If you grew up in the 1990s and cared about British music in any capacity, there was no escaping Oasis. For me, they were the ultimate dorm room trump card if you wanted a girl to make out with you: “Hey do you want to hear my cover of Wonderwall?” Plus, we got a lot of fodder out of Noel and Liam Gallagher being brothers who flat out hated each other, taking the piss as they say. But even with those, um, creative fiascoes, there was always hope in mine and my friends’ hearts that we might get to experience Oasis again someday.
And that year was the 2025 reunion tour. Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern follow Liam, Noel, and the rest of the band as they prep for their reunion tour. Remember, at this point, the brothers really haven’t spoken in 10+ years, following a fistfight backstage in Paris before they cancelled their tour. Lovelace, Southern, and Steven Knight have one interview and a bunch of footage to tell the tale of that big world tour that actually happened…and exactly what it meant to the attendees who were there.
I’m kind of impressed at what Lovelace and Southern pulled off here. I think there’s only 30ish minutes of real movie footage to build a whole movie out of, which they do! They frontload it smartly, building from those first rehearsals to the opening show in Cardiff. That first practice is wonderfully icy: Liam comes in very businesslike, refusing to do anything but sing and give creative notes. And when the practice is over, he bolts to not get sucked into anything. It’s actually a lovely primer for Don’t Look Back in Anger because it hooks you immediately…and there’s just something really silly and funny about Liam’s performative professionalism. He can’t help but be himself even when he’s trying not to. As that ice slowly melts over practice and practice, we see that humorous side of both brothers start to come out, throwing a little jab here and there to test the waters. That partnership rebuilding takes us into that Cardiff show, buoyed by fan interviews Lovelace and Southern do with unbelievably excited Oasis fans. And not just 30-40 somethings, no, this is a generational excitement with grandads, dads, and sons all over their skis that they possibly get to witness one of the great days of their lives if everything goes right. Liam and Noel both feel it too; it’s the high point of the movie, as both Gallaghers talk about how even they were overwhelmed and not ready to be onstage again, with Noel turning away to cry for a few moments during some of the songs. That’s obviously lovely, but then the directors cut to the show ending, and the euphoria everyone feels knowing dreams came true, including an image I won’t forget soon about a 12 year old boy, tears streaming down his face, staring up, taking in a moment of happiness he’s never experienced before, culminating in a hug with his dad.
And that’s the energy and perspective the rest of Don’t Look Back in Anger takes. Using all their best stuff, the movie now pivots to a story of fans and how they feel about Oasis, interspersed with sound bites from the Gallagher brothers interview. There’s a cynical reading in here about the brothers trying to downplay their influence while footage of priests and international groups of fans across all continents invoking Oasis’s importance on their lives, but this is not a cynical movie. Cynicism split Noel and Liam apart; togetherness exhibited by their fans brought them back together. Lovelace and Southern tie each song to a story by one of their fans to lead into the big musical numbers that still hit the soul as hard as they did when I first heard them. It’s truly wondrous to see a Buenos Aires crowd shout Wonderwall as loudly as anywhere else; some football clubs there use it in their opening anthems for their teams. Equally magical is the incredible South Korean fan who said “most bands life you up, but I love Oasis because they fell with me” just a sweet encapsulation of their power. And if the gooiness isn’t working, there’s a psycho Manchester fan ready to talk about how he’s gonna do everything in his power (including risk razor sharp fencing to cut his balls) to see Oasis that night, or a Brazilian woman who named her dog Bonehead (after the Oasis guitarist).
It’s good vibes all around with Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger. This is clearly the sunny side view of the Gallagher brothers, but I hope that they got to see that their petty differences are not as important as the gift they’ve given the world with their music. Who knows? Maybe they’ll be inspired to make more incredible new stuff in the future? What I’m trying to say Noel and Liam, is…Don’t Go Away.