Noel Gallagher on Mercury

THE BIRD & THE BEADY: It was front-page news in the U.K. last week when former Oasis guitarist/songwriter/auteur Noel Gallagher held a press conference to announce his plans. (It would have been helpful if the footage of the 35-minute Q&A had been subtitled.) While it may mean somethwhat less on this side of the pond, the news that Gallagher has a new band, album and label does have historical significance. Oasis pretty much defined Britpop as well as selling 70 million albums worldwide, making them one of the biggest bands of the late 20th century. So a delayed drumroll for the news that the band is Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, the album is self-titled, the U.S. label is Sour Mash/Mercury and the release date is Nov. 8. The band will tour behind the LP this fall, and Gallagher promised he’d work plenty of Oasis material into the setlists. "I'm proud of them and of what they mean to people," he said during the news conference. "I'll never do a gig without playing them. They're like drugs to me." Kid brother Liam, who was Oasis’ frontman, has his own band, Beady Eye, whose first album is out on Dangerbird. (7/14a)