Gallagher Brothers Sue Former Sound Engineer Over Oasis Recordings Auction

Brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher have initiated legal proceedings against their former Oasis sound engineer, Huw Richards, seeking to halt the auction of hundreds of hours of band recordings. The Gallaghers filed legal papers in the High Court on Tuesday, naming Richards, his son Owain, and the auction house Littleton Auctions as defendants.

The recordings, estimated to be worth between £1.2 million and £1.6 million, reportedly contain soundchecks, rehearsals, and conversations between the brothers during Oasis's peak fame from 1994 to 2001. The collection includes 209 DAT tapes, 73 analogue cassettes, and three MiniDiscs.

According to sources, Richards is reportedly disappointed by the legal action, claiming he had approached the Gallaghers to offer them the recordings first, but negotiations collapsed. Richards argues he is the legal owner of the tapes as he made and possesses them, while Oasis asserts intellectual property and copyright ownership.

An unspecified source commented on the situation, stating, "Huw approached the Gallaghers and offered this to them, they declined. Now they are suing him. It belongs to him. It feels a bit rotten to do this to him when they are off making tens of millions with their reunion."

Littleton Auctions, based in Worcestershire, is scheduled to auction the tapes on Saturday. The auction house's managing director, Ben Homer, previously acknowledged awareness of the Oasis camp's concerns, stating that they were understandable given the "scale and significance of the material" and that the auction house was following proper legal processes.

While Richards has described the audio quality as "great" and ready for mastering, the sellers have indicated that intellectual property rights would prevent commercialization by any buyer. The claimants, including Oasis Partnership, Sony Music, and Big Brother Recordings, are being represented by Bray & Krais Solicitors, a firm specializing in music and entertainment law. Notably, a partner at the firm, Mark Krais, worked on the recent Oasis reunion tour.