THE countdown to Oasis’ first comeback show is on – and the reunion wheels are well and truly in motion.
Noel and Liam Gallagher, along with bandmates Andy Bell, Gem Archer, Bonehead and Joey Waronker will soon be locked in rehearsals getting ready for the sell-out shows.
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My insider told me Oasis’ first sessions are due to take place in the middle of May, with the decision to have a short but intense series of rehearsals to get them ready for classics such as Rock ’N’ Roll Star and Don’t Look Back In Anger.
“Noel and Liam are masters of their craft but even legends need time to rehearse,” my mole explained.
“The sessions are looking to start around mid-May.
“It’s going to be short but sweet.
“The band haven’t all played together in a long time but when it comes to performing Oasis tracks, it’s like riding a bike.
“These sessions won’t always include Noel and Liam.
“It’s just a question of making sure that everyone is up to speed and that they have the tracks on the set list nailed down.”
With every Oasis fan desperate to see Noel and Liam together, my insider said the location of the rehearsals is a closely guarded secret.
The 19 shows kick off in Cardiff on July 4 and although Noel and Liam originally said the reunion would not be televised, yesterday they confirmed my story that a film was being made about them.
Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight is taking the helm, which is handy given he has a knack of telling tales about siblings who clash.
As well as the film, it seems Oasis’ team are now ramping up the hype around the concerts and appear to be planning a big social media campaign featuring Noel and Liam.
A handful of very lucky fans who have tickets, including one of my mates, have been contacted by the team and asked to get in touch with their questions.
The top-secret message read: “You’ve been selected as part of an exclusive group to ask Oasis those burning questions you’ve been dying to know.
“Whether it’s about their legendary albums, wild tour stories or creative process, now’s your chance to get answers straight from the band.
“Click the link below and get ready for some unforgettable responses.”
Our only question lads, is why now?
Chapp’s drilled in
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CHAPPELL ROAN is building on her recent success with latest single The Giver.
She released the song yesterday and dressed as a construction worker for the video on YouTube.
The singer told Apple Music 1 radio station the track is a “lesbian song” which “pokes fun at country boys”.
Chappell added: “I love a man who can shovel horse manure.”
Meanwhile, on TikTok, she said of a new album: “We’re so beyond far away from that, I could not even tell you.”
Guetta than ever
DAVID GUETTA is returning to Ibiza for a mammoth four-month residency this summer.
The chart-topping DJ will perform at Ushuaia every Monday from June 9 to October 6 with his F*** Me I’m Famous! night, which he has been staging there for more than two decades.
And this year I’m told he has created custom visuals to make it bigger than ever.
At neighbouring nightclub Hï, DJ and producer Black Coffee has announced his seventh residency, pumping out house music every Saturday from May 17 until October 4.
Madge is a material curl
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MADONNA is teasing us in more ways than one, as she strips down to her underwear and hints at her new album.
She looked sexy at 66 with black lingerie and hair in curlers as she got ready to go out.
And in the pictures shared on Instagram, Madge seemed to reference her upcoming album, Confessions Part 2.
It is a sequel to her 2005 record Confessions On A Dance Floor, which featured the hit Hung Up.
She captioned the photos: “Waiting is the hardest part . . . ”
It has now been six years since Madonna released her last album, Madame X, which is the longest gap between studio records since the singer released her self-titled debut in 1983.
But given it’s the two-decade anniversary of the first Confessions record, 2025 would be the perfect time to drop it.
SNOW White star Rachel Zegler is coming to the West End to be Eva Peron in a revival of Evita.
The actress makes her London theatre debut in the role, having recently spent time in Cabaret on Broadway.
It will run at the London Palladium from June 14 to September 6, and make her one of the highest-paid stars on the London stage.
Gem’s losing streak
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GEMMA COLLINS was all smiles at Cheltenham races despite squandering hundreds of pounds.
The reality TV regular revealed she “lost an absolute fortune” betting on the horses after “going off vibes” rather than information.
Gemma, who watched on with actor Danny Dyer, said: “None of the horses I bet on won, but it’s been amazing.
“I know nothing about horses, absolutely nothing.
“But I think if I hear a name or see a name and I get a vibe, then I will take a punt and put a bet on.
“It’s not just for men.
“Women can come to these places and have a great day.”
Don’t worry Gemma.
When Bizarre’s Jack went to Ascot last month he didn’t check the odds properly and while his horse won, he somehow still ended up losing money.
KT is all clued up
GIVEN her runaway 2004 hit Suddenly I See was chosen as the soundtrack to blockbuster film The Devil Wears Prada, it was a no-brainer for Clueless, The Musical to ask KT Tunstall to write the songs.
And the Scottish singer has more than nailed it, with incredible original tracks including Perfect, Human Barbies and New Girl telling the story of original teenage brat Cher Horowitz.
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“We’ve been working on this for five years,” KT tells me in an exclusive chat inside the Trafalgar Theatre in central London.
“We were unbelievably lucky to have found Emma Flynn and Keelan McAuley as the leads, they’re from another planet.”
Alongside lyricist Glenn Slater, KT revolutionised how musicals are written and performed, with the band playing live for eight shows a week until the run ends in September.
‘PIONEERING’
“We’re actually really pioneering on this show by using an electronic drum kit with 24 different sounding drum kits,” KT explains.
“You can go straight from a Green Day-inspired song to an NSYNC one – and it means the band is chameleonic.
“Technology can be an amazing thing, particularly with the kind of kit that we are using for this show.
“I was aware, as a musician, that this band will play eight times a week for months on end.
“I think it’s a really positive thing for them to be challenged.”
Although the musical has been a long time in the works, and has been a real labour of love for KT, she says it has not all been a chore.
“It’s just hours of bangers from different genres.
“It’s Janet Jackson to Nirvana and then Supergrass,” KT says.
“And at the same time this is just an iconic era for me.
“It’s the 20th anniversary year of my first record Eye To The Telescope.
“And it’s the 50th anniversary of me as a human being.”
I can’t imagine a better way to celebrate than with Clueless.
Bravo, KT. You nailed it.
Nod to 90s nostalgia ahoy
By Veronica Lorraine
IT was only a matter of time until Clueless got the musical treatment.
And what a joyful, charming, preppy, permanent-grin-on-your-face West End stage production it actually is.
Thankfully, the show at the Trafalgar Theatre in London follows the 1995 film almost to the letter – so full of pre-social media nods to Nineties nostalgia.
But it’s the super-enthusiastic young stars belting out some really catchy tunes to breathlessly speedy, very clever set changes that sweep you up and carry you along.
The fact that KT Tunstall has composed the catchy bangers, to whip smart lyrics by Glenn Slater, elevates this high above some of the recent stage offerings regenerating old pop songs.
And lead Emma Flynn, right, channels blonde teen queen Cher Horowitz so hard, it’s like watching a combination of Alicia Silverstone, Reese Witherspoon and Rachel McAdams in one.
She is a real star in the making.
A fab, fun, “totally bugging” Betty of a production.
