30 years ago, I loved Britpop. I had graduated, had a job at my student union, living a student life but being paid £8.5k so I had cash on the hip. Music was more vibrant than it had been in years. I saw the gigs, bought the CDs, wore the trainers and lived in my first two Fred Perrys, which fell apart through wear, and my Ben Sherman shirts. I was fully bought in.
And I love it when bands from then reform and play. Blur were great when I saw them in 2009 and again in 2012. Their last album was fab. A double header of Sleeper and The Bluetones a few years ago was a great night out, and Supergrass reforming was just joyous. Martin Rossiter, playing the songs of Gene was stunning, best gig in years. Suede are more majestic now than when they first came, magnificent live still.
If The Smiths reformed, I would be there like a shot, at any cost (though Morrissey would have to retract quite a lot of stupid, ill-informed statements, which is sadly unimaginable). I have no issue with nostalgia. On my wall is one of the shots taken for the cover of Definitely Maybe. I love it and the album is very important to me (see Definitely Maybe Certainly).
But today’s announcement that Oasis are reforming leaves me cold. Sad, even. Because the inevitable disappointment of seeing them is lost in the forest of hype. People are losing their shit on X (aka Twitter). But they have all forgotten how terrible Oasis were by the end.
I saw them four times. I could never get tickets when they toured in 1994, but saw them twice in 1995. The first gig was at Bournemouth - it was ok, good even, but not great. I was buzzing afterwards, because I had built it up in my head. I told myself it was amazing. But it was just ok, nothing more.
The second time was later that year at Earl’s Court. That WAS great, something clicked that night. I remember Noel’s acoustic set being the highlight, sat solo, playing Morning Glory, Cast No Shadow and Wonderwall. It was sublime, showing more talent and songwriting chops than I had really seen before. His voice was so much stronger than I had realised. Liam was superfluous, which was quite a shock.
My friend Loz and I went to New York on 1996 and picked up tickets to see them in Long Island on our first day, with the Manics supporting. That was fab, they were on good form, Liam only occasionally baiting the American audience.
The final time was in 2002 at Finsbury Park. They were truly terrible. Liam’s voice was shot; too much booze, too many fags and too many drugs. We’d seen Paul McCartney the week before, then 60 (which felt SO old then; now I am 54, it feels like a spritely young age!). Macca sang brilliantly. Liam was hoarse and out of tune; he couldn’t give a fuck about the fans.
To be fair to Liam, he is much more reliable these days. Jogging and a replacement hip I guess have grounded him. Plus being lost after Oasis and Beady Eye (who were marvellous, btw) ended, he has had to reinvent himself. A lot of credit should go to Debbie Gwyther, his wife, manager and publicist. She seems to have driven him to write, to establish a solo career and regain his voice. His solo albums sell incredibly well, but to my ears, this is entirely driven by nostalgia and a memory of what was. The songs are ok, but just plastic facsimiles of Oasis. What someone else imagines Oasis songs should sound like. His collaboration with Stone Rose John Squire was hugely disappointing (see both Fool's Gold Indeed - The New Liam Gallagher & John SquireCollaboration: Just Another Rainbow and Liam Gallagher and John Squire, Brooklyn Paramount, Brooklyn, NY, 11th April 2024).
The exception is Bold, from his debut album. It’s simple, charming and stands alongside the best of anything Noel has written. It’s the exception that proves the rule.
Noel’s solo career has, unsurprisingly, been more rewarding. The first two albums are solid, with moments of real joy. AKA What A Life is stunning, possibly his best ever song. His third album, Who Built The Moon?, is inventive and interesting, a wall of sound. However, his more recent outputs have seen diminishing returns. That last album, Council Skies, is just dull.
The statements today explains the reunion:
“The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”
But let’s be honest, the timing coincides with Noel’s rather expensive divorce. And I guess a feeling of being a little lost after such a sad event in one’s life. This reformation is driven by a change in circumstance I feel, rather than by any real rekindling of love between the brothers. And Gwyther is impressive, clever and I am sure she has worked hard to create this musical reconciliation.
But this is about nothing more than money (which is ok by the way). Let’s not dress this up as anything other than that. The insane inflating of ticket prices will see the fans paying huge amounts of money, I dread to think how much these will trade for.
I won’t be going. I would probably enjoy it. But I don’t need to go back. And the many of the fans will be dreadful and spoil it for the rest. When I saw Noel on Clapham Common back in 2015, the day was great until Noel came on. Bucket hat drunks and cokeheads filled the field, one pissing in the crowd in front of us, tiny cock ahoy, rather than walk 100 yards to the toilets. I swore then, I would never go and see him or Liam again.
This year, I cracked. Liam was playing Definitely Maybe in full with its associated B-sides. It was too good to miss. I wish I had saved myself £100. Liam was in great voice, but his band sounded again like a copy. A good copy, but a copy. They had the sounds, but none of the feel. But what ruined it was the crowd, thugs throwing beer and piss throughout the show. Bucket hat Gen Z’ers, reliving something they never experienced. South East London’s coke dealers must have done a roaring trade that night. I left early, gutted. I am all for nostalgia, but everyone around us was a cut price Perry (aka the magnificent Kathy Burke) pretending they were Liam for a night (see brilliant video clip below).
These shows will be no different, just bigger. Noel and Liam bickering, while goggle-eyed twats scream “Mad For It”, off their tits on cheap booze and whatever they have snorted. Invest in shares in bucket hats now, you’ll be loaded next summer. There is a part of me that would like to be there, be part of it, but the price of hanging around with these arseholes is just not worth it.
Plus, if you really, really listen to Oasis’s last five albums, they are at best average. I tried to settle on 25 great Oasis songs, post (What’s The Story) Morning Glory. It was a struggle.
These shows will be raved about. They will come on to Fuckin’ In The Bushes, and launch into Acquiesce, and there will not be a dry eye in the house as the brothers sing together for the first time in 16 years. But as you wring the urine and cheap lager from your hair and clothes, maybe you will agree some things just need to be left to slide away….
Stay safe, and if you enjoyed this, please subscribe (see link below), x
PS happy to take bets on how long it takes before they exchange punches....only crippling financial clauses in the contract with the promoters will stop that...
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