Having followed them for the past 30 years, music editor Andy Murray spent the summer catching up with both Liam and Noel to establish who is the current heavyweight champion of the Gallaghers.

Three decades ago in the dark depths of time I was fortunate enough to be caught up in all the hysteria surrounding a bunch of lads from Burnage in Manchester who had just released their debut single, Supersonic.

The setting was the Duchess of York in Leeds (now Boss), a gem of a local venue with a capacity of only 250 and who played host to many of the up-and-coming bands at the time including Nirvana, The Verve and Shed Seven.

That night though it was Oasis who left me transfixed and a gig that will definitely maybe live with me forever.

Over the years I followed the band’s path to world domination experiencing their landmark gigs at the Leeds Irish Centre, Maine Road and Loch Lomond, all firmly etched forever in my memory.

Fast forward to the present day and there’s a sense that Oasis mania is happening all over again. Only this time it’s different. The two main protagonists haven’t spoken in years and it’s personal.

But how are they measuring up when it comes to performing live? This summer I caught Liam at the newly opened Manchester Co-op Live and Noel at Piece Hall in Halifax and here’s my tale of the tape.

LIAM

Venue: Co-op Live, Manchester (7/10)

Newly opened this year, following a. spate of teething issues, the venue boasts the largest maximum capacity of any indoor arena in Europe but still manages to create a level of intimacy.

Set List: Definitely Maybe in it’s entirety (10/10)

The ecstatic crowd were treated to the entire album cleverly broken down into portioned chunks alongside the likes of Bring it on Down, Fade Away and the timeless pop classic Whatever.

Performance: (9/10)

Strutting about in his element Liam put on a great show and his voice held up brilliantly throughout. Each track was delivered with his unique style and swagger and with a genuine sense of joy at being able to sing these songs again.

Crowd: (9/10)

A heartwarming mixture of old and young epitomised by a high-powered rendition of Cigarettes & Alcohol which nearly blew the expensive roof off.

Banter: (6/10)

More strutting than banter but definitely clearly focused on his ambition to “put this place on the map” in reference to the new hometown arena.

Total score: (41/50)

NOEL

Venue: Piece Hall, Halifax (10/10)

The stunning historic courtyard now has a growing reputation as one of the UK’s premier live music venues and on a beautiful summer evening in August, there really is no setting more atmospheric than this to watch a band.

Set List: (7/10)

Opening up with offerings from his most recent release ‘Council Skies’ Noel and his High Flying Birds worked their way through a strong back catalogue before landing in the 90s, delivering a number of Oasis classics including Little By Little, The Masterplan, Live Forever & Don’t Look Back In Anger.

Performance: (7/10)

The Chief was as casual as ever backed by a tight band who demonstrated excellent musicianship.

Crowd: (8/10)

Dowsed in the Yorkshire evening sun the gig-goers consisted of two generations, all whipped up into a frenzy by a cool, calm and collected Noel before a hypnotic visual backdrop.

Banter: (9/10)

A master in the art of banter Noel focused on the validity of Yorkshire Day suggesting that there are no decent pubs in the county and questioning if it allowed its inhabitants to have their wicked way with sheep.

Total score: (41/50)

Verdict: A unanimous draw. Utopia would be an Oasis reunion at Piece Hall. It’s only a matter of time folks.