The 15 year long wait is over – Oasis is back. Liam and Noel Gallagher are reuniting for OASIS LIVE ’25, a reunion tour that promises to be the comeback of the decade. 

The UK leg kicks off with a bang at Principality Stadium, where Oasis will headline two highly anticipated weekends starting in late July. Performing under the arch is often one of the highlights of an artist’s career as Wembley’s billion-pound rebuild now sets the stage for what could be Oasis’s most iconic show.

Keep reading this blog post to take a look back at Oasis’ iconic history, including key moments that contributed to their success, breakup, and eventual comeback.

1991: Formation and Signing

In Manchester in 1991, the original Oasis lineup was formed, consisting of Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan, Tony McCarroll, and Chris Hutton. It wasn’t long before Hutton was replaced by Liam Gallagher, who renamed the band from The Rain to Oasis.

In need of a manager, the band recruited Liam’s older brother Noel Gallagher, who was at the time working as a roadie. He demanded full creative control of Oasis, but this certainly worked in their favour as his songwriting skills and ability to manage the band was unmatched.

Oasis’ early music was heavily inspired by other great British bands such as The Beatles, The Stone Roses, and The Jam. But the real turning point came in 1993 when Alan McGee of Creation Records saw them perform in Glasgow and offered them a record deal on the spot.

1994: Breakthrough with Definitely Maybe

Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe was released 29th August 1994, and it was immediately successful as it became the fastest-selling debut album in UK history at the time. The album had a loud, swaggering sound, defiant and working-class in its lyricism set over rock guitar. 

Definitely Maybe cemented Oasis as frontrunners in the Britpop movement, alongside Blur, Pulp, and Suede. It was a catalyst for the explosion of Britpop music that took hold of the UK airwaves for much of the 90s. Every song on the album is legendary, but highlights include Shakermaker,’ ‘Live Forever,’ and ‘Supersonic.’

1995: Peak Britpop & (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?

By the mid-90s, the Britpop invasion was in full swing. On 2nd October 1995, Oasis released (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? And completely dominated British youth culture, achieving over 22 million copies sold. Britain was cool once again, characterised by floppy-haired boys in Adidas playing rock music. 

The main event of the Britpop era also came in 1995, a chart feud between rivals Oasis and Blur. The two bands were the figureheads of Britpop, and when they both released singles at the same time (‘Roll With It’ and ‘Country House’) every fan was watching the charts closely to see who would end up on top. 

The height of Oasis’ popularity came in 1996, when the band played two nights at Knebworth, performing to over 250,000 people. Fans had to apply to get tickets for the concert, and over 2.5 million applications were made. This shows the sheer size of Oasis’ fanbase in the 90s.

2009: Breakup

After a few years of releasing albums that received less and less praise as the popularity of Britpop started to wane, Oasis officially broke up backstage at Rock en Seine festival in Paris following an altercation between Liam and Noel Gallagher. The two brothers had always had a fraught relationship, and it finally came to a head in 2009.

Noel officially left the band, marking the end of Oasis as it had always been known. Liam and the remaining members formed Beady Eye, and Noel launched Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds in 2010.

For 15 years, it looked like the band would never reunite as the brothers continually took shots at each other in interviews or over social media. However, the unimaginable happened in 2024 when a surprise announcement was made.

2024: Oasis Live ‘25 is Announced

On 27th August 2024, Oasis announced a reunion tour to take place in summer 2025. Fans were ecstatic, the media was in a frenzy, and it felt like Britpop was back. The announcement commemorated the 30th anniversary of Definitely Maybe, and in 2025 (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Will reach the same milestone. 

The tour will start with a month of UK dates before moving on to North America, Asia, Australia and South America. It’s incredible how a band that has been broken up for 15 years can sell out such a monumental tour – a testament to Oasis’ lasting legacy.