Who are Oasis? Manchester band kick off 2025 reunion tour

One of the biggest band reunions of all time is about to get underway!

Rock and roll band Oasis - who shot to fame 30 years ago - are due to begin their tour later this week, playing a number of concerts across the UK and Ireland before heading off on the international leg of their tour.

Your parents or grandparents might have heard of Oasis, but don't worry if the name is new to you - the group haven't played together since 2009.

So, what's the story?

Here's everything you need to know about the band and why they are considered one of the most important British groups in music history.

Who are the main members of Oasis?

Some might say Oasis were one the biggest and most important bands of the 1990s and 2000s.

First formed in Manchester in 1991, Oasis enjoyed huge chart success.

They were behind some of the biggest hits of the nineties with songs such as Wonderwall, Don't Look Back In Anger and Live Forever.

The band also became famous thanks to the two main members of the group - brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.

Liam was the lead singer and his older brother Noel was the main songwriter and lead guitarist.

The two siblings often had fallings out which often made news headlines.

After 18 years together, the band split up after the Gallagher brothers fell out again in 2009, which resulted in Noel leaving the band.

Since their split, both brothers have enjoyed successful solo careers, but now they're getting back together.

Why were Oasis so popular?

Oasis were a ground-breaking band according to critics, with BBC Entertainment reporter Colin Paterson commenting, "Even when they didn't exist, Oasis were still the biggest band in Britain."

After they shot to fame in 1994, they were huge rock and roll stars.

Their albums broke records and sold millions of copies worldwide.

Their music is known for its energy and lyrics - but the band were just as famous for their attitude and arguments.

In 1996, 2.5 million people applied for Oasis tickets to their two concert dates at Knebworth in Hertfordshire - that's around 1 in 20 Britons at the time.

Where are Oasis playing?

The 2025 Oasis tour kicks off with two dates at Cardiff's Principality Stadium

After kicking off with two nights in Cardiff on 4 and 5 July, Oasis will head to Manchester for five nights at Heaton Park on 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20 July.

They will then play the following dates:

25, 26, 30 July and 2, 3 August at Wembley Stadium, London.

8, 9, 12 August at Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, Edinburgh.

16, 17 August at Croke Park, Dublin.

They will then fly to the Canadian city of Toronto, Canada to begin the international leg of their tour before heading to countries such as the US, Australia and South Korea.

Their 2025 reunion tour will wrap up on 23 November in São Paulo, Brazil.

What are the most famous Oasis songs?

Over the years, Oasis have released seven studio albums, their first one being Definitely Maybe in 1994.

This was then followed by (What's the Story) Morning Glory? in 1995, Be Here Now (1997), Standing on the Shoulder of Giants (2000), Heathen Chemistry (2002), Don't Believe the Truth (2005) and most recently, Dig Out Your Soul (2008).

In those days, there were no streaming sites, so if you wanted to regularly listen to a song or an album you had to buy a physical copy of it from the shops.

Oasis's biggest selling single came from the band's second studio album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?.

'Wonderwall', which was released in 1995, sold more than 140,000 copies in its first week - and 1.34 million copies in total.

In October 2020, Wonderwall became the first song from the 1990s to reach one billion streams on Spotify, and to this date it holds the record for being the most streamed Oasis track in the UK.

The next most popular Oasis songs are 'Don't Look Back In Anger', 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out', 'Champagne Supernova' and 'Live Forever'.

What was Britpop?

The band Blur had a famous rivalry with Oasis in the 1990s

Britpop was the name given to the music movement that emerged in the UK from the mid to late 1990s.

Think lots of guitar and upbeat melodies, with catchy melodies and lyrics that celebrated British style and everyday life.

However, it was more than just a new genre of music - it also had a huge impact on UK culture too.

Britpop bands included groups such as Pulp, Suede and Supergrass - however the two most successful ones were Oasis and Blur.

There was a Britpop rivalry between the two bands, which centred around the different personalities of both groups.

In 1995, Oasis and Blur went head to head, releasing songs on the same day in a battle to see whose single would top the charts.

Blur beat Oasis to take the number one spot, in what is widely regarded as one of the most iconic moments in British music history.