Oasis Review

Overall Rating

Very, very, very funny.

They are a bit rude to their fans, aren't they.

Oasis are responsible for one of the most amusing live gigs I've ever attended. It was 1995, they had yet to make much headway in the U.S. and instead of paying $18 to see the band at a tiny venue in Boston, we decided to spend $10 to see the band at an even tinier (and slightly grotty) venue in Providence, Rhode Island. Well chosen....

The band had on their best bad attitudes and rock 'n' roll snarls for the night. Liam stood in front of his mic sipping tea, acting completely uninterested in the crowd except to mock people shouting song titles while Noel glared at everyone and called his road crew all sorts of unrepeatable names. After each song, the lights dimmed, and Noel started shouting at the lighting guy because he couldn't read the setlist. The band were fantastic, and we couldn't stop laughing at their sheer mouthiness and their self-confidence.

I've never witnessed quite so much attitude from what was, at the time, a very unproven band on U.S. shores and it really suited them. The songs sounded magnificent - most of Definitely Maybe plus a Beatles cover. Having seen Oasis in that club, that night, pretty much spoiled it for me ever watching them again as they subsequently lost a lot of that anger and it seemed a bit too hero-worshipful when things moved into larger venues.

But for that one night back in 1995, they were absolutely perfect.