Oasis Is Back! Everything to Know About the '90s Britpop Band's Upcoming Tour and Infamous Rivalry

During the '90s, British bands dominated the culture. At the forefront of the so-called “Britpop” movement was Oasis. Formed in Manchester in 1991, the rock group, which featured Liam Gallagher as lead singer and his older brother, Noel Gallagher, as guitarist and vocalist, developed a huge fanbase in the U.K. and soon found crossover success in the U.S. with hits like “Wonderwall,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Champagne Supernova". 

While Oasis will forever be known for their catchy, '60s-influenced anthems, much has also been made of the band’s ongoing interpersonal drama over the years, as Liam and Noel have frequently made headlines for their boozy and chaotic sibling rivalry. This rivalry led to the band’s demise in 2009, but they recently shocked fans by announcing that they’ll be reuniting and going on tour in 2025.

Here’s a look back at the longstanding Oasis drama and what you need to know about their comeback plans.

The notorious drama of Oasis

Given all the nostalgia around '90s music, it’s not typically surprising when a band of that era announces a reunion. Oasis, however, is an exception, as the Gallagher brothers are infamous for publicly insulting each other. 

The brothers have been at odds with each other ever since Oasis’ very first North American tour in 1994. During a show in L.A., Liam threw a tambourine at Noel, causing him to temporarily quit the band. The next year, during a recording session, Liam claimed that Noel hit him on the head with a cricket bat after he brought his friends to the studio. In 1996, Liam decided not to perform in a high-profile MTV Unplugged appearance at the last minute in favor of watching Noel and mocking him from the sidelines. Needless to say, a number of their shows after that were canceled. 

One of the biggest Oasis dramas came in 2000, when Liam claimed Noel’s daughter was illegitimate. Noel was rightly hurt by this, and ended up leaving the band in the middle of the tour. 

While Noel ended up coming back to the band, he left for good in 2009, when they got into a heated backstage argument that culminated with Liam smashing one of Noel’s guitars. After so many ups and downs, fans weren’t sure whether this was the final breakup or just another Gallagher fight to add to the record, but Noel put an end to any speculation when he issued a statement saying, “It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”

On top of all these incidents, the Gallagher brothers were also known for insulting one another in the media, and were prone to frequent moments of druggy debauchery. While the British press held up Oasis as the new Beatles, they also fixated on the interpersonal drama between the lads, to the point that it threatened to overshadow their music.

Noel and Liam’s profanity-laced insults are for the most part unprintable, but in one of his most memorable lines, Noel once called Liam “the angriest man you’ll ever meet,” saying, “He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup.”

These insults also extended to social media. Years after the soup remark, Liam posted a video of himself eating soup with a fork, and frequently shared unflattering pictures of his brother and described him as a “potato” and a “tofu boy.” 

In 2019, Noel quipped, “I liked my mum until she gave birth to Liam,” and said that when it came to Liam’s solo work, “I don’t listen to the albums, because I can’t stand his voice.” Even in their 50s, the brothers continued to taunt each other with a mix of childish bullying and British wit, and it showed no signs of letting up. 

A surprising reunion

The Oasis rivalry has been consistently raging for 30 years, and fans thought there was no way the band would ever reunite after the 2009 breakup. It’s quite a shock, then, that the Gallagher brothers just announced a U.K. and Ireland tour starting in the summer of 2025 and issued a statement saying, “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.” The tickets, which are sure to be in high demand, go on sale on August 31. 

While there’s much excitement around the Oasis renaissance, and fans are hoping U.S. tour dates will soon be announced, we can’t help but wonder if one of rock’s greatest sibling rivalries will continue, or if the Gallagher brothers have finally made up for good.

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