‘The 90s look more fun than now’: Meet the 20-something Oasis superfans

As Oasis’s unforgettable comeback show in Cardiff last Friday was reaching its emotional finale, Noel Gallagher stepped out at the start of the encore to sing beloved B-side “The Masterplan”. He hadn’t said much all evening, but wanted to make a point. “This is for all the people in their twenties who have never seen us before,” he said.

Noel is nothing if not astute; he knew that the Principality Stadium was chock full of youngsters who weren’t even born when the Manchester group were dominating not only British music but also the culture itself. It is 31 years since Definitely Maybe became the UK’s fastest-selling debut album, 30 since (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? started its journey to becoming the third best-selling album ever in the UK, and 28 since Be Here Now sold more copies in its first week than any other album. When the band split after the infamous backstage fight in Paris in August 2009, Gordon Brown was Prime Minister and the internet was a very different place. Smart phones were a luxury, social media was in its infancy, and Spotify was just one year old.

Yet Oasis are unique among their 90s peers in having true, deep and committed adoption by Gen Z, who have taken the 50-something Gallagher brothers to their hearts, giving an old rock band from a bygone era a new digital lease of life (“Wonderwall” was the first song from the 90s to reach one billion streams on Spotify). “I got more into them a lot deeper when I was 15, through a friend of mine,” says Jake, 21, from Winchester, one of the many people in their twenties filling up Cardiff city centre pubs on the afternoon of the show. “And ever since then it’s been pretty big in our lives.”

Oasis perform during their reunion concert in Cardiff to a cross-generational crowd (Photo: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

This seemed unlikely in August 2009. After defining British music in the 90s, the band that imploded in Paris had been through a variable decade. They remained massively popular – their albums unfailingly went to number one, along with four of their noughties singles – but with the Gallaghers’ combustible relationship taking a toll, it often looked like a slog. Albums were coolly received and their concerts were often lifeless affairs playing to the long-time faithful – at least three of the five I saw were incredibly dull and half-hearted.

But a new generation sees only the glory, even if they have gone beyond the hits. Unlike many older fans (and music critics especially) who can be disparaging about the band’s 21st-century output, Oasis has listened without prejudice with the benefit of distance. “I honestly don’t think they have a bad song,” says Caolan, 27, from Ireland. “On Spotify, I don’t listen to pre-made playlists. I have my own playlist with every single album, every single B-side, all the songs they’ve ever done.” 

“I enjoy the later albums, exploring the B-sides, digging into their story,” Jake says, “because there’s so [many] little events that happened throughout the 90s, then what they went on to do even post-Oasis. I just think their whole story is really interesting to look at as a whole thing.”

The Oasis story, and the context, is a big pull. The music itself has often been passed down by parents – though not always. Angharad, 27, from Bridgend, is proud she discovered the band by herself. “My mum likes Bon Jovi and my dad likes classical and Take That.” More than one person I speak to points to recent Oasis films – 2016’s rise-to-fame Supersonic documentary and 2021’s Knebworth film, which captured the band’s two 1996 era-defining concerts to 250,000 people – as entry points. “After watching the film we went to Knebworth in 2022,” says Regan, 28, from Bridgend, of Liam’s solo gig reenactments. “It was amazing. We’re basically all born in the wrong era.”

The Oasis logo was stamped on everyone like a club badge in Cardiff, as fans snapped up kit in pop-up merch stalls across the country (Photo: Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

I saw firsthand in Cardiff just how wide the cross-generational appeal is: among the veterans of the band’s peak were groups of young fans and many parents with their sons and daughters (which made for an infinitely nicer atmosphere than the lairy and aggressive crowds of the band’s latter years). And they are fully devoted. The first thing I saw stepping off the train at midday was five mates in their early twenties from Swansea dressed head-to-toe in Oasis gear, with official merch, football shirts and bucket hats bought from pop-up stores that recently opened across the country.

The overlap of football, music and fashion – terrace culture – has been prevalent since the 60s, but never like with Oasis; walking around Cardiff felt like you were going to a Cup final just as much as a concert, with Oasis’s famous Univers Black italic logo stamped on everyone like a club badge. The crossover is a big part of the appeal, particularly for Jack, 27, from Oldham, Greater Manchester. “I’ve been a Man City season ticket holder since I was very young, and [Oasis] are ingrained with the DNA of the club. It just so happens that they write cracking tunes.”

It was similar for Dec, 22, from Swindon. “I got into it because I was going to a lot of footy games, and it’s that working-class music. It’s not polished, it’s gritty music, that gritty guitar sound, which brings a lot of the working-class people together, especially down the pub.”

That sense of working-class positivity in Oasis anthems, a huge part of their appeal the first time around, has reverberated to the new generation who find themselves in more trying circumstances. “I feel like within Oasis, there’s an inherent optimism in the lyrics that really appeals to me, particularly as a younger person,” says George, 29. “The world right now – whether trying to get a house or whatever – is hectic, and people find solace in the arts. For me, Oasis really just make me feel warm and optimistic.”

Cardiff before the gig felt like you were going to a cup final as much as a concert (Photo: Matthew Horwood/ Getty)

There is, perhaps surprisingly, a sense of national pride toward the band. “It’s something that as British people, we can all be proud of,” Jake says. George is originally from Luton, but now lives in South Africa and flew in from Johannesburg just for the gig. “I live abroad, and they represent a feeling that no other band has that really makes me think of home. Whenever I hear Oasis, I think of sitting in a pub with my mates, ‘Wonderwall’ on in the background.”

Of course, the Gallaghers themselves are a source of fascination: true rock stars in a way that is becoming increasingly antiquated. “They’re so cool,” says Fiona, 20, from Swansea. “They’ve got a great vibe about them.”

“They’re just hilarious,” says Steve, 22, from Eastleigh. “They’re really funny. It’s the whole attitude of just not caring. It’s great.”

George agrees. “I love them. They’re arrogant – they’re normal blokes. You feel represented. They say it how it is.”

This authenticity is key to their appeal. “They’ve stayed very true to themselves throughout their careers,” Jake says, “even today, with Liam tweeting God knows what, saying whatever he wants. They’ve never really compromised on that.”

It’s clear that Liam has played a big part in keeping the Oasis flame alive, with his Oasis-approximation solo career, concerts full of Oasis tunes, as well as his last-rock-star-standing behaviour and online persona. “They both play their part, but I just think Liam’s so cool,” Caolan says.

“We love Liam,” says Angharad. “It’s the clothes and the attitude. And he’s fit! He looks good for 50.”

It’s clear many Gen Z’ers view the 90s like kids in the 90s viewed the 60s – with an idealised romanticism. Amid the constant digital pressure of the modern world, there is a yearning for a simpler time. “Everything now is so influenced by social media [platforms],” Fiona says. “And it’s so toxic.”

Steve agrees. “I imagine it was a lot easier to live without the internet [as it exsts now] back then, not trying to live up to a certain image and impress people on today’s] social media.”

Liam Gallagher appeals to a new generation of Gen Z fans and in Cardiff his image was everywhere (Photo: Matthew Horwood/ Getty )

They see 90s culture – Oasis and Britpop, Euro 96 and Kate Moss, no mobile phones and lots of hedonism – and feel they missed out. “It was more fun than now,” Steve says. “People were a lot more carefree. It just seemed a bit more interesting. People didn’t care about rules as much.”

“You’ve got this sort of society now where everyone’s thinking over what people say,” Harrison, 22, from Swansea, says. “No one gave a shit back in the 90s. It was just cigarettes and alcohol.”

“Oasis are definitely the poster boys for that,” George says. “I feel like I’m living vicariously through that now.”

It’s a key point: this generation has fallen for Oasis because they feel like they have never had their own equivalent. “I don’t think any of us really like modern-day music,” Regan says, which was a constant theme.

“It’s a bit sad, really, that we need to hold on to this,” Dec says. “We should have our own Oasis, and they shouldn’t need to do this. But unfortunately, that’s the way it is. I think nostalgia runs the world a little bit.”

“We’ve not done bad – there’s been Arctic Monkeys, The Courteeners, Blossoms,” Jack says, “but nothing to that level. But how can anything match that level?”

Inevitably, their excitement at finally seeing Oasis is off the scale. “It’s been a long time coming,” Fiona says. “There’s going to be tears in our eyes.”

They wouldn’t have been the only ones. Cardiff was a special night, from the Gallaghers’ emotional united stage entrance to Oasis’ blistering, euphoric show of greatest hits. The following day, Oasis released an official 30-second clip of them performing “Acquiesce”, which shows a crowd shot of two young lads on their friends’ shoulders: both are belting out the lyrics to a B-side; one is holding his hand on his heart, looking on in awe. If you needed visual proof of how much Oasis mean to Gen Z, there it is.

And this weekend, Oasis are back on home turf, returning to Heaton Park where they last played in Manchester in June 2009. “In Manchester, the 90s have never really left,” Jack says. “I wish I could have been there back in the day. But this must be the next best thing.”

Oasis play the first of five nights in Heaton Park, Manchester, tonight. They’ll play five nights at Wembley Stadium, London, from 25 July to 28 September