What is being celebrated – two good albums, three years of good music?

How is Oasis different from The Police? Both bands split up, one in 1984, the other in 2010. When The Police split up in 1984, they had a run of five albums, each one more successful than the one before it (The Cure even managed that with their first ten albums – but never broke up). The Police also have the feat of being the only superstar band to break up after their most successful record, Synchronicity (no, that really wasn't the Beatles, and their most successful albums weren't Abbey Road or Let It Go).

Oasis has released two celebrated albums in 15 years of studio history. Two in 15 years. “Definitely Maybe” in 1994 and immediately after that, in 1995, “(What's The Story) Morning Glory?”. That would be an excellent record, since no further records would have been released after that. But after that came two that were OK, but not celebrated and have not yet been rediscovered as “secret masterpieces” (“Be Here Now”, 1997 and “Standing on the Shoulder of Giants”, 2000). After that came three more studio albums that nobody really talks about anymore.

Two good Oasis albums: Not good statistics

Two significant albums, that is Oasis' legacy, two out of seven. Not a good statistic. Would Oasis have been able to have a successful career if it had started with “Be Here Now”? Exactly. The tragedy of this album title, borrowed from George Harrison, is that there was nothing left for Oasis “here and now”. On their last concert tour, the “Dig Out Your Soul” tour in 2009, the Gallagher brothers performed at Wembley, but not in the stadium, but in the arena. 12,500 spectators instead of 90,000.

As their records sold less and less, their tours also became smaller. For 13 years, from “Be Here Now” onwards, interest from critics and buyers continued to decline, but there was an ever more slavish, almost tragicomic pressure on the Oasis musicians, who were constantly being replaced, to all perform with perfect mod cuts. Sure, the original Oasis line-up looked shabby and like a school band, but their individually crafted, proudly displayed ugliness has aged better than the fashion victim style of Britpoppers like Gem Archer from the later Oasis, which came five years too late.

In the end, Liam Gallagher had at least tried out all the hairstyles that the Beatles had presented on their album covers since the “Blue” phase. When Liam and Noel Gallagher split up in 2010 after a dispute, no one believed that Oasis could still pull off a stroke of genius. The timing of the breakup was also set.

You have to keep all of this in mind – Liam and Noel Gallagher will certainly do the same – when planning the “Oasis 25 live” concerts. It's not likely that they'll be celebrating the “Best of Oasis from then until now”, but rather what the attitude to life promised during their three-year evergreen era. Attitudes to life never have to die. Laddism, Cool Britannia, Euro 96, Lager. These are the years – including the Oasis years – from 1994 to 1996. They might open the upcoming concerts with “Rock 'n' Roll Star”, followed by “Cigarettes and Alcohol”, although “Hello” would be a bit kitschy. Adele has now secured the right to open with songs like these.

As good as the later, isolated pre-release singles (perhaps even superior to the early work?) like “Go Let It Out” and “The Shock Of The Lightning” are, they are probably not the songs that their fans want to hear live today. “Morning Glory” celebrates its 30th anniversary next year, and Oasis will certainly celebrate. And maybe they won't play anything from “Dig Out Your Soul”. When The Police celebrated their reunion in 2006, they also performed in stadiums. They also picked up where they left off in 1984. They played songs from all five albums. And everyone was happy to hear all of the songs from all five albums.

Unlike Oasis, Police did not sell a lifestyle during their time between 1978 and 1984. No style, no hairstyles, no attempts to differentiate themselves from three rival bands, as Blur, Pulp and Suede did for Oasis. Police became stars against the spirit of the times. Nobody was waiting for punk musicians trained in jazz. And Sting, who always sold chutzpah as authenticity, always wrote lyrics with Head in the Clouds. That seemed like a schoolmaster. Oasis fans with thin hair and moth-covered jackets will recognize themselves at Wembley, Heaton Park and all the other places. That was not the case with Police fans after their reunion.

It is amazing how graciously the last 13 years between “Be Here Now” and the miserable end are overlooked

Is the Oasis reunion good or bad? It would be their right for Oasis to put so-called “fan service” at the center of their sets; it's just astonishing how graciously the last 13 years between “Be Here Now” and the miserable end have been overlooked. There have now been 14 million requests for one million tickets, spread over (so far) 14 concerts, and that's just in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales.

These are audience dimensions that Oasis never enjoyed during their active days. Reunited bands with far more perfect discographies (Rage Against the Machine, four albums, all on point, The Velvet Underground, five albums, all successful, Genesis, no matter how many, their community loves them all) were never able to play as big after their reunion as the Gallaghers will soon be able to.

Even Blur, of whose nine albums at least seven are very good, didn't attract that many people. Their once-a-year Hyde Park gigs are compared to the Oasis miracle of – at least – five Wembley Stadium appearances, all within a year. The Oasis hype of 2024 is different to the Oasis hype of 1994. The one back then was based on the hope of years of good music. The one today is based on the feeling of being able to be a boy again.

No one should be spoiled for the anticipation of the Oasis concerts. The author of these lines tried (unsuccessfully) to buy a ticket for “London 1” himself and, after hours of digital queuing, was allowed into the buying area, then briefly considered whether he should press “buy” when the standing room price was 350 pounds. 350 pounds: That could be the most expensive standing room ticket ever sold for the worst, even in the worst case scenario, standing areas at the very back of Wembley.

It would be desirable if by July 2025, we had a clear idea of ​​what kind of “success story” should actually be celebrated on stage. Noel Gallagher has let it be known that he has a new Oasis album in the can. Releasing this would be extremely brave. Much braver than Police, Rage or Genesis were with their live comebacks, because they did not present a single new song. Never before has an artist or band sold a million tickets for concerts where it is not clear whether they are promoting new, unknown songs in a typical quarter of the set list.

None of Noel's solo albums sold as well as Oasis' Be Here Now or received better reviews than, of course, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?” This is not only because Noel was just Noel solo and no longer part of Oasis, but perhaps also because of the declining quality of the songs released.

Money makes

If Oasis releases its eighth album, Noel may be opening up a future for the band. But if he performs these new songs live next year and – as is to be expected – they are not quite as well received as 'Live Forever', the mood in the Oasis camp could quickly change.

Noel Gallagher is a cynic. He's not really someone who likes to look back. “You can't put your arms around a memory” is not a punk principle that applies to him.

But he could also close his eyes, perform the 19 songs and just think about the money. Money makes you happy.