oasis: don't look back in anger
★★★★
documentary
REVIEWER: lyall carter
Experience the meteoric rise of Oasis through rare footage and untold stories as the band reunites for Oasis Live '25, chronicling their journey from Manchester streets to global rock stardom.
I wouldn’t call myself the biggest Oasis fan. I know the music, but I’m not someone who has every album etched into memory. That said, Oasis has always been part of my pop-cultural upbringing. Their songs are just kind of there. Sometimes I recognise them instantly, even if I can’t always put my finger on the fact that it’s Oasis straight away.
And that’s exactly why I found Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger an interesting watch. Not as a devoted fan reliving the glory days, but as someone curious about what happens when two brothers who built something massive together try to rebuild that relationship again.
After 16 years apart, Liam and Noel Gallagher reunite to take Oasis back on the road for the massive Oasis Live ’25 tour. The documentary follows the band through rehearsals, backstage preparations and their eventual return to the stage, while exploring the fractured relationship that kept the Gallagher brothers apart for so long. It also captures the extraordinary response from fans and features Liam and Noel’s first joint interview in more than 20 years.
Of course, the music is a significant part of the experience. These are songs that have lived in the cultural bloodstream for decades, and watching them being played again before enormous crowds carries genuine weight. But for me, the music wasn’t actually the most interesting part of the documentary. It was the relationship between the brothers.
There’s a contrast that really got me. Noel seems steady, focused and present—doing the work—while Liam feels more unpredictable, coming and going and even walking out mid-session. It’s such a small thing, but it gives you a window into how challenging their working and brotherly relationship really must be.
There’s a moment where Liam is described as not giving a f*&k. Liam responds by saying oddly enough, I respect him more for that. Then, of course, when that observation is put to Liam, he says: “It takes a lot of caring not to give a f*&k.” Classic Liam.
For me, this isn’t simply a film about a band getting back together. It’s about two brothers. Sometimes it isn’t the enormous concerts or the roar of the crowd that tells you the most. It’s the glances, the arrivals, the small walkouts and the sense that two people are still working out how to be around each other again let alone work together. And you don’t need to be an Oasis superfan to find that compelling.
A fascinating and surprisingly revealing look at Oasis, where the music is great, but it’s the complicated relationship between two brothers that really steals the show.
★★★★
