They are images that one is not used to seeing from the Oasis brothers, who have been at odds for a long time: Liam and Noel Gallagher laugh, give each other a hug, hold hands. At the Venice Film Festival, the story of the argument and reconciliation between two brothers unfolds not only on the screen, but also live.
Oasis are back and presented a documentary about their spectacular reunion tour in Venice. In the film, the Manchester rockers give an interview together in front of the camera for the first time in over 20 years and hint at how the reconciliation took place.
They ignore the customs of the festival
As befits the notoriously unpredictable Gallaghers, they don't play by any rules for their film festival debut. First they skipped the afternoon press conference. And they don't arrive at the premiere in a car like everyone else on the red carpet and then pose for photographers.
Instead, Liam suddenly bursts out of the entrance to the festival palace, walks towards the hundreds of fans in a casual shambling gait and hands out fist bumps and autographs. His brother Noel does the same. “Wonderwall” is, of course, echoing across the Lido at this moment.
How did Oasis reconcile?
"Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger" tells how Liam and Noel Gallagher got closer again after 15 years of radio silence. Namely: without much discussion. At least that's what the film suggests and that's how the filmmakers tell it. "They're British working class men, so they won't be exchanging high fives, hugging or crying," says screenwriter Steven Knight at the press conference.
A little later in the film, Liam at least admits that maybe he was just acting so stupid because he missed his brother. Noel says: “Everything was forgiven without a word being said.” And: “All the things that used to bother us about each other have disappeared.” Liam: “The music brought us together again.”
The documentary by directors Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace is primarily about what the band means to their fans. In many of the recordings of last year's concerts in Cardiff, São Paulo and Manchester, we see fans crying, fans hugging each other, fans singing. Fans who explain how they have overcome their past with the help of hits like “Don’t Look Back in Anger” or how the song “Acquiesce” reminds them of a special friendship.
“I was absolutely not prepared for this burst of joy.”
Anyone hoping for lots of intimate band moments will probably be disappointed. But the few glimpses behind the scenes are exciting. We see Noel waiting for his brother to finally show up for the first rehearsal. Then he comes and we start without any big gestures or even a real greeting. Communicating doesn't work that well yet - but making music immediately works wonderfully.
We see the two's sons becoming friends backstage at the concerts. We also see Noel anxiously waiting for Liam before the first concert in Cardiff. He comes just before it starts. Then he takes his brother's hand, they go on stage and the band starts the song "Hello". The two are visibly tense. You can hardly hear the music anyway because of the cheering in the stadium.
“I was absolutely not prepared for this crazy burst of joy,” says Noel. As usual, Liam sounds a bit more idiosyncratic. He says he never actually sings. This feels like letting demons out. It's not like they're any superheroes either.
Liam threw a plum at Noel
What actually caused the radio silence between the two brothers? According to Noel's earlier stories, the final argument escalated backstage in Paris in 2009, after the brothers had probably been arguing about various things for a long time. Liam is said to have thrown a plum at Noel and smashed his guitar. Noel announced the end of the band that same evening.
Why the two had no contact for so long afterwards remains unclear even after the documentary. In any case, Liam used to be unpredictable, says Noel at the beginning. “He would even fight with his own toenails.”
As the tour progresses, the hugs between the brothers become a little more intimate. But the musicians in the documentary are never really emotional. They leave that to their fans. For example, one says about the comeback: "It's like the rebirth of Jesus." Another says: The separation of the two felt like he had lost a child.
A pastor incorporates Oasis into his sermon
“The relationship develops,” says screenwriter Knight, “while they are on tour. Your children become friends. It's a family again. And I think we were very lucky that it turned out exactly as we had hoped. From the beginning we wanted to make a film about reconciliation and redemption."
Anyone who has ever been to a big concert by a beloved band knows that it can feel like a religious experience. The documentary plays with this exaggeration, not least when a pastor is shown preaching about reconciliation using Oasis.
The band itself wants to take the narrative about itself in new directions, says Noel in the film. Away from the eternal anecdotes about chaos and arguments, towards the musical legacy. They have cemented this long ago. At the weekend in Venice you can see a lot of people walking around wearing Oasis' typical fishing hats. Some wear Oasis shirts, one of which reads: "Marry me, Noel."
