Another rave review for Oasis, their 5th night at Wembley, plus a review of their clothes from British GQ

[highplainsdem]

From Louder, which publishes Classic Rock, a review of Night 5 from an Irish-born Brit who used to edit Kerrang! and Planet Rock magazines, and who has written several books on artists including Dave Grohl, Metallica and Eddie Van Halen.

https://www.loudersound.com/bands-artists/live-performances/oasis-live-at-wembley-stadium-london-review

"Do we have any glue sniffers in the house tonight?" Amid all the life-affirming scenes of wild collective euphoria, Oasis' superb fifth night at London's Wembley Stadium shows Liam and Noel Gallagher still have punk rock souls
Thirty years on from (What's the Story) Morning Glory?, the reunited Oasis have never sounded better

By Paul Brannigan ( Louder, Classic Rock ) published 1 hour ago

-snip-

After years of speculation, Oasis' long-wished-for reunion was announced last August with the sort of gravity one might expect in the wake of puffs of white smoke emerging from the Sistine Chapel chimney. "The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see."

-snip-

The idea of staying humble has always meant fuck all to Oasis. This is the band who introduced themselves to the world singing “Look at you now, you’re all in my hands tonight” on Rock 'n' Roll Star, track one, side one of Definitely Maybe, “the most arrogant song ever” in Liam's words.

Imagine, at 21-years-old, living with your mum, fronting a gang of older lads who look like they've stepped off a building site in their work clothes and delivering that line with utter, unerring conviction to audiences who could comfortably fit into a Ford Escort while third on the bill at JBs in Dudley, The Duchess Of York in Leeds, or Hull Adelphi. No fear, no irony, just Liam's unbreakable self-belief in his brother's gospel of unapologetic, boundless optimism. Though few of tonight's 23 songs would conventionally be labelled 'punk' - a notable exception being the glorious Bring It On Down, hilariously introduced with the question "Do we have any glue sniffers in the house tonight?" - but there's a proudly independent 'fuck you' defiance embedded in even the most melodic, stadium-friendly songs. "You can't give me the dreams that are mine anyway" on Half The World Away, "I need to be myself, I can't be no-one else" opening Supersonic, "Maybe I just don't believe" on Live Forever, a casually shrugged off refusal to stay in your lane, for anyone. That edge is still there, in their hearts, and in their souls. The Gallaghers might not live in Burnage anymore, but they know who they are, where they come from, and what matters, which is why they can still make these aspirational anthems fly.

-snip-

It'd be stupid to imagine that the 90,000 people here tonight hear the same things, and take the same meanings, from Oasis songs. And yet, for all their cocky swagger, no band is more dedicated to, and more capable of, uniting a stadium as one, every face shining, every voice in harmony.

-snip-

Rock'n'Roll Star, last night at Wembley:

From GQ (originally the British edition):

https://www.gq.com/story/oasis-tour-style-is-still-so-cool

Oasis Look So Cool Because They Look the Same
The secret to the band's stylish tour? Sticking to the classics.

By Mahalia Chang
August 4, 2025

-snip-

The band knows they’re not on tour to make TikTok content. They're not on tour for fans to pass out friendship bracelets. Oasis are on tour to recapture a moment, a vibe, a high that fans have been chasing since 2009. On Wednesday night, as I looked out across the crowd, what struck me about the style was the pure sentimentality. Guys in their 40s and 50s, arms around one other, wearing jerseys and bucket hats, even though they're probably the sweater-and-jeans type. Fans wearing their kit from the ’90s, beat for beat. Adidas Gazelles and Spezials were purchased specifically for the occasion, because your originals were thrown out in 2012. For over 30 years, Oasis have sourced their power from the people, from reminding us that they’re us—kids from working class backgrounds living in council estates, with no money for designer shit—from the idea that you could walk into a pub in Liverpool, in Manchester, in Newcastle, and look like Liam Gallagher without even having to try (or drop a fortune).

For better or for worse, Oasis knew what we wanted from them, and they gave it to us exactly the way we were screaming for. Call it fan service, if you want. Pandering to the kids. But from the opening headbanging noisefuck in “Fuckin’ In the Bushes” to the fireworks going off as the last chords of “Champagne Supernova” ring out, the set list is pure classics. No deep cuts, no “for-the-true-heads” winks. The stage is minimalist. The backing band is original (shout out Bonehead). The crowd is once again in head-to-toe Adidas.

Liam had plenty of time to get a new shtick if he wanted one. But he doesn’t need or want one. Instead, he leans into the mic, hands clasped behind his back, saying maybeee! He wants to wear his parka and his bucket hat, strutting around the stage, flipping off Man United fans.

Here's the secret ingredient: the fans want that, too. They’re not here for a six-outfit-change, moving set, pyrotechnics show, backup dancer spectacle. They want Oasis, exactly as they remember them. The divine ruckus of 1996 Knebworth suspended in amber, perfectly preserved. Now, as seven nights at Wembley chip away at their resin chamber, we see them as they were in our dreams: parka on, button up implacable, bucket hat shoved low.

She's right about the nostalgia, wrong to pick Knebworth as an example of the look they're recreating. Because Liam didn't wear a bucket hat on stage in any video I've seen of those 2 concerts, August 10 and 11, 1996. He did wear a parka the first night, but it was so lightweight it looked more like a shirt in some shots. And for the second night, he wore an oversized (of course) Aran sweater.

[speak easy]

1. "[Liam] wants to wear his parka and his bucket hat"

Liam's bucket hat may be iconic, but it's not cool. It robs fans of his face and (non verbal) expressions.

[highplainsdem]

2. I suspect at least some of the fans who saw them at Wembley were disappointed that he

wore those hats all through every show. I can't think of any other band where the frontman hides much of his face under a hat brim, while the other members of the band don't. And as far as I can tell from YouTube videos, he didn't wear a hat for either most of his solo shows or most of his shows with Oasis.

He wore a cap that wasn't exactly cool (lol) for the TRNSMT 2024 festival in Glasgow last summer, but that still let people see more of his face than the bucket hats do, as he belted out a setlist of Oasis songs.

[speak easy]

3. Bucket hats are quite popular in Australia

Last edited Tue Aug 5, 2025, 07:32 AM - Edit history (1)

They soak up sweat in warm weather. Oh well. I don't like them. I wasn't talking about Liam when I said I would not buying that kinda merch at their concert. I hope he doesn't wear that hat like that in Sydney, but really, I am overjoyed to have the band back together again - and in top form. Amazing band.

[highplainsdem]

4. Oh, I have nothing against hats per se. And I'm delighted that Oasis is back together, too, and

that Liam and Noel's feud seems to be over - for their fans' sake, and their family's sake (especially their mom).

I just think that if their fans had any say in whether Liam skips the bucket hat or wears one for a concert, they'd vote for him NOT wearing the hat.

[highplainsdem]

5. Oasis tweet with video today: Thank you, London... See you in September

Link to tweet