Snobs and haters be damned, let’s bring Oasis back to Cork

What is it about Oasis that attracts such polarised opinions?

Actually, let me re-phrase that question: What is it about the greatest working class band of our time, and the only genuine rock’n’roll stars this side of the millennium, that stirs up such hatred among those who aren’t working class?

See what I did there? Exposing the snobs for what they are?

For that is indeed what the haters of Oasis tend to be.

And my, haven’t they had a lot to carp about it since it was announced this week that the warring Gallagher brothers - Liam and Noel, - had kissed and made up after an epic, 15-year spat, and announced a series of concerts by the band in the UK and Ireland next year.

Millions are thrilled at this development. Not just those, like me, who were young, footloose, and fancy-free when Oasis exploded onto the music scene in the 1990s, but fans from the generations that have followed, who know a great band and great songs allied to an eternally youthful vibe when they hear them.

The reunion of Oasis will be epic, and I will be out to bag a ticket this morning come hell or high water, even at the usual eye-watering prices.

In a world filled with bad news, this was something to cheer. Except, for a lot of people, it really wasn’t.

Sadly, this being an age when we can’t have nice things without there being a manufactured downside, it wasn’t long before the snobs who can’t abide the band were out in force, spewing their hatred on social media platforms.

The Oasis-haters are a peculiarly intolerant lot. And there are so many of them out there, that it does warrant the question: What is it about the Gallagher brothers and the band that gets under their skin?

When Westlife, the Spice Girls and Take That periodically reunite, you rarely hear much dissent. The fans get to enjoy them, and the haters may sneer quietly, but they tend to stay silent. That’s how it should be. There is plenty of music for everyone’s tastes out there, and if you don’t like one band, just leave it to their fans and move on.

But with Oasis, it is different. The sheer volume of dissenters almost drowns out the multitudes of fans excited to see them play live again.

Why are these people so triggered?

My belief is they are music snobs, who think working class bands should be neither seen nor heard. They give this away by moaning about the millions the Gallaghers will make on the back of the tour, as if somehow they don’t deserve the same riches bestowed on those educated fellas with Blur and Coldplay.

Of course, there is plenty about the Gallaghers to irritate, if you look for it, and these dissenters despise their uncouth, outspoken arrogance, they detest their swagger, and most of all, they can't abide their millions of record sales and huge cohort of fans. They sniff at their anthemic music, branding it derivative.

It’s music for the masses, they bleat. Well, that’s because the masses quite like it.

I recall there were plenty of these highly vocal critics around in the 15 years when the band were an entity, before they broke up amid acrimony between Noel and Liam in 2009. The carpers were easy to ignore then, but in 2024, everyone has a social media account, and everyone has a voice, if they wish to project their prejudices.

These Oasis-haters had been in a safe space for 15 years - cocooned by a host of non-threatening, ever-so-nice male pop acts like Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. But this week, their worst nightmare came back to haunt them, when Liam and Noel announced they were getting the band back together.

A multitude of fans, young and old, expressed their joy and delight on social media. And there amongst them, raining on this parade, were the usual large cohort of shrill, snob critics, pouring bile on Oasis and their fans, sneering that it’s all about the money.

I mean, you never hear critics slagging off Bruce Springsteen for charging big money and making a fortune when he tours Ireland. Ditto Taylor Swift. And Coldplay, who played four nights at Croke Park this week, don’t get lashed from pillar to post for making their millions.

But the Oasis reunion after a 15-year hiatus is purely driven by greed, we’re told. Presumably because working class lads don’t deserve to coin it in through mega-tours like everyone else in this age of Spotify and free-for-all streaming, when writing popular songs lines other people’s pockets.

******

I was lucky enough to see Oasis play twice - once in Manchester in their mid-’90s pomp, and again at Wembley in 2000. They have an energy and vibe and, crucially, a back catalogue, that is unmatched by any of their contemporaries.

The band played two sell-out concerts at Páirc Uí Chaoimh 28 years ago this month - I hope and pray they will return the favour and find a slot for Cork in 2025 when their initial batch inevitably sells out in jig time today.

Those 1996 gigs found the band at their zenith, revelling in their Irish roots among a Cork crowd that adored the ground they swaggered on.

You can bet many of that 1996 crowd will be bagging tickets today to the new tours - and lots, like me, will be hoping for a return to the revamped Páirc.

What is it we like about Oasis?

Quite simply, they are the complete package.

In Noel, they have the finest tunesmith of his generation, and in Liam, they have the archetypal rebel frontman with a devil-may-care attitude, a face that was made to model, and a voice that was made to rasp. 

The fact they fight like dogs in a sack only adds a frisson to the entertainment value.

Their music remains timeless, and will forever strike a chord with young people.

A year or two ago, as I was passing my eldest son’s bedroom, I heard Live Forever being blasted out, and thought: ‘Job done!’ Now he is planning to attend their Wembley concert next summer. More power to him!

Now, where did I leave that bucket hat I bought in 1995....