Noel Gallagher: Albarn Collaboration Was Spontaneous

Noel Gallagher insists performing with Graham Coxon and Damon Albarn was a spur-of-the-moment decision.

The 'AKA... What A Life!' hitmaker joined his former Britpop rivals to perform Blur's hit 'Tender' along with Paul Weller at London's Royal Albert Hall in March, but he insists he never thought of the ''symbolism'' of the collaboration before it happened.

He said: ''I was put on the spot at the press conference when someone asked if I was going to play with them. What do you say? No? You'd cause a f***ing incident. When they came off doing the soundcheck, I just said, 'Are we doing it or what?' The doors were opening, we went back onstage and went through it once and that was it.

''I didn't think about the symbolism of it all. It's not something that's ever been mooted, it's not like, 'Together on stage, at last'. It's not like, I don't f***ing know, if me and Liam ever go onstage again. It was just a spur-of-the-moment thing.

''I wasn't sat for four months thinking, 'F***ing hell, what are people going to think of this. What should I wear? All white as a symbol of peace?' ''

As part of their performance, Damon and Graham were also joined by author-and-poet Michael Horowitz for a 12-minute improvisation and Noel admitted the idea was borne out of a heavy night drinking at the BRIT awards.

He told Q magazine: ''We were f***ing plastered that night. I said, 'Well, what are you going to do?' and woke up the next day and thought, 'Did he say he was going to do a f***ing improvised poetry jam?!'

''I was sat watching the soundcheck and thinking, 'This is going to be one of those moments that is either, 'I wish I was there, or I was there and I wish I wasn't.' They were literally writing it in the soundcheck. How they pulled it off, I'll never know.''

Source: entertainment.stv.tv