Oasis, Noel Gallagher: the Brit Award for "Songwriter of the Year" won without songs, and the return to the studio

In 2025 he hasn't released a single new track, and yet at the upcoming Brit Awards he'll be receiving the Songwriter of the Year award. The decision to honor Noel Gallagher has sparked a predictable debate: how can a title tied to songwriting be given to someone who, in the year in question, didn't write anything new?

The answer, according to the man himself, is simple: the numbers speak for themselves. In an appearance on talkSPORT, Gallagher admitted he hasn't written a song in two years, but he also pointed out that the tracks he penned for Oasis have kept generating more commercial impact than much of today's output. The reunion has put the band's catalogue back at the centre of the market: a million copies sold in the past year, "without even getting off the sofa," as he joked.

The point raised by the Brits, then, isn't about new material, but about songwriting relevance. "Songs that have influenced generations," read the official statement circulated on the awards' channels. In other words, the prize acknowledges the specific weight of a body of work that has become dominant again thanks to the celebratory tour.

Gallagher chose to respond to the criticism in his usual provocative style: if anyone has objections, he'll see them on the red carpet.

Liam Gallagher also weighed in on the controversy, replying on social media to those claiming his brother had done "literally nothing" in the past year: "That's exactly the point. Think about it."

The Brit Awards in Manchester and the Oasis factor

The ceremony on 28 February also marks a symbolic shift: for the first time, the Brit Awards will be held in Manchester, at the Co-op Live, rather than London's O2 Arena. A detail Gallagher was quick to point out with sarcasm, hinting that having an Oasis member around was especially welcome, given it's the band's home city.

The "Live '25" tour, which wrapped up in November after 41 dates across Europe, Asia, Australia and America, grossed over $400 million, making it one of the year's most lucrative tours. Five nights at Heaton Park, seven at Wembley: numbers that have cemented the Oasis brand's centrality well beyond mere nostalgia.

New music? Gallagher heads back into the studio

With live commitments out of the way, Noel Gallagher is back in the studio. He'd already hinted at it back in January, and reiterated it now on talkSPORT. It's unclear whether he's working on material for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds or whether there's a shared plan with Oasis. Manager Alec McKinlay has ruled out any unreleased material tied to the reunion, but the ambiguity keeps fans' expectations alive.

Meanwhile, a documentary film about the reunion and the "Live '25" tour is in production, produced by Steven Knight and directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, already known for the Lcd Soundsystem documentary "Shut Up And Play The Hits". A project that confirms how 2025 was less a year of new songwriting and more one of cultural capitalisation.

For now, Gallagher pockets the award and returns to the studio. New songs, if and when they arrive, will shift the conversation onto different ground.