November 2, 2006 16:40

Oasis and Paul Weller team up onstage

Noel Gallagher covers Beatles at charity show

Photo Gallery: Oasis

Noel Gallagher and Paul Weller joined forces onstage at a charity gig in London tonight (November 2).

Gallagher, watched by his brother Liam and backed by two bandmates including Oasis guitarist Gem Archer, was joined by the Jam man at KOKO, at a show in aid of drugs charity Focus.

Together they performed Weller's 2005 single 'Come On/Let's Go' and 'Thick As Thieves', a Jam classic from their 1979 album 'Setting Sons'.

Noel also covered his heroes' The Beatles' 1967 classic 'Strawberry Fields Forever'.

Earlier comedian Russell Brand, who organised the night, acted as MC introducing opening act The Holloways, and then Dirty Pretty Things, who stood in for absent Kasabian.

The latter had to cancel their appearence after guitarist Serge Pizzorno came down with laryngitis, or as Noel put it onstage later while dedicating 'Cast No Shadow' to him: "something pretentious like that".

Dirty Pretty Things were joined by their own guest in the form of Charlatans frontman Tim Burgess, who sang with Carl Barat on the singles 'Deadwood' and 'Bang Bang You're Dead', as well as his own group's 1997 hit 'North Country Boy'.

Noel, who was playing acoustically (with Archer on electric guitar), played a set including Oasis favourites 'Wonderwall', 'Don't Look Back In Anger' and 'Slide Away', plus rarely performed B-sides 'Fade Away', 'Listen Up' and set opener '(It's Good) To Be Free'.

Noel’s full set was:

'(It's Good) To Be Free'
'Talk Tonight'
'Fade Away'
'Cast No Shadow'
'The Importance Of Being Idle'
'Come On/Let's Go' (with Paul Weller)
'Thick As Thieves' (with Paul Weller)
'Wonderwall'
'Half The World Away'
'Slide Away'
'Strawberry Fields Forever'
'Don't Look Back In Anger'
'Married With Children'
'Listen Up'

Noel is now set to reprise the acoustic performance when he plays another sold out show at the Union Chapel in London on November 26 as part of the Little Noise gigs in aid of charity Mencap.

Meanwhile get next week's issue of NME out on UK newsstands from November 8, for a report from KOKO and an exclusive interview with Noel on Oasis' forthcoming best of 'Stop The Clocks'.