Noel Gallagher: Lockdown Has Given Me So Many New Songs

Noel Gallagher says the "biggest benefit" of the coronavirus lockdown was the time he had to write new songs.

The former Oasis guitarist - who lives with his wife Sara MacDonald and their two sons, Donovan, 13, and 10-year-old Sonny - has "hated every single day of lockdown" in the UK but he admits being stuck at home was good for him creatively because it gave him a chance to re-visit ideas that he had lying around for fresh tracks.

And that extra time inspired him to release a Best Of album, 'Back the Way We Came: Vol 1 (2011–2021)', which celebrates the 10th anniversary of his solo career and contains two new songs, 'We're On Our Way Now' and 'Flying On The Ground'.

In an interview with BBC Radio 6 Music, he said: "I've hated every single day of lockdown and what it's done to society and people and children, and all that, it's been dreadful.

"But at the end of 2019 when I got back off the end of that tour from Mumbai, I'd given myself till 2023 off, anyway, before the pandemic.

“I went away on tour, I had two little sons. I got back and one of them has got a tache and the other one is wearing jewellery and they’re calling me 'bruv'. I was saying to Sarah, ‘How long have I been away?’ And she goes, ‘Well, too long.’ So I was kind of like, 'Right I need to be around for a bit,' so I'd given myself a couple years out anyway. Then the pandemic came along and what that what that did for me creatively, was made me a finish off these songs that are on the Best Of, and have a look at everything that I had lying around, half songs that were finished and half-baked, new ideas, and I started to kick them into shape.

“The biggest benefit was my own music. I've got more songs that I would ordinarily have now.”

Noel, 53, also agreed to work with several other artists on new music in lockdown, including a collaboration with British rapper Dizzee Rascal, something he is usually reluctant to do.

The 'Wonderwall' hitmaker has been disappointed that not all of the songs he co-wrote have been released yet.

He said: "I've co-written a lot of songs, ironically, none of which seem to have seen the light of day.

"I did that thing with CamelPhat, which did come out, I did a thing with Dizzee, which never came up. I did a thing with [Paul] Weller which never got finished. I did do something with Imelda May that did come out, actually.

"Lots of people were doing it, I got so many emails saying, ‘Hey, I’ve got nothing to do, if you’ve got nothing to do we should write something.'"