8 August, 2025
Despite the fact that no band has had more of an impact on my life than Oasis (something you can read more about here), for years I’ve been claiming that if Oasis were to reform, I wouldn’t be going. Having already seen them twice in something approaching their prime, I reasoned that seeing them in 2025 would surely be an exercise in diminishing returns. But when the reunion was actually announced in August of 2024, something felt different. Both Liam and Noel seemed revitalised in a way that they haven’t for years. The Oasismania that swept the UK was a whirlwind that seemed unstoppable. Suddenly, Oasis were everywhere again. When glowing reports began to surface from the band’s first comeback show in Cardiff, the hype train reached fever pitch. Surely, I thought, surely no band could live up to the expectations that have become established over the last 12 months. To paraphrase Mick McCarthy, ‘Oh, they can’…
A quick word for the infrastructure at Murrayfield. It takes so long to get in to the stadium that we miss Cast, despite arriving in plenty of time. I then make the catastrophic decision to stubbornly insist that we must have some beers for Oasis and so I spend all of Richard Ashcroft stood in a bar queue. As the unmistakable drum loop from ‘Fucking in the Bushes’ begins, I’m still in the queue but I’m so agonisingly close to the front and I’ve waited so long that leaving seems impossible. Eventually I miss ‘Hello’ and ‘Acquiesce’ too (and I dropped one of the six pints I bought on the way back for good measure). While the obvious answer here is that I should have just left the queue or not joined it at all, it’s also true that having to queue for a drink for over an hour is totally unacceptable at any major event. Do better, Murrayfield.
Anyway, now that unpleasantness is out of the way. Let’s get started. I stumble back inside the arena trying (and ultimately failing) to transport the pints back to our standing point without dropping them. The opening riff of ‘Morning Glory’ sends the crowd into raptures and it’s already clear that this is no ordinary gig. We have a decent spot right in the middle of the stage. Despite being pretty far back, the atmosphere around us is better than 99% of gigs I’ve attended, even those when I’ve been stood right at the front. The thing with Oasis, is that everyone knows every word to every song, and so, each track is treated in the same way that the last song is at other bands’ gigs. I’ve never seen a crowd like it in all my years of attending gigs and festivals. There isn’t a lick of trouble. There is a feeling of togetherness the likes of which I have never experienced. Everyone in the place, and I mean everyone, is dancing, hugging and singing their hearts out. It’s like a football match but with no away fans. Indeed, the crowd reaction is so intense that Noel seems visibly moved on several occasions, most notably during a note perfect rendition of ‘Talk Tonight’.
The classics keep coming. ‘Some Might Say’ has never sounded better, more vital than it does here; ‘Bring it On Down’ is a dark, thrilling masterpiece; and ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’… well… it kinda justifies my decision to stick around for the six pints, dontcha think?
‘Fade Away’ gives everyone the chance to breathe a little before the pounding drums of ‘Supersonic’ send the place wild again, and ‘Roll With It’, a song I’ve always thought to be underrated, surprisingly gets probably the biggest reaction so far. Then it’s time for Noel’s section. One of the big differences between this show and my previous times seeing Oasis is how much thought has gone into each element of the show. The setlist has clearly been meticulously planned, the stage show is genuinely incredible (the screen work is exceptional), and the band are laser focused. Whatever Liam has done to recover his voice should be studied. He hasn’t sounded this good since Be Here Now. Noel delivers heartfelt renditions of ‘Talk Tonight’, ‘Half the World Away’ (dedicated to the ‘real’ Royle family), and ‘Little by Little’. It’s beautiful.
Speaking of Be Here Now (the Oasis album I have the biggest connection with), the record is represented by an epic, sprawling version of ‘D’You Know What I Mean?’, and ‘Stand By Me’ has everyone welling up. These are songs that are threaded into the public consciousness. For millions of us, they have soundtracked our lives for thirty years now. To hear them live surrounded by likeminded people is a feeling that I will never forget.
From there, it’s classic after classic. ‘Cast No Shadow’. ‘Slide Away’. ‘Whatever’. ‘Live Forever’. ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’. There isn’t a band on the planet who can produce a list of tracks like that back to back. And we’re not even at the encore yet. While they all sound incredible, I must give a special mention to ‘Slide Away’ (probably Oasis’ best song and they do it justice here) and ‘Whatever’. The latter reduces grown men (me) to actual tears. It’s a moment.
Liam finds time to brand Edinburgh council ‘fucking slags’ for recently describing Oasis fans as ‘fat, middle-aged drunks’ (the kind of classist, snobbishness that Oasis and their fans have endured for years) before the band leave the stage. They return with a stunning rendition of ‘The Masterplan’ (possibly the best song of the night), before closing out with, of course, ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, ‘Wonderwall’ and ‘Champagne Supernova’. For the final tracks we are no longer band and audience. Everyone is as one. Noel lets the crowd sing large portions of DLBIA, and again, he seems almost shocked by the noise of the crowd. I wonder if the Edinburgh council lot could hear it from their ivory towers.
‘Champagne Supernova’ is as close as most people in the crowd will get to a religious experience. Biblical, as Liam himself would say. I take a moment to look around during this last song. Everyone is utterly lost in the music. Eyes closed. Friends embraced. Memories unlocked. In short, it’s the power of music writ large for 70,000 people to see it. Noel, Liam, Bonehead (welcome back, young man), Gem, Andy and Joey. At a time when everything seems hopeless, this reunion tour has reminded people that unity is more important than ever. If that sounds like a naive daydream or hopelessly over-the-top well tough. Because that’s what this band has always been and that’s what it means.
As thousands of souls shuffle out of Murrayfield, that feeling of unity remains. All across Edinburgh, every bar, every pub, every restaurant, is full of people wearing an Oasis top, a bucket hat and the kind of grin that you only see when something really special is happening. While that feeling will most likely start to dissipate over the coming days, the memory of it will last a lifetime.
Oasis. Fucking hell.
