Any Oasis fan can tell you that when it comes to reunion rumours , they tend to come around every few months. But when things went into overdrive this last weekend, across social media and even in the broadsheet newspapers, something felt different . And when you follow Oasis news as closely as I do,it was obvious that this time was different.
And so, almost exactly 30 years since the release of their first album, and even more telling, 15 years since the band split – the reunion was confirmed this morning, with an initial 14-date run across the UK. The bitter back and forth between the two brothers has died down over the last two years and been replaced with more jovial banter, Noel even asked Liam to call him about a reunion plan in a radio interview about a year ago, and more recently, praised Liam’s voice. So with the news now confirmed, for super fans like me, it’s a time of mixed emotions: elation at the thought of seeing our musical heroes performing together, but also nervousness: Will they be as good? Will they even make it on stage without falling out again? I’ve been an Oasis fan for over three decades, and their first album Definitely Maybe, is still one of my favourite records of all time.
I was a tiny 15-year-old, brown girl from Wolverhampton when I heard that for the first time, probably not their target audience, but their working class roots, cocky swag and guitar sound resonated with me like nothing I’d heard before, and when I saw them on Top of the Pops, I was smitten. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a webbrowser that supports HTML5video Quickly, my Nirvana t-shirts were swapped for tracksuit tops, Adidas trainers and bucket hats. I saved up my pocket money every time there was a single or album release, and collected every magazine and newspaper they appeared in.
I saw Oasis live at every opportunity, even if it meant sneaking out, or telling my strict parents little fibs about where I was going. A trip to see the band play 130 miles away at their legendary Knebworth gigs when I was 17 was disguised as a sixth form school trip, a lie that unravelled when my return coach got stuck in a car park for nine hours. On my first day at university in Preston, I took a bus all the way back to Birmingham for a gig I’d booked months earlier, and then another coach back in time for a 9am lecture.
By my count, I’ve seen them at least 15 times. On my Journalism course, I gravitated towards friends who also liked Oasis. We became a tight group, frequently attending gigs and festivals together, and are still friends over 20-years later.
I went to see Liam with them just a few months ago. Around that time I also met my boyfriend Mark, who is almost as hardcore an Oasis fan as I am, and we’ve seen the band and both brothers’ solo shows countless times together. We’ve since seen Oasis, Noel and Liam countless times together.
I was with Mark at V Festival in 2009 when we heard rumours that the band might have split after they pulled out of a headline slot. I remember being furious and upset, but also not that surprised, as by this point, the brothers were arguing all the time, the spats were very public, and it even affected their live performances at times. But I’d stuck with them – and didn’t know at that V Festival that the band would split up four days later – for good.
I was gutted. Oasis fans everywhere were gutted. But, like Noel said in his statement quitting, there was an element of relief too as fans had watched quality decline and fighting increase.
I never got into Liam’s follow up band Beady Eye but would dip in an out of Noel’s High Flying Birds material, and went to see him live a few times. The idea of Oasis started to take a bit of a back seat, that was until 2017, when I heard Liam’s first solo material in years. And just like that, I was back with that feeling of butterflies.
It was a great single, a great album, and he was fantastic live. I felt like I had Oasis back. And finally, last year I got to interview Liam during publicity for his joint album with Stone Roses frontman John Squire.
He even told me then ‘Before a reunion, I think that me and our kid need to sort of be brothers again, because it’s been too long now.’ And that he was keen to get the band together, he said: ‘I’m ready to go. I’m still cool, I can do the songs.
I’ve proved to everyone that I’m not a f***ing lazy arse and that was Noel’s thing [about me]. I’m ready to go. So if it happens, it happens.
’ The photoshoot for that article was a dream, although I was nervous to finally meet Liam face to face. While Squire, another person I admire, mixed with everyone and we had a laugh, Liam was God-like to me. So much so, I was too nervous to even ask for a picture – he’s pretty much the only celebrity I’ve interviewed that I don’t have a picture with – it’s something I definitely regret! For me, and I’m sure for many fans, the status quo of Liam being as good as he is, has filled an Oasis-shaped void for many years now.
More Trending Everything we know about Oasis' '£400,000,000' reunion tour including ticket sales Tom Jones calls 60s singing legend a 'p***k' and reignites 40 year old feud Oasis finally reunite by announcing UK and Ireland tour and confirming ticket release date My kids stopped asking for screen time after I made them complete 4 tasks So, even though I can’t help feeling 95% elated and nostalgic about the reunion, there’s 5% which remembers how painful the brotherly relationship was towards the end, for the band, and for the fans. But I’m hopeful that the tour will be a huge success, and more than anything, I’m excited for a new generation of fans to feel that joy that the band has given me for so many years. For many, it will be the first time.
But for me it will be the 16th time – and it will be just as special for us all. Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing Ross.Mccafferty@metro.
co.uk . Share your views in the comments below.
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