90s nostalgia Lives Forever! Oasis fans reminisce on their own Rock ‘N’ Roll Star years when they saw the Britpop band in their heyday
As the clock strikes nine on Saturday morning, Oasis fans of all generations will be huddled over their laptops as they join a desperate scramble to secure tickets for the comeback of the century.
The Gallagher brothers’ legacy has spanned all age groups as Oasis’s legacy as Britpop champions has endured despite their 15-year hiatus – but for the first-time-around fans, the reunion means everything.
Since the big comeback was announced on the Manchester-born band’s website and Liam and Noel’s social channels at 8am on Tuesday, the internet has been awash with throwback snaps of people in their 30s and above, who now spend their days walking dogs, looking after children and grandchildren, and working 9-5 jobs, rocking out at Oasis gigs back in the day before Liam and Noel’s explosive fall out in 2009.
From fans who queued for physical tickets to gigs in the 1990s before the internet dominated sales, to those who were lucky enough to be in the 250,000-strong crowd at Knebworth for the band’s epic gig, people are sharing their favourite memories of Oasis at the height of the Britpop era – as they look to recreate the magic next summer.
One such fan is Katy Georgiou, who was 12 years old when she fell in love with Oasis. Now 41 and working as a psychotherapist and counsellor in London, she spoke to FEMAIL about what Oasis has meant to her throughout her life, and how fans have sought comfort, solace and a sense of belonging from the band’s music over the years.
As original Oasis fans gear up to scramble for tickets to the Britpop comeback of the century, some have shared their memories of seeing the band in the nineties and noughties. Pictured: Katy Georgiou as a teen meeting Liam Gallagher
‘I became a fan in the 90s when I was 12. They’ve been with me all along,’ she said.
‘I can certainly speak for other fans in saying that they’ve been with us, almost in the background, as a comfort.’
Katy, who uses music to guide her approach to therapy and is the host of the Sound Affects Podcast: Music and Mental Health added the band is part of the ‘infrastructure in [the fans’] psyche’.
She explained: ‘They give a lot of joy and comfort through good and bad times.’
As a therapist, she revealed she has noticed the impact Oasis’s music can have on people in an emotional way.
As a teen and in her early 20s, Katy met most members of the band at some point, including Noel and Liam.
Katy met the Gallaghers on a number of occasions and declared it was worth meeting her heroes because they were so ‘generous’ and ‘caring’
Lily Moayeri remembered meeting Noel Gallagher in 1992 when he was a roadie, before Oasis formed and hit their heyday
Although the once-warring pair are often reported to be somewhat brash, Katy’s experience with them was nothing like how they have previously been portrayed.
‘They say don’t meet your heroes, but I’m so glad I did,’ she said.
‘Noel and Liam were the perfect people to meet. Kind and generous, very friendly and caring actually.’
She added: ‘I was very young and I remember a sense of respect they were giving me as a fan.’
While Oasis naysayers often criticise the band’s lyrics (which were largely written by Noel), Katy disagreed that the songs lacked meaning.
Paul Hawkins harked back to being at university in Hertfordshire in 1999 when he and friends watched Oasis at the student bar
Steven Brown took to X to share his experience of seeing Oasis in Heaton Park, one of the locations on their new tour, in 2009
‘Noel’s lyrics, they get a lot of flack from people but actually it’s quite a skill to take universal themes and make them personal,’ she argued.
She also suggested that the lyrics have ‘great therapeutic effects’.
‘It’s very easy to dismiss but actually, at the heart of Oasis, the feeling they gave of belonging and inclusivity was important.’
As the band reunites for a 2025 tour, Katy said the return ‘means so much’ to fans.
‘Whether you wanted the reunion or not, the reality is it sparks a moment of joy.
‘The world is a horrible place at the moment… for so many people this gave them a sense of excitement.’
Elsewhere, Paul Homer, 45, originally from Blackpool but now living in Leeds, has reminisced on his ‘raucous nights’ at Oasis gigs, the first of which he attended at the age of 15 in 1994.
One of his strongest memories of seeing the band was at the Empress Ballroom in Blackpool on the day (What’s the Story) Morning Glory was released on October 2, 1995. It was the first of eight times he saw the Britpop legends live.
Fabrizio Chiorando was 17 when he bought the Definitely Maybe album and was lucky enough to be in the crowd at Knebworth in 1996
Fabrizio, pictured performing with his band The Downclouds, said Oasis, and the Definitely Maybe album in particular, inspired him to get into music
Fabrizio, pictured now, has said he’s happy for his boy Sam, 21, and his generation to see Oasis on their new tour
‘They were raucous nights,’ he told FEMAIL. ‘Everyone was pretty drunk and enjoying themselves. And no phones!
‘That first gig in 1995 was £17.50 face value. Crazy prices considering [what you pay] now!’
Ahead of tickets being released on Saturday, Paul revealed he’ll absolutely be in the queue, hoping to bag seats to another gig at Wembley Stadium.
‘It means a lot that they’re at it again,’ he said.
Gill, 66, from Lincolnshire, joined Oasis on the Be Here Now tour in 1997 when she was 38 years old.
Fabrizio is in possession of a coveted demo tape of Live Forever, Oasis’s debut single, which he acquired through some impressive connections
Sam, 21 (pictured) is desperate to secure tickets for next year’s reunion tour and will try his very best on Saturday to secure the goods
Working as a camera operator at the time, she spent time travelling around Europe with the band.
‘I don’t think I’d quite understood how big they were, but it quickly became clear when I saw the crowds,’ she told FEMAIL.
‘I remember feeling I was doing something ‘big’ when I noticed masses of fans when we arrived at the venues (in Scandinavia which was the ‘leg’ I was on) and we were only the crew! Oasis hadn’t even arrived.
‘But in many ways, it was just another job and we all got on with what we had to do. It was also quite an unusual start to the show for one crew member to run on stage starkers to get the audience revved up.’
Gill, 66, from Lincolnshire, toured with the band on the Be Here Now tour in 1997 around Europe
Gill, pictured now with her daughter Alice, has said it would be amazing to ‘relive the magic’
Although Gill won’t be in the ticker queue this time around, she says it’s ‘great that they are back’ and wishes she ‘could be part of the magic’ of touring with them again.
She has fondly hung onto her backstage lanyard which was an ‘access all areas’ pass for the tour – branded with the Oasis logo and signature Britpop colours.
‘I so miss it,’ she said.
I won’t be buying tickets for them this time round, though I think it’s great they are back. Why not! I only wish I could be part of the magic again. I so miss it.
In particular, fans are reminiscing over some of Oasis’s most iconic moments – including their epic performance at Knebworth in 1996 when 250,000 fans descended on the estate in Hertfordshire to see the band at the height of the Britpop era.
One fan who was in the crowd is Fabrizio Chiorando, from Manchester, who travelled down south for the day to the gig, before making the arduous trek back that night.
‘We bought two t-shirts with a fake £20 note,’ he recalled.
‘The Charlatans were also on that day – they were brilliant. They got helicoptered in after Rob Collins had previously, very recently, died and was replaced by Martin Duffy. I think the Prodigy were on, and then Oasis, who were superb.’
He added: ‘Then we drove home and got a speeding ticket on the way.’
Paul Homer, now 45, has reminisced over seeing Oasis in Blackpool on the day (What’s the Story) Morning Glory. Pictured with his pal in 1996 as they waited for the coach to take them to Manchester
Fabrizio has fond memories of buying Definitely, Maybe when he was 17 years old and listening to it in the car ‘all the time’.
Fabrizio is even in possession of an Oasis demo tape which he acquired through his own musical leanings.
‘I was in a band, The Downclouds, with my friends Stan and Lee, and our keyboardist Ollie joined the band Bonehead created after he was in Oasis – he gave me the tape. Our drummer Leon is now in Status Quo,’ he explained.
‘It was Definitely, Maybe alongside The Stone Roses who inspired us and other people across the country to get into music and start a band.’
As a fan for decades, the father-of-three says he has ‘seen’ and ‘enjoyed’ Oasis the first time around – but unlike some older fans of the band, he’s happy for the next generation to have their chance to catch the Britpop legends.
‘My boy Sam, 21, and his mates are over the moon – it’s better that those guys who have never seen Oasis get to do so. I squeezed the pips of the 90s – it’s time for the new generation to have a go,’ he said.
As the younger generation finally have their time to see Oasis, Sam is desperate to experience what his father did in the 90s.
He said: ‘Me and my mates have been waiting years for this. God knows if we will get tickets, but we will be trying.’
Elsewhere, fans have taken to X to share their memories of Oasis back in the day.
Lily Moayeri remembered meeting Noel Gallagher in 1992 when he was a roadie, before Oasis formed and hit their heyday.
Meanwhile Paul Hawkins joked that he ended up covered in beer and with hair dye from his wig in his eyes when Oasis performed at his student bar at Hertfordshire University in 1999.
And Steve Brown, who saw Oasis at Heaton Park in 2009 on their farewell tour, shared a snap of himself with his ticket at the time, which he has no doubt kept today.