Oasis is back. And with them, the heftiest sibling feud in music history.
When Definitely Maybe dropped in 1994, Oasis didn’t just join the Britpop party – they kicked the door in and declared themselves kings. At the center of the storm: two brothers from Manchester who seemed to be sworn enemies.
Brothers In Arms (And Elbows)
Liam Gallagher had the snarl and the frontman fire. Noel had the songs – and, increasingly, the patience of a man forced to share a band (and a bloodline) with a live grenade. From the beginning, their creative chemistry and personal volatility were impossible to untangle. Oasis was built on that tension – and it was only a matter of time before it broke.
By 1994, Oasis was already unraveling behind the scenes. During a U.S. tour stop at L.A.’s Whisky a Go Go, Liam changed lyrics mid-song, insulted the crowd, and allegedly hit Noel with a tambourine. Noel quit the band the next day and disappeared to Vegas, where he ordered room service from a guy dressed as a pharaoh. As one does. He eventually returned, and the song “Talk Tonight” was born out of the fallout.
Things escalated in 1995 during the Morning Glory sessions in Wales. Liam brought a bunch of strangers into the studio. Noel responded by hitting him over the head with a cricket bat. That same year, their expletive-laden NME interview was released as an actual single – Wibbling Rivalry – and charted in the UK.
In one of their most surreal episodes, Oasis was set to record an MTV Unplugged performance. Liam pulled out last minute, claiming a sore throat, only to show up anyway – beer in hand, smoking one cigarette after another, shouting down at his brother from the balcony. A few days later, he refused to fly to the U.S. for their tour, citing “house problems.” Noel kept the show going (and ate). But behind the scenes, the foundation was cracking.
By 2000, things were beyond repair. In Barcelona, a drunken argument turned physical after Liam allegedly made comments about Noel’s daughter. Noel walked out mid-tour and never forgave him. “He’s my brother,” he later said. “But he’s at arm’s length until he apologizes.” He still hasn’t.
Oasis ended not with a whimper, but with a guitar swung like a weapon. Backstage at Rock en Seine in Paris, Liam smashed one of Noel’s guitars during a fight about – of all things – a clothing ad. Noel quit that night. The rest of the tour was cancelled. Oasis was officially done. Noel later summed it up: “I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”
Aftermath: Tweets, Insults And The Impossible Reunion
In the years that followed, both Gallaghers launched solo projects. But the real show was still their rivalry. Liam took to calling Noel a “potato” on Twitter. Noel called Liam “a man with a fork in a world of soup.” Liam responded by eating soup with a fork. And so it went. Even awards couldn’t unite them – when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame came calling, Liam declined with: “I’m washing my hair and having a pedicure.”
Potato pic.twitter.com/WCtOjIrXR5
— Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) May 24, 2016
And yet, somehow, here we are. In 2025, Oasis reunited for the first time in fifteen years. Oasis Live ’25 is real, though reportedly not born of forgiveness – just a $530 million paycheck. But for now, the band that broke itself apart is back. Let the bickering begin. Again.