Since their famous break up in 2009, brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher of the band Oasis have had an undying hatred for each other. Despite their never-ending rivalry, the pair have officially put their differences aside for a series of shows in their homeland of the UK sometime in 2025. Neither of the brothers has revealed the exact reason, so it is up to speculation on how they managed to do the impossible and reunite. Although the pair have not commented on recent news, looking at their history and past disputes might lead to clues as to why they made this unexpected decision.
A Brief History
Of the two siblings, Noel was the first to get into music when he began playing guitar at the age of twelve. He instantly fell in love with the songwriting process and eventually started working as a roadie for an English rock band called “Inspiral Carpets.” They also introduced a young Noel to touring in the United States for the first time, which likely conditioned him to the lifestyle of a touring musician. When he returned home from the tour, he found out his little brother, Liam, had taken a liking for singing and joined a band called “Rain.” The band consisted of the original members of what would soon become Oasis. Noel joined later, decided to take over all the songwriting duties, and renamed the band “Oasis,” based on a tour poster of the Inspiral Carpets from their childhood bedroom. Thus, the band that people came to know and love officially formed. In 1994, they signed with Creation Records, a British independent record label, and released their debut album, Definitely Maybe. The album ended up topping the UK charts seemingly instantly and made the brothers a household name.
Their blend of sound from various iconic British classic rock bands from the 1960s, like the Beatles and The Rolling Stones, made them favorable. Oasis were selling out huge venues and were consistently topping the UK radio charts time and time again throughout their career. However, Noel’s songwriting and music weren’t the only things that made them famous. In fact, their music was probably the second best thing they were known for, the first being their constant bickering and reckless lifestyle that they consistently displayed on stage and in tabloid magazines.
When did it all go wrong?
While Noel was more focused on becoming a respected songwriter in the music world, Liam fully embraced the “rockstar” title he was given and was quite a nuisance on stage. He was described as “unprofessional” by interviewers and many venues that hosted the band. This could be seen as the first sign of conflict between the two. The brothers were often referred to as the world's angriest band. They were constantly in arguments behind the scenes over small things, and it often went public, which built up their reputation. There were even times that they would release their arguments as singles; believe it or not, they managed to top the charts in the UK by doing just that. It’s safe to say they were never particularly stable as a band.
While it was seen as their gimmick for a while, the arguing eventually caught up to them in 2009 when they officially split. Although the reasoning for why they broke up is a bit foggy. It started with Noel saying that Liam showed up hungover to a huge performance. However, these claims have since been shot down. The most cohesive answer the public has gotten from either of the brothers was in an interview where Noel said Liam was wielding Noel’s guitar “like an axe ... and he’s swinging this guitar around and he kind of you know, he took my face off with it, you know?” This was apparently enough for Noel to disband the all-powerful force that was Oasis, and since then, they have not been on speaking terms.
The Reunion
Years later, the silence has finally been broken. On August 27th, the band's Instagram page, along with Liam and Noel’s personal Instagram pages, formally announced an “Oasis Live ‘25” tour, which is a series of fourteen dates going across the UK and Ireland next summer. The question is: Why would they do this? What was their motive? Well, everybody’s first guess was money.
The band has been separated for well over a decade, and their lasting impact on the culture of the UK has made them a national treasure. Therefore, they could charge any amount of money and still manage to sell out every venue. The average price of floor tickets was around one hundred and fifty Euros for each city they’re playing at, and the tickets sold out almost instantly when they went on sale, so it’s clear that they’re making a good chunk of change doing this. Fans have also suspected that Noel is doing it to fill the twenty million Euro void from his recent divorce from his now ex-wife, Sara MacDonald. The divorce was fairly recent as they ended their twelve-year marriage in January of 2023, so it would make sense that he’s reasonably desperate for money.
Apart from money, the only other suspicion as to why the two decided to reunite is all due to time. They reunited around the time of the thirtieth anniversary of their debut album, Definitely Maybe, so it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that they were feeling a little nostalgic for their glory days. More realistically, they saw an opportunity to capitalize on the anniversary of such an acclaimed album. Either way, it’s solidified that they’re back. Though for how long? How will their concerts go? Well, only time will tell for the two, but hopefully, they can make it past their first rehearsal.
