Oasis are back and it’s set to be a ‘madferit’ summer. Bickering brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher – plus four somewhat quieter bandmates – will be reuniting for a string of massive UK and Ireland stadium shows starting on Friday (July 4), before heading to North America, Asia, Australia and South America. And the whole thing will be documented in a reunion tour film produced by Peaky Blinders creator Steve Knight. What a time to be alive.
Ahead of those magical nights where we’ll be bellowing along to anthems such as ‘Cigarettes & Alcohol’, ‘Champagne Supernova’ and ‘Wonderwall’, you’ll want to get in the right frame of mind. So, here are some wonderfully chaotic films that will help you do just that. The new tour doc has a lot to live up to…
Oasis… Live By The Sea (1995)
This scrappy concert film was recorded at Southend’s Cliffs Pavilion in April 1995 towards the end of Oasis’ monster ‘Definitely Maybe’ world tour. The band had played almost 140 shows in the year leading up to this gig, but there’s still an unpredictable swagger to their performance.
As well as early classics ‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’, ‘Live Forever’ and ‘Supersonic’, Live By The Sea captures the first live airing of ‘Some Might Say’ and Noel forgetting the words to ‘D’Yer Wanna Be A Spaceman?’.
Oasis …There And Then (1996)
A lot can happen in a year. While the ‘Definitely, Maybe’ tour saw Oasis comfortably selling out academy-sized venues, their ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ run saw them playing multiple nights at huge outdoor venues including that record-breaking run at Knebworth. There And Then captures Oasis as they become one of the biggest bands on the planet, via beautifully boozy gigs at Maine Road and Earl’s Court.
Oasis: Knebworth 1996 (2021)
Released to celebrate 25 years since 250,000 Oasis fans descended on Knebworth, this lovingly-curated retrospective features archive footage of the band’s mega-gig alongside new interviews with fans, fellow artists and organisers. If you’re going to watch one Oasis flick, make sure it’s this one.
Upside Down: The Creation Records Story (2010)
Obviously, Oasis weren’t the only rock band to soundtrack the ‘90s. This look-back at indie label Creation Records, home to Super Furry Animals, My Bloody Valentine, Primal Scream, Ride and many others, will give you a taste of the celebratory chaos of the Britpop-era music industry. Scene legends like Noel Gallagher and Bobby Gillespie feature heavily but label founder Alan McGee steals the show with his outrageous stories from the front line.
Live Forever: The Rise & Fall Of Britpop (2003)
Would Oasis have been as successful without fellow Britpop heavyweights Pulp, Blur and Suede? This documentary, created when most of the scene’s biggest bands had either broken up or were struggling with ticket sales, explores the ‘90s cultural phenomenon. It’s the perfect explainer of what made it such a magical time in music.
Lord Don’t Slow Me Down (2007)
The last official Oasis film before the band called it quits in 2009, Lord Don’t Slow Me Down is proof that even towards the end of their run, they were untouchable. Featuring a documentary about their ‘Don’t Believe The Truth’ world tour, a full concert as well as bonus audio commentary, it’s a stacked package that finds Oasis growing up disgracefully.
Supersonic (2016)
Produced by the Oscar-winning team behind Amy (Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees) and directed by Mat Whitecross, Supersonic is a forensic exploration of Oasis’ early years. The two-hour documentary features a host of interviews with friends, family and band members, set alongside archive footage of their glory days. It strips away a lot of Oasis’ bravado and exposes the raw, tender relationship between Noel and Liam – and goes some way to explaining why things ended up like they did.
Be Here Now (2019)
Of course, the Oasis story didn’t stop with Knebworth. Be Here Now, a fan-made sequel to Supersonic, explores what happened next. Featuring classic interviews, performances, news reports and various other televised goodies, it’s a scrappy but lovingly-created documentary that’s been viewed over 500,000 times on YouTube. The perfect example of the devotion Oasis inspires.
Liam Gallagher: As It Was (2019)
Liam Gallagher had already faltered with his post-Oasis band Beady Eye, so expectations for his solo career were muted. How wrong everyone was. Across three blistering solo albums, Rkid reminded the world he was still a force to be reckoned with. This documentary charts the making of his debut solo album ‘As You Were’; if we’re being honest, we wouldn’t mind if ‘Wall Of Glass’ found its way into Oasis’ set this summer. Just please don’t tell Noel.
Better Man (2025)
Robbie Williams and the Gallaghers go way back. Noel made headlines for calling him “that fat dancer from Take That” and Robbie challenged Liam to a £100,000 boxing match at the 2000 BRIT Awards. The brothers even make an appearance in his bananas biopic Better Man. “ I hope [Liam] likes it,” Williams told NME last year. “He’s a representation of who he was then and I’m a representation of who I was then,” he added. “The guy that plays Noel has only got one line, but that one line is so unbelievably Noel, it’s incredible: ‘Fuck off, cunt!’”
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