Music Critic George Spraget reviews Oasis Live ’25 at Wembley Stadium, claiming that the Britpop titans are back better than ever
When the news of Oasis’ reunion shook the global music scene last August, excited and anticipative fans yearned for their questions to be answered: are the Gallagher brothers really getting on again, simply acquiescing to the idea? Who else will complete the band lineup? How can I guarantee tickets? And most importantly… how will they sound?
Live ‘25 is undoubtedly the best the band have sounded since the 90s
A year on, and Oasis are back in full force, with the answer to the last question being, in Liam Gallagher terminology: biblical. Live ‘25 is undoubtedly the best the band have sounded since the 90s (it would be near enough impossible to top their monumental Knebworth 1996 peak), with any fears of an anti-climax being dispelled within minute one of the tour’s opening night in Cardiff.
‘Hello, hello, it’s good to be back…’ – it would appear that Noel had written the perfect reunion tour opener thirty years in advance in the form of ‘Hello’, the opening song on 1995’s landmark album (What’s The Story) Morning Glory?. This was quickly followed by fan-favourite (and unbelievably a B-Side) ‘Acquiesce’. Noel’s hair-raising chorus vocals finally added the missing piece to Liam’s brother-less renditions performed on his recent solo tours, personifying ‘because we need each other’ better than ever before. ‘It’s great being back in a band with Liam,’ Noel told Talksport in a rare post-reunion announcement interview, ‘I’d forgotten how funny he was’.
[Liam] seems to have elevated his voice to an even better level for this tour, seamlessly roaring through tracks
Anyone who attended any of Liam’s solo gigs in recent years was not surprised by the healthy state of his vocals. He seems to have elevated his voice to an even better level for this tour, seamlessly roaring through tracks like ‘Supersonic’ and ‘Morning Glory’ with that iconic balance of power and control. Noel’s good-as-ever vocal performance would not go unnoticed either, with hits like ‘Little By Little’ and ‘Talk Tonight’ being some of the night’s highlights.
When your discography is as rich as Oasis’, choosing 23 songs must be a challenging feat. However, it seems almost impossible to be disappointed by the set list. In fact, the sheer density of quality can easily lead to taking Noel’s songwriting ability for granted; there’s no time to absorb and appreciate ‘Live Forever’ in the moment when it’s sandwiched between ‘Whatever’ and ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Star’.
[Noel] is able to turn simple harmonic techniques into generation-defining anthems
‘He only uses four chords,’ I heard someone say from behind me on my journey to Wembley – a vocalisation of perhaps the band’s most common criticism. However, this intended insult paradoxically grasps the very essence of what makes Noel’s songwriting so great. He is able to turn simple harmonic techniques into generation-defining anthems, such as the tour’s encore quartet of ‘The Masterplan’, ‘Don’t Look Back in Anger’, ‘Wonderwall’, and ‘Champagne Supernova,’ which still attract millions of fans worldwide today (seemingly including, ironically, the critical fan in question).
‘See you next year,’ Liam told a sold-out Wembley before the close of the show, perhaps alluding to the band’s heavily rumoured Knebworth 2026 residency. If 2025’s gigs are anything to go by, this run would promise to be some of the most iconic nights in the band’s history – for which tickets will yet again turn into gold dust. One could not help but smile as the brothers embraced one another before leaving the stage – a moment unthinkable ten years ago and still hard to believe today – ending the phenomenal night and cementing Oasis’ arrival back on the global music scene.
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