Packed to the brim with earth-shattering live sequences, the documentary about the reunion of the most outspoken band in rock history succeeds in its wager of plunging us into the innermost workings of an extraordinary tour, by giving a voice to the fans.
Oasis, the return. It had to happen. Fifteen years after the explosive breakup at Rock en Seine, in August 2009, the Gallagher brothers announced the band’s reunion for a world tour summer-fall 2025—with no stops in continental Europe. The slogan Oasis Live ’25 then appeared everywhere. They spoke of more than 2 million tickets sold and more than a billion in economic impact. The event was unprecedented. We were there. It was July 11, in Manchester. Heaton Park. The third concert of the tour after Cardiff’s first two shows on July 4 and 5, and the kickoff of a long run in the brothers’ hometown reconciled. Before going, some Brits not convinced by the cause warned us: “You’ll see drunk guys, people fighting, lad culture at its worst.” It was quite the opposite. We saw people crying, moved, a city transformed where even the sun joined the celebration, strangers packed into one another, happy, children with ear protectors to shield their young ears.
This is partly what the film Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger, co-directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), captures: the reunion of the band and the tour to come. Forgiveness and concord. Like a crowd, the stories intertwine here. There is first the tale of Liam and Noel: the beginnings, the peak, the downfall. Then the announcement of the return, about which we learn nothing of the backstage machinations and their deliberations. Like in Big Brother, cameras allow us to step into the relative intimacy of the early rehearsals, in a London studio. Liam isn’t there in the first days, but the musicians get to work. Then the rock star arrives, a bit late, stands behind the microphone, sings, leaves, leaving the band to its grueling task. Everyone is overwhelmed by the earth-shaking power of his performance. No one can compare to him. His aura isn’t merely intact; it fills the stage. He radiates. No one exists beside him.
Turning this multitude into a single heart that beats
The documentary plays the suspense card, but not for long. Teary reunions, we tread carefully on eggshells. Noel comments on the backstage of the first date, in Cardiff: Liam arrived twenty minutes before the start of the most important show in rock history and treated himself to being stronger than ever. Throughout the film, which traces the tour’s arc, the two open up about each other, especially Noel, who cannot stop praising the younger Gallagher, his charisma, even when he places that damned tambourine on his head: “Anyone would look ridiculous, but not him.” Cherry on top, Liam and Noel are reunited at a pub—but alcohol-free—for a cross-styled meeting. A first since, how many years? twenty, perhaps?
The other narrative is that of the fans. This indistinguishable multitude packed into stadiums to witness the concert of a lifetime. Oasis, a band of the people. To live up to that label, the filmmakers linger on some of them, drawing their portraits, telling how the band saved their lives. They come from Brazil, Argentina, South Korea, Manchester. Personal stories, but reflecting those that touch everyone. “Our songs never say I; it’s always we,” Noel reminds us. The camera follows them into the aisles of the concert venues, but at a respectful distance, so as not to deprive them of their moment. Then faces flash by, the camera rises to crowd level. A remarkable achievement: turning this multitude into a single beating heart.
A sparkling and generous rockumentary
Perhaps this is the film’s flaw at times: it sometimes tries to draw tears from the audience, whereas the moment of Oasis’s ascent on stage in Cardiff, with the instrumental Fuckin’ in the Bushes playing in the background, was enough to loosen the dam. That was, in fact, the beauty of this concert campaign: no need to pile on emotion. The work was already chewed up. Everything was there, disarmingly powerful and capable of uniting. There was only to film it, raw— though one can be sure a film is never exactly that.
Beyond these grand flourishes, including a scene of a sermon in a Manchester church that blends evangelical fervor with the Gallagher reconciliation—“biblical,” as Liam would put it—this sparkling and generous rockumentary leaves the audience dazzled. Dozens of live sequences, music at every level, the Gallagher brothers’ wit always sharp. Those who were there cannot accuse this film of being a fairytale. Others are already eagerly awaiting news of another tour. In 2027?
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace (UK, 2026, 2h 08). Available in IMAX from September 9, in cinemas September 11, 2026, and coming soon on Disney+.
