Should Oasis Be Expected to Bring New Bands on Tour?

Oasis are getting some pushback from fans on social media after The Verve singer Richard Ashcroft was recently named as support for the band’s upcoming U.K. dates in 2025, but should Oasis be expected to give a platform to younger upstart bands on this special reunion run?

What Liam Gallagher Is Saying to Fans Critical of Oasis Support Acts

For the upcoming U.K. dates, Richard Ashcroft will be providing support. The singer had his greatest success with The Verve, who were among the top acts in the U.K. during the period in which Oasis were also hitting their highest of highs. But that hasn’t stopped some fans from being critical of the booking and Liam Gallagher has responded.

“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 p cent of ya are way off LFUCKING x,” noted the Oasis singer.

When one fan noted on the X social media platform, “As much as I loved The Verve, Richard Ashcroft’s solo tunes are hardly gonna get the crowd going are they… With so much attention on this tour, Oasis could really have made a difference by promoting newer/contemporary bands. But nah. Let’s stick to a lazy, pals act instead.”

Gallagher responded, “Richard’s got more talent in his left nostril than all your so called new bands put together now stop being an entitled little bumbaseed and show some fucking respect.”

Why Oasis Shouldn’t Bring New Acts on Their Reunion Tour

While many are thrilled to have Oasis back after an extended period of the band apart, much of the attraction to seeing them in 2025 is for the nostalgia that it conjures.

There was a period in the ’90s where there was no hotter band than Oasis and their music takes many listeners back to that moment in time. And isn’t that the crux of most reunion tours — to take you back to relive a certain period of time or making good on getting the feeling of an era you may have missed the first time around?

READ MORE: Why Oasis Won’t Be Doing Interviews on Their Reunion Tour

If you were around for Oasis’ heyday, then The Verve were likely heavy on your mixtapes (yes, mixtapes) as well. “Bittersweet Symphony,” “The Drugs Don’t Work,” “Lucky Man,” all from the Urban Hymns album, fit all too perfectly alongside some of Oasis’ biggest songs of that era in bringing back that time period, so why not lean into it?

While there was some pushback on the choice of support act for Oasis’ U.K. run, there’s also a lot of fans rejoicing at the pairing on social media. “Richard Ashcroft supporting Oasis (if true) will be the best thing ever,” noted one fan. I was already elated to see my beloved @oasis in Manchester, but adding @richardashcroft has made my life complete. He may be my favorite voice of all time,” added another.

“Can we just take a moment to appreciate just how biblical next Summer is going to be!!! Sir Richard Ashcroft on the same night as the comeback of Oasis!!! Wish I could fall asleep tonight and wake up tomorrow to find it’s 26th July 2025!!,” added another fan.

As Liam stated, “There are levels to this game” and understanding that there’s a great amount of nostalgia attached to this reunion is one of those levels. So bringing forth bands or performers from the period in which Oasis was at the height of their popularity in an area where the support act also enjoyed their greatest popularity seems like it’s giving the audience the most nostalgic bang for their buck.

Why Those Wanting New Bands to Support Oasis Shouldn’t Be Discouraged

There is definitely some validity to wanting to provide a big stage to use as a platform to promote an up and coming modern band, as if to give them a seal of approval from their predecessors.

But the top priority for a reunion tour should be presenting the best package possible to an audience and there’s no doubt that the nostalgic factor plays a big role in what the audience is looking for. The same can be said for bands that are playing old albums in full or are celebrating anniversaries of a portion of their career. It’s all about the flashback.

But should Oasis last beyond their billed reunion tour, there will still be plenty of interest from fans in seeing them live.

What if a new album even comes from the band?

That would certainly generate some interest in what they’re doing beyond the initial reunion. These are things that are more tied to their future and not rooted in their past. And this is where bringing in the up-and-coming acts makes the most sense.

As we’ve seen with acts such as Guns N’ Roses, there is still great interest beyond the initial reunion and opening for an iconic band still gives young groups a great spotlight to showcase their talents.