An Oasis comeback? The Gallagher brothers hint at a reunion after decades of feuding

Fifteen years after Oasis imploded, the dueling brothers at the heart of the beloved British band are once again teasing a comeback.

On Monday, Noel and Liam Gallagher — the band’s main songwriter and singer, respectively — each tweeted out an 11-second video with the date and time of August 27 at 8 a.m., flickering in the Oasis font. The Oasis Instagram account shared it too.

The posts come a day after Britain’s Sunday Times reported that anonymous industry insiders are “adamant” that the two will reunite for a series of high-profile concerts next summer, including a headlining slot at the Glastonbury Festival and what would be a record 10-night run at Wembley Stadium.

“See you down the front,” Liam then replied in a thread about the article on the social platform X.

He also posted a cryptic tweet of his own: “I never did like that word FORMER.”

The apparent hints are causing a stir on social media, where scores of the group’s fans are posting about the cultural significance — and personal finance implications — of an Oasis reunion tour. Several have joked that those looking to buy tickets should aim for the first night only, lest the famously fight-prone brothers break up the band once again.

Oasis, which started as a five-person band out of Manchester in 1991, is credited with reviving the genre of Britpop music, fueled in part by its rivalry with the London-based band Blur.

The group rose to fame with its 1994 album Definitely Maybe, and cemented its legacy with such hits as “Wonderwall,” “Don’t Look Back in Anger” and “Champagne Supernova.” As of three decades later, Oasis has sold 75 million records worldwide.

The Gallaghers, who were the only constant members of the band's ever-changing lineup, became known for their splashy antics both onstage and across the tabloid pages — as well as their own deepening rivalry.

Years of insults, incidents and infighting culminated on Aug. 28, 2009, when the band broke up minutes before they were set to take the stage at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris.

“People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer,” Noel wrote in a statement at the time. He would later recount a backstage argument in which his younger brother grabbed his guitar and started “wielding it like an axe.”

The Gallaghers went their separate ways, but continued their careers in music: Liam and other Oasis members kept the band going under the name Beady Eye, while Noel formed his own band, High Flying Birds.

The two have performed their old hits separately over the years, though never with each other.

And they’ve publicly floated the prospect of a reunion more than once, including in 2015 and 2018. But such a reconciliation has yet to actually materialize — and the two have continued taking very public swipes at each other on social media all the while.

Eagle-eyed hopefuls, however, are spotting hints that detente could be on the horizon.

While performing at the Reading Festival on Sunday, Liam dedicated the Oasis songs “Half The World Away” to his brother and “Cigarettes & Alcohol” to haters of the band. As his set ended, the onstage screens flashed that same August 27 announcement video.

Noel and Liam’s tumultuous relationship goes back decades, blazing a trail of barbs and bad blood that is nearly impossible to detail in full (though outlets like Pitchfork, Rolling Stone and Radio X have bravely attempted).

Here are some of the highlights, or low points:

The Gallaghers kept fighting long after they were no longer bandmates, insulting each other in awards speeches, interviews and social media posts (including the infamous 2016 “potato” tweet, which became a yearslong bit of its own).

There were occasional public calls for reconciliation interspersed throughout the drama, giving fans brief glimmers of hope.

Liam hinted at a truce in 2017, but called it off a month later. In 2018, he tweeted at his brother suggesting a reunion, but after no reply wrote, “I’ll take that as a NO then.” During the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Noel released a previously hidden song recorded in 1995, to Liam’s apparent displeasure.

But by 2023, both brothers seemed to be taking the idea of a reunion more seriously.

Notably, that same year, Blur — their Britpop archrival, which had been on hiatus since 2015 — reunited to release an album and perform at a number of summer festivals. The Ballad of Darren was critically acclaimed, with outlets from the BBC to Mojo to NPR including it on their best-of-the-year lists. The group closed out its triumphant 2023 by announcing another hiatus.

“If Oasis hadn’t had reached their potential, and there was something left to do, it would be different, but I just don’t see what the point would be,” Noel said in a January 2023 interview. “It would be make a load of money, I’ve got a load of money. To do some monumental [venue] I’ve already done them."

But he left the door open to the possibility, adding: “Now that’s not saying in 10 years' time it won’t appeal to me..."

Two months later, Liam responded to a fan’s tweet asking if there was any chance Oasis might get back together.

“It’s happening,” he wrote.

At least, as the band would put it, that’s the word on the street.

An Oasis comeback? The Gallagher brothers hint at a reunion after decades of feuding

An Oasis comeback? The Gallagher brothers hint at a reunion after decades of feuding

An Oasis comeback? The Gallagher brothers hint at a reunion after decades of feuding

An Oasis comeback? The Gallagher brothers hint at a reunion after decades of feuding

An Oasis comeback? The Gallagher brothers hint at a reunion after decades of feuding