'I was gutted' says former Oasis member who was 'fired' from band

Edinburgh Live

27-05-2025

A former Oasis drummer has expressed his disappointment at being left out of the band's highly anticipated reunion gigs this year.
Last August, Noel and Liam Gallagher announced they would be reuniting for the first time since their dramatic split in 2009, with their Oasis 2025 shows kicking off in Cardiff in July before moving on to Manchester's Heaton Park for five performances later that month.
Zak Starkey, who drummed for Oasis from 2004 to 2009, appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning (May 27) to discuss his new single with supergroup Mantra of the Cosmos, which includes Bez and Shaun Ryder from Happy Mondays and ex-Oasis bassist Andy Bell.
The son of Beatles icon Ringo Starr, Zak spoke about the group's new track Domino Bones, which was penned by Noel Gallagher. Noel had offered the song to the group, believing it suited them better, having previously likened the band to 'like Dylan, Dalí and Ginsberg on a rocket ship to the moon to have it with the Clangers'.
During the interview with host Ben Thompson, Zak shared his astonishment at receiving a song from Noel, remarking: "I was blown away by it - I couldn't believe it. The greatest songwriter of my generation sending me a tune," reports the Manchester Evening News.
When the conversation shifted to the upcoming Oasis reunion tour, Zak didn't hesitate to reveal his feelings, admitting he was 'gutted' not to be included in the lineup for the shows.
He remarked: "I texted them and said 'why am I not in it?'. You know, if you get a new drummer, you get comfortable, don't you? You get comfortable with new musicians and I think that's what's happened and I'm alright with that."
He also expressed that he would have been keen to join the tour if invited. Speaking to a BBC programme, he said: "God, yeah. Greatest rock and roll band of my generation. Greatest rock and roll singer of my generation."
Last week saw Andy Bell of Mantra of the Cosmos fame confirm his participation in Liam and Noel's reunion tour. The bassist, who was part of Oasis from 1999 until their split in 2009, shared his excitement about the upcoming tour.
While on BBC Breakfast, Zak also discussed his tenure with The Who. As the iconic band's drummer since 1996, he was recently in the news over claims he'd been sacked after a performance at the Royal Albert Hall in March.
In addressing the rumours, Zak clarified: "I didn't leave, I never left. We did a gig and there's a song that's called The Song is Over that they've never played live. It's on Who's Next, which is their biggest record, and I suggested it."
He detailed how The Who eventually decided to play the song live, but things didn't pan out as expected during the performance. Zak recounted: "We played it at the gig and it went wrong. I'm not going to name names, but it went wrong. It went four bars wrong.
"We stopped it again and it was all about the drums being too loud, but my drums are electric - if you stand in front of them, you can't hear them, they're just in my ears. The next thing I know I'm getting the sack."
He added: "Sack the drummer, everybody's called me. I posted something about it, and three days later I got my job back. Then two days later, I secretly didn't get my job back and it's all gone haywire since then.
"I found out the other day I wasn't fired, I was retired because I was too busy but I've actually got nothing on besides this single - and half the band are in Oasis, half the band are in Happy Mondays so they can't work, I'm totally free."