With news today (August 27) that Oasis have reformed, speculation is rife that the band could headline Glastonbury Festival next year – but what are the chances of this happening?
- READ MORE: Liam Gallagher live at Reading Festival 2024 review: the start of a new chapter for Oasis?
After years of rumour and speculation, the band confirmed this morning on social media that they have now finally reunited – and announced a huge UK and Ireland stadium tour for 2025.
After reports in recent weeks that the Britpop giants would be returning, anticipation reached fever pitch this weekend when Liam Gallagher used his Reading Festival 2024 headline set on Sunday (August 25) to tease an announcement. The social media accounts of Oasis and brother Noel soon shared the same teaser, telling fans that news would be coming at 8am today.
After splitting up 15 years ago and a very public feud in the proceeding years since, the Gallagher brothers shared a statement that read: “The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised.”
Liam and Noel are due to share the stage at Manchester’s Heaton Park and London’s Wembley Stadium, and will also perform in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Dublin. It will mark the formerly estranged pair’s first gigs together since 2009.
These will be Oasis’ only live shows in Europe in 2025, but a press release states that “plans are underway for ‘OASIS LIVE 25’ to go to other continents outside of Europe later next year”. Tickets go on sale from 9am BST (8am IST) on Saturday August 31 and will be available here for UK shows, and here for the Irish dates.
Now, attention is turning to whether or not the band could headline Glastonbury before the tour kicks off in July.
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As it stands, the tour schedule leaves Oasis free to headline Glastonbury 2025 – which takes place the week before, from Wednesday June 25 to Sunday June 29. Other acts rumoured to top the bill currently include Eminem, Rihanna, Sam Fender, Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran.
Bookies are speculating that the Gallagher brothers could take to Glasto as headliners next summer, with OLBG reporting that the band currently have odds of 15/8 to headline the Pyramid Stage.
But some fans think that Oasis’ official announcement this morning quashes any rumours of a Glastonbury appearance with the fact it said the dates “will be the band’s exclusive European appearances” – and there being no mention of Glastonbury. Additionally, reports in The Guardian and Somerset Live also report that the band won’t be headlining the festival next year.
This hasn’t stopped fan speculation, however, with many fans convinced that Oasis could still top the bill at Worthy Farm next year. Check out some of the reactions here:
2025 Glastonbury headliners to be Oasis, Taylor Swift and Fred again
— Bill (@BillCooper18) August 26, 2024
Oasis reunion confirmed. Their tour starts after Glastonbury. First gif down at Worthy Farm maybe? #glastonbury2025 #glasto2025 #glastonbury2024 #glasto2024 #glastonburytickets #glastonbury #glastonburyfestival #glasto #glastofest #glastophoto #glastonburyinfo pic.twitter.com/brN1HRQpYJ
— glastonburytips (@glastonburytip2) August 27, 2024
Tour starts the week after @glastonbury
There’s no way they start their tour in Cardiff. Oasis headlining Glastonbury 2025. https://t.co/EbU32iuQCg
— Liv and Lew | UGC | Content Creators | Travel (@livandlewis) August 27, 2024
Oasis will headline Glastonbury and it will be the greatest set of all time #oasis
— Michael Tyers (@Michaeltyers31) August 27, 2024
Oasis must be headlining Glastonbury in ‘25. There’s no way they’re kicking off their first show in Cardiff – it’d be London or Manchester if it really was the first show. #oasisreunion
— ant (@costarino) August 27, 2024
Surely @oasis will headline Glastonbury 2025…
— Sam Akerman (@samyanited99) August 27, 2024
😍😍 Tour conveniently starts in early July so you can headline Glastonbury! 🤔
— Natalie WL (@natalie_wl_ne) August 27, 2024
oasis gonna headline glastonbury next year!!!!
— hanna 🎸 OASIS DAY (@Hanna_glbh) August 26, 2024
The band first headlined Glastonbury in 1995 – just one year after their debut at Worthy Farm. In 2004, their second time headlining, the performance received lacklustre reviews from fans and critics alike.
In a press conference from 2008, Noel commented on Oasis’ history at the festival saying: “We said the last time we done Glastonbury, we’ve never really pulled it off at Glastonbury… I don’t think.
“I think the first year we played when we were on that second stage at two in the afternoon was the best… we always blow the big gigs… the first time we headlined it we played too many songs off ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ which hadn’t been released then. Looking back when you look at the setlist, it was colossal – but nobody had heard ‘Champagne Supernova’, ‘Don’t Look Back In Anger’ and all the songs that we played.
“I think the last time [2004], we had scrapped an album that was supposed to come out that week of that festival so it was a bit of a damp squib… I’ve always said about Glastonbury, it’s great to be at but it’s not great for people like us to play at. You don’t go on to 11 o’clock at night, and all the people you’re with at five to 11 are absolutely battered.”
You can watch the full interview above.
The band have not yet revealed who’ll complete the line-up alongside Liam and Noel, but this week saw newspaper reports claim that “no other original Oasis member is expected to join the reunion” and that “the members of Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds will step in for the concerts”.
News of the highly-anticipated tour – reportedly set to make a colossal £400million – comes ahead of the band releasing a 30th anniversary reissue of their seminal 1994 debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ on Friday (August 30).
Liam has recently been playing the record in its entirety on a celebratory solo tour throughout this summer, including his bill-topping sets at Reading & Leeds last weekend.
At the southern edition of the twin site festival, the singer dedicated ‘Half The World Away’ (a classic song sung by his brother) to “Noel fucking Gallagher”. He further stoked rumours of a reunion when he played the same track during his Leeds gig, and told the audience: “It is very interesting innit? It is a very interesting situation we’ve found ourselves in.”