More than 100 hours of rare Oasis recordings, including what is believed to be the only recording of a 1996 Loch Lomond concert, are heading to a Littleton Auctions sale on October 3 with a guide price of up to £1.6m, despite objections from Liam and Noel Gallagher.
The Archive, the Engineer, and the Tapes
An extensive collection comprising 209 DAT tapes, 73 analogue cassettes, and three MiniDiscs has surfaced for public sale. The material was amassed by Huw Richards, who served as a sound engineer for Oasis from the 1994 release of their debut album, Definitely Maybe
, until 2001. The archive is being brought to market by his son, Owain Richards, who is also a sound engineer.
Littleton Auctions, based in Evesham, Worcestershire, has catalogued the expansive lot and placed a starting guide price on the archive ranging between £1.2m and £1.6m. The sale is scheduled to go ahead on 3 October.
Unheard Rehearsals and the Loch Lomond Recording
The collection captures the trajectory of one of Britain’s biggest rock bands of the 1990s. Beyond standard live concert sets, the tapes preserve numerous soundchecks, rehearsal sessions, and candid, informal conversations between Noel and Liam Gallagher alongside members of their touring crew.
Among the most prized items in the catalogue is what is believed to be the only recording of the band’s 1996 concert on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland.
Discussions That Fizzled and Band Objections
The road to the auction block has not been smooth. Owain Richards disclosed that he previously entered into discussions with Oasis management after the band sought some of the recordings. Those talks ultimately “fizzled away”, with the band wanting the tapes returned rather than sold elsewhere.
Despite the pushback from the band’s camp, the auction house maintains that the sale is proceeding through proper legal channels. Ben Homer emphasized that the collection is being offered with verified provenance, framing the event as a opportunity for collectors and institutions to acquire material documenting an important period in British music.
Intellectual Property Limits and the Reunion Context
While the physical tapes and the raw audio they contain will change hands if the reserve is met, the commercial fate of the music remains tightly controlled. Oasis retains all intellectual property rights to the recordings. This legal barrier means that whoever successfully bids on the archive cannot simply release a commercial live album without the band’s cooperation.
The auction arrives at a moment of heightened visibility for the group. Interest in the Gallagher brothers has surged following their reunion last year, which brought Noel and Liam back to the stage together for the first time in 15 years. That reconciliation powered sold-out dates across Britain, North America, Australia, and Asia, accompanied by public appearances such as the recent Venice Film Festival premiere of the film Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.
For now, Littleton Auctions continues to prepare the archive alongside complementary memorabilia, including a pair of Adidas Kegler Super Ostrich trainers formerly given to Noel Gallagher. Whether institutional buyers, private collectors, or music historians ultimately secure the tapes on 3 October, the auction ensures that a chapter of 1990s rock history will pass into the public sphere.
