How Oasis captured the hearts and minds of Gen Z: “Oasis will outlive us all”
It’s difficult to believe that the thousands of young revellers celebrating their GCSE results at Reading & Leeds last weekend were crawling around in nappies when Oasis split up in 2009. Nevertheless, hoards of teenagers and young adults flocked to the main stage to witness Liam Gallagher’s ‘Definitely Maybe’ headline set, as they have done throughout the anniversary tour – and, increasingly, across the entirety of his astronomical comeback stint.
“Although he’s in his fifties, Liam still feels like one of us,” suggests 23-year-old fan Harvey, who lives in North Wales. “He wouldn’t be out of place in a pub with a bunch of people in their early twenties. Liam, to me, almost feels as if he’s the cool older uncle you never had.” Part of the miracle of Liam’s post-Beady Eye renaissance is the manner in which he’s effortlessly swept up a whole new generation (as evidenced on the artwork for his third solo album, ‘C’mon You Know’), leaning into his Oasis hits and providing fans with the next best equivalent – until now.
Of course, it’s not news that every British person born after 1995 has the lyrics to ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ effectively pre-programmed into their brain. You can’t, however, play down the impact of Liam’s solo career in bringing the wider Oasis catalogue live and direct to Gen Z. Second time around the board – with the helping hand of his ever-present Twitter/X antics – he’s got people who didn’t even exist during the Oasis glory days scrambling for a Knebworth ticket and belting out every line to ‘Digsy’s Dinner.’
“Liam [has been] so much more proactive in keeping the Oasis flame alive, which, if we’re being honest, is what people really want”, continues Harvey. “He is the definition of a timeless rockstar”, adds 21-year-old fan Rhianwen. “To be so unapologetic about who you are, where you come from and what you have to say – any generation can admire that. From his interviews to his gigs, his tweets, he’s just pure entertainment.” Will, who’s seen Liam seven times, sees him as a breath of fresh air alongside some of the “sanitised, industry-friendly” modern-day pop stars: “No frills, no messing [about]. When it comes to a rock star, he’s the full package: the stance, the clothes, the imagery.”
What about Noel, then? Oasis’ songwriting mastermind arguably hasn’t been lapped up by today’s youth as easily as his younger brother – headlining the likes of Bingley Weekender and Hardwick Festival rather than TRNSMT or Reading & Leeds – but the underlying appreciation for his songwriting ability seems to prevail. “Noel is still hugely popular with the younger generation”, argues 23-year-old fan Sophie, pointing to his Spotify monthly listeners. “You could argue that his poetic wordmanship to slower melodies is more easily accessible in today’s generation [than] Liam’s Britpop sound, which is harder to replicate.”
Although Noel’s experimentation through the High Flying Birds “deviated from the Oasis formula” – as Harvey suggests – it’s something that the new generation can view with a clean slate. Noel and Liam as separate entities is all they’ve ever known. A reunion seemed so improbable that young fans would look to the Gallagher brothers for completely different things. “Noel’s live set is a lot more gentle; I love his solo stuff”, adds Will. “I also think the media circus that surrounded Liam helped play up to his name and kept him more in the headlines than Noel.” Karis, 22 years old from Jersey, thinks Noel is incredibly underrated. “He’s funny on stage too, but I think that sometimes got overlooked because his brother can be a bit of a loudmouth.”
Lewis, who lives in Leeds, is not quite convinced. “The High Flying Birds didn’t give this generation anything that they couldn’t get elsewhere”, pointing to the likes of Inhaler and The Vaccines. “Liam is the essence of Oasis, and you can’t get that elsewhere… he still shakes a room on a bad day.” Furthermore, Noel’s personality hasn’t quite struck a chord with the hearts and minds of young people, Harvey explains to NME: “There didn’t feel like there was an element of personability with Noel anymore.”
Noel this, Liam that – what does it matter anymore? The Big O are back together – words this generation never thought they’d utter – reclaiming the British rock throne that they never really vacated in their 15-year absence. “The fact they’ve created such a frenzy with this announcement is testament to this”, points out Will, who cites The Reytons and Red Rum Club as notable recent examples of the Oasis legacy, cut from the very same cloth.
As the UK prepares for the great ticketing war on Saturday at 9am, there will be plenty of new kids on the block, crouched over their laptops, praying to have the chance to finally see Oasis, alongside returning punters who have long craved that unmatched dose of nostalgia. It’s intriguing to gauge just how far demand will stretch, especially in comparison to Taylor Swift’s recent Eras Tour or the 2.5 million who applied for Knebworth tickets in 1996.
It’s not been the outpouring of euphoria from everyone, though: social media has been rife with gatekeeping and entitlement from the ‘Oasis ticket police’. ‘Imagine waiting 15 years for Oasis to reform only to lose out on tickets to Chloe, 21 from Stockport who just wants to hear Wonderwall live’, commented Twitter/X user Billy Corcoran, a generalisation that, although meant in jest, seems to represent the actual perspective of some ‘OG’ Oasis fans who feel more deserving of a ticket than anyone watching the gig through their smartphone – something that isn’t specific to Gen Z, by the way.
“In a world where music is increasingly becoming a commodity, being told you don’t deserve to get tickets to see Oasis is extremely disheartening”, says Sophie. “Music is an art that should transcend societal anchors… if anything, ‘OG’ Oasis fans should want to share the reason why they fell in love with the band in the first place with younger generations, in order to carry on this legacy”, she tells NME. “I think they need to get a grip, really. It’s not our fault we weren’t alive then”, adds Karis. “If they’d not had any new fans since the early days, this reunion wouldn’t be happening. Not on this scale, anyway.”
It’s a fair point to consider – have the new generation helped play their part in maintaining Oasis’ status, lapping up every gig Liam and Noel respectively put in front of them? Will certainly thinks so. “The problem with this [protective] mindset is that the Oasis name wouldn’t hold as much fame and momentum if it weren’t for the younger generation keeping the name and music alive – buying merch, buying records, and turning up to shows.” Lewis points to the title of the song that embodies the exact universality of Oasis. “This reunion is for a generation who’ve never seen Oasis, [and] for the millennials who saw them at Knebworth. Acquiesce – stop gatekeeping.”
Three decades on from their heyday, there’s an understanding of the Gallagher brother’s hedonism and how it represented a cultural snapshot in time – one that can feel far apart from the present day. “I think that the chaos and messiness is a part of their brand”, ponders Rhianwen. “Their lyrics matched their actions, and that’s what made them rockstars – songs like ‘Cigarettes and Alcohol’ would have felt inauthentic otherwise.” Noel and Liam have, admittedly, become tamer over time, no longer in the headlines for squaring up to paparazzi and fighting on a ferry to Amsterdam.
“There will naturally be a disconnect between the culture that surrounded Oasis in their heyday and the general attitude of young people today due to changes in gig etiquette”, explains Sophie. “Whilst certain things are frowned upon now, there’s a recognition among my generation that Oasis and the nineties were unique and of its time”, adds Will. “The fame around the Gallagher brothers and their debauchery adds to their infamous nature.”
The common sentiment running through each and every fan who speaks to NME is crystal clear. Oasis could have reunited at any moment in time, for any generation, in any cultural landscape: the music is evergreen. “There’s no ‘new’ Oasis. No band has come close in 30 years – and they weren’t even together for half of it”, points out Lewis, who is hoping to score a ticket to multiple dates in 2025. For him, there is no reference point, no equal for the Gallagher brothers in modern music. “I didn’t know what my music taste was before I heard Oasis. I can’t remember liking music before I heard Oasis.”
Gen Z might not have witnessed their rise in real-time, but the hysteria surrounding the reunion shows just how fundamentally formative they have still been for so many – and long may that continue. “They bring generations together”, confirms Karis. Gen Z. “Stories of their Knebworth gigs were told by my parents as if they were magical”, adds Sophie. “My brothers and I would always dream of experiencing it for ourselves when we grew up.” This reunion isn’t about recreating the nineties. It’s about injecting that exact magic – which has been committed to pure fantasy – into each and every person who has been longing for it.
“Oasis will outlive us all”, concludes Harvey. “It’s music with a true legacy, which cannot be confined by an era. I can’t wait for the day to see my dad sing ‘Bonehead’s Bank Holiday’ with my future children.”
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Rishi Shah
NME
