Third time's a charm - Oasis again, Olé, Olé, Olé!

Three is widely considered to be a significant number, with many connotations through history, literature and spirituality. All good things come in threes. The power of three. The Holy Trinity. Three is a magic number, as the song goes.  A hat-trick is an elusive thing. 206 players have scored hat-tricks in the Premier League. Only 45 bowlers have secured hat-tricks in Test cricket. There has only been 55 hat-tricks in the lengthy history of the Six Nations.

To achieve something, such as securing Oasis tickets and seeing them live in 2025, is one thing. To do this another time, that’s brilliant. To pull off such a feat for a third time, well, that is the stuff of dreams, miracles and everything in between. But those dreams did come true, as I was lucky enough to succeed in my attempts at securing a ticket to Oasis's final Wembley show of Live '25. Please join me on my journey to Wembley for the second time this summer for my third viewing of Oasis.  

Tickets

Having somehow secured a face value-priced seated ticket via resale site Twickets, I was full of excitement at the notion of seeing my favourite band once again. However, as my seat was a solo one and I had not yet sampled the pleasures of front standing at an Oasis show this summer, I decided to take the plunge and attempt a great heist - to blag my way into front standing.  

Armed with Hugh Grant-esque bumbling charisma (or rather, awkwardness) and a smile, I headed to the front standing queue. The system for front standing was that if you had a standing ticket and arrived within the first X number of people, then you would be given a wristband to race into front standing. Despite having a seated ticket, I seemingly convinced myself that I would be able to pull off this move with enough confidence and charm.

Unfortunately, I did not, and probably still do not, possess to requisite charm, uniqueness, nerve and talent to pull off such an audacious move. My initial attempts with a steward were met with a gruff 'no way, no way'. When I pressed him, I was met with a firm 'no way', the type of which said, 'fuck off' as much as it did 'no way'. Undeterred, I approached his manager for a second bite of the cherry. His manager was more friendly, but no more helpful. I was urged to approach the ticket office and see if they could help. So, after a long walk to the ticket office, I was met with more of the same. 'This event is sold out' was the frosty reply. I had failed. My mission was dead in the water. With that, I had several hours to kill before it was necessary to head into the home of football.  

Pubs 

My first stop was J. J. Moon's, a Wetherspoons on Wembley high streets. A former furnisher's studio, it is a perfectly serviceable 'Spoons. Due to the perceived rowdy nature of an Oasis crowd, all pints were annoyingly served in plastic cups but the vibes were good and the beers cheap.

Leaving J. J. Moon's in my dust, I headed two doors down to The Robin, a gastropub. This was a better vibe, with beers served in actual glass and quieter. Naturally, it was far more expensive than Tim Martin's offering, but with Cobra on draught, it was a novel establishment. However, The Robin (and another pub I will get to) was the perpetrator of a crime I think should be policed better. The music being played was exclusively Oasis. Now, I understand that the pub landlord would want to generate some atmosphere and that the music of the band you are about to see is a pretty easy way of doing so, but I do find it odd that you will often find yourself listening to the music you are about hear live in a matter of hours. I can live with it, but it is an odd concept.  

From The Robin, a quick journey in an Uber took me to The Parish Bar, an Irish pub just off Wembley Way. The Parish Bar was packed, with a large garden packed full of bucket hat-wearing sardines. This pub was also playing Oasis tunes but had mercifully interspersed its playlist with similar indie and rock music. It was a great pub though, with football on in the garden and an atmosphere to boot.  

Now nicely lubricated, and with a spring in my step, I marched up Wembley Way, ready for Richard Ashcroft and Oasis to blow me away.  The weather was beautiful - a crisp, sunny autumn's evening. Perfect.

Wembley 

Naturally, this is my second review of Wembley as a venue, so I will keep it brief. My experience on this occasion was different to last time, not least because I bought food inside the stadium this time. A beef burger and 440ml can of unfiltered Stella Artois poured into a plastic pint 'glass' was £21.99. Wembley is expensive, London is expensive, the world is pretty expensive. But for possibly the worst burger I've ever had, washed down with a disaster of a lager, was a mighty bitter pill to swallow. A lesser version of me would have become angry by this, but with the thoughts of Richard Ashcroft soon to bless my evening and Oasis to follow that, I could simply not be in a bad mood.  

To praise Wembley, the staff were very efficient (pre-gig) and churned out the beers like they were going out of fashion, which they ultimately were not. The queues were never anything to panic about, due to the large number of bars. It may sound obvious, but Wembley is enormous, and they have done a very good job in stocking it with toilets and bars.  

My seats were in section 551, so I had a better view than my previous 'possible restricted view' exploits on my last visit. I am of the theory that in a venue like Wembley, you struggle to have a bad view - some are just far better than others.  

The crowd around me were a great bunch, with people being chatty without overstepping or becoming irritating. I was asked 'are you here on your own?' in a tone which bordered on sneery, but thankfully the conversation maintained a normal and friendly level without any accusation of me being some kind of freak for being there alone. Drinks and chat flowed as anticipation turned to excitement. 

Ashcroft

Much like Oasis, this was my unexpected third viewing of Ashcroft this summer and I probably had the best saved for last. He was absolutely incredible. He's a fantastic entertainer, mixing the frontman and singer-songwriter vibes brilliantly. He had the Ian Brown gesticulating down perfectly for the energetic hits and then channelling his inner Noel Gallagher when armed with his acoustic guitar for the ballads. As with the other times I saw Ashcroft, the four-song run of The Drugs Don't Work, Lucky Man, Sonnet and Bittersweet Symphony were amazing. Four anthems which would be a lesser artist's biggest hit, Ashcroft churns them out like he found them down the back of his sofa in Wigan.  

Ashcroft

Bittersweet Symphony was completely spellbinding. As this show was in late September, the sun had set during his set, meaning the atmosphere was arguably heightened even more. It was dramatic and moody, made all the more emotional by Ashcroft dedicating the closer to the recently deceased, Mancunian boxing legend Ricky Hatton. Ashcroft has to be one of the biggest winners of this tour. Already on record as stating that he suggested supporting the band to Liam and Noel Gallagher, he has seen a huge resurgence in his popularity, with a UK tour for 2026 seeing exceptional demand, so much so that he has added an outdoor show at Alexandra Palace.  

Oasis 

And with that, I was braced for the last time seeing Oasis this year (and possibly ever...). The half an hour wait disappeared in what felt like seconds. For many people in the stadium, however, they had waited over the entire summer to see the band and this half an hour gap would have felt like a century. I did feel for them - the reunion was front and centre in the news and social media, and they had to watch idly by, with a ticket for September burning in their pocket. My sympathy was limited, compared to those without tickets at all.  

As Liam and Noel took to the stage, linking hands, any thoughts of the extravagance of having seen this show twice before disappeared. This was just as fresh and exciting as before. 

It may have been because of where I was sitting, or that the people around me sang less than those in Heaton Park, but I could hear both Liam and Noel's voices better on this occasion, meaning that I appreciated Acquiesce even more. This was probably the song of the night, and that chorus ripped a hole in the sky. Noel is on record claiming that the song is not about him or Liam, but instead about the band and the audience. Now, none of us believe that, but if it is true, then those words do resonate. People have needed and loved this tour. Live '25 has grabbed the nation and large parts of the world, burrowing into the zeitgeist in a way not many tours have done before and not budging for this fateful Oasis summer. Acquiesce is the truest representation of Oasis, their fandom and the brothers - Liam needs Noel, Noel needs Liam, the band needs the fans, and the fans certainly need Oasis. The world is a crazy place – sometimes it’s ok to admit you need a boost.

Some Might Say was the second best of the night. My favourite Oasis song, it was a joy to hear it once again. However, Liam messed up the final chorus, singing 'it's all elementary my friend' instead of 'and my dog's been itching / itching in the kitchen once again', much to Noel's amusement, who you could see laughing at him on the big screen. Cigarettes and Alcohol was another highlight. Despite having no affiliation with Lech Poznan or Manchester City, I will miss doing the Poznan with fellow drunken revellers. As I was alone, I had to approach strangers to see if they would allow me to grab their shoulders and bounce together. The man to my left refused, saying he simply would not do the Poznan under any circumstances; a man of principal. The man to my right was the stoic type of few words. So much so, that when I said 'may I?' he in fact said no words, but pulled me in to his warm armpit. Brothers in arms. 

Naturally, the Live '25 setlist has not changed once during the tour and, due to alcoholic consumption, I was trying to plan when to pop to the toilet and bar during the set which would do the least damage in terms of missing songs. However, as every song is brilliant, it was virtually impossible to pick an appropriate moment and eventually, I had to succumb to my bodily functions sooner rather than later. Ultimately, I opted for Cast No Shadow as my victim. An emotional anthem, I concluded it was the one I could live with missing for the sake of my bladder and ever drying mouth. However, due to a delay at the bar, it meant that I missed the beginning of Slide Away. Gutting, but thankfully I made it in time for the majority of the song. The Slide Away outro was possibly the best live singalong I have ever experienced; 80,000 people shouting 'WHAT FOR' in unison felt incredibly cathartic. 

Oasis in full flow

A slight disappointment was Liam not giving a full rendition of his Octopus's Garden outro in Whatever, which for many was one of the funny highlights of Live '25. The crowd took over for him, and he joined in for one round, but it was not quite the same. Live Forever followed, with a tribute to Ricky Hatton adorning the screen. It was emotional, and met with chants for Ricky Hatton around Wembley. 

The encore was brilliant once again. Noel is untouchable when he is in the zone, like he was for his section in the main set (dedicating Half the World Away to the 'Irish' in the stadium and Little by Little to the 'Maida Vale mandem'). The Masterplan is an utterly masterful piece of music and I pity the many Oasis fans who underappreciate it. Don't Look Back In Anger will forever be the nation's favourite and I am so glad that Noel got to belt it out with the Wembley crowd one more time. With Liam re-joining for Wonderwall and Champagne Supernova, you could feel the anticipation for what he would say before the finale. The night before, clips had gone viral of Liam saying, 'see you next year', so everyone in the stadium had their breath held as he approached the microphone for this final song of the European leg of Live '25. Once again, he told us 'see you next year', before retreating and slapping the back of his hand, by way of faux self-punishment. From there, attention was turned to not only the song but dreaming of the future. 

What's next?

The show finished in similar fashion, with big hugs between the Gallagher brothers, pyrotechnics and a farewell from Noel. To avoid a crush getting out of my seat, I hung around in the stadium for around 20 minutes, watching the cleaning crews take to the pitch and the celebrities file out of the VIP tent (I was too far away to see, but later learned that Matthew McConaughey, Lily Allen and Matt Smith had been down there). Wembley immediately post-show was a strange place. The bodies filed out and you would not have guessed that mere minutes before, reverberating noise and confusion had been ringing around this amphitheatre of entertainment. I was not the only person who had remained behind to avoid the sea of bodies traversing the steep steps to the ground level and there a similar vibe for us all – sombre that it was over, happy that it happened and ultimately on a comedown from utter elation.

The aftermath

Reflecting on Oasis summer with a warm Budweiser in my hand, I concluded that Oasis fans (speaking on their behalf) were not ready for this rollercoaster to stop. I had taken in three shows but still craved more. The back catalogue of music is still there to be exploited; the Live '25 setlist only featured one post-2000 song in Little by Little and was missing some old favourites. Columbia never made the setlist despite being the song they opened at Knebworth with in 1996, Married with Children was nowhere to be seen, and iconic B-sides like Round Are Way and Step Out left at the door. Go Let It Out, Gas Panic!, Roll It Over, The Hindu Times, The Importance of Being Idle and The Shock of the Lightning are all mega tunes from the 21st century which were omitted. This is not a complaint about Live ‘25’s setlist, but rather an acknowledgment that there is unfinished business here. 

And that is before you get onto the rumours of new music being in the works for Oasis. Noel told Rolling Stone in 2023 that he had a stadium rock album in the works. This news sent alarm bells ringing for the most hopeful Oasis fans, but in the context of the reunion, this declaration looks even more promising. By all accounts, the relationship between the brothers is better than expected and there seems to be a real energy for progression. A new album could be seen as risky - not financially, as it would realistically shoot up the charts in both digital and physical sales, but in terms of the band's legacy. I see it as a win-win. If a new album came along and it was brilliant, that is quite clearly a huge win. And it is likely that a new album would be brilliant. As a High Flying Birds fan, I can confirm that Noel has been producing brilliant music ever since his brilliant debut solo effort in 2014. Chasing Yesterday is laden with amazing songs, Who Built The Moon? is an experimental powerhouse and Council Skies is a wonderful, sensitive, reflective piece born out of the pandemic and his much-publicised divorce. Liam's solo offering, while very little has been written by him, has had bright moments, not least As You Were and half of Why Me? Why Not? I am confident that an album from Oasis would deliver. But even if an album did not deliver on quality grounds, what damage would it actually do to Oasis's legacy? Post-Be Here Now (and possibly including Be Here now, which still has its detractors), Oasis's discography is and was not loved or revered, even at the time. Commercial successes, yes - but never on the same level of public or critical appreciation as their output in the 1990s. So, even if they returned to the studio and released an album which was not completely mind-blowing, I do not think this would be anywhere near fatal to their legacy.  

Rumours are swirling about a tour in 2026, with Knebworth, the Etihad stadium and other UK venues touted as possible destinations to keep the rock n' roll circus going. 2026 sees the 30th anniversary of the two iconic Knebworth shows, so would feel appropriate for the tour to find itself back at this holy ground on its pilgrimage. Did I get my Oasis fill this year with three helpings? I'm afraid not. Should another tour be announced, I will be attacking that Ticketmaster queue. For now, Oasis journey to South Korea, Japan, Australia, Argentina, Chile and Brazil. The tour ends on 23 November 2025, and Liam has already been teasing on X, posting 'MMXXV11', before swiftly deleting the post. MMXXV means 2025, while '11' could mean November. Perhaps the tour will wrap up and an announcement will quickly follow? For now, we can only speculate, hope and pray. If this year was anything to go by, the future could continue to burn very brightly for Oasis – and many of us will be there every step of the way.