Oasis to reform for series of lucrative gigs

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Oasis, the rock band at the heart of the 1990s Britpop scene, will reform for a series of lucrative gigs in the UK next year, ending a 16-year feud between brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.

The pair announced on Tuesday that they would appear on stage for the first time since 2009 in a 14-date tour of the UK and Ireland in 2025, following a weekend of fevered speculation among fans.

The band remains hugely popular, not just with its original 1990s fan base but also with their children, given the continued popularity of hits such as “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Wonderwall” on music streaming services.

Oasis has more than 21mn monthly listeners on Spotify alone, including a Gen Z audience yet to be born when the band released its first — and widely regarded as its best — two albums in the mid-1990s.

The band said in a statement: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”

The reunion is expected to be a financial windfall for the two brothers, whose solo music careers have never reached the same levels of popularity as Oasis despite the both regularly featuring old hits in their sets. 

The two brothers have long played down any attempt to reform the band, with the pair trading insults on social media and in interviews. This long-held antipathy has added to the excitement about the band’s reunion, with the brothers’ relationship on stage likely to be as much a focus as the songs.

The decision follows a triumphant return of Britpop arch rivals Blur to Wembley Stadium last year for two sold-out dates, which yielded widespread critical acclaim and a spin-off film released in cinemas this summer.

Unlike Blur, whose return to Wembley was marked with a new album, Oasis is not expected to make any music to go alongside the tour dates next year.

Oasis is one of the last major Britpop bands to reform, with other acts such as Suede also now selling out large venues and releasing new music. Much of the fashion from the period is popular among younger audiences, while the arrival this year of a Labour government in Downing Street — a defining moment for the Britpop era in 1997 under Tony Blair — will add to the sense of nostalgia.

In a statement, the band said it was 30 years to the day on Thursday since their debut album Definitely Maybe was released, meaning “the timing must be a subconscious influence”.

“There has been no great revelatory moment that has ignited the reunion — just the gradual realisation that the time is right,” it added.