Graham Coxon has weighed in on the news that Oasis are returning, arguing that it is “good for them and it’s good for the fans”.
READ MORE: Graham Coxon on the return of Blur: “We can’t leave it too long because we’re knocking on!”
As guitarist and founding member of Blur, Coxon has a storied history with the Manchester band, with the two groups having gone head-to-head in a legendary rivalry that ran throughout the height of Britpop in the 1990s.
In August, Liam and Noel Gallagher announced that they were ending their own rivalry to bring Oasis back to the stage for a series of huge stadium gigs in the UK and Ireland in July 2025. From there, they are due to head to North America before returning for two extra dates at London’s Wembley Stadium in late September, and then heading to Australia in October.
In a new interview with The Sun, Coxon has shared his positive reflections on the comeback. “It’s good for them and it’s good for fans,” he said. “I’ve been saying, ‘Just do it’.”
Graham Coxon, Damon Albarn, Alex James and Dave Rowntree attend the premiere of blur: To The End at Picturehouse Central on July 16, 2024 in London, England. (Photo by Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images)
He was asked whether he had urged Noel to reunite the band earlier, replying: “God no, I wouldn’t have talked to him about that and it’s not really my business. I don’t know him well enough to say that.”
“But hopefully it’s a genuine reunion because some bands break up and don’t get that chance again.”
Appropriately, it was announced last month that a play is heading to the West End in London in 2025 that will document the legendary Blur vs. Oasis rivalry. Reportedly titled The Battle, it is currently in development and will chart the tension between the two bands throughout the ‘90s, focusing on the summer of 1995, when the two bands’ respective singles ‘Roll With It’ and ‘Country House’ went head-to-head for the UK Number One spot, with Blur coming out on top on that occasion.
The play has been written by John Niven, and is being produced by Simon Friend, who has described it as “a comedy with teeth” and has teased the involvement of a “notable director”.
Coxon released the second studio album with his band The WAEVE – alongside Rose Elinor Dougall – last month. ‘City Lights’ follows on from the duo’s self-titled debut in 2023, and as the guitarist explained to NME ahead of its release, the album was influenced by the sleep deprivation of early parenthood.
“You become more alive to the horrors of the world when you bring into it a beautiful little being that you have to protect at all costs,” Coxon explained. “When you have this little emblem of hopefulness sat on your lap, then you look at the news with all the death and destruction, it just hits you in a different way. That’s informed my lyrics on this record in a big way.”
Oasis, meanwhile, have ruled out a headline performance at Glastonbury 2025 and said they won’t be appearing at any other festivals next summer. Liam and Noel have shot down rumours of a return to Knebworth in 2026 too.
Fans have been speculating over who will be opening for Oasis at the shows. So far, support has only been announced for the North American leg – which will see Cage The Elephant join the line-up.
It was reported last month that Liam Gallagher was seeking “established acts” to appear on the bill. The frontman has since suggested that Manic Street Preachers and Richard Ashcroft could take on opening slots.
In other news, Liam has said that he and Noel have no plans to do any interviews together about the reunion. “We’re scared of the media asking us intrusive questions and trying to pick holes in our relationship,” he explained.
The frontman also told fans that a new Oasis album was “already finished”, and reaffirmed the statement to another fan, writing: “It’s in the bag mate fuck the air.”
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