everywhere and people are talking about it, but we don’t know exactly what is happening,” said another woman, steaming in the sub-zero air.

There are many reasons to visit the Finnish city of Oulu, which sits on the eastern edge of the Baltic Sea: it hosts the Air Guitar world championships; is home to the world’s only Screaming Men’s Choir (20-40 suited, shouty men); and holds the annual Polar Bear Pitching event, where would-be business leaders pitch money-spinning ideas while standing in icy water. The presentations tend to be brief.

Oulu, Finland’s fifth most populous city, is 100 miles south of the Arctic Circle. It is a short drive from huskies and sled rides; it offers sea, rivers, rapids, lakes, woods, nature trails and reserves; and there is cross-country skiing as well as almost 600 miles of cycle lanes. You can see the midnight sun in summer and the northern lights in winter. It is a leading light in solar power and renewable energy – and it has saunas. Saunas on lakes and on rafts, saunas in hotels, free saunas by the roadside and in most homes. A century ago, 95% of all children were born at home, often in the sauna. Today, most parents-to-be choose a hospital but introduce their offspring to the sauna at an average age of 4.5 months.

Plus, the Oululainens have a cheery disposition, as do most Finns according to a survey that declared Finland the world’s happiest country for the eighth successive year.

These are all positives to attract visitors to this northern Nordic city that began as a settlement on Sami land in the 1600s, then became a trading site for wood tar, salmon and Nokia phones, and is now a European digital hub and a “living laboratory” (where innovations are tested in a real-world environment) for new technologies.

Sadly, few of these esoteric attractions featured on a trip organised by the city’s Oulu 2026 culture committee, which chose highbrow over the shouty men and pretend guitarists.

The city’s diverse €50m Capital of Culture programme, spread across 39 sites and four counties, is aiming to attract up to 2.5 million visitors – 20% up on an average year – with the theme “Cultural Climate Change”. Highlights include a free Frozen People electronic music festival, held on the iced-over Bothnian Bay – provided it is frozen next year. Also on the calendar is the Lumo Art & Tech festival, plus the Arctic Food Lab, celebrating local cuisine (wild fish, berries, mushrooms), and a Sami opera, Ovllá, about the Indigenous people of Sápmi – the local word for Lapland – which covers northern Finland, Norway, Sweden and Russia’s Kola Peninsula.

“Its a unique opportunity for Oulu,” said Piia Rantala-Korhonen, chief executive officer of Oulu 2026, who estimates that for every euro spent, there will be a €5 return for the city. “Climate change is already happening and is a big concern here: the ice and snow are disappearing. Last year, we had to cancel the skiing marathon for only the second time in 100 years because there was no snow,” she said.

Out on Oulu’s unseasonably slushy streets, most locals are cheerfully enthusiastic about 2026. “It will be nice to have people come here and discover our city,” said Matti, a student at one of Oulu’s two universities. “I am looking forward to it.”

Thirty meters under the city, you can find the Kivisydän (“stone heart”), a vast state-of-the-art car park that diverts vehicles away from the centre and doubles as a walkway when it rains and an emergency bomb shelter. It is a reminder of Finland’s proximity to Russia and the increasing alarm over its aggressive neighbour since Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine. Behind the Kivisydän’s steel doors, a vast red stone column stands like a beating heart. The car park could house the entire city, our guide told us.

But does it have a sauna? I asked.

“I don’t think so, but we’re Finns. If necessary, we can build one in a couple of days,” he said.

Were I a publicist for Oulu 2026, I would have hired Finland’s best air guitarist to accompany the screaming men with a few riffs while standing in an icy lake. Instead, after a traditional salmon soup dinner hosted by the city – followed by a sauna – we were treated to a cosy Norse tale. When 19th-century Oulu sailors became drunk and rowdy on merchant ships carrying tar to Liverpool, local legend has it that the Liverpudlian landlord would urge them to “keep peace”. This is now a popular toast.

As we raised glasses of local schnapps, I can think of many exclamations a scouse pub owner might make to an inebriated Finn. “Keep peace” is not one of them. Still, surrounded by the world’s happiest people, it seemed churlish to argue.

Then it was off to the sauna.

The trip was provided by Oulu 2026