A while ago, singer of The 1975 Matty Healey asked in an interview 'What are Oasis doing? Can you imagine being in potentially, right now, still, the coolest band in the world, and not doing it because you're in a mard with your brother? [...] Grow up!'. And even though Noel Gallagher famously shot back by calling him a 'slack-jawed fuckwit' it seems like there was indeed a ring of truth to Healey's manifestation, because Oasis have just announced their reunion tour in 2025. They've pencilled in a whopping fourteen dates in a UK wide trawl, bringing back together one of arguably the most prolific Brit-Pop bands of all time for seemingly one last hoorah - so I thought I'd write a little something about how this rift between the Gallagher brothers formed, and how I feel about this announcement - let's get into it.
Oasis formed in 1991 in Manchester, and between it's mildly revolving door of band members, their sound bought new music to the nineties with a nostalgic 60's twang. At the centre of the Oasis microcosm were, of course, the Gallagher brothers, Liam the lead singer, and Noel, the guitarist and songwriter. After hitting the more local scenes for a few years, they released their first record Definitely, Maybe' in 1994, which debuted at No.1 in the UK charts, becoming the fastest selling record in the UK at the time. There were murmurings of some underlying tension in the studio when recording the album, but with their newfound meteoric stardom, those murmurs were the last thing people were worrying about.
They began an insane touring schedule off the back of this success, playing for almost a year straight, and this combined with the mildly indulgent lifestyle of a new rock and roll band on it's first major tour, those tensions that were once a murmur within the band reached a boiling point. On stage in Las Vegas, the brothers famously had a falling out. Liam, clearly under the influence, hit Noel in the head with a tambourine, causing him to storm offstage and temporarily quit the band. However, they reconciled soon after, and Oasis continued to trawl their way through the history books as mega stars.
In October of 1995 '(What's the Story) Morning Glory' was released to more critical acclaim, and is heralded now as one of the best selling albums of all time. They began playing football stadiums, high capacity outdoor venues, and their already insane stardom reached a new level. So much so that they were pencilled in to record an MTV Unplugged record, which Liam pulled out of - citing a soar throat that had caused him to already retire from live shows. Noel filled in both on the tour dates he missed and at the MTV recording, and his brother watched from a balcony, heckling him between songs. Re-joining their tour in support of their record after a brief hiatus, Liam's mood was sour, causing him to spit beer all over the stage at a show in New York and storm off. Once again, the brothers settled their differences, and on they went.
Two subsequent records came along in 1997 and 2000 to luke-warm reviews from critics, but decent sales, and on went Oasis. They were touring consistently, but more spats between the brothers continued to throw spanners in the works. Noel walked out of the band after Liam questioned the paternity of his daughter in 2000, and once again the great Gallagher machine grounded to a halt. For perhaps the millionth time however, the cracks were plastered over, and on they went. The early 2000's were littered with incidents in the band, with members getting in car accident and barfights respectively, and therefore having to postpone dates in 2002.
After another successful album release in 2005 with 'Don't Believe the Truth' they embarked on yet another world tour, with sold out dates at Madison Square Garden and The Hollywood Bowl. Tensions seemingly ebbed during this time, and it is still cited to this day as one of the best eras of their tenure, where it was all about the music and less the in fighting between Liam and Noel.
Then, in 2009, it all fell apart. Oasis' touring schedule had been interrupted by Liam's diagnosis of Laryngitis, which his brother actually claimed was just 'a hangover'. Being scheduled in for a performance at Rock en Seine of the same year, they cancelled relatively last minute, and Noel Gallagher posted this to Oasis' website around two hours after they should have taken to the stage: 'It is with some sadness and great relief...I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.'
The jabs continued even after their professional career together was over, between interviews where the two insulted each-other and tweets from Liam too cutthroat and degrading for even me to want to share, it seemed like the Gallaghers were by no means trying to get their affairs back in order like all of the other disagreements they had prior. This one was seemingly permanent, and had clearly cut deep. The two continued in the music sphere, Liam continued on with the remainder of Oasis under the name 'Beady Eye' and Noel went on to start his own band 'Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds'. Both bands saw semi-decent success, but still on went the feud.
So imagine my surprise when I heard that Oasis were reforming in 2025. After a 16 year long rivalry that has been all parts physically and verbally abusive and known across the nation, they are coming back. Sources claim that the two are patching up their differences due to a plethora of reasons, from wanting to 'do something for the fans' to helping grant their mothers wish of seeing them reconciled. Either way, at the height of debate and seemingly demand for a reunion, lo and behold one comes along - and fans are rejoicing in a big way, with tickets to said tour coming out on Saturday.
Now, I'll be the first to say that I don't really like Oasis, or many Brit-Pop bands. I have nothing against them, bar thinking the Gallaghers are both polarising characters that I always found it hard to get behind, so when I start talking about how I feel about this reunion, take it with a pinch of salt. I have no skin in the game, sure, but I also am not speaking from a fans standpoint, so forgive me if my opinion comes across as either uninformed or overly sceptical.
If you ask me about how I feel about this reunion, I'd say its all a bit convenient isn't it? At a point where Noel's solo career has taken a bit of a dive into obscurity after his undignified semi-roast at the hands of Jools Holland, and Liam is out headlining festivals solo, it feels like this move may have primarily been off the back of an immense demand by fans at the perfect time. With Liam scorching his own path, Noel has every opportunity to take off the gloves in order to reunite Oasis and potentially get his time in the sun again. I'm not saying this is true, but all I will say is that it feels like the stars have strangely aligned. However, I'm not sure they will for very long. These two are known for their relationship based on sheer vitriol, and something tells me at some point on this tour, one of the two will blow up like they did in the early 2000's, dates will be cancelled, and fans will be left a little broken hearted. This has been simmering away for over ten years - so unless some serious reconciliation has happened behind the scenes, a voice in the back of my head is saying this may not last for long.
But, I don't want my thoughts on the whole thing to sour the fans reactions to this news, which is rapturous by the way. People love the fact that the brothers are giving it another go, and when it coincides with the 30th anniversary of 'Definitely, Maybe', well a pretty huge event is set up, isn't it? X is alight with people planning on getting tickets, joking that they'd be prepared to sell their house, hell their kidneys to get a glimpse of them. There are even fans playfully pre-empting a brawl between the two halfway through the first song, but it all seems pretty harmless and joyful. It's actually quite lovely to see, because no matter how you see it, how you want to spin it or feel about the Gallaghers and their feud, this is something for the history books.
So I say, sure, not my thing, but you know what, go on Oasis, let's see what you've got.
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