Zak Starkey claims Noel and Liam Gallagher did not argue during his time in Oasis

Former Oasis drummer Zak Starkey has said that Noel Gallagher and Liam Gallagher “never even argued once” during the years he played with the band.

Starkey, who served as The Who’s regular drummer until last year, was part of Oasis between 2004 and 2008.

The Gallagher brothers have long been known for their turbulent relationship, with clashes and fallouts becoming part of the band’s public story over the years.

While Starkey was a member of Oasis, Liam famously walked off stage halfway through ‘Champagne Supernova’ at the Heineken Jammin’ Festival in Italy in June 2005. Liam and Noel were also shown exchanging sharp words in the 2007 documentary Lord Don’t Slow Me Down during the Don’t Believe The Truth world tour.

Even so, Starkey said he never witnessed any conflict between them. “I played with them for five years, and all we did was laugh. They never even argued once. Not one time,” he told the New York Post.

“We toured for 140 shows. We made two great records. We rehearsed. We hung out all the time. Never one. Never one cross word in five years.”

He also said the group “never complained about anything, ever” and were consistently punctual, explaining: “And they’re never late. If it says on the sheet 5:30, at 10 minutes past 5:00, they were there.”

Starkey had already left the band before the argument that led to Oasis splitting in Paris in 2009, with Chris Sharrock later stepping in as drummer.

He admitted feeling disappointed when he was not asked to return for Oasis’ reunion tour last year, with Jay Waronker instead taking over behind the kit.

Speaking to NME at the time, Starkey said: “Noel called me on my birthday to tell me I wasn’t in Oasis. He didn’t know it was my birthday though. I would like to be in it, because they’re my favourite group of my generation. The thing about groups that you love, like The Who or Oasis, is that it’s not a job. It’s about protecting music so that no c**t does it wrong, because for so many people it’s a job and they don’t really care.”

He continued: “When it’s your favourite band, you pick up the phone and you’re like, ‘Fucking hell!’ It’s completely different to everything else. I fucking love Oasis. I always did. I always had this thing with Liam for years from the mid 90s where I’d go, ‘Alright Daffers? Still the greatest rock’n’roll singer in the world?’ and he’d go, ‘Alright Zakky Wakky, still the greatest rock’n’roll drummer in the world?’

“This went on for years until I was in the band. I couldn’t believe it.”

Starkey again stressed that he never saw any tension between the brothers, adding: “We went to America and we fucking destroyed it. Those boys never argued, they didn’t want to ruin it. We were just having a laugh and it was great rock’n’roll.”

Elsewhere, Noel recently looked back on Oasis’ landmark reunion run and sparked speculation about new material by revealing that he was “back at work”.