One Direction singer Liam Payne says Noel Gallagher should be 'proud' of boy band's success

They are hardly friends but One Direction singer Liam Payne admits he was taken aback by Noel Gallagher's latest public put-down. Gallagher infuriated 1D fans when he claimed boy band member Harry Styles lacked star power but Payne says the former Oasis star was friendly when they met on the same day the rocker's interview was published.

In addition to slamming One Direction, which consists of Styles, Payne, Niall Horan and Louis Tomlinson, Gallagher, 48, took aim at the group's former member Zayn Malik, before going on to attack superstar Adele in another interview. Responding to his comments, Payne, 22, said on BBC Radio 1: "The funny thing was, I met him the day the story came out. I didn't know it was coming out, and he came up and said: 'All right, mate? How are you doing?' I was like: 'Fine thanks, mate. Nice to meet you'." That was on the same day that Noel was calling 1D 'c**k*****s'."

Despite Gallagher's dislike for the boy band, Payne says he is still a fan of the now-defunct Oasis but hoped his rival would keep his opinions to himself. He said: "The next day I read the story and thought, 'How sad is that?' He completely dissed us. Nice to diss your fans, isn't it? Oasis are great. I just wish sometimes they'd pipe down. There's no point. He ripped off half the industry for no reason, and then loved Kanye West. I love Kanye West as much as the next man, but there's no need to diss poor Adele."

In 2013, Gallagher blasted One Direction's music and said they "murdered" Blondie's song One Way Or Another when they covered the group's hit single. However, Payne credits Oasis for giving him the courage to pursue a music career, explaining: "It's sad because they [Oasis] genuinely led me to a path of singing. That's something they should be genuinely proud of. They don't think before they speak. You never know who was a fan of your music. Especially when you were as big as they were. Do it with grace. Good old Noel, bless him. I had to have a moan about that at some point. I'm over it."

In his interview with Esquire, Gallagher said: "I'll tell you what's wrong. Fame's wasted on these c***s today. Harry Styles has got nothing to say for himself – nothing. 'You alright, mate?' 'Uhhh'. That's it. The gig will never die because you can't download it. You can't download spirit."