“Move over now, the big boys are back,” Noel Gallagher once cockily declared. It was a bullish statement, made decades ago as Oasis prepared to stage their post-Knebworth comeback in the mid-nineties. And now, it has finally come full circle, 30 years to the week that their iconic debut ‘Definitely Maybe’ landed on record stands for the first time and 15 years after they imploded in Europe; after all the public spats, the constant will they, won’t they twists and turns to the Gallagher brothers’ drawn-out soap opera: Oasis have returned.
In 1994, the buzz around Liam and Noel, two cocky upstarts from Manchester who were already hogging tabloid headlines for getting thrown off ferries, was in its infancy – and badly needed after the tragic loss of Kurt Cobain just months earlier. It didn’t take Oasis long to make their mark during a notable early gig that year at the Buckley Tivoli in North Wales. As the Inspiral Carpets blasted out of the speakers ahead of the band’s anticipated arrival, Liam snarled “turn that fucking shit off” – before The Lemonheads’ Evan Dando waltzed across the stage with a girl in his arms.
In terms of entrances, it was the perfect start for the Gallagher brothers. Then there were the songs, which brought a shaking wall of sound that filled the room with a rawness and energy not seen since their hometown heroes The Stone Roses made their breakthrough.
When it comes to reunions, they don’t come any bigger than this. Maine Road, Wembley, and even their own Knebworth supergigs in ’96 have been bulldozed by today’s announcement of the OASIS LIVE 25 world tour, which so far takes in 14 stadium dates throughout the UK and Ireland (including four shows at Wembley). With rumours that the Gallagher brothers could rake in a whopping £50million each and a potential tour total of £400million, it’s also gotta be one of the biggest pay cheques a band has ever received.
More importantly, after 14 years of Tory rule, it comes at a time when the UK could do with a much-needed musical lift. And there’s no better band to do it than Oasis. For the fans, those who flocked to Knebworth the first time around will have the chance to relive those glory days. The kids that never got to witness the likes of ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Wonderwall’ performed by the Gallagher brothers will also have an opportunity to finally experience those fist-pumping anthems in all their widescreen glory.
Some hoped the reunion would allow Oasis to bury their Glastonbury albatross once and for all, with rumours stoked that the band would return to Worthy Farm next year, in time for the 30th anniversary of ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’.
Today, the Guardian reported that despite the rampant speculation, the newly reunited Oasis would not headline Glastonbury. But Noel may have already called it in 2008, at the press conference for their ‘Dig Out Your Soul’ tour dates. Minutes after cracking a penalty against the post of Wembley Stadium’s goal mouth, to the laughter of his bandmates, he admitted Oasis had a slim chance of ever gracing the Pyramid Stage again: “I’ve said before we wouldn’t play there again. We always blow the big gigs.”
By the end of the summer of 2009, Oasis were on the brink of implosion. They’d played a tense but surprisingly solid final show at the now-defunct V Festival in Staffordshire, and never made their second headline concert in Chelmsford the following night, after Liam was diagnosed with viral laryngitis. Days later, the news filtered through to NME at that year’s Reading and Leeds festivals that an “altercation” between the Gallagher brothers had erupted backstage at Rock en Seine in Paris, resulting in Noel quitting the band. “It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,” he wrote in a statement at the time. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”
Oasis have been apart almost as long as they were together. Both Liam and Noel have always been with us musically, however, with the former even having the audacity to announce his own Knebworth dates in 2022 and pull it off – brilliantly. But his recent ‘Definitely Maybe’ tour did leave you with the feeling that it would have been so much better with his big brother, Bonehead and Guigsy by his side.
The campaign for Oasis’ reunion has gathered pace in recent years, with even their arch rivals Blur calling for the Gallagher brothers to finally “knock their heads together” ahead of their own reunion. The 1975’s Matty Healy called for the pair to “grow up” and reform last year, much to the ire of both Liam and Noel. But perhaps one of the most poignant and heartfelt calls came from the late, great Taylor Hawkins during Foo Fighters’ Reading set in 2019. With a photo of the Gallagher brothers emblazoned on his bass drum, the sticksman even suggested a petition to get the band back together. “One of these days we’ll get Oasis back. One of these days,” Hawkins assured the crowd mid-song after Dave Grohl took to the drums for a rendition of Queen’s ‘Under Pressure’.
While the Gallaghers continued to bicker publicly over a potential reunion, Noel refused to rule one out, telling NME last year that it hadn’t happened yet because there had “never really been a serious offer about ‘The Big O’ getting back together”. With the clock now rolled forward a year, both camps have softened significantly in the build-up to the 30th anniversary of ‘Definitely Maybe’. Noel recently told journalist John Robb: “I can’t sing ‘Slide Away’ and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’ and ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’ and ‘Columbia’ and all that. I mean I can do it but it’s not the same. It’s the delivery or the tone of his [Liam’s] voice and the attitude.”
Liam then teased an “interesting situation” with regard to rumours of an Oasis reunion during his Leeds Festival performance over the weekend, and continued to fan the flames on his social media accounts – “I never did like that word ‘former’” – before that simple date reveal all but confirmed that it really is happening.
Anyone that saw Oasis in the ’90s knows it really was a time to savour. The Gallagher brothers were on top of their game, musically and commercially; their first two albums soundtracked the lives of millions and, despite the fallouts and fights along the way, there was a real sense of hope that has never been recaptured since. There was never a better time to be an Oasis fan… Until now.
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