Noel Gallagher Auditions for the Inspiral Carpets
Date: 21 December 1988
Location: The Mill Studio, Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester, UK
Type: Audition
Who Was There
Noel Gallagher: Just another Manchester lad trying his luck. Long before he became Oasis’s main man, he fancied himself as a frontman.
Inspiral Carpets Members: Graham Lambert and co. were on the hunt for a new singer. Little did they know who they were dealing with.
The Event
Noel gave it a go. Belted out The Rolling Stones’ "Gimme Shelter" and the Inspiral Carpets’ own "Joe." Didn’t land the gig, but they “liked him.” Whatever that means.
The position went to Tom Hingley in the end.
The Setting
The Mill. Part rehearsal space, part endurance test. Noel, being Noel, braved three buses in the pouring rain to get there. Proper winter misery. “It was that far out of Manchester, I had to take three buses. Middle of winter. Raining.” He turned up clutching a bit of paper with all the details scribbled down. Classic.
The Statement
Noel described the whole thing as pretty laid-back. “I looked alright. Knew some of the songs. That was it. That was enough.” Not exactly brimming with ambition, but there you go.
The Quote
"I would loosely call it an audition." — Noel Gallagher
