Oasis' Wembley woes

The brothers grim: Liam and Noel Gallagher

By BBC News Online's Chris Charles

Troubled Oasis take their bow at London's Wembley Stadium this weekend, with the future of the band still hanging in the balance.

The brothers Gallagher have had a tough time of it over the past year or so - even by their own harsh standards - and will be looking to put on a united front for their all-forgiving fans.

Whatever happens, the gigs on Friday and Saturday will be the band's first and last at England's home of football, with the famous old stadium being demolished in the autumn to make way for a new arena.

Stubble trouble: Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher

Many critics feel Oasis will go the same way when they've fulfilled their touring commitments - with Travis and newcomers Coldplay already waiting in the wings to slug it out for the "biggest band in Britain" title.

Noel added even more fuel to the fire when he admitted in an interview with London's Time Out magazine that quitting the band permanently was an option he was not ruling out.

"When I was 26, the most important thing in my entire life was the group and writing songs.

"Watching my little girl grow up is far more important than watching the band develop," he said.

The problems began with the departure of guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs and bass player Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan last summer.

This was followed by a split from Creation Records after the label's founder, Alan McGee - the man who discovered Oasis - left the company, which is now defunct.

At least Noel and Liam had a bouncing baby apiece to take their mind off things, but lukewarm reviews of their fourth studio album, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, suggested they had taken the "dadrock" role a little too literally.

The recruitment of Gem Archer and Andy Bell, coupled with the announcement of a world tour, was supposed to herald the start of a new dawn, but it didn't take long for the cracks to reopen.

Happy families

The brothers grim had another spectacular dust-up in France, resulting in Noel walking out, announcing his touring days outside the British Isles were over.

"We don't have a relationship outside the band. We are not good at playing happy families," he said of Liam.

Noel returned to the fold for the beginning of Oasis' UK stadium tour in Bolton last weekend and appeared to make it up with "our kid" when the pair shook hands on stage.

Behind the scenes, though, relations appeared to be as strained as ever, with the Gallaghers unwilling to even stay in the same hotel.

To top it all off, Liam revealed he had split from wife Patsy Kensit for good on the eve of the Bolton gig and was pictured in the national press looking forlorn as the removal men carted his possessions out of the house they shared.

In a separate interview with Time Out, Liam admitted the brothers had their problems, but insisted: "We were never that close anyway."

Oasis: New line-up, same old problems

He said Noel "carries the weight of Oasis on his shoulders too much", but predicted they would be reconciled.

Internal wrangles aside, the band still wooed the crowd at Bolton, with anthems like Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova getting a rousing reception, and they can expect more of the same at Wembley.

A spokesman for the band's press company, Hall Or Nothing, told BBC News Online the mood in the camp was "superb".

"They're in the middle of a sell-out stadium tour and things couldn't be better," he said.

But he wouldn't be drawn on what the sleeping arrangements would be.

BBC London Live 94.9 will be broadcasting from Wembley on Saturday between 1600 and 1800 BST, when Gary Crowley will talk to both Noel and Liam. It will also be broadcast through the station's website. For more details, click here.