In the shops now, the Hot Press Christmas Special has the reborn King of Rock n’ Roll, Noel Gallagher, gazing moodily from its front-cover.
The far-reaching, funny as fuck interview inside starts with Noel telling us about how David Holmes ended up producing his Irish chart-topping new album, Who Built The Moon?
“I met him through Primal Scream. We were in my dressing room at this festival me and Gillespie’s mob were doing in Jersey. I didn’t recognise David, who was hanging out with ‘em, but as soon as he introduced himself I was like, ‘Fuck, I’ve got all your records.’ I love his music and his vibe, so when I thought I needed a producer for Chasing Yesterday, I gave him a call. I played him the demos – he was sat literally where you are now – and Holmer said, ‘They sound finished to me… but if you ever want to make a different type of record, come to Belfast.’ So, I did.”
Needless to say, there are A-List celebrity stories aplenty with Bruce Springsteen making a prominent early appearance.
“Six of us were in this restaurant in Fuerteventura,” he reminisces fondly. “One of those happened to be Jade Jagger who’s a mate of ours. After taking a phone call, she said, ‘That was my godfather; he’s just arrived in by boat and wants to know if he can bring a friend of his to lunch?’ We asked, ‘Who’s your godfather?’ She went, ‘Calvin Klein’. ‘Who’s his friend?’ ‘Bruce Springsteen’. I was like, ‘Wow’, and 20 minutes later there Bruce was. Fucking hell, he’s a dude!’”
By the time he finishes with our man Stuart Clark, Bono, Skepta, Paul Weller, Elton John, Kasabian, the Stone Roses, Manchester City, Brexit, Irish passports, Lou Reed, Neil Lennon, the London bombings, voodoo shrines, Damon Albarn, the Oasis documentary, Liam and middle-age contentment have all been dealt with in unique Noely G fashion.
“On a scale of one to ten, how happy am I?” Noel reflects. “A very smug, self-satisfied 9 ½, thank you for asking. Things are great at home, City are top of the table and I’ve made the record I’ve wanted to make for the past ten years.”