Paul Benjamin Arthurs (born 23 June 1965), better known as Bonehead, is an English musician. He is best known as the co-founder and rhythm guitarist of the rock band
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentOasis Live '25 Tour.
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
parents. He grew up in
Longsight
Longsight is an inner city area of Manchester, England, south of the Manchester City Centre, city centre, bounded by Ardwick and Gorton, West Gorton to the north and east; Levenshulme to the south; and Chorlton-on-Medlock, Victoria Park, Man ...
until his family moved to
Levenshulme
Levenshulme () is an area of Manchester, in Greater Manchester, England, bordering Fallowfield, Longsight, Gorton, Burnage, Heaton Chapel and Reddish, halfway between Stockport and Manchester city centre on the A6 road (England), A6. Levenshulm ...
at age nine. He went to St. Peter's Roman Catholic Grammar School in the nearby town of Prestwich. He earned the nickname "Bonehead" at the age of eight after his parents insisted he get very short haircuts. "It was only my mum and dad throughout my life, really, that called me Paul," Arthurs said. Arthurs left school in 1981 and worked as a plasterer.
Arthurs started his first band, Pleasure and Pain, in 1984. In the late 1980s, while working as a building contractor, he started a band, the Rain, with his friends
Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan
Paul Francis McGuigan (born 9 May 1971), known as Guigsy ( ), is an English retired musician. He is best known as the original bassist and co-founder of the rock band Oasis.
Career
In the late 1980s, McGuigan started a band called The Rain wit ...
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 ...
, who suggested the band change their name to
Oasis
In ecology, an oasis (; : oases ) is a fertile area of a desert or semi-desert environmentNoel, who had just come back from travelling the world as a roadie for
Inspiral Carpets
Inspiral Carpets are an English rock band, part of the late-1980s/early-1990s Madchester movement. Formed in Oldham in 1983, the band's most successful lineup featured frontman Tom Hingley, drummer Craig Gill, guitarist Graham Lambert, bassist ...
, to join the band. Noel brought with him a collection of songs that were to make the band famous. Arthurs remembers the first songs Noel Gallagher played to him, " Live Forever" and " All Around the World". Arthurs was moved to tears when Noel played " Champagne Supernova" to the band on their tour bus.
On his role in the band, Arthurs said: "I always used to say to Noel, 'I'll do the rhythm, mate'. He'd say, 'I'm doing these bits. You just do the barre chords'. And no one could do those barre chords or rhythm better than me". He also played keyboards for the band, including
piano
A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...
and
Mellotron
The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which causes a length of magnetic tape to contact a Capstan (tape recorder), capstan, which pulls i ...
on ''
(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 ...
''. In 1995, Arthurs briefly shifted to
bass guitar
The bass guitar (), also known as the electric bass guitar, electric bass, or simply the bass, is the lowest-pitched member of the guitar family. It is similar in appearance and construction to an Electric guitar, electric but with a longer nec ...
after Scott McLeod—who replaced McGuigan before he was convinced to rejoin—quit in the middle of Oasis' 1995 U.S. tour. The band's appearance on ''
The Late Show with David Letterman
''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production comp ...
'' was as a foursome with Arthurs on bass.
Arthurs was originally supposed to sing lead vocals on "Bonehead's Bank Holiday", a bonus track named after him and included in the vinyl version of ''(What's the Story) Morning Glory?'' After he and Liam Gallagher got intoxicated on the day of the recording, Noel Gallagher sang lead vocals instead. Backing vocals from both Arthurs and Liam can be heard on the track.
Arthurs left the band in 1999, during the recording of Oasis's fourth album, ''
Standing on the Shoulder of Giants
''Standing on the Shoulder of Giants'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band Oasis, released on 28 February 2000. It was the band's first album under their new record label Big Brother Recordings. In the year preceding the album's re ...
''. His official statement said he wanted to spend more time with his young family. "Aside from the band, everyone had their own little thing they had to deal with, but no time to deal with it, which sort of made for an atmosphere that wasn't fun anymore," he said. Arthurs was replaced by
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 ...
; the rest of the band downplayed the reaction to his departure, Noel Gallagher commenting, "it's hardly
Paul McCartney
Sir James Paul McCartney (born 18 June 1942) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who gained global fame with the Beatles, for whom he played bass guitar and the piano, and shared primary songwriting and lead vocal duties with John ...
leaving
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 ...
", though he later said of Arthurs and the also-exiting Paul McGuigan: "We've got to respect their decision as family men".
In 2024, it was announced that Arthurs would be rejoining Oasis for their 2025 tour.
Post-Oasis
In early 2007, Arthurs had a visible presence in the North West of England for the first time since leaving Oasis eight years previously. His support for
Andy Rourke
Andrew Michael Rourke (17 January 1964 – 19 May 2023) was an English musician best known as the bassist of the 1980s indie rock band the Smiths. Regarded as one of the greatest bassists of his generation, he was known for his melodic and funk- ...
's Versus Cancer fundraising concert saw the pair busking together in Manchester's
Cathedral Gardens
Cathedral Gardens is an open space in Manchester city centre, in North West England. It is bounded by Manchester Victoria station, Victoria railway station to the north, Chetham's School of Music to the west, the perimeter of Manchester Cathedral ...
to raise cancer awareness and to fund raise for Manchester's
Christie Hospital
The Christie, formerly known as Christie Hospital and The Christie Hospital and Holt Radium Institute, is a specialist National Health Service, National Health Service (NHS) single site cancer centre in Manchester, United Kingdom. The hospital is ...
. On 30 March 2007, the Versus Cancer concert was held at Manchester's
MEN Arena
Manchester Arena (currently known as AO Arena for sponsorship reasons) is an indoor arena in Manchester, England, immediately north of the Manchester city centre, city centre and partly above Manchester Victoria station in air rights space. Pr ...
. Arthurs played bass guitar (rather than the trademark rhythm guitar from his Oasis days) in a two-song set. He was in a band billed as 'Electric Milk Band', which also featured former members of
Happy Mondays
Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry la ...
.
The group Parlour Flames, made up of Arthurs and Vinny Peculiar (Alan Wilkes), released an eponymous album in May 2013, Arthurs' first since leaving Oasis. Guest musicians on the project included percussionist Che Beresford and brass-player Bob Marsh from
Badly Drawn Boy
Damon Michael Gough (born 2 October 1969), known by the stage name Badly Drawn Boy, is an English indie singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist.
Gough chose his stage name from a character in the show '' The Magic Ball'', which he saw on TV ...
and Anna Zweck from Samson & Delilah on flute and backing vocals.
Arthurs' followed his Parlour Flames project up with a new group called Phoneys & the Freaks, started in 2014 with singer/songwriter Alex Lipinski. Their eponymous EP was released in May 2014 under Cherry Red Records; it included four tracks and was made available on vinyl and digital download.
Liam Gallagher
In 2013 and 2014, Arthurs performed with
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 ...
's band
Beady Eye
Beady Eye were an English rock band formed in London in 2009 by former Oasis members Liam Gallagher (vocals), Gem Archer (guitar) and Andy Bell (guitar), and former Oasis touring musician Chris Sharrock (drums). The band was created when Oasi ...
filling in for
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 ...
, who suffered from a head injury. This led to Arthurs reuniting with Gallagher.
Arthurs also joined Liam Gallagher to play rhythm guitar on the song "Bold" and keyboard on "For What It's Worth" on Liam's solo album '' As You Were''. He joined the band on their debut performance at the O2 Ritz in Manchester, playing rhythm guitar on the Oasis track "Be Here Now".
On 22 May 2018, Arthurs performed with Gallagher at the
London Stadium
London Stadium (formerly and also known as the Olympic Stadium and the Stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park) is a multi-purpose outdoor stadium at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in the Stratford, London, Stratford district of London. It is loc ...
as part of Gallagher's support slot for
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
.
On 18 August 2018, Arthurs along with his son Jude and
Richard Ashcroft
Richard Paul Ashcroft (born 11 September 1971) is an English musician, singer, and songwriter. He formed the alternative rock band the Verve in 1990 and served as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist throughout the band's lifetime. Ashcroft was ...
, joined Gallagher on stage to perform " Live Forever" at Gallagher's gig at
Old Trafford Cricket Ground
Old Trafford is a cricket ground in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1857 as the home of Manchester Cricket Club and has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864. From 2013 onwards it has been known ...
.
During November 2019, Arthurs joined Gallagher on stage to perform Oasis songs during Gallagher's UK and Ireland ''Why Me, Why Not'' shows, usually amounting to 10 or 11 songs in a set. As of 2020, Arthurs continued to tour with the Liam Gallagher band, later joining Liam for a virtual reality concert on 5 December 2020 called " Down by the River Thames".
From 27 to 29 August 2021, Arthurs joined Gallagher to perform his set headlining Reading & Leeds Festivals, playing songs from Gallagher's solo career, as well as Oasis songs.
Following a health scare, Arthurs bowed out of Liam's 2022 and 2023 tours, but returned for his 2024 tour.
Equipment
Arthurs used the same 1982 Japanese-made Epiphone Riviera on every Oasis recording and gig throughout his tenure the band. On the cover of ''
Definitely Maybe
''Definitely Maybe'' is the debut studio album by the English rock band Oasis, released on 29 August 1994 by Creation Records. The album features Noel Gallagher on lead guitar, backing vocals and as chief songwriter, Liam Gallagher on lead vo ...
'', which was shot in Arthurs' living room, the Epiphone is visible propped up against the back wall.
Personal life
Arthurs and his wife Kate are the parents of a daughter and a son.
On 26 April 2022, Arthurs said he had been diagnosed with tonsil cancer and could not join Liam Gallagher on his tour in order to undergo treatment. On 29 September, Arthurs said he was cancer-free.
Unlike the Gallagher Brothers and McGuigan who are
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 ...
supporters, Bonehead is a
Manchester United
Manchester United Football Club, commonly referred to as Man United (often stylised as Man Utd) or simply United, is a professional association football, football club based in Old Trafford (area), Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, Engl ...