It is Tuesday morning glory for Oasis fans, with the British group reforming for a mammoth UK tour next year.
This includes four shows at London’s Wembley Stadium, on July 25 and 26 and August 2 and 3. Other shows include hometown gigs at Manchester's Heaton Park on July 11 and 12 and July 19 and 20.
Tickets go on sale on Saturday at 9am BST (noon UAE time).
The shows cap off the feverish anticipation surrounding the concerts, which has the group – led by the Manchester brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher – performing together again for the first time since Oasis split up after a particularly acrimonious Paris show in 2009. Ever since, the brothers went their separate ways, with both launching individual careers.
Liam wasted no time in founding the short-lived and underperforming band Beady Eye months after the split, featuring Oasis guitarist Gem Archer and bassist Andy Bell. A course correction arrived when the band folded in 2014 and Liam launched a successful solo career that found him playing in stadiums and arenas that Oasis used to headline.
Without Oasis, Noel was able to release more experimental material under the name Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in 2010. Despite the different sounds, Liam favours the bombastic approach of Oasis while Noel infused more electronics into his work, fans of both brothers agree the high points of respective concerts often arrive when Oasis tracks are played.
It was something UAE fans became accustomed to during solo shows by Liam and Noel over the past 14 years. If the Oasis reunion spells the end of their solo careers, the brothers' UAE concerts provided reminders of their respective talents and confirmation why they are better together.
2011: Liam Gallagher comes to Abu Dhabi with Beady Eye
A new band met a relatively new venue. Everything about Beady Eye’s 2011 debut album Different Gear, Still Speeding is meant to assuage Oasis fans that Liam will rock on for a long time to come.
Their Abu Dhabi show at the Du Forum, launched in 2009 as Yas Island’s sole indoor concert venue, was in the middle of an exhaustive world tour. "It was an important show for Liam and the band because they had something to prove," John Lickrish, former chief executive of concert promoters Flash Entertainment, tells The National.
Indeed, Beady Eye’s show was bullish in not featuring a single Oasis track amid the 16 song set-list. “For Liam and the other members of Oasis, to go alone is a big risk financially, creatively and emotionally, especially when you already experienced the pinnacle of success," Lickrish says. "But what I remember is how Liam was just so excited to be performing again. As a Manchester City fan, he was just buzzing to be in Abu Dhabi and they were all in good form.”
2013: Noel Gallagher comes to Dubai
Since he wrote a majority of the songs, Noel incorporated Oasis songs into his solo performances from the onset. It all made for a solid beachside gig at Atlantis, The Palm in 2013.
Noel came two years after the release of the well-received self-titled album Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. As The National’s review indicated, it was the vastly superior Oasis songs such as Wonderwall, the tour debut of Digsy's Dinner and Don't Look Back in Anger, that stole the show – although fans would have, perhaps, enjoyed hearing more.
“It was a somewhat raucous night, with Oasis fans feeling rather underwhelmed,” it read. “Then again, they should know the often mercurial Gallagher does what he wants.”
2017: Liam Gallagher goes supernova in Dubai
If Beady Eye was a faulty start, Liam Gallagher's debut solo album As You Were achieved a supersonic level of acclaim and salvaged a lost career.
Where the 2011 Abu Dhabi gig was a defiant statement to Oasis fans, his 2017 return to headline Dubai's Party in the Park festival found him comfortable with his past. Half of the 14-song set consisted of Oasis hits, including the killer opening combination of Rock’n’roll Star and Morning Glory. Even the solo tracks, like the swaggering Wall of Glass and tender For What it's Worth, were welcome additions to what was a sterling performance.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
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Director: Michael O’Shea
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Three stars
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
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How to play the stock market recovery in 2021?
If you are looking to build your long-term wealth in 2021 and beyond, the stock market is still the best place to do it as equities powered on despite the pandemic.
Investing in individual stocks is not for everyone and most private investors should stick to mutual funds and ETFs, but there are some thrilling opportunities for those who understand the risks.
Peter Garnry, head of equity strategy at Saxo Bank, says the 20 best-performing US and European stocks have delivered an average return year-to-date of 148 per cent, measured in local currency terms.
Online marketplace Etsy was the best performer with a return of 330.6 per cent, followed by communications software company Sinch (315.4 per cent), online supermarket HelloFresh (232.8 per cent) and fuel cells specialist NEL (191.7 per cent).
Mr Garnry says digital companies benefited from the lockdown, while green energy firms flew as efforts to combat climate change were ramped up, helped in part by the European Union’s green deal.
Electric car company Tesla would be on the list if it had been part of the S&P 500 Index, but it only joined on December 21. “Tesla has become one of the most valuable companies in the world this year as demand for electric vehicles has grown dramatically,” Mr Garnry says.
By contrast, the 20 worst-performing European stocks fell 54 per cent on average, with European banks hit by the economic fallout from the pandemic, while cruise liners and airline stocks suffered due to travel restrictions.
As demand for energy fell, the oil and gas industry had a tough year, too.
Mr Garnry says the biggest story this year was the “absolute crunch” in so-called value stocks, companies that trade at low valuations compared to their earnings and growth potential.
He says they are “heavily tilted towards financials, miners, energy, utilities and industrials, which have all been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic”. “The last year saw these cheap stocks become cheaper and expensive stocks have become more expensive.”
This has triggered excited talk about the “great value rotation” but Mr Garnry remains sceptical. “We need to see a breakout of interest rates combined with higher inflation before we join the crowd.”
Always remember that past performance is not a guarantee of future returns. Last year’s winners often turn out to be this year’s losers, and vice-versa.
Karwaan
Producer: Ronnie Screwvala
Director: Akarsh Khurana
Starring: Irrfan Khan, Dulquer Salmaan, Mithila Palkar
Rating: 4/5
Results
2.15pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Maqam, Fabrice Veron (jockey), Eric Lemartinel (trainer).
2.45pm: Maiden (PA) Dh40,000 1,200m
Winner: Mamia Al Reef, Szczepan Mazur, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami.
3.15pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 2,000m
Winner: Jaahiz, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel.
3.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,000m
Winner: Qanoon, Szczepan Mazur, Irfan Ellahi.
4.15pm: Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Cup Handicap (TB) Dh200,000 1,700m.
Winner: Philosopher, Tadhg O’Shea, Salem bin Ghadayer.
54.45pm: Handicap (PA) Dh40,000 1,700m
Winner: Jap Al Yassoob, Fernando Jara, Irfan Ellahi.
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
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ABU DHABI CARD
5pm: UAE Martyrs Cup (TB) Conditions; Dh90,000; 2,200m
5.30pm: Wathba Stallions Cup (PA) Handicap; Dh70,000; 1,400m
6pm: UAE Matyrs Trophy (PA) Maiden; Dh80,000; 1,600m
6.30pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Apprentice Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh100,000; 1,600m
7pm: Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak (IFAHR) Ladies World Championship (PA) Prestige; Dh125,000; 1,600m
8pm: Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan Jewel Crown (PA) Group 1; Dh5,000,000; 1,600m
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
