The infamous Gallagher brothers of Oasis fame have gained a reputation for their willingness to bad-mouth their critics, but this past weekend, the tables turned this past weekend when effigies of Liam and Noel Gallagher were burned during the annual Edenbridge Bonfire. The yearly celebration marks the anniversary of the Gunpowder Plot of 1605, an unsuccessful regicide attempt in England. The event regularly features the burning of effigies of controversial public and political figures.
During the November 2, 2024, celebration, the Gallaghers joined the ranks of Lance Armstrong, Boris Johnson, Donald Trump, and Saddam Hussein as their caricature cutouts (featuring Noel’s signature mop of hair and Liam’s sunglasses and parka combo) went up in flames to the attendees’ delight.
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Why Burn Liam and Noel Gallagher Effigies?
Every year, the Edenbridge Bonfire Society builds massive, 36-foot-tall effigies that burn as part of the annual protest against political, societal, or public corruption. For the 2024 celebration, organizers turned Noel and Liam Gallagher into two hand puppets. Their “puppet master” was a suit-clad figure with dollar signs for eyeballs. An Oasis concert ticket was its tongue, and money spilled out of its suit pockets.
Their not-so-subtle commentary on Oasis’ rising ticket prices was hard to miss. But the society offered an explanation on social media just in case. “We wanted to remind people that it doesn’t always have to be politicians who we create for our annual event,” the EBS wrote. “We also wanted to appeal to a wider audience. The Ticketmaster ticket fiasco has affected a lot of different age groups, such is the appeal of Oasis. We know many fans were very unhappy at being ripped off by Ticketmaster when they discovered the price of the tickets. No one likes being taken advantage of by these big companies.”
“Who is the face of Ticketmaster,” they wrote. “Even we don’t know and probably not a face many would recognize. So, we went with the ‘money-emoji’ as we know everyone can connect with that. We wanted to show the Ticketmaster for what it is – a money-making machine… And just to clarify, we love Oasis and added them to the design purely because they just highlighted the dynamic ticket pricing and brought all this to light. They are just puppets in this, not the effigy.”
The Puppets’ Preemptive Response
When controversy surrounding the Gallagher brothers pops up, it’s typically because of something Liam or Noel Gallagher has said to one another, critics, or even fans. But this time appears to be different. Like the Edenbridge Bonfire Society said in their Facebook statement, Liam and Noel Gallagher’s effigies are merely puppets controlled by greater powers that be. And to the Gallaghers’ credit, they seem to be trying to rectify the problem.
Days before the Edenbridge Bonfire, Oasis promoters announced they would cancel over 50,000 tickets sold on secondary platforms. These unauthorized resale platforms astronomically gouged prices, increasing some ticket costs by the hundreds of thousands. Canceled tickets will go back on sale via Ticketmaster at face value, per the BBC.
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