The Man Who Can Shine – Noel Gallagher Wins 2026 Songwriter Of The Year
Image credit @themightyi on Instagram.
You don’t necessarily have to release new music to create a movement.
Oasis were and still are (in my opinion) the greatest thing to ever happen to the history of music. A colossal shockwave that fought back from working class roots against the innate “miserabilia” and defeatism that some people drew from the grunge movement of the early 90s. Oasis have risen from a variety of varying influences such as the melodies from The Beatles, the grit and anger of The Sex Pistols and social commentary of The Kinks. This contrarian music of course birthed Britpop, spearheaded by Manchester’s favourite brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher, now ironically nicknamed ‘Manchester Final Bosses’. They achieved everything they could in music, breaking records, unbroken charting streaks, dominating every stage they played and pop cultural impact. With the amount of people that applied for tickets to their historical two nights at Knebworth, they could’ve played another 16 nights on the bounce, this was 4% of the British population in 1996. They sold out huge venues such as Maine Road, Wembley, and Loch Lomond, achieved several number one albums and singles, including that one song Wonderwall, you all know it and you love it deep down.
There are plenty of bands and artists who’ve sold millions of records, got number one singles and played sold out tours across their career, but what makes Oasis truly special is their authenticity. They wear their working class hearts on their sleeves and this has resonated with every similar generation since they began. Their unwavering ability to play live (and with such raw power) was a fundamental aspect to how they recorded their albums and what attracted Creation Records owner Alan McGee’s attention on a fateful night in Glasgow 1993. We also can’t forget that conflicting attitude they had; their public feuds provided the basis for entertainment and expanded their reputation whether for good or bad, it got people talking about them.
Principal songwriter and the elder of the two brothers, Noel Gallagher is no stranger to the Brits. With Oasis, he has won a number of accolades including the album of the year and best British group in 1996 where he and Liam sang in an ironic acceptance speech; in what is my favourite version of the rival Britpop band at the time, Blur’s ‘Parklife’ sorry not sorry because they made a mockery of the losing track live on telly. Oasis also achieved the best album in the past 30 years award with (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? (1995) in 2010 against an array of iconic albums like Arctic Monkey’s Whatever People Say I Am That’s What I’m Not (2006), The Stone Roses’ The Stone Roses (1989), Radiohead’s Ok Computer (1997) and Talking Heads’ Remain In Light (1980), all heavily influential albums that paved the way for rock in their own right. Liam Gallagher’s raw snarling vocals and his magnificent rock ‘n’ roll attitude partnered with Noel Gallagher’s incredible ability to write working class anthems, even now from an outsider perspective, was their overarching power placing them in the centre of popular music . And their live presence? Well, after 16 years away, and older, and perhaps wiser, Oasis obliterated every show on Live ’25 and I can confidently say 19th July 2025 was the best day of my life. The 90s returned with a lineup that matched those days, and it was absolutely glorious. Whilst this could’ve been an opportunity to raise new working class bands, the heritage of Cast and Richard Ashcroft brought historic relationships with Oasis to the forefront of music to celebrate the 90s. Perhaps, if Oasis return with new shows, it would be amazing to see upcoming artists be granted the opportunity to play to some of the biggest crowds possible in the biggest arenas in the world.
Outside of Oasis, Noel Gallagher was honoured with the Ivor Novello award for Outstanding Song Collection in 2013, following his break into solo music and won NME’s Icon of the Year award the same year. After the immensely successful Live ’25 tour, it’s only right that Noel Gallagher’s position as one of the UK’s greatest songwriters of all time is reinforced with Brits recognition. All streaming platforms saw rapid increases in Oasis streaming, with Spotify reporting a 320% increase in streaming after their first night in Cardiff but none of these streams comprised any new music. All that came out of 2025 was one live version of five of their back catalogue tracks, one per each leg of the U.K. tour. This is where critical discourse arises around Gallagher being chosen because he didn’t actually release anything new. There is an argument that more active songwriters like Sam Fender, Lily Allen or fellow Britpop compatriot Brett Anderson should’ve been given the nod, for their current writing.
There is a wonderful array of talented songwriters that have risen through the ranks to Brit level nominations, such as Olivia Dean, Wolf Alice’s Ellie Rowsell and Geese’s Cameron Winter. This award has historically celebrated someone who has released music within the last year and their societal recognition. The 2025 winner of the award was Charli XCX, and in the year prior she had dominated 2024 with her album Brat (2024) which led to the term “Brat Summer.” This was a cultural movement, a look, attitude and overall aesthetic within pop culture and dance music fans. Does this ring any bells? This is exactly what Oasis did in the 90s; spur a cultural movement that had the Britpop movement. 2024 may have been ‘brat summer’ for many young people in the UK but 2025 was ‘Britpop summer’. These presented very different summers with cult classic Pulp’s ongoing festival appearances, new Suede music and of course the most important tour of mine, and many 90s parents’life.
You don’t necessarily have to release new music to create a movement. Summer 2025 saw the Gallaghers decorated on buildings everywhere in each respective city from Manchester, to Cardiff, and Edinburgh on the U.K. tour, everyone donning a nostalgic collaboration with Adidas and an Aldi even rebranding to “Aldeh” in line with their iconic Manc accents. I could go through the countless marketing campaigns which various brands went through during the reunion. All these brands offered their own fun takes on the reunion with unique products that offered keepsakes to lots of different Oasis’ fans interests. And I loved every minute of it all. Walking through the streets of these cities and stopping to observe the Oasis fever that spread like wildfire as fans across the country talked excitedly about the countdown to their tour dates, or blasting their music out in the early summer “sunshiiinee”. Older fans reminisced on their memories of seeing them before the breakup in 2009, the explosion of Oasis merch pop up shops, and the obscene levels of bucket hats dancing through the streets as physical media saw a revival as more vinyl was collected and fans bonded across generations across their shared love of the band. That’s what Oasis did and still does. Their music represents and means so much to millions around the globe, me included. This was the most anticipated reunion in history, with people like Johnny Marr who championed the band from the early days calling it “the biggest reunion of all time”.
Oasis aren’t just a band but a feeling, and an experience. They’re a force to be reckoned with and with the sheer demand for tickets, this should tell you everything you need to know about how they were always relevant all these years. They may not have been at the forefront of all music news every day of the week, but the demand showed that people held on. The phenomena that is their music from start to finish, you may or may not be a fan, but you know the singalongs. They’re unforgettable for those who lived through their prime and resurgence. A band of their calibre is passed from generation to generation; there were people from the Gallagher’s generation that are now grandparents, families taking their very young children because fans wanted to share the experience with their loved ones. This was how much that band of lads from Burnage meant to people. Both back then and now.
But what does this mean for The Brits? All the above shows a cultural impact led by Noel Gallagher as millions of fans scrambled for tickets to have a shot at being part of the reunion. This may lend itself more to Noel Gallagher being recognised for a lifetime achievement as opposed to the songwriter of the year. It may feel convenient because The Brits is being hosted in Manchester this year and for the first time outside of London. There are an array of rising artists who released great albums and/or singles last year with Olivia Dean having an amazing breakout year with her breakout single ‘Man I Need’, and critical success of her second album The Art Of Loving (2025). Sam Fender of course won the esteemed Mercury Prize with People Watching (2025) and achieved brilliant feats with sold out shows at London Stadium and a three day residency in his hometown at St James’ Park. These feats earned them the highest number of nominees for Brit Awards in a variety of categories. This gives rise to the recognition of modern artists for their exciting journeys in 2025.
Noel Gallagher wrote songs that people treasure, whilst he was not the most prolific guitarist but had enough in the locker to create solos that got you hooked. His attitude and honesty has influenced so many others to adopt the same demeanour such as Kasabian, The Libertines and Sleaford Mods. His onstage presence, his humour and his razor sharp wit, alongside brother Liam’s attitude, biblical voice and brutal honesty shot them into the spotlight at the time. That’s who 90s Oasis fans fell in love with.
For their first three albums, Noel was the sole songwriter, and these have proved to be their most successful albums. What’s The Story? Morning Glory (1995) is the 5th best selling album of all time, Oasis have stood the test of time and if you want proof, they sold over a million records in 2025 with Noel Gallagher being the figurehead of these very records coming to life. Because that is the impact he has had, from 1994 until now he has sold incredible levels of records because he has made an outstanding contribution to music. Noel Gallagher has done a lot more than enough to earn Brits recognition for his lifetime gift to music and it was poetic for him to be celebrated in his hometown in Manchester. This also provides opportunity for a historic event to celebrate the culture of its host city with The Fringe Lab hosted at New Century Hall that brought together leading industry voices such as The Lottery Winners, DJ Paulette and Mark Lippmann. Artists like Olivia Dean, The K’s and Rossi played intimate gigs as part of the Brits warm up in collaboration with Warchild and magazine The Rodeo created a special edition which celebrated Manchester’s music culture. This has gone against the grain of normal Brit Awards which feel more memorable than they did in the past.
Noel Gallagher is a music hero and has been cited by several bands since as a huge influence and just from reuniting with his brother and tearing every stage apart he has been rightfully recognised. And if anyone disagrees, the man himself as he said on talkSPORT has invited anyone to come “have it out on the red carpet” with him. c. Never change Noel, the legend that you are.
Words by Ruby Macklin