Don't look back in Anger: Fans rejoice as Oasis plays first show in 16 years

SBS Australia

a day ago

Bold, brash, and unapologetic, Noel and Liam Gallagher are back on stage for what some say is the most highly anticipated reunion tour of the century. The British brothers from Manchester are once again fronting Oasis, the band responsible for major hits 'Wonderwall' and Don't Look Back in Anger' and ranked among the best selling groups of all time. Their reunion comes sixteen years after Noel left the group, saying he could no longer work with his brother Liam. Now, with the hatchet seemingly buried, the pair are performing their first comeback show at Cardiff's Principality Stadium. Forming in 1991, Oasis emerged as the face of a new cultural moment in the UK. The moment was marked by the election of Tony Blair, the rise of UK artists like Damien Hirst, and UK models Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell ruling the fashion runways. With an unpolished and at times insolent charisma, the Gallagher brothers captured the mood of a generation. Rolling Stone UK reporter Nick Reilly says their success was, in part, fueled by what they represented. "I think the 90s generally was a period of optimism. You kind of speak of Cool Britannia and the fact that Noel was so closely aligned to Tony Blair. And I think, you know, that there was a sense of optimism in the air and Oasis were a massive part of that. So I think that that optimism and that kind of joy that they offered in their music was part of it, but also the swagger, the kind of old rock and roll spirit like you mentioned the 60s. I think in many ways this was the first time we'd seen a band since perhaps like The Stones or The Who that had that sense of swagger in British music and that sense of like unrepentant rock and roll lifestyle." The band's story was always volatile, marked by repeated clashes between the brothers even before their split in 2009. The first public clash was in 1994, when a gig in Los Angeles turned ugly after Liam flung insults at the band and chucked a tambourine at his brother. In 1995, an interview with the brothers found its way onto a vinyl entitled Wibbling Rivalry, cementing the brothers explosive reputation in the public mind. Noel: Not at all. Not at all. Not at all. What I'm saying is, what I'm saying is you think..." Liam: "You get into situations..." Noel: "No...you think it's rock'n'roll to get thrown off a ferry, and it's not." Liam: "I don't think it's rock'n' roll. Noel: You f**king...that was your quote, you prick!" There were numerous public clashes between the brothers in the nineties and early 2000's. Then, in 2009, after a show in Paris ended in a backstage fight, the group announced their split. Nick Reilly says after so much animosity between them, many fans never thought a reunion was possible. "And there's so many people that are in their 40s and 50s now that will remember that as one of the key milestones of their early years. So now, if we're speaking 16 years after they split up and suddenly the fans are given a chance to relive that one more time and have this band back together, when many thought it would be impossible given how acrimonious that split was in 2009. It's natural that there will be like a clamour of those fans who will want to see them again. But also I think that there's a certain timelessness with Oasis." But even in 2011, Noel Gallagher told reporters he had regrets about how things went down that night in Paris. "I regret it really because we only had two gigs left. If I had my time again, I would've gone back and done the gigs. That gig would have been dreadful because he was out of his mind. I would have done that gig and done the next gig and we'd have all gone away and we could've probably discussed it, what we were going to do. We may never have split up, we may just have just taken a hiatus and we could have all gone and done our other thing. Liam always said he would bring down Armageddon in the end. That's the way he kind of likes things to be, you know." Over the next few years, the brothers both launched solo careers, but Liam was adamant he would never return to Oasis. Then in 2018, through a series of tweets, Liam changed his tune - finally raising the possibility of a reunion. He told reporters in 2019 that he was serious about the idea. "The most important thing is about me and him being brothers. I've got another brother who he doesn't speak to. It would be nice if all three of us would be together. Obviously, our mum is still alive, so she gets upset by it. But he thinks I'm desperate to get the band back together for money. But I didn't join the band to make money. I joined the band to have fun and get off my head and go and see the world. I'd do it for nothing if everyone else is doing it for nothing." When Oasis officially announced a reunion tour in August last year many were in disbelief. Luke Mounteney was around nine years old when the band split, he says he was certain he'd never get this chance. ''No, I thought. No, I don't think anyone of us really truly thought it would ever happen. I'd sort of committed that my life, I would never get to see Oasis because I haven't seen before. So when it came about that it was a real thing, I don't think my heart rate dropped for a good while until I got tickets. And I remember I sat just crying with pure, genuine joy that I'd got a ticket and it was just an unbelievable moment for life, yeah.'' While fans had been pleading for the group to reunite for years, website issues and controversial dynamic pricing brought outrage, with many failing to secure a spot. While tickets were initially shown at one price, around $300, once fans reached the front of the digital queue, many found that basic tickets were rebranded as 'in demand' and double the price. For some fans though, no price was too high. ''Kind of what I expected it to be honest you know, it's their reunion they haven't been together for literally decades at this point. So I'd be willing to pay anything to, you know, see the reunion, especially first night as well. It's incredible.'' Following Cardiff, Oasis will tour the UK throughout July, August and September. The group will then head to Japan, South Korea, South America, Australia and North America. For 48-year-old Matt Hobman, this tour is not just about the music.
' 'They're more than a band aren't they? It's almost like a movement, isn't it? It's like, you know, it's like a piece of Britishness, I suppose, in terms of, yeah Oasis being the band that they are.''