Liam Gallagher: Fontaines D.C. 'not good enough' to open Oasis 'Live '27' tour

Liam Gallagher, frontman of Oasis, has publicly ruled out Fontaines D.C. as support for the band's upcoming 'Live '27' tour, telling a fan on social media that the Irish group are "not good enough" and "don't have any tunes." The dismissal came on October 16, the same day Fontaines D.C. released their new album 'Dopamine Chamber' and a day after they previewed it with an intimate gig at London's Roundhouse.

The putdown is the latest exchange in a running feud that began in 2024, when Fontaines guitarist Carlos O'Connell said the band "couldn't really give a shit" about the Oasis reunion, and bassist Conor Deegan III added that he wasn't excited either, calling the nostalgia-driven comeback "really annoying" for a band trying to make new things. Gallagher previously responded with crude insults, calling them "little spunkbubbles" and saying they looked like "a shit EMF." When another fan forwarded a clip of the interview, he wrote "State of em." Fontaines frontman Grian Chatten later clarified on NME's Instagram that he personally loves Oasis, writing: "I love Oasis. This is not my opinion."

The stakes are real. The 'Live '27' tour was announced on September 14 after months of speculation, with Noel Gallagher explaining the decision to head out again after the second Wembley show on the 'Live '25' tour in July 2025: "We were having such a great time... why wouldn't we?" The run was expanded due to "phenomenal demand," and all 42 dates have now sold out, including five nights at Glasgow's Celtic Park, 11 at Manchester's Etihad Stadium, six at Knebworth, two at Slane Castle, plus dates across mainland Europe and the US. So far, only Richard Ashcroft has been confirmed as support for all shows, and he previously joined them on the Live '25 UK dates. That leaves the remaining opening slots as prime real estate for any act lucky enough to land them.

Gallagher's dismissal is not just a personal jab; it is a commercial signal. Support slots on a sold-out stadium tour of this scale can expose an artist to hundreds of thousands of potential new fans, and the choice of who opens is often as strategic as it is artistic. By publicly ruling out Fontaines D.C., Gallagher is drawing a line between Oasis's legacy and the current wave of post-punk revivalists, even as Fontaines have been hailed by NME as "the definitive band of this decade" in a five-star review of 'Dopamine Chamber.' The review called the record "an extraordinary record for extraordinary times" and praised the band for making "something pure, honest and feeling while in exhilarating motion."

Fontaines D.C. have had a difficult year behind the scenes. At their Roundhouse show earlier this week, Chatten told the crowd, "It's been a very tough year for us," appearing to refer to the death of their manager Trevor Dietz, who passed away in June. The band then performed 'Favourite,' a single from their 2023 album 'Romance.' The emotional weight of that moment stands in contrast to Gallagher's dismissive tone, and it highlights the generational tension at the heart of this feud: Oasis are trading on nostalgia, while Fontaines are trying to push forward.

For executives and investors watching the music business, this spat is a reminder that artist brands are fragile and that public feuds can shape tour economics. The 'Live '27' tour is already a guaranteed sellout, but the support lineup will influence how the tour is perceived culturally. Richard Ashcroft, a Britpop contemporary, reinforces the nostalgia play; adding a band like Fontaines D.C. would have signaled a bridge to the next generation. Gallagher's refusal to even consider them suggests Oasis is doubling down on its core audience rather than courting new fans. Noel has already promised the shows will be "so much better" than the 2025 reunion tour, saying the band will be "way more relaxed" second time around, which only raises the profile of the support slots.

Fontaines D.C. have yet to respond publicly, and NME has contacted a spokesperson for comment. The band will appear in a special of Later... with Jools Holland, filmed at Alexandra Palace this week, airing in November, with the intimate set hitting iPlayer next week. That exposure will keep them in the spotlight regardless of Gallagher's snub, and it gives them a platform to let the music speak. For now, the ball is in Fontaines' court, and the music industry will be watching to see if they answer with a chart-topping record or a pointed comeback of their own.