Blur’s Dave Rowntree says he would “definitely go and see” Oasis on reunion tour
Blur drummer Dave Rowntree has expressed his delight to see Oasis back together, sharing that he would be “first in the queue” to watch the band live.
The two Britpop bands were locked in an infamous rivalry throughout the 1990s, but it seems the Blur drummer is holding no grudges as long-feuding brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher announced last week that they would be reuniting as Oasis for a series of 17 summer stadium gigs across the UK and beyond.
Tickets went on sale over the weekend and sold out at 7pm, though the dynamic pricing structure and price fluctuation has caused much controversy and may even breach consumer law, according to experts.
In a new interview with the BBC, Rowntree – who last year told El Pais that the bands now “all get along well” – said he would “definitely go and see” the Gallagher brothers’ long-awaited comeback tour next year.
The drummer, who also ran as Labour’s MP candidate in Mid Sussex in the general election, added that he would be “first in the queue”, since he had never seen Oasis perform live before.
“Blur and Oasis combined changed what the pop music genre meant, and that doesn’t happen very often,” he added.
The musician went on to explain how people often applied “their particular prejudice” when it came to the apparent rivalry – which he said served as “helpful media hype” – between the two bands.
“So people wanting to see England as a North-South divided country could lay that on there, people that wanted to view it in terms of class could do that,” he added.
Rowntree’s comments come after Blur frontman Damon Albarn last year said the “road is clear” for an Oasis reunion. He even went so far as to say he would “put money” on his band’s ‘90s Britpop rivals reuniting.
His predictions came as Blur themselves began their own comeback tour in their hometown of Colchester.
Speaking to NME In Conversation last year about the comeback shows of Britpop peers Blur and Pulp, Noel said: “Blur never split up, did they? Pulp never split up, they just went and did other things, which is the adult way of doing it. Sadly my fucking band were very far from adult about it. It was a bit more crash and burn.”
While the chances of an Oasis reunion appeared slim in recent years as the estranged brothers continued to share a rocky relationship, the comeback now is finally happening, with the band also seemingly hinting at US tour dates next.
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Hollie Geraghty
NME
