At a special Facebook HQ talk-to-the-fans event last week, Noel also confirmed the March release of his second post-Oasis album, Chasing Yesterday, with the lead single, ‘In The Heat Of The Moment’, out here on November 17.
Asked the inevitable U2 question, Noel said: “I prefer to make a record, put it on the fucking counter, stick your chest out and stand behind it.”
The epic closing track, ‘Ballad Of The Mighty’, finds him trading licks with Johnny Marr.
“I tried to get him to play on the last album but it never happened,” Noel explains. “So when I put this track together and knew he would be perfect for it I called him and asked if I could send him the rough mix. He said: ‘No, I don’t want to hear it. I’m just going to react to it on the day.’ He didn’t even want any pointers. Well, that was brave of him. He just arrived with two guitars and a bag of effects pedals. And I have to say, he’s unbelievable. He’s way up there, on another level to the rest of us. The result is a burst of energy that helped make ‘Mighty…’ one of the best songs I’ve ever written.”