Could one of rock’s current, hottest yet-to-be-revealed secrets be out of the bag? That’s the tempting proposition being served up by ex-Happy Monday’s twosome Shaun Ryder and Bez who may have blabbed a little too much regarding the current schedule of their good friend and Mantra Of The Cosmos drummer Zak Starkey.
Starkey – the son of Beatles legend Ringo, of course – regularly plays alongside ex-Mondays members Ryder and Bez as part of Mantra Of The Cosmos, the duo’s side-project alongside (ex-Oasis and Ride) guitarist Andy Bell.
Two days ago, however, the band were forced to cancel a planned secret gig in London due to Starkey falling foul of a blood clot in his leg.
Speaking to the Daily Star‘s Wired column concerning Starkey’s condition Ryder said: “He’s got his leg up and he’s got to keep completely still,” he explained. "My nana had blood clots and she ended up with both legs took off,” he elaborated.
"I've had me hip done and had to wear f****** tight stockings so I didn't get blood clots, so I'm gonna get Zak some tight Mantra stockings."
"He might look sexy as well,” added Bez.
However, with the band recently reaffirming their connection with Oasis’ Noel Gallagher – Gallagher joined the band for their single Domino Bones (Gets Dangerous) – and Starkey having played with Oasis previously, the conversation turned to whether Starkey would be well enough to play come their reunion gigs this summer…
When asked about the possibility, Shaun replied: "You gotta ask him that. We sort of know...” before defusing the tension with “Zak is next level and he plays guitar as well as drums. If you ask Zak, he’ll say his first instrument is guitar. He’s really f__ talented…”
Starkey joined Oasis 2004 and played on the band’s final two studio albums Don’t Believe The Truth from 2005 and Dig Out Your Soul in 2008 before being replaced by Chris Sharrock for the band’s gigs immediately prior to their split.
It’s therefore predicted that either Starkey or Sharrock will be the most likely candidate invited back onto the Oasis drum stool.
And with Mantra’s Andy Smith already in the frame for rejoining Oasis on guitar and Starkey, Smith and Gallagher having just worked together on a track, that rumoured Oasis 2025 line-up might just have taken one more step towards reality.
