Noel Gallagher Is Donating ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ Royalties To The Families Of Manchester Victims

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No love is lost between the Gallagher brothers, whose infamous public feuding has been the source of both humor and chagrin over the years. Things got a bit more heated over these past couple weeks, though, as musicians around the world have been banding together to support victims of the horrific Manchester bombing at an Ariana Grande concert. Because Manchester is their hometown, both of the Gallagher brothers are feeling the attacks on a deeper and more personal level.

Ariana courageously returned to the city to host a benefit concert for the victims and their families, and Liam Gallagher appeared at the show to perform. However, he was upset that his brother Noel was absent, and called him a “sad f*ck,” which, to their credit, Coldplay rebutted by publicly thanking Noel for giving Chris Martin and Ariana Grande his blessing to duet on one of Oasis’ most popular and best songs, “Don’t Look Back In Anger.” They noted that everyone was aware Liam wasn’t going to be at the performance.

And, as it turns out, Noel didn’t just give his blessing, he also chose to donate all the royalties from the track to the families of Manchester victims, which is certainly a substantial step, even if he couldn’t make the concert that one day. NME reports that Radio X host Gordon Smart revealed Liam’s secret donation happened after he saw that crowds were spontaneously using the song at vigils to help deal with their grief. This was well before the benefit was announced, and also, done in private — unlike Liam’s public peacocking.

From Smart:

“It’s only right to point out, and I don’t think this is public knowledge because I’m sure he would never mention it, but I found out today that as soon as ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’ started to appear spontaneously at the vigils, he made sure all the royalties went to the families. That was before any gig was mentioned. It seems wrong to me that Noel’s getting a hard time for a reunion he was never part of. It’s a shame any attention at all has been taken away from a really special occasion at Old Trafford. But there you go, true fact. He gave his blessing for the songs without any drama at all. Loads of amazing musicians from Manchester couldn’t play the gig, but none of them have been dug out. All that has come from that night is good will from most people.”

But, it seems that Noel isn’t looking back with any anger — he’s yet to comment on Liam’s name-calling.

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