If you have ever nursed a pint with friends and discussed whether a reformed Oasis would still have their old magic, this film is your answer.
Directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace have made a deeply emotional documentary on the mythic OASIS LIVE 25 reunion tour after 15 years of the iconic rock and roll band. Formatted by PEAKY BLINDERS creator Steven Knight, the film leans heavily on the sheer electricity of their return and excels most powerfully when it steps out of the rehearsal room (as fascinating and funny as it is) and lets the stadium atmosphere ignite.
The Gallagher brothers are as charismatic as ever, but for me the real stars are the crowds of adoring fans. There are cameras everywhere trained right on the teeming masses moving chaotically but in unison, and their joy jumps right out of the screen. The en-masse hysteria is beautifully and movingly captured. It’s a sea of bucket hats, flying beer and fans of all generations openly weeping and dancing and makes for a very moving experience. The crowd is basically the driving force behind the movie and the power of their love for Oasis is a living thing, even shocking the brothers when they first took to the stage in Cardiff. Noel especially seems to still not quite understand where this emotional response came from. Both, he and Liam wisely don’t over analyse the magical bond between them and their audience, in fear perhaps of breaking the bubble.
The sound design is a wall of sound and really the only word for it is massive. You aren’t just watching a gig, you are right there pinned against the barrier! The mixing of roaring guitars and Liams snarling vocals sound as sharp and vital as ever and even ballads like “wonderwall” get a turbo stadium boost. Its the raw rock of “some might say” and “cigarettes and alcohol” that absolutely blow the windows out though.
The talking head moments mainly stick to Liam and Noel and the former is as funny and uncompromising as ever, even if his punky energy has been tempered by a new found professionalism and humility. He openly marvels that their fanbase has stood by them and says jokingly that if he was a fan he would have given up on them long ago (not in those words!). Noel is more introspective and you get the feeling that the reunion between the brothers is as important to him as the reformed band.
“The things that used to annoy us about each other have all gone away,” Noel says and his comment makes you realise that family and connection is the most important thing. That and the songs. In the end, when the talking stops and the music plays, the feuds, fighting and bickering fades and you are left with timeless, anthemic songs that are unmatched.
You get a look at the rehearsal process, where apprehension is in the air about whether the brothers really can work together and there are a couple of laugh out loud moments. Maybe, an extended cut could have more on the preparations for the tour as I found it fascinating.
I would have perhaps liked a bit more information about their break-up and the infamous 2009 Rock en Seine collapse in Paris, but in hindsight that break-up maybe should be consigned to history. OASIS LIVE: 25 is about letting go of the destructive past and celebrating what was good about it and looking to the future.
Don’t look back in anger, indeed.