The news that Oasis fans have been waiting 15 years for has finally arrived: Noel and Liam Gallagher have buried the hatchet and are reforming the band.
The 90s icons will play 17 dates across Britain and Ireland next year (their first since 2009) with further European dates to be announced.
If you think you’ve heard this before, Oasis are now part of a long list of bands that have broken up and gotten back together.
In fact, one academic at the University of Winchester claims there is a proven formula for a successful band reunion.
Dr Glenn Fosbraey, associate dean of humanities and social sciences, says the “simple” process has been “perfected” by artists including Take That, Busted, Girls Aloud and the Spice Girls, but warns that Oasis could fail and fail.
As breakups happen, as in the case of Take That, groups go through a cycle that includes an acrimonious split and a lucrative reunion. First, when a band’s success begins to wane, a popular member decides to go solo and, undeterred, the remaining members move on. After a few years, the rest of the band decide to go solo as well or pursue other projects. Finally, band members announce that they are reforming, sometimes to finance divorces, lawsuits or bankruptcies.
The news Oasis fans have been waiting 15 years for: Liam and Noel Gallagher have finally buried the hatchet and are reforming the band.
First, when a band’s success begins to wane, a popular member decides to pursue a solo career and the rest of the members move on.
After a few years of declining success, the rest of the band also decided to go solo or devote themselves to other projects, none of which turned out to be particularly successful from a financial point of view.
Finally, after a few years, the band members announce that they will reunite “for the fans,” although usually it is to finance divorces, lawsuits or bankruptcies.
While the circumstances of the Oasis reunion are slightly different, there are rumours that Noel has finally agreed to fund their costly divorce.
“Whatever the reason for their return, Oasis fans won’t mind at all,” says Dr Fosbraey in a new article for The conversation.
‘For them, what’s important is not why, but the fact that it happens.
“But most reunions have simply resulted in healthy bank balances for the artists and a chance to relive the good old days for the fans.”
While an Oasis reunion will undoubtedly be lucrative, the band could “crash and burn” in the months or years following upcoming shows, depending on how long they stay together.
There are plans to play in Europe and even the rest of the world after their UK and Ireland dates, although there is no intention to return to the studio – just yet.
If they continue in the long term, the band’s career could follow a similar trajectory to the events following the momentous Knebworth concerts in 1996.
The 90s icons will play 17 dates across Britain and Ireland next year (their first since 2009) with further European dates to be announced.
Pictured here, Oasis at Knebworth in 1996. Many Oasis fans are hoping this will be the line-up that appears next year, with Paul McGuigan (second right) on bass and Alan White (far right) on drums. Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs (far left) is already confirmed to join the brothers, according to reports.
An academic says the “simple” process of splitting and reforming has been “perfected” by artists including Take That (pictured), Busted, Girls Aloud and the Spice Girls.
The Spice Girls embarked on a world tour in 2007 – their first concerts as a quintet in almost a decade.
Oasis’ third and fourth albums, 1997’s Be Here Now and 2000’s Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, were critically panned and the exhausted band members left.
A series of high-profile clashes between the two brothers culminated in the famous Paris altercation that led to their disbandment in 2009.
“Time will tell whether the Gallagher brothers’ reunion will tarnish their legacy or enhance it,” adds Dr Fosbraey.
‘Oasis fans will be keeping their fingers crossed that the Gallagher brothers can also pull it off and keep their newly rekindled relationship intact.’
The academic notes that many reunions have led to “creative renaissances” involving acclaimed studio albums and commercial success, citing Blur, Blondie and the Pixies as examples.
Blur, who surpassed Oasis at No. 1 in the summer of 1995, have played more than 100 gigs and released two studio albums since Oasis split.
And Blondie reached number one with the single ‘Maria’ two years after they got back together in 1997.
The academic notes that many reunions have led to “creative renaissances” involving acclaimed studio albums and commercial success, citing Blur, Blondie (pictured) and Pixies as examples.
Blur, who surpassed Oasis at No. 1 in the summer of 1995, have played more than 100 gigs and released two studio albums since Oasis split.
David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright of Pink Floyd on stage at ‘Live 8 London’ in Hyde Park on July 2, 2005 in London
However, other reunions “have been disappointing,” adds Dr. Fosbraey, citing The Velvet Underground, Outkast and Kiss.
Others still have acted as a temporary patch for gang members who already had fractured relationships.
For example, Pink Floyd reunited for a triumphant Live 8 concert in 2005, but in recent years the surviving members have been at odds with each other again.
For Oasis, it’s possible that the issues that caused the split in the first place will “resurface and be put to bed once and for all.”
Overall, Dr Fosbraey said the only real surprise about the Oasis reunion “is that it took so long to happen.”
Shortly after the split, rumours of an Oasis reunion began, but by waiting 15 years, Noel may have, inadvertently or not, increased the value of his band.
Fans are already remembering the prices they paid to see Oasis in the 90s and 00s, compared to the cost of upcoming shows.
At Wembley Stadium, seated tickets start at £74.25, while standing tickets cost a whopping £151.25.