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4 months ago
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The news Oasis fans have been waiting 15 years for is finally here – Noel and Liam Gallagher have buried the hatchet and are reforming the band.
The 90s icons will play 17 dates across Britain and Ireland next year – their first since 2009 – with more dates in Europe set to be announced.
If you think you've heard this one before, Oasis are now part of a vast list of musical groups that have split and got back together.
In fact, an academic at the University of Winchester claims that there's a tried-and-tested formula for a successful band reunion.
Dr Glenn Fosbraey, associate dean of humanities and social sciences, says the 'simple' process has been 'honed to perfection' by the likes of Take That, Busted, Girls Aloud and The Spice Girls – but warns that Oasis could crash and burn.
As break-ups from the likes of Take That show, groups go through a cycle involving a bitter breakup and a lucrative reunion. Firstly, as a band's success starts to wane, a popular member decides to go solo and undeterred the remaining members plough on. After a few years, the rest of the band decide to go solo too or pursue other projects. Finally, the band members announce they are reforming, sometimes to finance divorces, lawsuits or bankruptcies
The news Oasis fans have been waiting for for 15 years - Liam and Noel Gallagher have finally buried the hatchet and are reforming the band
The formula for a band reunion
- A band's success starts to wane.
- The most popular member ('band member A') thinks they can do better on their own and goes solo.
- Band member A's first single does well, and the band (if they've decided to carry on) have success with their next release as fans rally round the remaining members.
- The rest of the band embark on solo careers, each of which is less successful than the last.
- Band member A soldiers on with diminishing returns as the rest of the band pursue other projects.
- Following years of dwindling sales for band member A, and high profile divorces, lawsuits or bankruptcies for the rest, the band announce they are reforming 'for the fans'.
- Repeat as necessary depending on upcoming anniversaries and TikTok trends
Firstly, as a band's success starts to wane, a popular member decides to go solo and the remaining members plough on.
After a few years of diminishing success, the rest of the band decide to go solo too or pursue other projects – none of which are particularly financially successful.
Finally, after a few years, the band members announce they are reforming 'for the fans', although it's usually to finance divorces, lawsuits or bankruptcies.
While the circumstances of the Oasis reunion are slightly different, there's rumours Noel has finally agreed to fund his costly divorce.
'Whatever the reason for their return, Oasis fans won't care a piece,' Dr Fosbraey says in a new piece for The Conversation.
'To them, it's not the why that's important, but the fact it's happening.
'But most reunions have simply led to healthy bank balances for the artists and a chance to relive the good old days for the fans.'
Although the Oasis reunion will undoubtedly be lucrative, the band could 'crash and burn' in the months or years after the upcoming gigs, depending on how long they stick together.
There are plans for gigs in Europe and even in the rest of the world after their UK and Ireland dates, although there's no intention to get back into the studio – as yet.
If they continue long-term, the band's career could follow a similar trajectory to events after the momentous Knebworth gigs in 1996.
The 90s icons will play 17 dates across Britain and Ireland next year – their first since 2009 – with more dates in Europe set to be announced
Pictured, Oasis at Knebworth in 1996. Many Oasis fans will hope this is the line-up that appears next year, with Paul McGuigan (second right) on bass and Alan White (far right) on drums. Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs (far left) is already confirmed to join the brothers, according to reports
An academic says the 'simple' process of splitting and reforming has been 'honed to perfection' by the likes of Take That (pictured), Busted, Girls Aloud and the Spice Girls
The Spice Girls embarked on a world tour in 2007 - their first concerts as a five piece for nearly a decade
Oasis' third and fourth albums, 1997's 'Be Here Now' and 2000's 'Standing on the Shoulder of Giants', were critically panned and burnt-out band members left.
While a series of high-profile bust-ups between the two brothers culminated in the famous altercation in Paris that led to their dissolution in 2009.
'Time will tell if the reuniting of the brothers Gallagher is going to taint their legacy or enhance it,' Dr Fosbraey adds.
'Oasis fans will have their fingers crossed that the brothers Gallagher can pull it off too – and keep their newly rekindled relationship intact.'
The academic points out that many reunions have led to 'creative rebirths' involving acclaimed studio albums and commercial success – giving Blur, Blondie and Pixies as examples.
Blur – who famously beat Oasis to the number 1 spot in summer 1995 – have played more than 100 gigs and released two studio albums since Oasis split up.
And Blondie reached the number one spot with the single 'Maria' two years after they got back together in 1997.
The academic points out that many reunions have led to 'creative rebirths' involving acclaimed studio albums and commercial success - giving Blur, Blondie (pictured) and Pixies as examples
Blur, who beat Oasis to the number 1 spot in summer 1995, have played more than 100 gigs and released two studio albums since Oasis split up
David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Rick Wright from the band Pink Floyd on stage at 'Live 8 London' in Hyde Park on July 2, 2005 in London
However, other reunions 'have been disappointing', Dr Fosbraey adds, citing The Velvet Underground, Outkast and Kiss.
Others still have acted as a temporary sticking plaster for band members that already had fractured relationships.
For example, Pink Floyd reunited for a triumphant concert at Live 8 in 2005 – but in recent years surviving members have once more been at each other's throats.
For Oasis, it may be that the issues that caused the breakup in the first place 'will resurface and finish them off once and for all'.
Overall, Dr Fosbraey said the only real surprise about the Oasis reunion 'is that it's taken so long for it to happen'.
Rumours started of an Oasis reunion soon after the break-up, but by waiting 15 years Noel may have – inadvertently or not – increased his band's value.
Fans are already reminiscing about the prices they paid to see Oasis in the 90s and 00s, compared to the cost of the upcoming shows.
At Wembley Stadium, seated tickets start at £74.25 while standing tickets cost a whopping £151.25.
Musicians' songs slow down as they do! Tempos of tracks by Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley and Whitney Houston all declined as the singers aged, study finds
If you feel like you're getting slower as you age, you are not alone.
In fact, even the world's biggest pop stars struggle to keep the pace up as they approach the later years of their life, a study shows.
The new analysis reveals that musicians' songs get gradually slower as they age – including Elvis Presley, Madonna and Michael Jackson.
And rather than deliberately deciding to make their songs slower, these artists may experience a a 'neurobiological slowdown' in later life.
This means they're unconsciously influenced to slow the tempo when they compose their hits, the study suggests.
