Noel Gallagher on the Stone Roses reunion

While it will ultimately go down as one of music's worst kept secrets, the return of The Stone Roses did have an air of mystery to it for some time. Rumours circulated but it took a while for concrete details to emerge, with nobody entirely sure what was happening.

Even Mani's Primal Scream bandmates were kept somewhat in the dark. As Noel Gallagher tells it, there was a certain degree of espionage about the whole thing.

"I caught wind of it during the summer," he explains. "There was a lot of, 'You know that thing? Well, it might be happening.' Then it was, 'That thing's definitely on.' It was like a drug deal taking place over the phone - nobody actually said the words, 'The Stone Roses are getting back together again'."

Chatting to Hot Press' Stuart Clark, Gallagher was asked whether he would prefer to see The Smiths reform instead of The Roses?

"I'd rather have both. Book Knebworth for a week and have 'em play together. I still think that one day you'll see Morrissey on the same stage as Johnny Marr. And no, that doesn't come from any insider information!"

Gallagher was speaking following his award of the Hot Press Gig Of The Year for his Olympia Theatre heroics in September. The full interview with the outspoken Mancunian takes in that gig, thoughts on the passing of Gary Speed and a bizarre brush with Katie Holmes. Check it all out in the Hot Press annual, on shelves now.