Oasis seem poised to announce their long-awaited reunion tour, 15 years after the notorious fallout between brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher.
The Manchester-formed group, one of the defining rock bands of the Nineties, split in 2009 after a backstage row in Paris and have not played together since.
An announcement scheduled at 8am on Tuesday (27 August) was teased over the weekend, prompting fans to speculate that the duo had healed their rift at least enough to join one another onstage again.
There have been a number of hints in recent months, not least a surprise interview last week where Noel offered some rare praise of his younger brother. Both he and Liam have enjoyed successful solo careers since their split – Liam as a singer-songwriter and Noel with his band the High Flying Birds.
Headlining Reading Festival on Sunday, Liam dedicated the Oasis track “Half The World Away” to Noel, while the same clip teasing Tuesday’s announcement date was shown on the stage’s main screen at the end of his set.
Early reports have suggested that the band will reunite for a string of stadium shows next year, including in their hometown and at Wembley Stadium in London.
A setlist would likely include early hits such as “Wonderwall”, “Champagne Supernova”, “Cigarettes and Alcohol” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star”.
See below for the latest updates on the prospective Oasis reunion…
Music expert says demand for Oasis tickets will ‘absolutely dwarf’ that of Taylor Swift
Roisin O’Connor27 August 2024 07:35
Maybe… definitely? Almost 30 years to the day since the release of Oasis’s debut album, it seems beyond doubt that the news fans have been dreaming of for 15 years is about to land. Yesterday, both Noel and Liam Gallagher (and the official Oasis account) tweeted a time and date written in the rock band’s font: 8am, 27/08/2024.
The prospect of an Oasis reunion has been bandied about so much over the years that you’d think fans were trying to speak it into existence. Yet it could only have ever really happened now, after the once-warring brothers had proved themselves as successful artists in their own right – Liam as a solo singer (his band Beady Eye didn’t fare quite so well) and Noel with his High Flying Birds. Some growing up has taken place: marriages, kids, divorces. Liam enjoys a bike ride, a face mask and an early night. Some of the harder liquor has been swapped out for apple cider vinegar.
Early reports might have jumped the gun a tad, but a string of live shows next year seem like a certainty if a reunion is in fact what we are getting. No one is exactly crying out for a new Oasis album (although that would be interesting), but there are thousands, if not millions, of fans who would give their right arm for a ticket to see the band play Wembley Stadium in London or Heaton Park in Manchester.
Roisin O’Connor27 August 2024 07:30
With just an hour to go until that mysterious Oasis-brand countdown clock reaches zero, here’s The Independent’s Louis Chilton recapping all the hint and clues we’ve rounded up so far:
Kevin Perry27 August 2024 07:00
Is today the day that all the world will see? The big Oasis announcement is now under two hours away, so here’s The Independent’s Mark Beaumont to remind us why now, right now, is the perfect moment for a reunion:
Why this is the perfect moment for an Oasis reunion
Rumours of a Liam-Noel reunion have dragged on for as long as a soppy soap storyline but with a renewed love for Britpop and the 30th anniversary of ‘Definitely Maybe’, Mark Beaumont makes the case for why 2024 is the ideal moment for Oasis to reform
Kevin Perry27 August 2024 06:30
Liam Gallagher has long been vocal about his belief that Oasis should never have broken up in the first place. Back in 2017, he told The Independent’s music editor Roisin O’Connor shortly after releasing his debut solo album: “I would prefer to be in a band, and we should never ever have split up, but I’m certainly not yearning for it, you know what I mean? I was – I needed it four years ago, but I certainly don’t f***ing need it now. I prefer to be in a band – one that makes the same kind of racket as Oasis.
“I miss being in a band with my brother. But it’s not happening.” Here’s the full interview:
Kevin Perry27 August 2024 06:00
Both Gallagher brothers have continued to play Oasis hits during their time apart, but have tended to only perform the songs they originally sang themselves. Here’s Mark Beaumont’s review of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at Glastonbury 2022, during which he notes Noel “sticks to the acoustic singalongs and soaring anthems – ‘Wonderwall’, ‘Whatever’, ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’, ‘Half the World Away’.”
Kevin Perry27 August 2024 05:09
In the decade-and-a-half since Oasis last performed together, rumours of a potential reunion have sometimes seemed like little more than wishful thinking. Back in 2016, The Independent spoke to Mat Whitecross about his Oasis documentary Supersonic and when asked whether the brothers would ever reform the director responded: “I don’t think they know themselves.”
Read the full interview here:
Kevin Perry27 August 2024 04:08
One reason Noel Gallagher could be looking forward to getting the band back together? As of last December he’s newly single again, and declared at the time he was ready to return to some Nineties-style partying.
Kevin Perry27 August 2024 03:07
Earlier this year, Liam Gallagher and former Stone Roses guitarist John Squire sat down with The Independent’s Laura Barton to discuss their collaborative record Liam Gallagher John Squire.
At the time, Liam was entirely open on the subject of his brother. “Haven’t seen him for ages, man,” he said. “But I think he was at me mam’s the other weekend. He seems to be doing well, man. Seems to be a lot happier in his skin. Surprise sur-f***ing-prise.”
He added he that he felt “all my f***ing olive branches have gone. I’ve got none left,” but said that if Noel were to reach out to him, he’d be delighted. “One hundred per cent. He’s my brother, I love him.”
Read the full interview here:
Kevin Perry27 August 2024 02:00
Could it be that Noel Gallagher has overcome his reluctance to reunite Oasis because he’s not sure how long he has left? The songwriter, 57, recently morbidly predicted he’d be “lucky” to make it to 60.
“Just because Jagger is mincing around at 103 doesn’t mean everyone can,” he joked.
Kevin Perry27 August 2024 01:05