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Metro
19-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Oasis have let down UK music with their choice of support act
'Did they just Shazam the national anthem?' an outraged Oasis gig-goer posted on TikTok in a viral video, sparking a pile-on of an unsuspecting woman. No, she wasn't discovering Champagne Supernova, it was support act The Verve's 1997 hit Bittersweet Symphony. While fans may have blasted her ignorance – with a classy response from frontman Richard Ashcroft — the moment proved something I've felt all along. Oasis' choice of openers (The Verve and Cast) was, no offence, quite boring. When I first shared this thought 10 months ago, I was met with some angry emails for voicing my disappointment. But as the tour has gone on, my opinion hasn't changed. While clips of Liam and Noel Gallagher performing and even holding hands flood social media, their support artists seem to cast no shadow. Only the 'national anthem' is cutting through, while Lucky Man gets an honourable mention. There's even less hype for Cast. As we waited for Liam and Noel Gallagher to finally reveal the chosen support, plenty of new artist names flew around. This included Mancunian up-and-comers Blossoms, who are friends with Noel's daughter Anais. She was even at their house when the reunion was announced. So I, like many other fans, was deeply underwhelmed when Oasis finally announced that Richard Ashcroft would be the 'very special guest' for the shows in Cardiff, London, Manchester and Dublin. This was a chance to look at the many exciting bands Britain has produced in recent years, and give one of them, or maybe several of them, the chance to shine on a major stage. The chance, even, to potentially become the next big thing. I wish they'd taken a leaf out of Taylor Swift's Eras Tour book. It's not that The Verve are a bad group by any stretch of the imagination, Noel once called Richard a 'genius' and his vocals are undeniably impressive. It's not that I believe the Mancunian band is a bad or detrimental choice, people are still singing along and enjoying the music as they wait for Oasis. But as the London gigs approach, to which I have a ticket, nothing about The Verve makes me feel excited. In fact, the choice and Liam's dismissive response to those who criticised it ('There's LEVELS to this game') have me worried for the future of music. Dramatic? (definitely) maybe, but Oasis are a symbol of Britpop at its height, the days when artists from the UK would dominate our charts. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Now, homegrown talents struggle to compete with big American acts in the world of streaming. In fact, in 2024 alone, just two of the songs that have topped the Official Charts in the UK were from British artists. While singers like Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift become ubiquitous, the arts in the UK are being throttled due to rising costs and lack of support. That's why established musicians like the Gallagher brothers need to give something back. And no, the slow and painful collapse of the British music scene is not Oasis' job to fix, but their choice of support could have gone a long way to helping boost that essential export. A support act is meant to warm the crowd up, ready for the big performance but this is also a chance for the crowd to get to know a new artist. Yes, that one girl didn't know Bittersweet Symphony, but the majority of the crowd are clearly aware of at least the bigger tracks, which are nearly 30 years old. While some might walk away from Oasis Live '25 with a newfound appreciation for Richard Ashcroft and The Verve, an artist whose biggest album was released in 1997 is hardly going to be a sudden discovery for concertgoers. Oasis fans might not thank me for the comparison, but they could do worse than learn from the Eras Tour. Swift's support was a revolving door of young artists bursting with potential, like the aforementioned Sabrina, Phoebe Bridgers and Raye. Fans saw those acts support Taylor, and went on to stream their music, buy their albums, or even attend their gigs – all of which put money back into the economy. By choosing a nostalgia act, Oasis has failed not only their fans but also the lesser-known bands who might be tomorrow's superstars. And with the Gallaghers themselves headlining and a setlist bursting with iconic tracks, these concerts aren't exactly short of a feel-good throwback factor. Nor is the UK short of bands who could have used the momentum from the show to really build something incredible – think of the Courteeners, Blossoms, and Lottery Winners. That's before we even dare to mention a female-led group like Manchester-based Pale Waves or Mercury Prize winner English Teacher, for whom this kind of show could have really changed lives. To all the folk who are crying about us not showing love to the young bands and not letting them support there's LEVELS to this game and I'm afraid 99 p cent of ya are way off LFUCKING x — Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) October 22, 2024 Liam doesn't seem to think that's his responsibility, writing on X after backlash: 'To all the folk who are crying about us not showing love to the young bands and not letting them support there's LEVELS to this game and I'm afraid 99 [per cent] of ya are way off.' More Trending At the time, I hoped this meant Oasis had a few more lesser-known support acts to announce, but so far I've been proven wrong. Ultimately, The Verve is a safe choice designed to please nostalgia-hungry fans who think music peaked in the late 90s. But one thing's for sure — the British music scene deserves much better than this. Do you have a story you'd like to share? Get in touch by emailing Share your views in the comments below. MORE: Music legend, 84, admits 'I might be dead next year' ahead of new tour MORE: I always play 'check-in chicken' on flights – it works a treat MORE: Italian Oasis fans recreate iconic Manchester street Renaissance photo
BBC News
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Yungblud on keeping fans safe, and his 'shirt off era'
The Netherlands, March 2025. Yungblud is leaving his hotel in Amsterdam when he's approached by a fan in floods of tears."You saved my life," she sobs."No, you saved your own life," he replies, quietly. "Maybe the music was the soundtrack, but you saved your own life, OK?"Leaning in for a hug, he adds, "Don't be sad, be happy. I love ya."It's a remarkably touching moment, full of compassion and devoid of rock star weeks later, after a video of the encounter goes viral, Yungblud is still moved by the memory."I didn't think people would see that, except me and her," he says, "but it was such a moment for me."The interaction crystallised something he'd felt for a while."I always said that Bowie and My Chemical Romance saved my life, but ultimately you have to find yourself," he says."Like this morning, I put my headphones on and I listened to [The Verve's] Lucky Man, and it made me go, 'Oh, I'm ready to face the day'."But Richard Ashcroft didn't tell me I was ready to face the day. I said that to myself. "That's what I was trying to tell that girl in Amsterdam." Self-assurance is a lesson he learned the hard the surface, Yungblud, aka 27-year-old Dominic Harrison, had it all. Two number one albums, an international fanbase, a Louis Theroux documentary and enough clout to run his own if you looked more closely, there were chinks in the armour. Those number one albums both fell out of the Top 30 after one week, a sign of a strong core fanbase, with limited crossover the first year of his Bludfest in Milton Keynes was criticised after long queues and a lack of water caused fans to pass out and miss the was keenly aware of it all. As he released his self-titled third album in 2022, he hit a low."Yungblud was number one in seven countries, and I wasn't happy because it wasn't the album I wanted to make," he says."It was a good album, but it wasn't exceptional."The problem, he says, was a record label who'd pushed him in a more commercial direction. But in polishing his sound, he lost the angry unpredictability that characterised his best work."It's funny, my-self titled album was actually the one where I was most lost," he observes."I felt like I compromised but, because of that, I was never taking no for an answer again."Nowhere is that clearer than on his comeback single, Hello Heaven, nine minutes and six seconds it achieves Caligulan levels of excess, full of scorching guitar solos, throat-shredding vocal runs, and even an orchestral coda."Do you still remember, or have you forgotten where you're from?" Harrison asks himself, as he re-ignites his song's purposefully unsuited to radio – unlike the follow-up single, Lovesick Lullaby. Released today, it's a free-associating rampage through a messy night out, that ends with epiphany in a drug dealer's Liam Gallagher's sneer with Beach Boys' harmonies, it's uniquely Yungblud. But the singer reveals it was originally written for his last album. "We were actually discouraged from doing it," he says."My advisor at the time, a guy called Nick Groff [vice president of A&R at Interscope, responsible for signing Billie Eilish], was like, 'I don't get it'."Warming to the theme, he continues: "The music industry is crap because it's all about money but, as an artist, I need to make sure that anything I put out is exciting and unlimited. "It can't be like a 50% version of me."To achieve that, he shunned expensive recording studios and made his new album in a converted Tetley brewery in Leeds. Professional songwriters were banished, too, in favour of a close group of collaborators, including guitarist Adam Warrington, and Matt Schwartz, the Israeli-British producer who helmed his 2018 debut."When you make an album in LA or London, everything is great, even if it's mediocre, because people want a hit out of it," he argues."When you make an album with family, all they want is the truth." 'Sexiness and liberation' One of the most honest tracks on the record is Zombie, a lighters-aloft ballad (think Coldplay, sung by Bruce Springsteen) about "feeling you're ugly, and learning to battle that"."I always was insecure about my body, and that got highlighted as I got famous," says the singer, who last year revealed he'd developed an eating disorder due to body dysmorphia."But I realised, the biggest power you can give someone over you is in how you react. So I decided, I'm going to get sober, I'm going to get fit, and I discovered boxing."He ended up working with the South African boxer Chris Heerden - who was recently in the news after Russia jailed his ballerina girlfriend, Ksenia Karelina."I met him before all that," says Harrison, "but he's been extremely inspirational. Boxing's become like therapy for me."If someone says something bad about me, I go to the gym, hit the punch bag for an hour and talk it out."Fans have noticed the change… drooling over photos of his newly chiseled torso, and declaring 2025 his "shirt-off era"."Maybe the shirt-off era is a comeback to all the comments I've had," he laughs."I'm claiming a freedom and a sexiness and a liberation." He's clearly found a degree of serenity, without surrendering the restless energy that propelled him to of that is down to control. In January, he created a new company that brings together his core business of recorded music with touring operations, his fashion brand and his music festival, event kicked off in Milton Keynes last summer but suffered teething troubles, when fans were stuck in long queues. "I will fully take responsibility for that," says the star, who claims he was "backstage screaming" at police and promoters to get the lines moving."The problem was, there were six gates open when there should have been 12," he says, suggesting people underestimated his fans' dedication."When Chase and Status had played [there] a day before, there were 5,000 people when the doors opened, and another 30,000 trickled in during the day."With my fans, there were 20,000 kids at the gate at 10am. So we've learned a lot for this year. There'll be pallets of water outside. It'll be very different." Dedication to his fans is what makes Yungblud Yungblud. He built the community directly from his phone and, whether intended or not, that connection has sustained his career - insulating him from the tyrannies of radio playlists and streaming a personal relationship becomes harder as his fanbase grows but, ever astute, he hired a fan to oversee his social accounts."She's called Jules Budd. She used to come to my gigs in Austin and she'd sell confetti to pay for gas money to the next city."She built an account called Yungblud Army, and she's amazing at letting me understand what are people feeling."If people are outside and security aren't treating them right, I know about it because she's in contact with them. So I brought her in to make the community safer as it gets bigger."With his new album, he wants to make that community even bigger. Harking back to the sounds of Queen and David Bowie, he says it'll "reclaim the good chords" (Asus4 and Em7, in case you're wondering)."The shackles are off," he grins."We made an album to showcase our ambition and the way we want to play. "Can you imagine seeing Yungblud in a stadium? 100% yes. Let's do it."
