Oasis: 5 things you (maybe) don't know about the legendary band that's reforming

It's an event fans have been waiting for for almost sixteen years: after announcing their reformation last year, rock band Oasis is finally kicking off their world tour. For their first date, the artists will take to the stage in Cardiff, the capital of Wales, on Friday, July 4th.

This was the first concert since their 2009 split, which followed a violent altercation between Liam and Noel, the two Gallagher brothers, who hadn't been seen together in public since. From their inception in 1991 to the present day, Oasis's existence has never been a bed of roses.

Before becoming world-famous as Oasis, the Gallagher brothers performed under a different moniker. In 1991, four musicians formed the band "The Rain" in Manchester. The original singer, Chris Hutton, was quickly replaced by Liam, who also invited his brother Noel to join. Noel quickly established himself as the band's primary songwriter.

Now composed of five members, the band adopted the name Oasis, chosen by Liam. The inspiration came from an Inspiral Carpets tour poster hanging on his bedroom wall. Among the venues where the British rock band performed was the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon.

" Liam and Noel had a fight, the band is no more. " This statement, uttered in 2009 by a Rock en Seine festival official, drew boos from the audience. Minutes before they were due to take the festival stage, the two brothers came to blows, leading to the cancellation of their performance. They were then urgently replaced by the British band Madness .

In the fight, Liam Gallagher broke his brother Noel's favorite guitar, a 1960 Gibson ES-335, in two. While the argument was certainly violent, it could have been a passing feud, as is not uncommon between brothers. Ultimately, this feud lasted 15 years, during which the members of Oasis constantly exchanged barbs on social media.

This is the hit that defined Oasis' career. A gold and platinum record in many countries, the song Wonderwall , released in 1995, is a true phenomenon with more than a billion streams on Spotify. Even today, it is not uncommon to come across a guitarist sitting in a park strumming the famous chords of this song… much to the dismay of the band members.

Despite its colossal success in the United Kingdom, the Gallagher brothers' home country, Wonderwall doesn't necessarily delight the siblings. In an interview with Mojo magazine, Noel Gallagher explained that this hit "is one of our songs that I like the least because it's not finished. (…) If I could go back in time, I would choose another song for our calling card. Certainly Some Might Say. "

The guitarist also claimed that his brother Liam shared his opinion. "He said it was trip-hop," Noel Gallagher said, a style that mixes hip-hop and electronica, among other things, which Liam clearly didn't like.

After their violent separation in 2009 , and while the group was already going through a period of decline towards the end of its first existence, the two brothers attempted a musical career each on their own.

In 2010, Liam formed the band Beady Eye with two former Oasis members. Their songs, although similar in style to Oasis's, were not very successful. Liam finally announced the end of the band four years after its formation. Three years later, in 2017, the musician began a solo career, with greater success. His song "Wall of Glass" has 20 million streams on YouTube.

For his part, the older brother launched Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Still active today, the project has also enjoyed some success. Among its flagship tracks is the song If I Had A Gun…

During the 15-year estrangement, rumors of a reunion regularly circulated. Liam Gallagher himself had suggested the possibility of another concert with his brother. In 2020, during the lockdown, the musician even posted a series of tweets suggesting Noel reform the band.

In one, he wrote: "Look, seriously, a lot of people think I'm a piece of trash, and I am a beautiful piece of trash, but once [the health crisis] is over, we need to revive Oasis for a charity gig. Come on Noel, then we can get back to our amazing solo careers, LG." An invitation Noel hadn't responded to... until today.