Tony McCarroll was the original drummer of Oasis, but was kicked out of the band by Noel Gallagher. Now, almost 30 years since he left, he has been thrust back into the spotlight
When Tony McCarroll and his childhood mates decided to form a band, they had no idea how massive it would become.
Hailing from working-class Manchester, they fittingly named themselves The Rain. However, this name was short-lived.
Dissatisfied with their initial frontman, one of the band members put forward his mate for an audition. Liam Gallagher stepped in and aced the test.
After joining, he proposed a name change to Oasis and brought his brother Noel on board. But there was a catch – Noel would take over as the songwriter and leader.
They would eventually rise to become one of the most successful bands in history. Now, nearly three decades since Tony’s departure from Oasis, he finds himself back in the limelight.
Last year, the iconic band announced a reunion for a series of 14 gigs across the UK and Ireland next summer.
To sign up for the presale ballot for tickets, fans had to answer several questions to verify they weren’t bots. One question asked fans to name the band’s original drummer.
The answer is, of course, Tony McCarroll. In 2019, he chatted with the the Manchester Evening News about how he managed life post-Oasis fame following his 1995 exit, just before their legendary second album, What’s the Story Morning Glory?
As relations deteriorated amid rows with Noel, Tony said he felt like he was being completely ‘ignored’ and recalled chasing his bandmates around pubs in Heaton Moor, desperate to get some answers.
After the split, ‘tell all’ books were written and there was even a high-profile court battle. But it would be more than 20 years until Tony would come face-to-face with Liam Gallagher.
Tony was with Brian Cannon, the graphic designer who created the legendary front cover for Definitely Maybe, the band’s debut album. Brian had invited him back to an after party where Liam would be – and Tony wasn’t keen.
“I can’t. What will happen if it all kicks off?” Tony said.
He told the MEN: “We were all drunk and I just thought f*** it, I’ll take the bull by the horns. I basically walked straight in and said to someone ‘where’s Liam?’ Marched straight up to him and said ‘oi’.”
Tony wasn’t certain what would unfold next.
Liam is renowned for his fiery temperament and the rock n’roll afterparty they were all attending – for the screening of the documentary Supersonic – would have been the ideal backdrop for one of the frontman’s legendary outbursts.
But not that evening – instead it became a moment Tony recalls with warmth.
“It was hugs, kisses, ‘bloody hell, how are you?’ and all that,” he said. “He really made the time, and his partner Debbie got us a table so we could sit down and have a catch up. ‘How’s your mum? How’s this, how’s that?'”
“Nothing deep, or anything serious – it was just back to the Liam I initially met. I was so relieved really.”
The relief for Tony, 47, from Levenshulme, was welcome because he didn’t just leave any band in 1995, he left Oasis.
They went on to be the most colossal band the globe had witnessed since The Beatles, made up entirely of childhood mates from Irish Catholic working class Manchester backgrounds, from a city which had been for so long dismissed and abandoned by Tory governments.
Their ascent went hand in hand with Manchester’s cultural renaissance in the 90s, where it would become celebrated worldwide for its musical and sporting triumphs.
Everyone craved a slice of it, including Tony Blair. Tony McCarroll established the group in 1991 alongside Bonehead and Guigsy, before the Gallagher brothers came on board.
However, his involvement in this story was abruptly ended. His last Oasis appearance coincided with their debut number one single, Some Might Say, on Top of the Pops. The explanation for his dismissal varies depending on who you ask.
Noel maintains he lacked the skill to perform the tracks he was composing for the second album, which featured Don’t Look Back In Anger and Wonderwall.
Tony insists he was booted out because he challenged a controlling and distant Noel once too often.
Regardless of which version you accept, what ensued was legal action where Tony attempted to claim £18m from Oasis, arguing this represented what he deserved from the band’s five-album contract with Creation records.
In 1999, the matter was resolved privately for a six-figure amount. It shouldn’t have ended that way.
After all, Tony had grown up alongside the band, kicked footballs with them, resided within two miles of one another and as he revealed to the MEN: “Our mums made f***ing biscuits together at McVities.”
After the legal battle finally wrapped up, Tony realised he needed to get his life back on track and launched a music studio in Denton, Tameside, working with youngsters who’d been left to fend for themselves. He wanted to steer them towards picking up instruments as a way to turn their lives around for the better.
Tony’s goal was to offer them ‘a bit of direction’, mirroring how Liverpool outfit The Real People had mentored Oasis during their formative period, helping them record early versions of future classics like Colombia. He would teach drums, guitar and offer advice.
Today, he’s back in ‘regular employment’, which he says ‘keeps you sane’.
It comes after Oasis musician Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs revealed that he’s been diagnosed with prostate cancer. The 60-year-old recently shared his diagnosis with fans in a post on X, rvealing that he’ll be missing several legs of the Oasis tour for cancer treatment.
He wrote on X: “Early this year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The good news is I’m responding really well to treatment, which meant I could be part of this incredible tour. Now, I am having to take a planned break for the next phase of my care, so I’ll be missing the gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney.
“I’m really sad to be missing these shows but l’m feeling good and will be back ready to go in time for South America. Have an amazing time if you’re going this month and I’ll see you back onstage with the band in November.”
A source close to Oasis also told the Mirror: “The band have known about the diagnosis from the outset and were fully behind Bonehead. Of course they wanted him to play the tour, but also Liam and Noel were clear his health comes first.
