by Narayan Saimbi
If you’re anything like me, you’ve been swept up by this neo-revival of Oasis, one of the most influential bands to come out of the Britpop era of UK music. What’s the Story, Morning Glory and Definitely, Maybe are on constant repeat. I’m currently reading the Supersonic interviews. Yesterday, I was even considering buying an Oasis T-shirt from the shelves of Next. Oasis-mania is very real, and I’m sure I’m not alone in taking part in it.
Last August, Liam and Noel Gallagher announced Oasis’s reunion, with the first show coming in summer 2025. So far, the band has had rave reviews. The Guardian deemed their first show a “shameless trip back to the 90s”, noting they put on a “ferociously powerful set” to their audience. The Manc stated that Oasis were “just as good as ever” at their final gig at Heaton Park. We knew the songs were good, that much is true. But it seems evidently clear that the showmanship of Oasis has not faded with time; they are performing at their very best.
But why does this matter for the average person, or even someone who doesn’t particularly listen to Oasis? I don’t know if I was being naive, but I wasn’t truly aware of how significant the band were in the UK zeitgeist. Sure, songs like “Don’t Look Back in Anger”, “Champagne Supernova”, “Rock n’Roll Star” and “Wonderwall” had all graced my playlists at some point. But that was as far as it went. The collective remembrance of Oasis, and their current position in the UK psyche, has properly introduced me to their catalogue. A catalogue I don’t think I would’ve thought about purposely exploring, if not for their reunion.
I should point out that I was not old enough to experience the best of Oasis growing up. The band had split up long before I reached my teenage years. Definitely, Maybe released ten years before I was born. And Oasis was not a part of my dad’s music taste (a fact that may shock a number of people, I know). I just didn’t get much exposure to them growing up, compared to the vast majority of Brits my age. That’s why the Oasis reunion matters. It gives people a real chance to explore their discography and actively encourages them to do so.
“D’you Know What I Mean” may have just been a song lost to the 90s. “Little by Little” would have been locked behind the doors of Heathen Chemistry, one of the few pieces of evidence that prove Oasis’s existence in the 21st century. It is through this reunion that both songs well-known and more obscure are pushed into the light. Oasis are in the public mind once again. And the public wants to hear everything that they’ve got.
Is this just a cash-grab? The Guardian seems to think so (and I am partially inclined to agree). But it doesn’t matter. The only thing people care about is that one of the best UK bands of all time are performing once again. And whether you are someone who grew up in the 90s, or this is your first time ever hearing an Oasis song, their presence this year has certainly been much appreciated all around. Let’s feel supersonic once more.
Leave a Reply