Britpop feuds die hard. Blur’s Damon Albarn has described himself as “prophetic” after he suggested an Oasis reunion could happen two years ago – but he has shut down the idea of going to a show himself.
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Speaking to The Sun in 2023, the frontman said that he could “guarantee” the chances of Noel and Liam Gallagher burying the hatchet. “Oasis are going to reform. In fact, I’ve put money on it,” he said. “They’re brothers and it would be wonderful to see them reconcile.”
The comments were made at the start of Blur’s own comeback tour two years ago, which began in the band’s hometown of Colchester and included two nights at London’s Wembley Stadium. In a separate interview with Consequence at the time, Albarn elaborated on his Oasis speculation, saying that “the road is clear for them to [reunite] now.” He added: I think that’s great. You know what I mean? Obviously I expect an excellent new record to accompany it.”
Earlier this week, meanwhile, Albarn told Italian newspaper Il Messaggero, “The Oasis reunion? Two years ago I was prophetic when I said that they would do it and that the road was level. Well, you can’t think that two brothers can’t reconcile, sooner or later. It’s a good thing, the way I see it.” When asked if he’d be attending the tour, however, he clarified with a laugh, “No: I’m literally too busy.”
Oasis and Blur have a storied history of name-calling and fallouts throughout the 1990s, a rivalry which peaked via a chart battle when the former’s single “Roll With It” came out on the same day as the latter’s “Country House” – dubbed the 1995 ‘Battle of Britpop’. The Albarn-led group eventually nabbed the No. 1 spot on the U.K. Singles Chart.
In recent years, however, the relationship between the Gallaghers and Blur has mellowed considerably. Notably, Albarn and Noel teamed up on the 2017 Gorillaz track “We Got The Power.”
Over the coming months, Albarn will be focusing on his Africa Express project, having recently announced their first album since 2019, Africa Express Presents… Bahidora. In September, he will perform a series of one-off live Gorillaz shows in London, joined on stage with the full band and backed by visuals from collaborator illustrator Jamie Hewlett as they play their earliest albums in full.
The Oasis Live ’25 tour will move on to their hometown of Manchester, U.K. next, playing a string of shows at Heaton Park on July 11, 12, 16, 19 and 20. Dates across North America, Australia and Asia will follow in the coming months.
