Robbie Williams has made a surprising admission about his former rivals Oasis - he would happily open for them on their highly anticipated reunion tour. The Rock DJ singer told ITV News he "can't compete" with the Britpop legends' current cultural dominance.
Williams acknowledged Oasis's moment with remarkable humility. "In this moment that they're having right now, they are omnipresent and they are the peak Zeitgeist," he said. "I can't compete with that. So I would, I would open for Oasis. We're not exactly friends, but I don't think we're enemies."
The admission represents a significant shift from their notorious past clashes. Despite years of trading barbs, Williams has always admired Oasis's music and confessed he would have preferred making that style rather than Take That's pop sound.
Historic rivalry softening
The feud between Williams and the Gallagher brothers became legendary in British music. Noel Gallagher famously labelled Williams the "fat dancer from Take That" at the 2000 Brit Awards, while Williams frequently responded with his own verbal volleys over the years.
However, recent signs suggest relations have improved. According to the Independent, Williams recently sent a "wholesome message" to Liam Gallagher on X, indicating the animosity may be thawing between the former adversaries.
Their history includes memorable moments beyond the feuding. Five years before the Brit Awards incident, Williams ended up partying hard with Liam Gallagher at Glastonbury Festival in 1995, creating one of the era's most talked-about musical encounters.
Artistic full circle
Williams is now channelling his Britpop aspirations into reality with his upcoming album, aptly titled "Britpop". The album cover features the very red tracksuit Williams wore during his wild Glastonbury weekend with Liam, according to the Liverpool Echo.
Williams described the project with evident passion. "I set out to create the album that I wanted to write and release after I left Take That in 1995," he said. "It was the peak of Britpop and a golden age for British Music. I've worked with some of my heroes on this album; it's raw, there are more guitars and it's an album that's even more upbeat and anthemic than usual. There's some 'Brit' in there and there's certainly some 'pop' too - I'm immensely proud of this as a body of work and I'm excited for fans to hear this album. I also can't wait to perform a song or two from it on my upcoming 'Britpop' tour, which I'm opening in the UK, naturally."
The album is set for release on October 10th and will be supported by a UK tour. Williams's artistic journey has come full circle - from missing the original Britpop moment to creating his own retrospective tribute to the era that defined British music in the 1990s.
Sources used: "PA Media", "ITV News", "Liverpool Echo", "Independent" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
