Oasis: "Every time we went to Mayo as kids, we’d bring back a Hot Press"

"I like Hot Press because 1). You don’t print lies about us – you probably have, but I’ve not seen ‘em!– and 2). Me Mam’s family read you. Every time we went to Mayo as kids, we’d bring back a Hot Press, take it into school and tell our mates, ‘It’s a special magazine only for Irish people, so you can’t read it!’ It was a great bit of one-upmanship!”

That was Noel Gallagher in 2004 telling us why we’ve always been top of the list when Oasis have spoken to the Irish media.

On this occasion we were just one of two publications in the world, Q being the other, that had been invited to a very posh London hotel for an Oasis tenth birthday chinwag.

We'd previously been backstage with the band in 1995 when they made their Slane debut supporting R.E.M. and in 1997 witnessed Noel’s furious reaction to being told that Liam was going to be a no-show for their Dublin Point gig. Hot Press also hopped on the bus in ’97 when Oasis opened in the States for U2 and, in doing so, started a close friendship between Noel and Bono which endures to this day.

All in all, we’ve conducted twenty interviews with Noel and Liam, both in Oasis mode and when they’ve been discussing their solo endeavours which will doubtless resume when the Live ’25 tour is concluded.

Whether talking about their voracious appetite for Class A drugs, brotherly bust-ups, marital breakdowns, Britpop rivals, anti-Irish prejudice in the UK, tabloid scandals or hedonistic nights out with their A-List chums, the Gallaghers have always been honest, forthcoming and funny as fuck.

So, who better to tell Oasis’ story than Noel and Liam, as documented in the new issue of Hot Press?

Credit: Jill Furmanovsky

In a major, 14-page feature inside the new issue – which features the Gallaghers as our cover stars, ahead of their sold-out Croke Park shows – you'll find exclusive insights into the band's extraordinary saga, as we take a deep-dive into the Hot Press archives.

We hear Liam and Noel's incredible story in their own words – from compelling conversations with HP over the decades – taking in the drama, superstar encounters, wild adventures and Irish family links. And, of course, some truly unforgettable, generation-defining music.

Oasis play Croke Park in Dublin on August 16 & 17.

Read the full Oasis feature in the new issue of Hot Press – in shops now, and available to order online below: