Liam Gallagher: As It Was – The BRWC Review

5th October 2019

By Naseem Ally. Manchester 2017. ’30 years on the yard’ – the words uttered from Oasis’s most infamous brother, Liam Gallagher.

‘Liam Gallagher: As It Was‘ is an intimate tell-all story of Liam’s career, post the Oasis breakup in 2009. Their breakup was part of a number of disputes over the years, that eventually erupted to a row backstage at a concert they were scheduled to perform in Paris.

Throughout the film it’s scattered with questions from an interviewer behind the camera, asking Liam about his thoughts on the breakup and where his mindset was post-Oasis. It makes for a fascinating premise, as you get to hear directly from the man himself instead of the typical ‘behind the music’ format where record execs, music insiders and those who ‘knew him from up the road’ chime in on what they believe to be fact.

The style of filming works. To me at least, it is reminiscent of the documentary ‘Tyson’ that premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival. In it, Mike Tyson is interviewed by filmmaker James Toback, who gets Mike to reflect on his career post-retirement.

For those of you are who fans of video podcasts, I’d recommend watching Mike’s HotBoxin’ Podcast where he interviews a number of cool guests.

I’d personally love to see him interviewing Liam. Could you imagine that? Mike Tyson and Liam Gallagher in the same room. They’d get on like a house on fire. Isn’t that right Mario?

Anyway back to Liam.

In typical fashion, he drops some absolute gems with his Mancunian charm and swagger.

A few quotables come to mind. He professes about being glad he’s ‘staying alive, not being a f*cking casualty’. ‘I don’t think it’s gonna happen, lads, I’m gonna stick it out’.

Effortlessly cool. The parkas. The shades. What more could you ask for?

Liam is backed by a supporting cast of his inner circle in this film. His ‘other’ brother Paul, mum Peggy, sons Lennon and Gene, daughter Molly, former bandmate and drummer ‘Bonehead’ and his manager/girlfriend Debbie.

Liam is the heartbeat of this film and it’s interesting to see how his turbulent career, has influenced the people in his life closest to him as well as his international fan base.

There’s great cinematography in this film and it does a brilliant job of making you feel like your on stage alongside him, absorbing all the adrenaline of performing hit after hit.

I appreciated the variety of footage included in this film. Everything from the inner workings behind the scenes, to the fan footage from some particularly eye-raising moments in his career thus far. One being the Paris fiasco and the other, his impromptu acoustic performance in an Irish bar that went viral.

This film paints the picture of Liam the man, with all of his trials and tribulations laid out bare. The drone shots of his Manchester neighbourhood as he visits his Mum, being ‘off his coconut’ in Parma, Italy during a dark period for the frontman, all the way to being a dad.

Essentially, it’s showing us what makes Liam, Liam.

As you’d come to expect from a film on arguably one of the greatest lead singers of all time, not just in rock and roll, the score in this film is fitting.

There’s not much in terms of songs from O a sis for obvious reasons, but viewers do get a closer look to the penning of some his best work with Beady Eye. During some of the most sombre moments in the film, the subtle keys of the piano and strums of the guitar work beautifully. An example of this is when Liam’s questioned on his take of the events that occurred in the Manchester Arena in 2017.

For someone like Liam having had such a lengthy career to date, there must have been a huge archive of footage to pick from, and with this film, it goes all out. There’s a nice blend of escapades with the press, travels and encounters with fans which made for some great looking transitions and cutaways.

What surprised me, especially, was the warm reception he received in Argentina.

I don’t know of any Englishman that would receive that kind of love and admiration from the Argentinians considering the history between the two countries, but it just goes to show the stature of the man. Surely, we’ve got to give Maradona a break and embrace him with open arms – anyone?

If your not a fan of Liam or Oasis, then, I don’t know what to say to you – Liam would maybe have some harsher words. But, if your a music fan in general or just interested, then you could find some value in it if you also have the patience to stick it out, as this film is a slow burn.

There are an overwhelming amount of stories on Liam, that it would’ve been too much to add in this film. Many fans would’ve loved to be a fly on the wall during the cuts in the editing room, and see what had been left out as Liam’s got tales for days. This though is a great addition to the Oasis: Supersonic documentary.

I just hope in the future, if there ever is a biopic on Liam or Oasis that it follows a similar method to this film, of painting the whole picture of everyone involved rather than glossing over things. Not the standard routine of; struggling to make ends meet, performing open mics, getting signed, touring, booze, drugs, women, rehab, then make a massive comeback – end of the movie, cliches that we’re so used to seeing in music biopics.

‘Liam Gallagher: As It Was‘ is a refreshing portrait of a musical icon told in a manner that is not just flattering to the artist in question, but an honest assessment of their life thus far. Going back to the earlier comparison of the film ‘Tyson’, Liam Gallagher speaks with the same openness and vulnerability, that this film could have had so much more to uncover, but of course, it wouldn’t be feasible.

In a similar style to Mike, it would be great if Liam did a tell-all account of his life in the form an autobiography.

I can picture it now – #1 Best Seller on Amazon – Liam Gallagher: Because Maybe…

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