It was 16 years ago that Oasis dramatically split up – the biggest British band of their era shocked fans everywhere when they called it quits.
Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel were due on stage at V Festival 2009 in Chelmsford when fans discovered that the band had unexpectedly pulled out as a result of Liam coming down with laryngitis.
Oasis was over just a few days later.
In the crowd at Chelmsford was 31-year-old Oasis enthusiast Tom, who was one of millions delighted when Liam and Noel patched things up in 2024 and announced a reunion tour.
A string of live dates was announced for the summer of 2025, with the first of those coming on Friday, July 4—a 75,000-capacity sold-out show at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
Metro spoke to Borehamwood native Tom to see whether he forgives the Manchester Britpop band after all these years or if he still looks back in anger on the day they broke his heart.
On the afternoon of Sunday, August 23, 2009, V Festival was proceeding just like the 13 successful previous years… but soon, disaster struck.
Tom explained: ‘I was incredibly excited. V Festival was my first ever festival. I went with my sister and my parents and had two of my favourite bands headlining—The Killers, then Oasis.’
Still on a high from seeing the Mr. Brightside hitmakers the night before, Tom began Sunday eager for Oasis to cap the weekend off—only for the bad news to make its way to him just 10 minutes into the afternoon.
‘It was devastating. Whispers went around. We even saw a guy draw an “N” before the Oasis logo on his shirt, so it read NOASIS. Then the official message came through—Snow Patrol were now headliners instead.
‘Everyone rushed to see Lady Gaga instead. It got so busy they had to close it off, so we didn’t see her either—we were stuck with Snow Patrol.’
Now, 16 years on, Tom’s been lucky enough to land tickets not just for the Wembley Oasis show but for their homecoming show at Heaton Park as well, just 10 miles from their birthplace of Burnage.
He can scarcely believe it.
‘I always hoped [a reunion] would happen one day. But even now it still feels like a dream. In seven days, I’ll be standing in a field with my mum, my sister, and my fiancée, crying my eyes out to Champagne Supernova.’
Somebody who was lucky enough to catch the Importance of Being Idle chart-toppers was 31-year-old Craig, who saw one of their last-ever shows before the split.
Driving down from his hometown of Perth, Scotland, Craig caught Oasis at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield, paying just £44 to see them alongside Reverend and the Makers, Kasabian, and The Enemy. Those were the days.
‘Seeing them in 2009 was absolutely incredible; the tickets were actually my 15th birthday present from my dad—they were an incredible surprise, and it really was an incredible gig. As a young 15-year-old kid, it was absolutely life-changing.’
But did he know that Oasis was just 15 more gigs away from the very end?
‘I didn’t know it was nearly the end, [but] I remember Liam making a comment on-stage to the sound guys—he wasn’t best pleased. There had been power issues at the Manchester show [the week before].
‘Looking back with the benefit of hindsight, it felt like they were done. The chemistry between Liam and Noel was off. It makes even more sense when you hear about them travelling separately.’
Craig was hurt when Oasis called it quits just weeks after the Edinburgh show, but seeing offshoot bands like Liam’s Beady Eye and Noel’s High-Flying Birds live put a band-aid over the wound.
In the 16 intervening years, Craig ‘didn’t think they’d ever play live together again, at least not in the UK’—but now he gets to pass Oasis on to the next generation in his family.
‘My cousin, who’s five years younger than me, when I was a teenager, I kept saying to him that Oasis are the greatest band ever. We’ve seen Liam and Noel solo, and it’ll come full circle when we see Oasis next month.’
Before Craig catches the Gallaghers at Murrayfield, Tom will get to live out his dream of finally seeing Oasis in the flesh, barring any last-minute fallouts or laryngitis issues. What will it mean to finally see them?
”[The comeback shows] mean everything. I was born in 1994, so my mum and me waited 15 years to see them together. That 15-year wait has now become a 31-year wait.
‘I still won’t believe it until I see them walk on stage together at Heaton Park.’
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