‘Did they just Shazam the national anthem?’ an outraged Oasis gig-goer posted on TikTok in a viral video, sparking a pile-on of an unsuspecting woman.
No, she wasn’t discovering Champagne Supernova, it was support act The Verve’s 1997 hit Bittersweet Symphony.
While fans may have blasted her ignorance – with a classy response from frontman Richard Ashcroft — the moment proved something I’ve felt all along.
Oasis’ choice of openers (The Verve and Cast) was, no offence, quite boring.
When I first shared this thought 10 months ago, I was met with some angry emails for voicing my disappointment. But as the tour has gone on, my opinion hasn’t changed.
While clips of Liam and Noel Gallagher performing and even holding hands flood social media, their support artists seem to cast no shadow.
Only the ‘national anthem’ is cutting through, while Lucky Man gets an honourable mention. There’s even less hype for Cast.
As we waited for Liam and Noel Gallagher to finally reveal the chosen support, plenty of new artist names flew around.
This included Mancunian up-and-comers Blossoms, who are friends with Noel’s daughter Anais. She was even at their house when the reunion was announced.
So I, like many other fans, was deeply underwhelmed when Oasis finally announced that Richard Ashcroft would be the ‘very special guest’ for the shows in Cardiff, London, Manchester and Dublin.
This was a chance to look at the many exciting bands Britain has produced in recent years, and give one of them, or maybe several of them, the chance to shine on a major stage.
The chance, even, to potentially become the next big thing. I wish they’d taken a leaf out of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour book.
It’s not that The Verve are a bad group by any stretch of the imagination, Noel once called Richard a ‘genius’ and his vocals are undeniably impressive.
It’s not that I believe the Mancunian band is a bad or detrimental choice, people are still singing along and enjoying the music as they wait for Oasis.
But as the London gigs approach, to which I have a ticket, nothing about The Verve makes me feel excited.
In fact, the choice and Liam’s dismissive response to those who criticised it (‘There’s LEVELS to this game’) have me worried for the future of music.
Dramatic? (definitely) maybe, but Oasis are a symbol of Britpop at its height, the days when artists from the UK would dominate our charts.
Now, homegrown talents struggle to compete with big American acts in the world of streaming. In fact, in 2024 alone, just two of the songs that have topped the Official Charts in the UK were from British artists.
While singers like Sabrina Carpenter and Taylor Swift become ubiquitous, the arts in the UK are being throttled due to rising costs and lack of support.
That’s why established musicians like the Gallagher brothers need to give something back.
And no, the slow and painful collapse of the British music scene is not Oasis’ job to fix, but their choice of support could have gone a long way to helping boost that essential export.
A support act is meant to warm the crowd up, ready for the big performance but this is also a chance for the crowd to get to know a new artist.
Yes, that one girl didn’t know Bittersweet Symphony, but the majority of the crowd are clearly aware of at least the bigger tracks, which are nearly 30 years old.
While some might walk away from Oasis Live ‘25 with a newfound appreciation for Richard Ashcroft and The Verve, an artist whose biggest album was released in 1997 is hardly going to be a sudden discovery for concertgoers.
Oasis fans might not thank me for the comparison, but they could do worse than learn from the Eras Tour. Swift’s support was a revolving door of young artists bursting with potential, like the aforementioned Sabrina, Phoebe Bridgers and Raye.
Fans saw those acts support Taylor, and went on to stream their music, buy their albums, or even attend their gigs – all of which put money back into the economy.
By choosing a nostalgia act, Oasis has failed not only their fans but also the lesser-known bands who might be tomorrow’s superstars.
And with the Gallaghers themselves headlining and a setlist bursting with iconic tracks, these concerts aren’t exactly short of a feel-good throwback factor.
Nor is the UK short of bands who could have used the momentum from the show to really build something incredible – think of the Courteeners, Blossoms, and Lottery Winners.
That’s before we even dare to mention a female-led group like Manchester-based Pale Waves or Mercury Prize winner English Teacher, for whom this kind of show could have really changed lives.
Liam doesn’t seem to think that’s his responsibility, writing on X after backlash: ‘To all the folk who are crying about us not showing love to the young bands and not letting them support there’s LEVELS to this game and I’m afraid 99 [per cent] of ya are way off.’
At the time, I hoped this meant Oasis had a few more lesser-known support acts to announce, but so far I’ve been proven wrong.
Ultimately, The Verve is a safe choice designed to please nostalgia-hungry fans who think music peaked in the late 90s.
But one thing’s for sure — the British music scene deserves much better than this.
Do you have a story you’d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk.
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