Oasis
Why would Oasis, the legendary band who provided much-needed colour and distraction in my life, need an introduction? The band have scaled every conceivable height in rock ‘n’ roll! I’ll give a brief overview all the same. They formed in Manchester, a metropolitan city in North West England, in 1991. In the beginning, Liam Gallagher was singing in a band called The Rain. Then his older brother Noel returned from a world tour roadying for the Inspiral Carpets. He was surprised to discover his brother had actually managed to form a band. Fed up with standing in the shadow of others, he agreed to join The Rain, only if he was allowed to write the songs and play lead guitar. This was OK’d by the band then consisting of Paul Arthurs (’Bonehead’) on rhythm guitar, Paul McGuigan (bass), Tony McCarroll (drums) and Noel and Liam Gallagher.
Definitely Maybe
It’s hard to describe the impact of debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ in retrospect. I wasn’t even aware of it when it was released in 1994. In 1999 I was moving house and I needed to go to a builders’ merchant. The place I went to happened to sell compact discs and I spotted the cover of ‘Definitely Maybe’, which I vaguely recognised, I distinctly remember remembering I’d read a favourable review about it. I bought it, played it while painting the walls of my new house. Et cetera. Life has not been the same since. The sound just blew me away. You can compare it to the initial reaction you have when you listen to ‘(Never Mind the Bollocks) Here’s the Sex Pistols’ or Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind’ for the first time. The album contains 12 tracks and they were all perfect, etched in stone: “Supersonic”, “Live Forever”, “Rock ‘n’ Roll Star” and “Cigarettes & Alcohol” being just a few obvious examples. The songs tell about crazy adventures, infinite boredom and glimmers of hope. Liam’s soaring vocals and Noel’s swampy, yet colourful lead work were just intoxicating. I know I’m sounding like one of those boring reviewers but there you go. Not much later I bought ‘What’s the Story (Morning Glory)’ and the rest, as they say, is history. So much glorious music to be played at insanely loud volumes whilst having a great time drinking beer with friends.
Oasis Tours
The first few years of Oasis’ popularity must have been absolutely glorious. I wasn’t aware of it at the time. It just passed me by. Only afterwards, and then I only read about it. I wish I’d been there at the time: heroic Oasis gigs at the Water Rats in London, Wetlands in New York, Maine Road in Manchester, Gleneagles Scotland, Loch Lomond Scotland, Slane Castle Dublin, Knebworth (!): the list goes on and on. For a very witty and revealing account of these years I suggest reading ‘Oasis: What’s the Story’ by their former self-appointed road manager Ian Robertson. The first opportunity to see them live was in 2000, during the Standing on the Shoulder of Giants Tour. I was able to secure tickets for the Oasis gig at Wembley Stadium on the 21st of July. I went to see them together with my brother. The sun was shining, we drank pints of lager and we sang songs with other fans: those really were halcyon days which will probably never come back. The show was absolutely fantastic: I vividly remember them playing “Champagne Supernova” at the end of their set, and the sights and sounds were just magical! The second time I saw them was at the Colorline (sic) Arena in Hamburg in 2003, when they were touring ‘Don’t Believe the Truth’, if I’m correct. It may have been ‘Heathen Chemistry’. Anyway, once again, it was a fantastic gig! They played very loud and again, a wonderful sense of camaraderie among the fans: being at an Oasis gig gives you a feeling you’re young and invincible. After the show we explored the nightlife of Hamburg, the city where the legendary Beatles, Oasis’s all-time heroes, first made a name for themselves in clubs like the Indra, the Kaiserkeller and the Star Club. It was dazzling: so much history, so much present, so much future! As John Lennon once said: the essence of rock ‘n roll is ‘to be here now’. That is exactly what I set out to do from then on. Well, I have bored you enough with this blog, I think. It’s high time I called it a day. If you could please bear with me for one more second for I do need to tell you about the current Oasis tour. Talking about ‘be here now’: you’ve got to practise what you preach
The Dig Out Your Soul UK Tour 2008
Oasis are currently touring the United States: they will shortly land on British soil for the Oasis UK tour 2008. Visiting cities such as Birmingham, Sheffield, Liverpool, Belfast, Aberdeen, Glasgow, London and many others, the tour promises to be spectacular! I went to see them play at the V Festival in Toronto, Canada last week. Something very weird happened during that gig: a ‘fan’ managed to break through security and he went on to forcefully push Noel Gallagher off the stage while he was playing guitar! Noel sustained a rib injury and some of the Oasis tour dates have to be postponed now. This is what Noel wrote about it in his blog at concertics.com: Someone, who can only be described as a “Canadian” was able to get onstage, somehow managed to evade our crack security team (Trotters Independent Security Service) and assaulted my mid-riff. Can’t say much more than that as the “perpetrator’s” gonna get the book thrown at him. Repeatedly. It was all going so well up until that point’n’all. Feel like I’ve had a sparring session with Ricky Hatton. The fan was subsequently taken into police custody and the matter is now under investigation. Let’s hope this kind of thing won’t happen again during the upcoming Oasis UK tour! In any case, you could be there at the Oasis UK gigs, writing history for yourself and for your friends! Just secure those Oasis tickets UK at You can easily secure quality, hard-to-get Oasis tickets at those sites. Oh, on October 6th their 7th studio album ‘Dig Out Your Soul is released. Go and buy it!
Oasis and You!
If you have any Oasis pictures, Oasis stories, Youtube videos or anything else concerning Oasis you would like to share with the rest of the world then please feel free and post it all on this page! It’s very easy! Just mail us if you encounter any problems!
Similar artists: The Stone Roses, Modest Mouse, Coldplay.