Beady Eye were an English rock band formed in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

in 2009 by former

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...

(vocals),

Gem Archer Colin Murray "Gem" Archer ( '; born 7 December 1966) is an English guitarist and singer. He is best known as a member of the rock bands Oasis, Beady Eye and Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, making him and Chris Sharrock the only members ...

(guitar) and Andy Bell (guitar), and former Oasis touring musician Chris Sharrock (drums). The band was created when Oasis' lead guitarist and primary songwriter

Noel Gallagher Noel Thomas David Gallagher (born 29 May 1967) is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Gallagher is the primary songwriter, lead guitarist and a co-lead vocalist of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. After leaving Oasis, he formed Noel ...

quit in August 2009, after which the remaining members decided to rename themselves and continue making music. Jeff Wootton joined as bassist until his departure in 2013; former

Kasabian Kasabian ( ) are an English rock band formed in Leicester in 1997 by lead vocalist Tom Meighan, guitarist and second vocalist Sergio Pizzorno, guitarist Chris Karloff and bassist Chris Edwards. Drummer Ian Matthews joined in 2004. Karloff ...

guitarist Jay Mehler replaced him. The band released two studio albums'' Different Gear, Still Speeding'' (2011) and '' BE'' (2013)both of which reached the top 5 on the UK Albums Chart, though they had only one UK top 40 single with "The Roller", which peaked at No. 31. They received some praise from Oasis fans, with '' Q'' claiming that their debut album was the best Liam had performed on since Oasis' ''

(What's the Story) Morning Glory? ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'' is the second studio album by the English Rock music, rock band Oasis (band), Oasis. Released on 2 October 1995 by Creation Records, it was produced by Owen Morris and the group's lead guitarist and chief ...

''. Liam Gallagher announced in October 2014 that Beady Eye had disbanded.

History

Formation and first singles: 2009–2010

After

Oasis In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environment He told MTV: "We've been demo-ing some songs that we've had for a bit. Just doing that, on the quiet, not making a big fuss about it. After Christmas we might go in the studio and record them and hopefully have an album out in July." He later said that the band would "do it in a different kind of way now. I'll try and reconnect with a new band, new songs, and I'm feeling confident about the songs." He was reported to be "feeling a million per cent confident that they could be better than Oasis." On 16 March 2010, Liam announced that his new band would be releasing their first single in October with an album to follow the next year. On 9 November 2010 Beady Eye released their first single " Bring the Light" as a free download. The band released "Bring the Light" as a promotional single on 15 November 2010, as a free download. A limited physical release followed, and charted at number sixty-one on the UK Singles Chart, topping the Indie and Rock charts. A second promotional single, " Four Letter Word", was released on 26 December 2010.

''Different Gear, Still Speeding'': 2010–2012

" The Roller" was announced as the band's first commercial single, and preceded '' Different Gear, Still Speeding'' which was released on 28 February 2011. The album was recorded in London at RAK studios in Autumn 2010 and produced by

Steve Lillywhite Stephen Alan Lillywhite (born 15 March 1955) is an English record producer. Since he began his career in 1977, Lillywhite has been credited on over 500 records, and has collaborated with a variety of musicians including new wave acts The Alarm ...

. The band then undertook a short promotional tour of the UK and Europe in March 2011. A second single, "

Millionaire A millionaire is an individual whose net worth or wealth is equal to or exceeds one million units of currency. Depending on the currency, a certain level of prestige is associated with being a millionaire. Many national currencies have, or ...

", was announced for 2 May. Following a performance at Brixton Academy, they released a cover of "

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album ''No One's Gonna Change Our W ...

", originally by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

, as a download only single, with proceeds going to the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society () is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with 1 ...

Japan Tsunami Appeal. The third single from their debut album, " The Beat Goes On", was released on 18 July 2011 with a new B side, "In the Bubble with a Bullet". In July 2011, Beady Eye recorded the song "

Blue Moon A blue moon refers either to the presence of a second full moon in a calendar month, to the third full moon in a season containing four, or to a moon that appears blue due to atmospheric effects. The calendrical meaning of "blue moon" is unc ...

", which is sung by

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

fans during matches, in support of Manchester City's new 2011/12 kit. Gallagher said "I've been a City fan since I was a kid, so to be involved with the launch of a new kit is colossal. Manchester City fans are known for having a lot of style and the new shirt looks mega. I love the soundwave idea and the Mod-inspired collar looks proper smart. "Blue Moon" is a top tune and has been City's song for as long as I can remember. It's been covered by loads of people but the only good one until now was the one Elvis did. I hope the fans buzz off our version and sing along to it at the stadium". The band toured UK, Europe and America from March to December 2011, initially shying from playing Oasis songs, because Liam Gallagher wanted the band to "become known for what it is".

''BE'' and break-up: 2012–2014

In February, Liam stated that Beady Eye would play Oasis songs. On 28 June 2012, Beady Eye played at

Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...

's Parr Hall in which they played two Oasis songs: "

Morning Glory Morning glory (also written as morning-glory) is the common name for over 1,000 species of flowering plants in the family Convolvulaceae, whose taxonomy and systematics remain in flux. These species are distributed across numerous genus, gene ...

" and " Rock 'n' Roll Star". During the same gig, they also showcased a new song entitled "The World's Not Set in Stone". On 12 August 2012, Beady Eye performed Oasis classic " Wonderwall" at the London 2012 Olympics closing ceremony. After continued writing and sporadic recording in 2012, in November the band started recording the follow-up to ''Different Gear, Still Speeding'' with musician and producer Dave Sitek. " Flick of the Finger", the first song from the band's new album debuted on Californian radio station

KCRW KCRW (89.9 FM broadcasting, FM) is an NPR member station broadcasting from the campus of Santa Monica College in Santa Monica, California, where the station is licensed. KCRW airs original news and music programming in addition to programming ...

on 5 April. In March 2013, Wootton left the band to focus on his solo career and was replaced by

guitarist Jay Mehler. On 10 April 2013, Liam Gallagher announced that Beady Eye's second album would be released on 10 June 2013 and would be titled '' BE''. The album was produced by Dave Sitek who has previously produced records for

Yeah Yeah Yeahs Yeah Yeah Yeahs are an American indie rock band formed in New York City in 2000. The group is composed of vocalist and pianist Karen O (born Karen Lee Orzolek), guitarist and keyboardist Nick Zinner, and drummer Brian Chase. They are compleme ...

TV on the Radio TV on the Radio (TVOTR) is an American rock music, rock band from Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2001. The band consists of Tunde Adebimpe (vocals, loops), Dave Sitek (guitars, keyboards, loops), Kyp Malone (vocals, guitars, bass, loops), and ...

and

Jane's Addiction Jane's Addiction was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1985. The band's best known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Perry Farrell, bassist Eric Avery, drummer Stephen Perkins and guitarist Dave Navarro. Jane's Addicti ...

. The first single " Second Bite of the Apple" was released in May. The album charted at Number 2 in the UK on its release. The

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

"Shine a Light" / "The World's Not Set in Stone" was released on 19 August. Beady Eye opened the Glastonbury Festival 2013 with an unbilled performance on the Other Stage on Friday 28 June, despite Liam previously claiming he would never return to the festival. Their August tour with dates including

V Festival V Festival, often referred to as V Fest or simply V, was an annual music festival held in the United Kingdom during the third weekend in August. The event was held at two parks simultaneously which shared the same bill; artists performed at one ...

was cut short, due to a head injury sustained by guitarist Gem Archer at his home. On 18 October 2013, Beady Eye played at A Night For Jon Brookes, a tribute concert for Charlatans' former drummer, the late Jon Brookes. Former Oasis guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs joined the band in place of Archer, who reportedly was in the audience. Included in Beady Eye's set were covers of George Harrison's " My Sweet Lord" and Oasis' " Live Forever" and "Columbia." Their new double A-side "Iz Rite" / "Soul Love" was released on 25 November 2013. The band were set to play at Coachella Festival 2014 before canceling their appearance. The band toured with the Australian Big Day Out festival in January 2014. On 25 October 2014, Liam Gallagher announced that Beady Eye had disbanded. His post on Twitter stated the band are "no longer" and thanked fans for their support. He would later embark upon a solo career with Mehler as his session and touring musician, while Archer and Sharrock joined Noel's band, High Flying Birds, and Bell returned to his original band, Ride. In a 2018 interview, Liam blamed a lack of coverage for Beady Eye's disbandment, as well as the diminishing size of crowds and the second album's failure to gain popularity in the United States, resulting in the band not touring there. He stated that if their third album had not been successful they would have been "playing pubs".

Beady Eye Records

Beady Eye Records Ltd. was a

record label "Big Three" music labels A record label or record company is a brand or trademark of Sound recording and reproduction, music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a Music publisher, ...

set up by the band to release their material in the UK and Ireland, serving the same purpose as Big Brother Recordings did for Oasis. On 24 January 2011, it was announced that American indie label

Dangerbird Records Dangerbird Records is an independent record label in Los Angeles, California. The label is home to artists from around the world and part of the burgeoning Silver Lake music scene. The label has had international success from its small roster of ...

would release ''Different Gear, Still Speeding'' in North America on 1 March 2011.

Discography

* '' Different Gear, Still Speeding'' (2011) * '' BE'' (2013)

Awards

NME Awards

Beady Eye received one NME Award nomination in 2011. , - , , 2011 , , Beady Eye , , Best New Band , , Beady Eye's debut album ''Different Gear, Still Speeding'' was shortlisted for XFM's New Music Award to find the best debut album from a British band in 2011. Their debut single "The Roller" was announced as the best selling vinyl single of 2011 in the UK. The follow-up release "Millionaire" was the second best selling, and "The Beat Goes On" was fifth. The documentary ''Start Anew? A Film About Liam Gallagher and Beady Eye'' won the People's Choice Lovie Award, while "Shine A Light" was nominated for Q Awards' Best Video.

Band members

Final lineup

Liam Gallagher William John Paul Gallagher (born 21 September 1972) is an English singer and songwriter. He is the lead singer and co-founder of the rock band Oasis (band), Oasis and fronted the rock band Beady Eye from 2010 to 2014, before starting a succes ...

– lead vocals, tambourine (2009–2014) *

– guitars, keyboards, bass, percussion, backing vocals (2009–2014) * Andy Bell – guitars, bass, keyboards, backing vocals (2009–2014) * Chris Sharrock – drums, percussion (2009–2014) * Jeff Wootton – bass (2010–2013) * Jay Mehler – bass (2013–2014) Live and session musicians * Matt Jones – keyboards (2010–2014) * Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs – guitars (2013, 2014)

References

External links

*
Beady Eye CollectorsBeady Eye
on

Myspace Myspace (formerly stylized as MySpace, currently myspace; and sometimes my␣, with an elongated Whitespace character#Substitute images, open box symbol) is a social networking service based in the United States. Launched on August 1, 2003, it w ...

Beady Eye on Last.fm
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beady Eye Oasis (band) English alternative rock groups English musical quintets Musical groups established in 2009 Musical groups disestablished in 2014 Alternative rock groups from London Dangerbird Records artists MapleMusic Recordings artists Sony Music UK artists