Don't look back in anger: The long road that led to the Oasis reunion

The band of brothers is back together.

After years of fans begging for brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher to reconcile and reunite their band — it looks like some fan-driven dreams do come true. On Monday, the beloved British rock band Oasis' official X account tweeted a video that showed the date "27.08.24" before it flicked and transitioned to "8am." Following the cryptic message the band announced on their website Tuesday, "Oasis today end years of feverish speculation with the confirmation of a long-awaited run of UK and Ireland shows forming the domestic leg of their OASIS LIVE '25 world tour."

But long before Oasis was planning a reunion tour, they were constantly, the members had an infamously tumultuous relationship. At the center of the band's conflict was the feud between brothers Liam and Noel.

During the band's global success with hits like "Wonderwall" and "Don’t Look Back in Anger," behind the scenes and in front the world, the brothers struggled with their relationship. The band was never the same after Noel left the group in 2009 after a brawl at the Rock en Seine festival in Paris. Liam and the two remaining members stayed in the group under a new name, Beady Eye, until it disbanded in 2014. Noel had split off for his own band, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

Salon dives into how – from breakups to public spats and bitter animosity brewing for decades – 15 years later, the Gallagher brothers have come together for a surprising reunion:

Liam and Noel's strained relationship throughout Oasis

Much has been reported about the brotherhood or lack thereof between Liam and Noel. The brothers were born six years apart in Manchester, England with Noel being the oldest. Their longstanding beef began as early as their childhood. However, this sibling animosity didn't come to a head until they were in Oasis together. They've both famously taken sharp jabs at each other over the last three decades with outlandish comments like Noel saying Liam is “a man with a fork in a world of soup."

In the band's 1994 debut with "Definitely Maybe," the band's rapid success pushed them to try and replicate that formula in the U.S. But that dream took a detour when the band performed in Los Angeles allegedly high on crystal meth and played a reportedly terrible set. This led to Liam hitting Noel with a tambourine and walking off the stage before the performance was over. Not long after, Noel quit the tour but rejoined the group on another date in the U.S.

Another historic piece of lore in the brother's very public squabbles is the release of an audio recording of an interview the brothers did before their debut release. The audio labeled "Wibbling Rivalry" is 14 minutes of the Gallaghers leveling insults at each other. Liam can be heard telling Noel "You can stick your thousand pounds right up your f***ing a**e ’til it comes out your f***ing big toe."

In 1995, the band's success in the U.S. also threatened the Gallaghers' already fraught relationship. Under the influence of drugs like cocaine, the brothers were set to perform at MTV Unplugged in London but Liam who claimed he had laryngitis missed the performance. He heckled Noel from a balcony while "chain-smoking and guzzling beer," Rolling Stone reported. Liam then decided he would not tour in America. Noel called this decision the move that “killed [Oasis] stone dead in America."

Other volatile moments between the brothers include Noel quitting again during the band's 2000 world tour because of a fight where Noel questioned the legitimacy of Liam's daughter. Noel said of the incident to the magazine Q, "I’ve never forgiven him because he’s never apologized." 

While he rejoined the band later that year, their relationship had entirely frayed even though they continued to record music and tour together for the next nine years. Most of their grievances were revealed through press interviews. 

Noel leaves Oasis for good in 2009

However, the musical partnership between the brothers would end after two decades of constant fighting. Minutes before the band was supposed to play a concert in Paris, the brothers physically fought backstage, leading to Liam eventually smashing one of Noel’s guitars and "wielding it like an axe." This spiraled into Liam suing Noel over what he said was Noel's "false" account of the events.

In a statement, Noel said, "It's with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight. People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer."

But even the breakup couldn't slow the venom between the brothers. Starting in 2009, Noel and Liam have famously took to Twitter to relentlessly drag each other.

In 2016, Liam tweeted out a picture of Noel with the caption “POTATO.” He also said in an interview, “Lots of people say I need to chill out about Noel. Not until they stop Twitter. That c**t will always get it from me.”

Noel said about the tweeting, "I guess it was about him staying relevant. If you’re him, what else is there to tweet about?" 

Oasis reunited?

Even though the online beef devolved into what Noel called "ugly" hate projected onto his family — the band is reuniting. 

At the time, Noel said of their online feud that Liam's messages "only heightens my resolve that I’ll never walk the stage with that band again for that reason."

The rumblings of a reunion came as the Sunday Times reported that industry sources are "adamant" that the brothers will reunite for high-profile concerts in the summer of 2025. Liam had also been dropping hints to people online. In a thread about the Sunday Times article on X, he responded to a comment, "See you down the front."

He also tweeted a cryptic tweet: “I never did like that word FORMER.”

On Tuesday, the band's website stated that Oasis will be touring across the U.K. and Ireland specifically hitting, "Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin in the summer of 2025." Tickets will be available to purchase on Aug. 31.

Oasis said of their bitter feud ending, "The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised."