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Evening Standard
Evening Standard
Entertainment
Tobi Akingbade

Noel Gallagher heaps praise on Stormzy for Glastonbury headline set as he slams brother Liam's performance

Noel Gallagher thinks it's "great" that Stormzy was offered the opportunity to headline Glastonbury festival - but was less impressed by his brother Liam's set.

The ex-Oasis star has heaped praise on both the Vossi Bop artist for taking on the main stage at the music event, but said he felt "embarrassed" watching his younger sibling's performance at the festival in June.

The 52-year-old has revealed his two sons, Sonny, eight, and 11-year-old Donovan, who he shares with wife Sara MacDonald, are fans of the 26-year-old and even dance around to his hits in the house.

In an interview with The Guardian, he said: "Oh, that's what my two lads are on about.

Headliner: Stormzy performed on the first night of Glastonbury (PA Wire/PA Images)

"Because they'll be doing these dances in the kitchen when they're getting ready for school and I'll be thinking: 'What's a vossi bop?' I didn't realise it was to do with grime."

Describing grime as "as English as Pulp, or The Jam or The Kinks", he added: "And it's their own language, which is a great thing that something born on council estates out of poverty and street culture has got to the main stage at Glastonbury.

"Now, if I'm a 52-year-old father of three living in Maida Vale, then he's talking street jive to me.

"He's talking about some guy stabbing him in the back when he was a kid – I'm not humming along to that!"

Describing Liam's performance, he was less than complimentary, telling the paper: "I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed for a man in my entire life.

Feud: Noel Gallagher and brother Liam (Vittorio Zunino Celotto/Getty Images)

"He's pulled off the incredible magic trick of making those Oasis songs sound weedy and thin. And he looked like he was having the worst day of his life, walking around in what looks like a pair of my son's pyjamas, shouting into a mic about some perceived injustice... if you can't sing 'em, don't play 'em!"

Noel - who has been involved in a bitter row with his brother since Oasis split up in 2009 – added that the tension has affected relationships in his wider family.

Speaking of his own mother, he said: “I liked her until she gave birth to Liam.”

​He added that he was unlikely to forgive his brother due to "one fatal flaw."

He explained: “I’ve got one fatal flaw in my otherwise perfect makeup as a human being, which is I don’t forgive people."

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