Photographer, Melissa Lim, is credited with persuading Noel Gallagher to stay with Oasis after the star had a major fallout with his brother, Liam, in 1994
The mystery woman who many reckon stopped Oasis from splitting up 30 years ago surprised Noel Gallagher at the band’s reunion gig in California at the weekend.
Photographer, Melissa Lim, was in the packed-out stadium at the Rose Bowl on Saturday after spending time with the Don’t Look Back In Anger star in 1994 after meeting Noel at one of Oasis’ first gigs.
After she captioned a photo of Oasis on stage surrounded by fireworks at the weekend: “30 years and worth the wait. Thank you @oasis”, a fan page responded with a throwback snap of Melissa and Noel, posting: “Melissa Lim, the lady that saved Oasis attended the show at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, September 6th.”
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The post continued: “Did you know? She played a quiet, yet pivotal role in Oasis history. She’s widely recognised as the woman who prevented Noel Gallagher from leaving the band, becoming the muse behind the song Talk Tonight and even influencing the album title (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?”
Melissa spoke about her relationship with Noel in the San Francisco Chronicle last year, revealing that she met the star backstage in the US in 1994, supporting the band’s soon-to-be-platinum-selling album, Definitely Maybe.
After Noel reportedly asked the photographer if he could “hang out” with her that night, their encounter would become a significant part of the group’s early history, as told in the epic 2016 Oasis documentary, Supersonic.
Three days after their disastrous concert in LA at which Liam reportedly threw a tambourine at his older brother, Noel is said to have sought refuge at Melissa’s apartment in San Francisco.
“He was very upset,” Melissa said. “I took him in, fed him and tried to calm him down. He wanted to break up the band.”
She continued: “San Francisco has a reputation of being a place where bands come to die, like the Band and the Sex Pistols. I wasn’t going to let it happen on my watch. I told him, ‘You can’t leave the band — you’re on the verge of something big.’”
While the documentary refers to Mark Coyle, the band’s producer, calling Melissa a “spiritual animal,” Noel’s recollection of their time together is somewhat hazy.
“If I close my eyes now, I can’t even picture the girl,” he says in the film. “I can’t remember her name.”
When the Chronicle asked Oasis to confirm Lim’s story, Noel declined to comment.
However, responding to Melissa’s post at the weekend, many Oasis fans thanked her for keeping the band together, as one said: “I was just watching a video on my laptop of Noel singing Talk Tonight on MTV unplugged in 1996 and your image popped up on my Insta!! That’s crazy!!!
“This is my favourite song and I cried like a baby. Thank you for being the inspiration for this epic song and I’m so happy you got to see them!! I hope he invited you back stage ;).”
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