It was unlikely that Noel Gallagher would let Beady Eye's cover version of Wonderwall at the Olympic closing ceremony pass without comment – especially after his brother Liam had tweeted "Bumped into the biggest cock last night at George Michael's party, 'behave' it was RKID ha ha LG x".
At a War Child benefit concert at Dingwalls in London on Tuesday night, Noel hit back by dedicating his version of Wonderwall to "Stratford's finest Oasis tribute band".
Since Oasis split up three years ago after an argument at a music festival in Paris, the brothers have been estranged. Noel has frequently played his old band's songs live, though Beady Eye have resisted – until their concerts supporting the Stone Roses this summer, when they played Morning Glory and Rock'n'Roll Star.
Though the original version of Wonderwall was sung by Liam, like all classic Oasis material, it was written by Noel. It was the band's only top 10 hit in America.
Beady Eye's version of Wonderwall at the closing ceremony marked the first time Liam had performed the song since Oasis's split. It was heavily criticised on Twitter, with some claiming that Liam's voice was not what it used to be: @owenparker tweeted that Liam sounded like the nasal comic character Frank Sidebottom.
However, sales of (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, the 1995 album on which it features, surged in the aftermath of the concert, rising to No 34 on the iTunes chart.
Despite reservations about Liam's performance, Oasis fans are likely to prefer Beady Eye's Wonderwall to an acoustic version by One Direction, which the boyband – who also played at the Olympic closing ceremony – posted on YouTube on Wednesday.
Liam followed the Sunday night performance with a party at George Michael's house with the Spice Girls. Emma Bunton tweeted a picture of him striking a Usain Bolt pose in Michael's garden.
Michael responded to criticism that he should not have used the concert to promote his new single, White Light.
The broadcaster David Hepworth tweeted: "I can't get over the fact that they got the Queen to appear in a skit and couldn't stop George Michael playing his new single."
Michael's publicist responded that the song was about his near-death experience after a bout of pneumonia last year. "George wanted to perform his new single because it reflected everything he has been through in the last year," she said.
The singer tweeted on Tuesday: "Had a GREAT time at the closing! I hope you are not bothered by the press reports of my scandalous 'promotion' !!!
He added: "Please join me in telling them to fuck off! It was my one chance on tv to thank you all for your loyalty and prayers, and I took it."
