In a new NME interview, Kelly Jones has revealed that Noel Gallagher has been in the studio with new material.
The Stereophonics frontman shared the news with NME as part of a new discussion, celebrating the release of the band’s new album ‘Make ‘em Laugh, Make ‘em Cry, Make ‘em Wait’.
During the discussion, he shared his views on the huge Oasis reunion shows that are set to take place this summer, and explained what it is like to see the Britpop icons make a comeback.
The two bands have been linked for many years now. Not only have they shared many stages over the years, but Jones is also on good terms with both Liam and Noel Gallagher.
“It’s good that they got back together. It’s taken a long time,” he told NME. “The band aside, just the magnitude of those shows and the magnitude of people wanting to be at shows is an amazing thing for musicians to be part of and for them to have that second bite of the cherry after everything that’s gone on, it’s pretty amazing really.”
He went on to recall the time Stereophonics toured Japan with Oasis, and how Noel previously took him “under his wing” and introduced him to Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey.
“Funnily enough, I found some old pictures of me and Noel rehearsing when he used to have a studio down in Windsor recently, just before we toured America,” he said, adding that he recently found out the Oasis songwriter was working on new material.
“We were having a laugh about them and I asked him what he’d been up to, and he said he’d been doing some writing in the studio. I’m assuming he’s doing some writing for either his stuff or if they’re [Oasis] gonna bring out a couple songs, I don’t know.”
It remains uncertain whether or not the new studio material from Noel will materialise into new Oasis songs, High Flying Birds songs, or something else. It is worth noting that Liam initially got fans hopes up about new Oasis material, but later dismissed this as a joke.
Later in the interview, Jones went on to explain what he thinks the band’s comeback means for the music industry as a whole. “Whether it will feel the same as it did back in the day, I don’t know. The ’90s and 2000s were a bit like the 1970s really, it was a completely different culture,” he said.
“I’m sure it’s gonna be amazing. It’ll be what it’ll be like in 2025 which is even kind of more exciting in a way. I know a lot of people my age who’ve got kids who can’t believe they’re finally gonna get the chance to see them,” he added.
“Whether you like their music or not, it’s an energy that’s being put to […] hundreds of thousands of people on a daily basis and that can only be a good thing no matter who the performer is. People need it now more than they’ve needed it in a long time.”
This isn’t the first time that Kelly Jones has discussed his friendship with the Gallagher brothers. As highlighted by WalesOnline, the songwriter has also revealed the tongue-in-cheek text he got from Noel when the Stereophonics song ‘Dakota’ went to the top of the charts.
“I remember getting a text from Noel. He wrote: ‘Eh, you’ve had your first number one.’ Then, underneath that, in capital letters, he wrote: “But you used a fucking synthesiser …!” he shared.
Back in 2021, he also told Rolling Stone UK about how Liam Gallagher had a hand in shaping the Stereophonics’ album ‘Just Enough Education to Perform’. “Liam listened and made suggestions on what he would do vocally on the harmonies. It was all becoming more and more surreal,” he said.
Elsewhere in the NME interview, Kelly Jones explained how the band landed on the title for their new album.
“One of the guys who lectured us when I was in film school used to scribble it down on my pages a lot and it was a phrase I’d had in the back of my mind for a long time,” he explained.
“It’s basically an arc of a story I’ve probably used in setlists and stuff like that. You tell people a funny story, then you do something quite moving, and so on. The title has kind of a subliminal underbelly in a lot of the stuff I’ve done and it’s just reared its head I guess.”
Stereophonics are set to kick off their ‘Stadium Anthems’ tour dates in June, while Oasis’s UK comeback shows will run throughout the summer. You can find any remaining Stereophonic tickets here.