Britain has produced several iconic rock bands over the years and one that ranks right up there is Oasis. Headlined by the two brothers; Noel and Liam Gallagher, Oasis reigned supreme in the 90s, releasing bestselling albums such as Definitely Maybe, (What’s The Story) Morning Glory, and Be Here Now. The group collected numerous accolades, including 17 NME awards and six MTV Europe music awards, as they went on to become one of the bestselling bands of all time with about 75 million records sold.
Sadly, the illustrious band would split in 2009 and this was due to the bad blood between brothers Noel and Liam. That sibling rivalry persists to date and the two men remain at loggerheads, often taking shots at each other on social media. They don’t see eye to eye on several issues, one of which is the talk about a reunion. Liam is more amenable to the idea seeing as he can improve his bottom-line with the money from the deal. Noel is however holding out and this is understandable given that he is quite wealthy and could do without the money.
Noel Gallagher is Nine Times Richer Than His Brother Liam
Noel Gallagher and his brother Liam have had a similar career trajectory since the breakup of their band but the person that is much better off as far as finance is concerned is Noel with a net worth of $70 million. The iconic guitarist and songwriter owes much of his riches to what he amassed during his Oasis days.
As the story goes, it was his brother Liam who actually joined forces with others to form a band called Rain in 1990/91. Noel then asked to join in and he was accepted. He later took over creative control, penning most of the songs as Oasis came to be in 1991. The band played a series of small gigs for the next two years and by 1993, landed a formal recording contract. They subsequently released their debut album, Definitely Maybe, in August 1994. The album was a huge success, entering the U.K charts at No. 1. It also became the fastest-selling album in British history at that time.
Oasis would go on to drop an additional six albums and all of them went up to No. 1. They also recorded about six No.1 singles and sold-out venues across the globe. The band made hundreds of millions of dollars during their time together and the major percentage of the royalties went to Noel as he was the major songwriter.
Following Oasis’ split, Noel went on to form a band known as High Flying Birds with whom he has released three platinum albums. He has further contributed vocals, lyrics, and guitar backup for artists such as Cold Play and Louis Tomlinson, and has been well paid for it. Away from music, he has investments and real estate to his name and this has helped him build up a fortune of $70 million.
Languishing behind him is his brother Liam whose net worth is estimated at about $7.5 million. Just like Noel, Liam also made an impressive fortune during his Oasis days. He then added to his wealth through the follow-up band that he created in the wake of the split. Known as Beady Eye, the band consisted of some former Oasis members and ran from 2009 to 2014. During this period, they dropped two albums; Different Gear, Still Speeding, and BE, which both enjoyed decent success.
Asides from music, Liam Gallagher also made good money from real estate. He owns a £3 million home in Oxfordshire, a £5 million home in Hampstead, and a $2.5 million home in Manhattan. He also founded a clothing line called Pretty Green. At the height of its success, the high street retailer had 20 stores across the U.S. and recorded sales worth £15 million. Thanks to all the above, Liam Gallagher was able to amass a fortune of up to $50 million in the early 2010s. His wealth, however, later declined due to several factors including the fact that he lived above his means.
The singer has openly confessed to spending exorbitant sums on good hotels, clothes, and business class air tickets, all of which contributed to his fortune taking a massive heat. By the time he divorced his wife in 2015, their combined fortune was £11 million and the court ordered that it should be split in half, further compounding Liam’s financial woes. It also did not help that his Pretty Green fashion brand ran into financial difficulties and had to be sold off to JD Sports in April 2019.
Liam is Five Years Younger Than His Brother
Siblings who are close in age always have a cat and dog dynamic and this may explain the long-term rivalry between Noel and Liam Gallagher. The former was born Noel Thomas David on the 29th day of May 1967 while the latter was born William John Paul on the 21st day of September 1972. They both grew up in Manchester, England alongside their eldest brother, Paul, and their parents, Peggy and Thomas. Their father had drinking problems and he often took to beating them. The boys thus endured an unhappy childhood until Peggy gathered the courage to separate from their father and take them away from him in 1982. This was a good move but by that time, some harm had been done to the boys’ psyche and they took to acting out. They were truants in school and also stole from various shops that gained them probationary sentences.
The whole ordeal hindered Noel from completing his secondary education but Liam was able to do so. Both boys would eventually find solace and comfort in music in their youth and thus began their great journey to rock and roll stardom with Oasis. Ironically, Oasis split in 2009, after 16 years of existence, and this was due to the fact that both brothers could not get along. The trouble had festered even during the early days of the band.
For instance, during a 1994 tour of America, Liam deliberately changed the words of a song that Noel had written in a manner that made it both offensive to the writer as well as the audience. A year after that, the two brothers had a fight after Liam invited his fellow pub-goers back to their house while Noel was busy recording music. Such a pattern of events would continue until it got to the extent that the brothers were barely on speaking terms, never hung out outside the group, and even traveled on different planes for tours. This animosity persisted for years and eventually culminated in yet another physical altercation between both men at an event in Paris.
Noel subsequently announced his departure from the group and said that it was with great relief that he was doing so. The relations between Noel and Liam Gallagher remain strained to date and they often take shots at each other. It is however obvious that both men have a grudging respect for each other. Liam has referred to his elder brother as the best songwriter in the world while Noel has praised Liam’s good looks and believes that he is cooler than him.
A Quick Comparison of the Two Brothers
| Noel | Liam | |
| Age | 56 | 51 |
| Height | 5 feet 8 ½ inches (1.74m) | 5 feet 10 inches (1.78m) |
| Net worth | $70 million | $7.5 million |
| Bands | Oasis, High Flying Birds | Oasis, Beady Eye |
| Solo Albums | Nil | Two |
| Relationship Status | Married (Sara MacDonald) | Dating (Debbie Gwyther) |
| Children | Three | Four |
