2024-08-28 05:07:32
Do Oasis just want to make millions with a comeback – and will they lay down their weapons for a while to do so? That is what lies behind the Gallagher brothers’ plans.
Exactly 30 years ago, Oasis became the hottest Brit export in the world – alongside their eternal rivals Blur. Songs like “Wonderwall”, “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Supersonic” not only defined an era, they also brought millions in revenue for the Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel. The two founded Oasis with three other musicians (drums, bass, rhythm guitar) in 1991 and have sold around 80 million records worldwide to date.
In their home country of Great Britain, all seven of their studio albums between 1994 and 2008 went to number one in the charts, staying there for up to 49 weeks or going 17 times platinum, like the mega-hit “(What’s the Story) Morning Glory?”. Awards rained down, gigantic tours followed – and then the crash.
- Everything about the Oasis comeback: The details, the plans, the dates
Because Oasis is not just the story of unprecedented success, it is also a series of violent outbursts, a long-running feud between two brothers who publicly hurled the most obscene things at each other – and also had serious disputes in court. Drug abuse, outbursts, accusations of alcoholism: the list of misdeeds in the Gallagher file is long.
The brothers’ falling out was the logical consequence. In 2009, Oasis announced its dissolution, after songwriter Noel left and two months later his brother, six years younger, made the split official. But now there is a turnaround: the band will perform together again, will start a tour in Great Britain next year and is talking about “taking it to other continents later next year”. Tickets go on sale in just a few days: on August 31st.
Which brings us to money. Without a doubt, the 14 fixed concert dates alone will bring a lot of money into the Oasis coffers, which have been idle for 15 years. Experts estimate that the band could earn the equivalent of almost 500 million euros with the reunion tour and sales of merchandise. For Noel and Liam, that would mean around 60 million each in fixed income.
Is that the real reason for the reconciliation? Or is it really art that drives the notoriously feuding brothers onto the stage? No new music has been announced yet. The main focus is on live performances. They themselves have not yet commented on their motivation or the exact reasons. On social media, they simply say: “The weapons are silent. The stars are aligned. The long wait is over. Come along: It won’t be on TV.”
Both Noel and Liam Gallagher have pursued solo and other band projects in recent years. The brothers have repeatedly used these to insult each other – but neither has been able to build on the success of their years together. Apparently the congenial duo was only unbeatable when Noel’s songwriting and Liam’s distinctive voice came together.
Liam Gallagher played in front of larger audiences during the long separation phase and was considered the more successful of the two brothers over the past decade and a half. Noel Gallagher started up again in a band with High Flying Birds, but performed on smaller stages – and made headlines mainly with private setbacks. With a very expensive separation, for example.
British newspapers are already speculating that Noel might reverse his decision to turn his back on his brother and Oasis. Noel Gallagher was married to Sara MacDonald for twelve years. The divorce is said to have cost the 57-year-old 20 million last year. It is at least not entirely unreasonable that this would create a financial need.