Noel Gallagher wins Songwriter of the Year amid boos and a divided crowd in Manchester
noel gallagher picked up the Songwriter of the Year award at the BRITs on Saturday, praising his younger brother and several former bandmates — remarks that were followed by mixed reaction from the crowd and a message of support from his brother on social media. The acceptance highlighted both his long-running catalogue and questions about recent new material.
Noel Gallagher accepts Songwriter of the Year at Co-op Live
The Oasis rocker, 58, was honoured at the ceremony held at the Co-op Live Arena in Manchester on Saturday night (February 28). The event — billed in one account as the 46th edition of the BRIT Awards at Co-op Live and elsewhere described as the first time the awards have been held outside London in their 47-year history — saw the prize presented on a packed stage by Primal Scream frontman Bobby Gillespie, while a video package included a personal message from Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City.
The presentation was introduced in different ways in coverage of the night, and one published account carried the byline: 01: 12 GMT 01 Mar 2026, updated 01: 28 GMT 01 Mar 2026 By CAROLINA PIRAS, SHOWBUSINESS REPORTER.
Acceptance speech: tributes to Liam, Bonehead and the Roll With It band
Onstage, noel gallagher thanked his younger brother Liam, 53, and named former bandmates in his speech: Bonehead, Guigsy, Tony McCarroll, Alan White, Gem and Andy. He said those people “brought those songs to life, ” adding gratitude for “the people, who have kept those songs alive for the last 35 years. ” He closed the speech by telling the crowd to “Have a great night. Up the fucking Blues. ”
The ceremony coverage noted that Noel also thanked the rest of the Roll With It band following a hugely successful reunion last year.
Televised censorship, a social post from Liam and split reactions
Parts of Noel’s acceptance speech were censored on live television, and his brother Liam — not in attendance — posted on social media minutes after the speech: “All hail the greatest songwriter this country has ever seen since Lennon n McCartney ps my name is liam x. ” The Manchester crowd reaction was described as divided when a rallying cry for the local football club was issued during the presentation sequence.
Controversy over new music and Noel’s public response
The award prompted some controversy because Noel has not written a new song in two years, and one account noted he had not released any new songs in the past 12 months. Noel addressed that backlash during a radio appearance earlier this month, admitting, “I haven’t written a song for two years. I’m not sure how I’ve got away with that one, but I’ll take it. ” He also challenged critics to “meet me there” on the red carpet and said, of other songwriting teams, “If any of those wet wipes songwriting teams, all 11 of them, want to write a song between the lot of them, want to have it out on the red carpet, I’m there. ”
Noel additionally argued that the BRIT Awards are based on record sales and claimed, in that appearance, “we sold a million records last year. Didn’t even get off the couch, ” while insisting he would “have it out” with anyone who complained about the selection.
Studio work, reunion tour and award context
After a hugely successful Oasis reunion tour last year, Noel has said he is back in the studio, though whether that work is for an Oasis project or something else is unclear in the provided context. The Songwriter of the Year prize is described as recognising “exceptional songwriting” and has previously been given to Ed Sheeran, Kid Harpoon, RAYE and Charli XCX.
Olivia Dean dominated the awards
Elsewhere at the ceremony, Olivia Dean emerged as the night’s big winner, taking home four awards and winning in every category for which she was nominated, including Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.
