Noel Gallagher has talked exclusively to 6 Music about the progress on the latest Oasis album. Speaking at Franz Ferdinand's end of UK tour party on Thursday night, he told 6 Music's Julie Cullen the truth behind the rumours of Liam's supergroup and who's replaced former drummer Alan White: "We're in the studio at the moment, it's going alright, one step forward two steps back, but it's going alright.

The possibility of a new album from the Gallagher brothers, the follow-up to 'Heathen Chemistry' now looks less likely for 2004 following Noel's revelation that the group ditched plans to work with Death In Vegas because they ran out of time. "I dunno whether it'll be out by the end of the year. We didn't sack our producers we just ran out of time. They had to go off and do their Death in Vegas thing and and we sort of gave ourselves about three or four weeks with them, and we just ran out of time but there wasn't a sacking.

When asked about tabloid rumours that Liam has formed a supergroup with John Squire he said: " Chance'd be a fine thing. I don't think he's forming any supergroups he's too busy sorting his court case out isn't he?"

Noel said the fact that Heathen Chemistry was critically acclaimed meant they had more time to think about the follow up and he revealed that he'd asked Ringo Starr's son Zac Starkey to take up drumming duty with them: " We've known Zac for a while and we asked him if he'd play on a few songs and he said yeah, and he has done and it's been absolutely fantastic."

Asked about whether Oasis were becoming The Beatles Mark two Noel said ""as long as I'm not becoming Paul McCartney it'll be alright." And Noel said although there were no plans just yet to make Zac a permanent member of Oasis he will be joining them on tour and will join them for their headlining slot at Glastonbury next month and reckons he's stylish enough to join them even though he isn't from Manchester : "he's a good boy he's got a good haircut... Good shoes - which is important."

Earlier in the year Noel Gallagher said that there were around 13 new songs written for the record, including six written by Liam, and a couple from guitarist Gem Archer,Noel said: "We're trying to get this album finished and it's taking a little bit longer than expected but there isn't any rush on it really. Heathen Chemistry - the success of it - bought us a fair bit of time. We were trying to get it out by Glastonbury but it doesn't seem to be working out that way now. Not for any particular reason just that we've gotta get it right and if we get summat out by the end of the year it'd be great ... If we don't there's no rush really Franz Ferdinan will look after the charts for us I'd have thought.

Asked if Glastonbury's the only festival they're playing Noel said: "Yeah, we weren't planning on doing anything but Michael and Emily Eavis last year when I went there they sort of backed me into a corner and said `look are you gonna do it or what' and I go there quite a lot and we decided that the time was probably right. It's a pity that we haven't actually got any new stuff to play but I think we kind of George Best'ed it the last time we headlined it so this time will be great I think, but then again we're not doing ourselves any favours because Zac's first gig will be to 150,000 people but y'know ...He's rehearsing all the Oasis songs now."

source : BBC 6