Oasis announce major reunion tour 15 years after warring Gallagher brothers split
LONDON — Oasis, one of the most prolific bands of the 1990s, are getting back together 15 years after siblings Noel and Liam Gallagher’s tempestuous relationship caused a split despite having sold an estimated 75 million records and played to stadiums across the world.
“This is it, this is happening,” the band posted in a message and short video on their social media accounts.
In the clip, Noel Gallagher says: “People will never, ever forget the way that you made them feel.”
The band will play 14 shows in the U.K. and Ireland next year, according to the announcement, including four dates in their native Manchester and four at London’s Wembley Stadium. A press release “strongly advised” fans to register with ticket companies for news of sales.
Both Gallagher brothers teased the announcement Monday, posting a short video to X showing a flickering “27.08.24” in the band’s famous logo font. Liam Gallagher posted on Sunday morning: “I never did like that word FORMER.”
And at 8 a.m. U.K. time (3 a.m. ET) on Tuesday the news came that legions of fans had been waiting for: A major tour that finally reunites the warring siblings.
The brothers were responsible for a string of hit albums and songs but were arguably just as well known for their off-stage antics, celebrity marriages and violent disagreements.
The band formed in Manchester, northwest England, in 1991 and got a recording contract on the strength of a single gig in Glasgow, Scotland, two years later where they were third on the bill.
The band’s 1994 debut album, “Definitely Maybe,” still considered one of the greatest British guitar records, catapulted them to stardom and made them figureheads of a resurgence of guitar music that the U.K. press called “Britpop.”
The follow-up album, “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?” cemented their star status with songs such as “Wonderwall” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” which led to success and extensive touring across Europe and North America.
Both Gallaghers have built successful solo careers after Oasis. Liam recently played a string of arena shows to celebrate the 30th anniversary of “Definitely Maybe,” while Noel has played with his band, High Flying Birds, since 2010 and released four albums.
But while Gallaghers routinely play old Oasis songs at shows, for many fans it doesn’t capture the magic of the two brothers appearing together.
The Gallaghers haven’t performed together since a backstage fight at a music festival in Paris in 2009.
A rapprochement between them has often seemed unlikely, with both men trading insults and barbs on social media and in interviews.
But the past few weeks have seen a definite warming of relations. Noel paid his younger brother some compliments in an interview last week, praising his rasping vocals. “It’s the delivery or the tone of his voice and the attitude,” he said. He compared Liam’s voice to “10 shots of tequila on a Friday night” whereas his own was more like “half a Guinness on a Tuesday.”
