Noel Gallagher: “Oasis fans towards the end had this yobbish element”

Gallagher explained how new film 'Oasis Knebworth 1996' captures the band at their "zenith" and their fanbase back then as "mixed boys and girls"

Noel Gallagher has spoken about how the new film Oasis Knebworth 1996 perfectly captures the young diversity of their audience when the band were “at their zenith”, before developing what he called a more “yobbish element” among their following towards the end of their career.

Gallagher was speaking last night (September 16) at a Q&A in front of an audience at the premiere of the new film at London’s Picturehouse Central, where he opened up about the energy that the concert film-meets-documentary captures of the time of the legendary gig.

“I felt that, at that time, anybody who was anybody was about my age,” said Gallagher. “Thatcherism was on its way out. We didn’t know it, but it was. There was a young guy called Tony Blair who was about to come and sweep it all away with the will of the people.

Advertisement

“We had Prince Naseem Hamed, who was this flamboyant little Muslim kid who was just fucking laying waste to everything. You had Kate Moss, Damien Hirst, Oasis, Blur, Pulp, Irvine [Welsh] – everybody seemed to have come from the bleakness of the late ‘70s and ‘80s and had done something with their lives.”

He continued: “Not only that, but they had a voice. I’m not even sure what we were trying to say collectively, but the people were listening. It’s a great moment for the band. ‘Morning Glory’ hadn’t really taken off and, I know it sounds mad now, but we hadn’t got paid. We were fucking loaded, but we hadn’t been paid. The chimps hadn’t turned up, or the tigers, the fur coats, the top hats and fucking laser beams – the good stuff.

“We were still in the same circumstances as our audience, almost. It was a real snapshot of a band at its zenith. Thank God we had the foresight to film it and thank God we had the foresight not to put it out for all these years. If we’d have put it out at the time, we wouldn’t be sat here now talking about it.”

Moderator Will Hodgkinson, Noel Gallagher and Director Jake Scott attend the World Premiere of "Oasis Knebworth 1996" at the Picturehouse Central on September 16, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Trafalgar Releasing)
Moderator Will Hodgkinson, Noel Gallagher and Director Jake Scott attend the World Premiere of “Oasis Knebworth 1996” at the Picturehouse Central on September 16, 2021 in London, England. (Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Trafalgar Releasing)

As well as presenting “a real snapshot of that time”, the film also shows what Gallagher described as a more diverse Oasis fanbase before it became more male-dominated towards their split in 2009.

“Our audience then, and you’ll see this in the film, it’s quite mixed boys and girls,” said Gallagher. “Oasis towards the end had this yobbish element. The second generation of Oasis fans became quite yobbish. For better or for worse, I don’t know why that was – but at that point [Knebworth] it was boys and girls.”

Advertisement

He added: “There was only one arrest the whole weekend. Some fucker let the side down. Fucking Scouser. But it was a celebratory time of youth culture. There’s a tonne of interesting things to look out for. If you look at the ground then, they don’t look that different to how we look today.

“In 25 years, we haven’t changed that much. I look a lot better, but Liam looks virtually the same. If you go 25 years previous to that, it’s black and white, it’s another world. It’s crazy how youth culture has closed down – and I blame the internet – but fucking don’t get me started on that.”

This comes after Noel conceded earlier this week that his brother Liam is enjoying a far more successful solo career than him.

The Jake Scott-directed Oasis Knebworth 1996 is released in cinemas on September 23.

Reviewing the film, NME’s Alex Flood concluded: “For those who were there, the film provides a portal back to a golden age. For everyone else, it’s a reminder of those special teen years – when a plastic cup filled with warm lager and a sunny afternoon in a park makes for the biggest adventure of your life.”

You May Also Like

Advertisement

TRENDING

Advertisement

More Stories