Liam Gallagher names new band Beady Eye

Pretty Green founder Liam Gallagher has named his new band Beady Eye, it has been reported by the BBC.

The singer has teamed up with former bandmates Gem Archer, Andy Bell and Chris Sharrock to record new material.

Speaking earlier this month at the Cannes Film Festival, Gallagher announced his band would record the entire soundtrack to a film he is making about The Beatles. Read about the film here.

The newly formed band are now in the studio working with producer Steve Lillywhite, famed for his work with U2.

The Libertines perform together

The Libertines have performed together for the first time in almost six years.

The quartet – co-frontmen Carl Barat and Pete Doherty, drummer Gary Powell and bassist John Hassall – played a short set at London’s Boogaloo bar following a brief press conference in which they discussed their return, which will take place at the Reading and Leeds festivals in August.

The rockers began their performance with a rendition of ‘Georgia On My Mind’, before launching into their own material.

At one point, the group – who split in 2004 amid Pete’s drug addiction struggles – were joined by their friend ‘Rabbi John’ to play the traditional shanty ‘Sally Brown’, before teasing the small crowd with the introduction to classic hit ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’.

However, Carl then quipped: “If you want to hear how that ends, you’ll have to come to Reading.”

Following a brief conversation with Pete, they then launched into a full version of the track, all their former animosity forgotten as they embraced during the performance.

In the question and answer session, the group insisted they had no plans to perform any new material at the festivals – because they are struggling to remember their old songs.

Pete joked: “We haven't got plans to play new stuff because it's going to be hard enough to work out the riffs from the old stuff."

While the ‘Up The Bracket’ hitmakers are hopeful of recording together again, they admit their tumultuous past may again rise to the fore and prevent a long-term reunion.

Carl said: "Four months is a long time for the Libertines, so whatever happens, happens. We're going to see how it goes. If it works, it works."

Liam And Noel Gallagher Want Same Band

Liam and Noel Gallagher are both competing to work with the same backing musicians on their respective new musical ventures.

Liam and Noel Gallagher are competing for the same backing musicians.

The feuding brothers are both keen to work with Andy Bell and Gem Archer - who were members of their band Oasis, who split up over a fall out between Liam and Noel in summer last year - on their respective new musical ventures.

While Noel is writing a solo album and wants the bassist and guitarist to back him on demos of his material, Liam has formed a new, as yet untitled, group with them both and wants them to rehearse with him for live dates later in the year.

A source told The Sun newspaper: "It's a tricky situation for Gem and Andy.

"They are working with both Liam and Noel. Liam's begun rehearsing tracks for his new project, while Noel has been doing demos of songs as well.

"It's great for Gem and Andy, though. They get paid twice, but it's bound to lead to trouble in the future."

Noel has reportedly already amassed enough material for his solo debut and is ready to start recording. He has also previously reunited with Gem onstage, when the guitarist played with him at a pair of solo shows in March.

Meanwhile Liam has mapped out the plans for his new band, saying they will be less "heavy" than his previous group, and planning an album for next year.

He said: "We are going to be more musical than Oasis. It's not going to be so f***ing full-on, heavy chords, you know? More sophisticated.

"By next June we'll be recording our album then, or will have finished recording it."