Oasis fans were cheered by Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs' appearance on Radio X on Monday, where he spoke about his reaction to hearing 'Champagne Supernova' for the first time. The 61-year-old guitarist was forced to miss several legs of the band's reunion tour last year due to prostate cancer treatment.
Bonehead's cancer battle
Arthurs announced his prostate cancer diagnosis in early October 2025, saying he was responding well to treatment but needed a planned break for the next phase of care. He missed gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney. This came three years after he recovered from tonsil cancer.
In a social media post at the time, Bonehead said: 'Early this year I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. The good news is I'm responding really well to treatment, which meant I could be part of this incredible tour. Now, I am having to take a planned break for the next phase of my care, so I'll be missing the gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne and Sydney. I'm really sad to be missing these shows but I'm feeling good and will be back ready to go in time for South America.'
Radio X appearance
During his Radio X interview with Toby Tarrant, Bonehead did not address his health directly but recalled the moment Noel Gallagher first played him 'Champagne Supernova' on the tour bus. 'Noel was saying I'll play you a couple of songs that I've written - I think he played us the whole of the next album. The first one he did was Champagne Supernova, from start to finish, in the back lounge of the tour bus, at about 8 o'clock in the evening,' he said.
'I just fell apart. That's the Cancerian in me. It hit me, I was a blubbering wreck on the floor. I heard it really stripped down, it was just Noel's voice and an acoustic guitar. Which is not a million miles away from how it came out, but you knew it was a hit. I was that Oasis fan, hearing it for the first time. It was too much.'
Reunion tour and stand-in
Bonehead was credited with helping reunite brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher for the sell-out tour. He plays rhythm guitar and keyboards with the band, which he left in 1999 before returning for the reunion. Oasis signed Mike Moore to stand in for the missed gigs.
Origin of the nickname
Bonehead explained the origin of his nickname in the Oasis book 'Supersonic': 'I probably got the name Bonehead when I was eight. In 1973 most people in my primary school did have long hair, which was the style of the time, and I didn't. It was just straight down the barbers every Friday, you know, typical Irish Catholic parents, and they're having none of it, no long hair in our house.'
'They gave me my 50 pence, and I had to go down. 'What is it? Usual your short back and sides?' No long hair on our street. So that was my nickname from the age of eight. You know, some kid, 'Ah, look at the bonehead!' And that was it. When I got to secondary school, even the teachers referred to me as Bonehead, even when they were angry, Bonehead, it wasn't 'Arthur's'. That's when you knew you were in trouble. When you got the surname, it was Bonehead, and has been ever since.'
If you have been affected by this story, advice and support can be found at Macmillan Cancer Support and Prostate Cancer UK.
