Oasis reunion: The story the rock ‘n’ roll Gallagher brothers so far
An Oasis reunion has felt half the world away… until now.
Liam and Noel Gallagher, renowned for their fractious relationship over the decades, have announced a 14-date UK and Ireland tour for next summer.
The band first formed in Manchester in 1991 and went on to become one of the most successful to emerge during the Britpop era in the mid-1990s.
Oasis reunion: Follow live updates
Here’s a timeline of the band’s story so far.
14 August 1991
A pivotal date in the band’s history is their first live performance under the name Oasis at music club The Boardwalk in Manchester.
Oasis members in 1996. Pic: Stefan Rousseau/PA
At this point, the band was a four-piece made up of Liam Gallagher, Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan and Tony McCarroll.
It wouldn’t be until 1992 when Noel Gallagher joined the line-up, according to The Oasis Timeline Project.
11 April 1994
After signing to independent record label, Creation Records, Oasis release their first single Supersonic from the forthcoming album Definitely Maybe.
The Definitely Maybe album cover. Pic: CBW/Alamy
In the build-up to the album release, the group started living up to the rocker stereotype, making headlines when they missed their first international gig in Amsterdam because they got deported back to the UK after getting caught up in a drunken brawl on the outbound ferry.
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29 August 1994
Oasis’s debut studio album Definitely Maybe is released. It became the fastest-selling debut album in UK chart history at the time and features hits including Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, Cigarettes & Alcohol and Live Forever.
A week into recording their second studio album – (What’s The Story) Morning Glory? – the Gallagher brothers get into an altercation at a pub in Monmouth, leading to Noel famously hitting Liam with a cricket bat.
24 January 1995
Oasis win awards for best new band, NME album of the year and best single for Live Forever at the NME Brat Awards in London. The ceremony would mark one of the first head-to-head battles between Oasis and Blur.
Blur picking up a Brit Award in 1995. Pic: Fiona Hanson/PA
The rivalry between the two bands would go on to dominate subsequent award ceremonies and the UK charts, including the 1996 Brit Awards, when the Gallagher brothers performed a taunting version of Blur’s Parklife after beating the band to win British group of the year.
2 October 1995
(What’s The Story) Morning Glory? is released, propelling the band to worldwide fame and selling over 12 million copies worldwide. The album has since become the fifth-biggest-selling album of all time in Britain.
It contained some of Oasis’s biggest hits including Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger and Champagne Supernova.
Liam Gallagher of Oasis in concert on stage at Knebworth House in 1996. Pic: Stefan Rousseau/PA
The band released a further five studio albums, four of which went to number one in the charts, while 1998’s The Masterplan peaked at number two.
10 August 1996
The band plays the first of two sell-out nights at Knebworth Park in Hertfordshire. The concerts attract 125,000 people each night and include support acts like The Bootleg Beatles, The Charlatans, Manic Street Preachers and The Prodigy.
Liam and Noel at the Oasis Knebworth gigs. Pic: Times Newspapers/Shutterstock
Noel Gallagher (second left) with fans at the world premiere of Oasis Knebworth 1996. Pic: PA
The gigs would be the focus of a documentary film, Oasis Knebworth 1996, released in November 2021.
9 August 1999
Original member and guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs announces that he is leaving the band to “concentrate on other things”.
A few weeks later, original guitarist Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan also announces he is leaving, in more dramatic fashion compared to his bandmate – by famously sending a fax.
(L-R) Liam and Noel at a press conference after Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan quit the band. Pic: PA
28 August 2009
Noel quits Oasis after an argument backstage with brother Liam who began swinging around a guitar before playing the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.
A week before, the band played what would become their last performance together at V Festival in Stafford.
In interviews, Noel revealed that he made the decision to leave the band when sitting in the back of a car outside the music festival in France.
Noel with his band Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds at Twickenham Stadium in 2017. Pic: Reuters
Speaking on Sky Arts programme Noel Gallagher: Out Of The Now, the guitarist said: “And the driver pulled off and that was it. I didn’t feel a sense of relief because I knew there was a shitstorm coming. And there was going to be a lot of nonsense talked about it.”
He also admitted he feels their break-up helped cement their legacy as one of the greatest British bands of all time.
Since their split, Liam has enjoyed success as a solo artist and Noel formed his own band, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, which has experienced commercial success, with their first three albums all reaching number one in the charts and the most recent record, 2023’s Council Skies, peaking at number two.
Liam performing his Definitely Maybe 30th anniversary show at the O2 Arena in London. Pic: Dan Reid/Shutterstock
But the feuding brothers have often taken digs at each other in the media or at shows.
At the NME Awards in 2018, Liam said that his brother was the villain of the year, claiming “he’s the biggest liar and biggest faker in the business”, while Noel said three years earlier that he would “never forgive” his brother for walking out on the band during a series of live shows before they broke up.
27 August 2024
Rumours began to swirl last week after Noel paid Liam a string of compliments in an interview with music journalist John Robb at Manchester’s Sifters Records in honour of their debut album’s 30th anniversary.
As part of the celebrations for Definitely Maybe, Liam has been touring the UK this summer playing the record in full, even dedicating Half The World Away to his brother, saying he is “still playing hard to get”.
The pair also teased an announcement on social media in the days leading up to 27 August.
Oasis reunite to perform live shows in 2025. Pic: oasisinet.com
The brothers will play 12 dates in the UK and two dates in Ireland in July and August – including four shows each at London’s Wembley Stadium and Manchester’s Heaton Park.
In a statement, they said: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”
Despite speculation that they will be on the bill at Glastonbury 2025, the band will not be performing at the festival, according to PA news agency.
Entertainment
BAFTA Games Awards: Astro Bot tops leaderboard – with psychological horror close behind
Astro Bot was the big winner at this year’s BAFTA Games Awards, taking home five prizes, including the coveted best game.
The 3D platformer, which was launched to critical acclaim in September to mark PlayStation’s 30th anniversary, was nominated for eight gongs, while Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, led with 11 nods.
But in the end, the critics – some of whom had dubbed Astro Bot a “perfect game” – were right as it dominated the awards at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, hosted by comedian Phil Wang for the second year running.
Astro Bot. Pic: Team Asobi
Nicolas Doucet with his five awards for Astro Bot. Pic: PA
BAFTAs for audio achievement, game design, animation, and best family game completed the set for developers Team Asobi, who designed multiple galaxies and dozens of levels for the titular Astro to journey through, retrieving spaceship parts and rescuing lost robots.
“We’re a team based in Japan, but we have over 12 nationalities. We really mix it up and get ideas from everyone,” Nicolas Doucet, president of Team Asobi, told Sky News.
“We do a lot of jokes in the game, but the joke has a different meaning depending on where you are in the world. So it’s really, really nice to go around and ask everyone ‘is that joke fine in your country?’ And then together we come to a kind of universal playfulness.”
Among the gongs for Astro Bot was the best game award. Pic: BAFTA
It’s a very different atmosphere than that generated by British psychological horror Still Wakes The Deep, which won three awards for best new intellectual property and best supporting and leading roles.
Compared to John Carpenter’s 1980 sci-fi horror The Thing but on a Scottish oil rig, the game sees players take on the role of an electrician trapped on a damaged facility while being pursued by monsters.
Still Wakes The Deep. Pic: Sumo Digital Limited
Developer The Chinese Room has been praised for using home-grown talent to voice the characters, including comedian and actress Karen Dunbar, who picked up best performer in a supporting role for voicing Finlay.
“I’ve been nominated for quite a few BAFTAs in my time in Scotland, and I’ve never won one,” said Dunbar.
“It was such a great category, so many great performances. When they shouted my name, I think I started clapping for someone else!”
Read more: See full list of winners
Still Wakes The Deep star Karen Dunbar won best performer in a supporting role. Pic: BAFTA
Meanwhile, best multiplayer game went to Helldivers II – a satirical, sci-fi shooter that sees players fight bugs, aliens and robots with the gumption and gullibility of the characters in Paul Verhoeven’s Starship Troopers.
It has gained a cult following since launching in February 2024 with so much initial interest it created server problems.
“Games for me are about connecting people and forging those bonds of friendship and the multiplayer award is exactly what it stands for,” said Johan Pilestedt, chief executive of Arrowhead Game Studios.
Helldivers II. Pic: Arrowhead/Sony
From outer space to a fictional Yorkshire town called Barnsworth. Thank Goodness You’re Here! – a cartoonish, comedy platformer – won Best British Game. Like Still Wakes The Deep, it has won praise for the authenticity of its actors and setting.
“I think it’s been a real privilege to be able to represent Barnsley on the silver screen,” said Will Todd, who is from the town and one of two game designers behind the project.
Thank Goodness You’re Here! Pic: Coal Supper/Panic Inc
Co-creator James Carbutt added: “Me and Will wrote everything in our tone of voice, quite literally. The further along development we got, the more we lent into it. I think the voices from different parts of the UK and different voices in gaming are super important, and hopefully we’re one of them.”
By the time the BAFTAs wrapped up, Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II was only handed one of the 11 BAFTAs it was nominated for, technical achievement.
Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. Pic: Ninja Theory
But developers Ninja Theory are already adding this year’s win to a tally of five BAFTAs they were awarded for the first game in the series, which created a protagonist with psychosis by drawing on clinical neuroscience and the experiences of people living with the condition.
Blondie drummer Clem Burke has died at the age of 70
The band said Blurke had been diagnosed with cancer, and described his death as a “profound loss”.
He featured on all the Debbie Harry-fronted group’s studio albums since joining a year after their formation in 1975.
Blurke was with the band from their self-titled debut, through their 1978 classic Parallel Lines, to 2017’s Pollinator.
Drummer Burke.
Pic: Reuters
In a statement on Blondie’s Instagram, Harry and the band’s guitarist, Chris Stein, said: “It is with profound sadness that we relay news of the passing of our beloved friend and bandmate Clem Burke following a private battle with cancer.
“Clem was not just a drummer, he was the heartbeat of Blondie.
“His talent, energy, and passion for music were unmatched, and his contributions to our sound and success are immeasurable.
“Beyond his musicianship, Clem was a source of inspiration both on and off the stage. His vibrant spirit, infectious enthusiasm and rock solid work ethic touched everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
“Clem’s influence extended far beyond Blondie, a self-proclaimed ‘rock and roll survivalist’, he played and collaborated with numerous iconic artists.”
Burke in his performance at Festival Estereo Picnic 2023.
Pic: AP
Burke featured on Iggy Pop’s 1982 album Zombie Birdhouse and also performed with Bob Dylan, The Ramones, The Who guitarist Pete Townshend and Joan Jett.
The statement went on to say Burke had left an “indelible mark on every project he was part of”.
It added: “We extend our deepest condolences to Clem’s family, friends, and fans around the world. His legacy will live on through the tremendous amount of music he created and the countless lives he touched.”
Burke, who performed on classic tracks such as Call Me, Heart Of Glass and One Way Or Another, made his final live appearance with Blondie last year.
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Blondie performing during Glastonbury Festival in 2023.
Pic: Invision/AP
Among those paying tribute to him was Kinks guitarist Dave Davies, who said: “I feel saddened that Clem Burke was taken from us so soon.
“May he rest in peace, spectacular drumming, we were friends.”
Nancy Sinatra said: “My heart is shattered. Clem became an icon as a member of Blondie, but he was also an important part of my band, the K.A.B. I was blessed to call him my friend.
“If I ever needed him, he was there. Always. Sending healing prayers and comfort to his widow, Ellen, his family, and all who loved him.”
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