Noel Gallagher sets next spring for new album, tour

I can't wait to hear this. Hope to catch a full gig from the band since I only managed to see their short set at Coachella...

Noel Gallagher has announced the new Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds album Chasing Yesterday will be released on March 3 via Sour Mash Records. 

First single "In The Heat Of The Moment" is out Nov. 17 digitally and on limited edition 
7" vinyl with B-side "Do The Damage." 

A run of arena dates commences in March (see below) to coincide with the album release. Tickets will go on sale on Oct. 17 at 9 a.m.

Chasing Yesterday marks a new chapter and sound for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. It's the first album to be produced as well as written by Noel and features a broader array of instrumentation On producing the album, Noel said the following during a press conference this week:

"It was a major pain in the arse. It's not that I've ever had people telling me what to write or what direction to go in, but managing sessions from one end of the week to the other proved extremely difficult. I had all these people looking at me and saying: 'right, what are we doing today?' I was making the whole thing up as I went along."

As for "In The Heat Of The Moment," it was inspired by a documentary in which an astronaut said that going into space for the first time feels like touching the face of God. "If that's not an opening line for a song I don't know what is," said Gallagher.

Opening track "Riverman" is an expansive song with several guitar and saxophone solos. Noel said of the track:

"We made a demo of Riverman and we knew it was amazing," "And then I was listening to [sax-laden one-hit wonder from 1974] Pinball by Brian Protheroe and thought: Shall I actually get a saxophone player? And what if I get him to play not one but two solos? I know I'm going to be accused of sax crimes. But fuck it. There's nobody to tell me not to do it. And when you listen to that saxophone, please, don't think about the guy from Spandau Ballet."

The closer, "Ballad Of The Mighty I," sees Johnny Marr join with Noel on guitar duties.

"I tried to get him to play on the last album but it never happened," said Gallagher. "So when I put this track together and knew he would be perfect for it I called him and asked if I could send him the rough mix. He said: 'No, I don't want to hear it. I'm just going to react to it on the day.' He didn't even want any pointers. Well, that was brave of him. He just arrived with two guitars and a bag of effects pedals. And I have to say, he's unbelievable. He's way up there, on another level to the rest of us. The result is a burst of energy that helped make Mighty I one of the best songs I've ever written."

This album follows the huge success of the double platinum eponymous debut album that has sold 770,000 copies to date in the UK alone, and a live schedule that saw Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds visit 32 countries and play 143 shows over a 15 month touring period.

Track listing:

1. Riverman
2. In The Heat Of The Moment
3. The Girl With X-Ray Eyes
4. Lock All The Doors
5. The Dying Of The Light
6. The Right Stuff
7. While The Song Remains The Same
8. The Mexican
9. You Know We Can't Go Back
10. Ballad Of The Mighty I

2015 Tour Dates (additional dates in Europe & U.S. to be announced):

March 3 Belfast Odyssey Arena
March 6 Nottingham Capital FM Arena
March 7 Glasgow The SSE Hydro
March 9 Manchester Arena
March 10 London The O2 Arena