“Oasis saved my life”: inside Indonesia’s obsession with all things Gallagher
When Indonesian comedian and content creator Aldi Taher posted a video of himself performing Oasis’ ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ in 2022, it swept the country, quickly going viral. The clip, which now has 226,000 views on just one TikTok account, landed him a spot at the 2023 edition of Pesta Pora, one of Indonesia’s biggest music festivals. Since then, he has officially adopted the Aldi Taher Gallagher persona as one of his shticks and changed his Instagram bio to “aldi taher gallagher, SE”. When the British band announced their unexpected reunion in August, he reposted it with the caption: “Alhamdulillah, my brothers are getting along now thanks to my advice.”
The response to Taher’s performance is no one-off when it comes to Indonesia’s voracious appetite for Oasis. Although the band have never performed in the country – to date, Thailand and Singapore are the only Southeast Asian countries to have hosted their concerts – their fanbase here is massive. At present, the country’s capital, Jakarta, boasts the second-highest number of Oasis listeners on Spotify in the world – nearly 900,000 in early October 2024 – only beaten by London. Tribute bands paying homage to the Gallaghers are rife, including Magic Pie, who went viral on X last year. A clip of the group singing Oasis’ ‘Stop Crying Your Heart Out’ has been watched over 3 million times, with fans around the world complimenting their singer as sounding “more Liam than Liam”.
Indra Asikin Isa, better known as Indra7, a resident DJ and music selector at bars across Jakarta, says he often gets asked to play the band’s music during his sets. “Out of the 20 times I play Duck Down Bar [a popular indie live music and karaoke dive bar in the hip area of South Jakarta], I would get a request for Oasis every single time,” he says.
Although he’s a self-proclaimed Blur fan, Indra admits that Oasis are the ultimate crowd-pleaser when he’s behind the turntable. “Oasis songs are safe bets. During my set, if I’m unsure what to play next or [if] I get a lukewarm crowd, [I’ll] play Oasis, and it [will] work,” he explains. “Other Britpop songs just don’t have the same effect.”
Indonesia’s love for the band goes back to Oasis’ early days. Although thousands of miles away from its epicentre, Britpop was arguably the most popular subculture of Indonesia’s “underground scene” in the ’90s, with Oasis its poster boys. At the time, local radio stations like Prambors were flooded with requests for the band’s music and would play their songs more than 10 times a day – essentially once or twice every programme.
“British music was on the rise with The Stone Roses, Depeche Mode, The Charlatans and whatnot, so when Oasis came along, it was the right time because the ears of the Indonesian youth had been primed for that sort of sound,” recalls Dodo Abdullah, Prambors’ music director between 1989 and 1999. “Oasis also happened to be poppier, so they blew up much like Nirvana did at the tail of the grunge explosion.”
Soon, the band’s influence spread to local acts on Indonesia’s music scene. Pestolaer, who formed in 1992, were part of the first wave of indie bands heavily influenced by British rock music. Dubbed “Indonesia’s Liam Gallagher” at the time thanks to his slim frame and mod haircut, the band’s singer, Ade “Taba” Yusuf, says it wasn’t just Oasis’ music that had an impact, but their fashion style, too.
“Wearing a button-down shirt, rocking the bowl haircut, Adidas sneakers, and jacket became Jakarta’s scene dress code. Back then, people tried to copy their idols, and dressing like Oasis wasn’t hard to do,” he explains. “It was a way for kids to quickly be a part of something they like. Plus, unlike punk rock with their boots and chains, Oasis’ casual style was more convenient for daily activities.”
“If Oasis ever plays again, I will be there no matter what, even if I don’t know how I will get the money for it. I just don’t care about anything else” – Ilham Priananda
Oasis’ modest, no-nonsense, working-class take on Britpop was also more culturally resonant for Indonesians. The simple chords and catchy melodies are perfect for nongkrong, an Indonesian word that means to “hang out”. Whether at a friend’s house, university spots or in public parks, it’s easy to find Indonesians chit-chatting, drinking coffee, smoking and singing songs on acoustic guitars together. MBS, a popular Indonesian magazine from the ‘90s that printed guitar chords and lyrics to popular songs, even featured Oasis on one of its covers.
Rian Ekky Pradipta, singer in one of Indonesia’s biggest pop-rock bands, D’Masiv, says Oasis’ songs suit his homeland’s propensity for karaoke-friendly, slow ballad music. “Oasis is easily more accepted by listeners from different socio-economic backgrounds because it’s so singalongable. It’s a rock ‘n’ roll band that can write sweet and profound music,” Pradipta explains.
D’Masiv’s 2012 ballad hit ‘Natural’ was also heavily influenced by the band. “That song is so Oasis,” Pradipta says, laughing. “It’s one of our songs that people still sing along to today.”
Love for football also pushed many Indonesians to get into Oasis. Fadhila “Aca” Jayamahendra, a big fan of the band and Jakartan football club Persija, started following Manchester City three decades ago – a time when the club was a far cry from its current trophy-hoarding iteration – simply because of its association with the Gallagher brothers. Now, the recent success of Man City and the rise of football culture among young Indonesians also mean songs by Oasis and The Stone Roses are treated as football anthems.
“Indonesians are really passionate about things they like. Football, for example, when Persija plays outside the country, thousands of Indonesians would come to support them,” Jayamahendra says.
Jayamahendra clearly feels the same way about Oasis and has been constantly posting about their reunion on social media. “I can’t sleep. It’s my biggest wish to see them play live,” he says. “Prior to the reunion announcement, I had already told my bandmates and my now-fiancée that if Oasis ever plays again, I will be there no matter what, even if I don’t know how I will get the money for it. I just don’t care about anything else.”
Following Oasis’ dramatic breakup in 2009, one Indonesian fan decided to preserve the band’s legacy by opening MolekLane, the world’s first Oasis memorabilia museum. Ilham Priananda launched this Oasis treasure trove in his parents’ house in Jakarta, displaying incredibly rare items, including Andy Bell’s signed watch and Liam Gallagher’s baggage tag. In 2017, CNN Indonesia reported that the museum had more than 3,000 Oasis-related items.
“I own about 300 to 400 vintage Oasis T-shirts alone, all officially released by the band. I bought all the women’s merchandise, too. My wife even says my collection doesn’t make sense anymore,” Priananda, who also co-founded an Oasis fan community in Indonesia, recalls with a laugh.
When Liam Gallagher’s 2017 Jakarta concert was postponed, many fans who’d already booked trips to the city ended up visiting Priananda’s museum as a consolation. The next year, he signed a contract with Liam’s management to open a mini-exhibition at the singer’s solo show in Indonesia, cementing his position as one of the world’s most passionate Oasis collectors.
MolekLane has been closed since 2021, when Priananda and his wife moved to France. In light of Oasis’ recent reunion announcement, though, he says he would reopen the museum in a flash if the band finally announce their first Indonesian concert. “It’s a big deal,” Priananda says. “Oasis saved my life. Their music saved me from being a delinquent in school and it opened up so many opportunities for me personally and professionally. So when they broke up, I decided to archive all things Oasis, so they continued to exist forever.”
The post “Oasis saved my life”: inside Indonesia’s obsession with all things Gallagher appeared first on NME.
Yudhistira Agato
NME
