Four months ago Noel Gallagher threw out a tweet that he had come across some Oasis material that he thought was lost. In such a time as the present, it felt like being handed a life line. A new what? A new Oasis tune? My social media newsfeeds are smothered with Oasis and my God – carnage at this throwaway announcement. Speculation left and right on what it could have been or what this meant in regards to the desperate clamour for the reunion. Now the tune didn’t blow anyone away, and Liam didn’t feature, but it was unheard Oasis material and it made me ponder how mad the world would actually go at a reunion.
Being born in what was the middle of the Oasis explosion, my earliest memories of the band was in the early 2000’s – flicking the music channels back and forth for a glimmer of something decent to record into the Sony Ericson. The muffled 30 second recording of The Ketchup Song had run its course. I landed on what I now know to be Songbird, and an image of some moody fucker singing up against a tree. What a lovely tune that is. There was a certain furore to the introduction of this song, and I remember querying the father on this ‘Oasis’ the presenter was falling over herself to introduce. Their lure was obvious. Something about that look of ‘fuck you’ they threw out is what I’m sure ticks the box for most people pissed off at something. I’d little to be pissed off at being 8 years old so I left a pin in it.
One of the FIFA’s, I think it was FIFA 06? Lyla was one of the tunes involved and I became so entranced by this that I went to settings and knocked off every other tune on the game's playlist. Lyla went around and around to become the official backing track to QPR’s most successful period in the clubs make believe history. That was the start for my love for Oasis. If I was to put a finger on the sudden infatuation, 2006 coincided with the beginning of secondary school for me, and Liam Gallagher telling everyone to fuck off made sense I suppose. You need to be yourself, you can’t be no one else. The pressures involved in being 12-15 years old needed these reassurances, and that was it.
It’s a discredit to the band to put them down to attitude alone – they’re obviously seriously talented musicians. Bonehead is always credited as one of those lads that could find a tune out of a rusty pipe. To comprehend the sheer volume of quality tunes is insane. Where do you even start? Their B-sides alone would I imagine be many an acts slán abhaile greatest hits compilation. The Masterplan, Talk Tonight, Acquiesce – Jesus, even Half the World Away was initially a B-side. 'Play Wonderwall' is worth the sneer for the beginner guitar player at the gaf party but knock another half a can into you and you’d be ready to go hoarse singing it.
Other than attending Oasis themselves, the next best thing is the separate gigs, and for what they are - they’re still class. Should you have been lucky enough to been to what felt like Liam’s twenty Irish appearances in the past three years, you’ll attest to that. I’ve been to maybe three? Definitely two. That gig in Weston Airport is probably one I’ll talk about for decades, absolute carnage. Freezing cold in October listening to LG bang out Some Might Say to a crowd of drunken maniacs in what felt like a massive shed. Quality. I’ve seen Noel twice with NGHFB and equally class. Don’t Look Back in Anger and Half The World Away are just tunes that are meant to be sang with your arm around a mate. Some of my fondest memories are these moments.
I mentioned Acquiesce. I feel like Acquiesce is Oasis. A rare one featuring strong vocals from both brothers. ‘We need each other/ We believe in each other’. Noel denies the lyrics to be about each other, but I don’t know. A rare tune mutually sang - the lyrics are beautiful in that context. Because they did need each other. Maybe still do. They’ve shown in the past 11 years they can be a stand-alone main act, but will that always be enough? I suppose time will tell.
I was lucky enough to be in attendance in Slane 2009 – just a couple months before the split. Myself and the father made the trip up and that day I saw a dream of mine come true. Should the reunion never happen it’s something I’ll always have to bring with me. I read somewhere once that you should rip the final pages out of a book you love because it can never finish as perfectly as you imagine. The beginning makes you wonder, the middle makes you think and the end finishes it. If it happens, the reunion – brilliant, I’ll see you there. If it doesn’t, so be it. We’ll continue as we were, with the memories of the start and the middle, and Live Forever.
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