Noel Gallagher Meets Graham Lambert
Date: 29 May 1988 (or 30 May, depending on who you believe)
Location: International 2, Manchester
Type: Gig / Chance Encounter
Who Was There
Noel Gallagher: A 21-year-old wannabe rock star with a guitar and a chip on his shoulder. Obsessed with The Smiths, still working out how to make those dreams pay.
Liam Gallagher: The younger brother, future frontman, and walking embodiment of chaos. Also at the gig, probably causing a bit of a stir.
Graham Lambert: Inspiral Carpets guitarist and amateur bootlegger. His cassette recorder and brief chat with Noel would inadvertently help launch a Britpop juggernaut.
The Stone Roses and James: The headline acts. The Roses were already stoking the Madchester fire, James were, well, doing whatever James were doing.
Mark Coyle and Phil Smith: The Stone Roses crew. Coyle would go on to engineer Oasis demos. Smith later joined the Oasis road circus in ’93.
Paul Cons: The organiser of the anti-Clause 28 benefit. A night of great music, noble causes, and future rock history.
The Event
The anti-Clause 28 benefit gig. The Stone Roses and James on stage, Noel and Liam Gallagher in the crowd. At some point, Noel cornered Graham Lambert, sparking a conversation that would lead to a job as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets. A small step for Noel, a giant leap for Britpop.
The Setting
International 2, Manchester. One of those sweaty, sticky venues that defined the city's music scene. Chaos, charm, and a hint of something magic in the air. A journalist later called it a "Madchester defining moment." They weren't wrong.
The Statement
Noel, never shy, asked Lambert for a copy of his bootleg tape. Then casually quizzed him about an upcoming Inspiral Carpets gig. Not bad for a bloke who wasn’t even in a band yet.
The Quote
Graham Lambert: "He asked me for a copy of the tape, I started talking to him and he asked me if I was going to see the Inspiral Carpets later on that week. I told him I was kind of in them, sort of thing"
