Oasis’s Cardiff crowd proved that Britpop will live forever

In central Cardiff, on Friday 4^th July, plenty of people were busy getting getting the badge in – and the pints in – since before Greggs’ breakfast menu stopped.

Long hours ahead of the Principality Stadium opening its doors for the first night of the Oasis Live ​’25 comeback tour – 41 dates, five months, 13 countries, unfathomable millions for the Bank of Gallagher – a good chunk of the venue’s 74,500-capacity crowd are already onsite and on the prowl. Beer, here, now.

They’re queuing on the venue forecourt at the official merch stall for Adidas Originals football shirts. They’re scooping hooky logo’d bucket hats (“R Kid”, ​“Talk Tonight”, ​“Wonderwall”) for a tenner from street corner stalls. Flexing Manchester City-blue Kangol headgear, vintage Liam style. Kitted out in head-to-shelltoe Stone Island. Sambas racing Gazelles back to the ​’90s future. Dads’n’lads, grandads’n’lads, couples, schoolmates, workmates, Gen X, millennials, Gen Z, Gen Alpha, all gearing up to Lose Their Actual Shit when, come 8.15pm, Oasis step back onstage for the first time since the dark days of Plumgate, Paris, 2009.

Onstage, Oasis acknowledge that cross-generational love. ​“This song,” says Noel as he tee’s up first encore The Masterplan, ​“is for all the people in their 20s who’ve never seen us before, who’ve kept this shit going”. Cue an audience roar.

Live, Oasis never were the most demonstrative of bands, either musically or fraternally, and they’re not about to change now. Instead, the crowd readily bring in all the emotions. That said, Liam does get involved, making temp Man City fans of us all: before Cigarettes and Alcohol, he directs us to turn our backs, put our arms round each other and celebrate, Poznań-style.

And so, beneath skyborne arcs of lager, the lung-busting communal celebrations continue, with a massively mutual underlying feeling of incredulity: can you believe we’re seeing and hearing this? And that they’re this good? Pint cups are raised in tribute to an onstage image of Diogo Jota, 17-year-old TikTok converts sway hand-in-hand, packs of pals loft their arms and chins and voices for a belted chorus of [insert deathless Oasis anthem here]. By the end of it, there isn’t a dry eye, dry seat or dry bucket hat in the house.

​“Nice one for putting up with us over the years,” says Liam by way of salute as this night of nights draws to a triumphant close. ​“We are hard work, I get it.” Pleasure, R Kid. Good to have you round are way again.

Liam or Noel?
Vicky: Team Liam, all of us.

What’s your favourite Oasis moment ?
Vicky: Knebworth. I got on the bus from Middlesbrough on my own and met a group of strangers and was with them all day.
Gav: Fearne’s will be today. It’s her 12^th birthday and she’s finally going to see Oasis.

Favourite piece of Oasis memorabilia?
Gav: The original Knebworth poster up in the vinyl room in our house.

What do Oasis mean to you?
Sam: It’s a rite of passage for every British teenager to be really into Oasis.
Louis: It’s a cultural phenomenon that’s crossed generations.

Why’s it a good thing that they’ve reunited?
Mia: No other band has impact like this. Cardiff has changed today.

Liam or Noel?
Both: Noel all round.

Favourite Oasis moment?
Riccardo: Jay‑Z mocking Oasis is always super funny to me.

What do Oasis mean to you?
June: It’s our teenage memories. We loved them in high school.

Noel or Liam?
June: Noel.
Wesley: Liam.

Favourite piece of Oasis memorabilia?
June: In Japan, Wesley went to a festival that Liam came to. He touched Liam’s hand. So I have the videos of that.

What do Oasis mean to you?
Remembering my teenage years and childhood. One of my happy memories was my dad taking me to buy the Be Here Now record in 1997. I was 14 years old. It was the same day that princess Diana died.

Favourite piece of Oasis merch?
My dress. I also like my jacket. I made all of it. I embroidered it last night and finished at 23:30.

Why’s it a good thing that Oasis have reunited.
Malachy: I’ve never seen them before. They split two weeks after I was born, so now is the day.

Liam or Noel?
Malachy: Liam.
Sonny: Noel.

Earliest Oasis memory?
Sonny: Hearing Wonderwall in primary school. My teacher showed it to us in year two, which is jokes.

How does Oasis’s music make you feel?
Ollie: Euphoric and passionate.

Liam or Noel?
Ollie: Noel has cooler [solo] music, with High Flying Birds. Liam has better banter and carries the spirit of Oasis though.

Favourite piece of Oasis merch?
Ollie: Definitely this T‑shirt. Represents getting mashed.

Liam or Noel?
Patricia: Liam. We are the first group who agree on it today. Oasis without Liam was Coldplay. But Noel needs credit for the music.

What’s your favourite Oasis moment?
Patricia: Knebworth, Or when Noel was getting emotional during an Argentina show, as he was also a roadie for Inspiral Carpets there.

What’s your go-to pre-gig ritual?
Glyn: Drink. The build up is as fun as the gig. We were singing on the train.

What do Oasis mean to you?
Jaden: The time when I started to listen to them was in high school. But they weren’t a group anymore so I never thought they’d be back together. I went to a Noel concert in Korea to try and get a taste of the energy.

Liam or Noel?
Effy: Liam.
Jaden: Noel.

Why’s it a good thing that they’ve reunited?
Jaden: A lot of fans are looking forward to this. But they won’t stay together haha. Maybe they won’t finish the whole tour!

Why’s it a good thing that they’ve reunited?
It echoes back to a good time in British pop history and culture. It was all riding high before it went off the rails. So now it’s a great time for it, especially with everything going on.

What’s your favourite Oasis moment or piece of trivia?
Got to be the football game with Damon Albarn when Liam pulled his pants down.

Liam or Noel?
Liam. Noel is a grumpy old sod.