Rolling with it

For an awfully long time, the bad blood between brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher made the prospect of an Oasis reunion unthinkable. But last year the band proved everyone wrong, with a record-breaking world tour that forms the basis of a new documentary, Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger. And, somehow, they managed to avoid coming to blows on stage.

“Part of their motivation was that a lot of people were saying, ‘This isn’t going to work. They’re going to fall apart,’ ” says Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, who collaborated on the documentary. “Both of them were like, ‘No, I’m going to do this.’ They were absolutely committed.”

A highlight for Knight was the Gallaghers’ first reunion. Directors Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern ran 10 fixed cameras in the rehearsal space, placed to ensure that what was captured was authentic and didn’t feel too staged.

There's no high-five, no hug, no tears. They just go into it

“Here are two people who haven’t been in the same room together for 16 years,” recalls Knight. “There’s no high-five, no hug, no tears. There’s not even any words. It’s English working-class blokes being what they are. They just go into it.”

The film includes interviews and concert performances, while shining a spotlight on the euphoria of the fan experience. And Knight, who fondly recalls being a fan in the band’s heyday, is clear why the reunion produced such an outpouring of joy. “In the 90s, their hopeful message fitted,” he tells RT. “That’s what people were thinking. The Cold War was over. Now we live in a time where that’s the opposite, which is why I think these songs are important.

“The point I’m trying to make in the film is that, at a time of spite and division and anger, here are two people coming together, and audiences coming together. It’s a good, old-fashioned, corny 1960s spirit.”

Authors

Patrick Cremona is the Senior Film Writer at Radio Times, and looks after all the latest film releases both in cinemas and on streaming. He has been with the website since October 2019, and in that time has interviewed a host of big name stars and reviewed a diverse range of movies.