Inside Noel and Liam Gallagher’s tense relationship with estranged abusive dad
Despite warring brothers Liam and Noel calling a truce for the sake of Oasis, the siblings have revealed they'll never speak to their father again.
Liam and Noel Gallagher have spoken candidly about their estranged father, Thomas Gallagher, and the impact his alleged abuse had on their family.
The Oasis frontmen, who grew up in Burnage, Manchester, moved away from their father with their mother Peggy and older brother Paul in the 1980s. The brothers have repeatedly claimed that their father was physically abusive during their childhood.
Speaking in the 2016 documentary Supersonic, Liam recalled an incident after an Oasis gig in Dublin in the 1990s when the brothers discovered their father in the same hotel bar, reportedly accompanied by a journalist.
“Someone turned around and said, ‘your old fella is over there with a journalist trying to get something going,’” Liam said. “I was about to kill him.”
He added: “I probably got calmed down by our kid, I think. It is pathetic, in front of the press, your son, you know what I mean? See you later mate.”
Last year, Noel and Liam delighted fans when they revealed they would reunite for a new Oasis tour. It is due to kick off in July 2025, beginning in Cardiff, before heading to Manchester and then on to London's Wembley Stadium.
Their older brother Paul described the hotel as “fairly public” at the time, saying: “Ireland didn’t really have security around rock bands in them days — anyone could walk in off the street.”
In a separate incident, Liam said his father phoned him requesting tickets to an Oasis show. “I’m up for concert tickets but couldn’t get tickets,” Tommy reportedly said.
Liam replied: “Yeah, you’re not gonna get tickets. If I catch you walking round the lobby of this hotel you’re gonna get your legs f***ing broke, right? See you later.”
Peggy Gallagher has also spoken about the alleged abuse, particularly towards Noel. “He used to kill Noel. Noel was the one who got it most,” she said. “I remember Noel saying once, ‘if you don’t get out of here and leave him mam I am going to kill him’. And I thought, ‘oh Jesus, you can’t be doing time for the likes of him’.”
Liam added: “Me dad used to knock me mam about. There was many times where it got like that. He never touched me, I don’t know why he didn’t. Sometimes you’d f***ing want the crack instead of having to witness it.”
In 2015, Noel discussed the lasting impact of the abuse during an appearance on Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4. “Yeah, my dad used to beat the living daylights out of me,” he said. “I’ve never felt compelled to either talk about it or write about it. You can’t let that kind of thing affect you in any way because you are then carrying that weight all the way through life.”
He also revealed he developed a stammer as a result of the physical abuse and said he had worked to ensure he did not pass the trauma on to his own children.
Peggy left Thomas Gallagher and divorced him in 1986. “He never came after us. He wouldn’t dare,” Paul said. “It was a sense of ‘see you later — we’re free’.”
Asked by the Irish Independent in 2019 whether he would ever reconcile with his father, Noel said: “I wouldn't have thought so, no. He doesn't mean anything to me.
“The bad stuff completely outweighs the good stuff. OK, he got me into supporting Man City. Thanks a lot. That’s the least you could f***ing do for me.”
Oasis at the BBC will air on Saturday 21 Junat on BBC 2 at 8.35pm.
