Soul Brothers

It's a sunny day in north London and over at Oasis HQ, guitarist Gem Archer is talking on the phone to a group of Australian journalists.

“It’s really late over there, and they’d clearly been out. They were trying not to sound drunk,” he says, laughing after the call. “Anyway, come in, man,” he adds, in his unmistakeable accent, part gentle north-east, part hippie.

Gem is excitable today, enthusiastic about Oasis’ new album, Dig Out Your Soul, which they’re back on the road to promote (the band take in the Bournemouth International Centre on Monday and Tuesday.) It’s their seventh studio album, and the third with the involvement of Gem. He and former Ride and Hurricane #1 guitarist Andy Bell joined Oasis around 1999 after the departure of original members Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan.

“I still love it,” beams Gem when asked how he feels about the album. “The cliche is normally that bands can’t wait to get away from their music once it’s recorded, but I nearly listened to it again last night.

“In the past, if you’d been out with Liam (Gallagher) at night and you ended up back at his house after the pub had shut, he’d play you the new album 15 times, but this time around, you might get it 30 times. That says it all!”

Dig Out Your Soul was recorded in Abbey Road studios, the spiritual home of The Beatles and unsurprisingly, given their track record for homage to the Fab Four, Oasis’ latest offering comes with no short supply of Beatles references. There’s even a snippet of an interview with John Lennon used in the Liam-penned track I’m Outta Time.

As always, the bulk of the songs on the album were written by Gallagher Snr, Noel, with Liam adding three songs. The new boys – Gem and Andy – supply one apiece, To Be Where There’s Life and The Nature Of Reality, respectively.

“To Be Where There’s Life started as a jam in my house with my son,” explains Gem. “He’s only 12, but he’s a top drummer, already in his second band.

“I had the demo, which was just an instrumental at the time, and played it to the lads. Noel asked if I’d got any lyrics. I hadn’t, so then I had to stay in and write some.”

Considering Noel has written such widely loved songs as Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger, Live Forever and Cigarettes And Alcohol, competing with him for space on a new Oasis album can’t be easy.

Gem says he thrives on the competition and thinks it’s healthy for the band.

“I kind of relish the challenge,” he admits. “The very fact Noel is even asking what songs I’ve got is incredible, even though he’s the guy who wrote three songs just while we were in Abbey Road. That’s a bit galling, but come on, it’s Noel. Everyone can fluke one good song, but he’s written a lot of very, very good songs.”

Noel has continued that trend this time around, too. Kicking off with Bag It Up, Dig Out Your Soul starts with a Stone Roses-esque groove, before Liam’s sneering vocal chimes in, leaving you in no doubt who you’re listening to. Among the album’s many highlights is Falling Down, incidentally Gem’s current favourite.

“That song was one of the ones Noel demoed by himself in Abbey Road, the night before we recorded it properly,” explains Gem.

“It was totally fresh when we did it because we’d not recorded it over and over making demos.

“Not only is it one of the best songs he’s written, but the production of it is mega. If we’d recorded demos of that song, we would have spoiled it.”

That formula – of capturing fresh takes of each song – worked across the album. The version of a song you hear on a finished album could be the 10th, 15th or 20th take, and while the method might ensure a refined, polished sound, often a lot of the life from earlier takes is lost.

This time around, the band wanted to avoid that happening and, as a result, Dig Out Your Soul is their most live-sounding album since 1995’s (What’s The Story?) Morning Glory.

Away from music, the band are in fine spirits too, leaner and healthier-looking than ever before. In recent interviews, Liam, once the bad boy of Britpop, has been telling of his new-found love for cooking salmon, jogging and getting an early night.

Gem too says the whole band are “into their fitness” but is keen to point out “We’re not like Sting or anything.

“I was one of those guys who could eat rubbish all day long and didn’t know what hangovers were,” he begins. “I don’t want to be 50 and doubled up. We’ve got a responsibility to keep it together, and it’s not even for the thousands of people coming to see us.

“If we’re going to put ourselves in line with The Beatles and The Rolling Stones and The Kinks and The Who, Led Zeppelin – the pantheon of great British rock and roll – then you can’t let the side down.

“We’re thinking ahead here,” he adds.

“Liam invented Stillism – there’s no jogging around on stage like Mick Jagger in this band – so we could be doing that until we’re 90.”

With that, Noel walks in. He’s been absent from today’s interview because of the recent incident in Toronto, Canada, when he was attacked and pushed over on stage, breaking three ribs.

He’s walking with obvious discomfort still, but says he hopes to be healed enough for the forthcoming UK tour dates to go by painlessly. Gem, too, can’t wait to get back on the road.

“I’m looking forward to Liverpool so much,” he beams.

“There’s something about the city that’s been ingrained in me from being a childhood Beatles fan. The architecture, the street signs, everything.

“I love playing live full stop, but we’re playing in Britain, indoors to the perfect number of people for it to still be intimate. It’s going to be insane.”

Source: www.bournemouthecho.co.uk