Oasis Will Go Places
It’s rare that bands are signed [illegible] [dreams]. It’s even rarer for bands to find a following with no record deal.
Watch out for local band Oasis to change all this, they played the Boardwalk last week to an audience full of local pop luminaries including the Inspiral Carpets.

They [illegible] sound different from all the rest, they’re much harder, rougher and erm… madder, but not so much to preclude commercial success.

People were already predicting that they would be the next big thing to come out of Manchester.

Let’s hope it’s a prediction not a [curse].

Oasis - by Steve Cowell
Oasis [well] you certainly don’t [have] [to] travel to the [Alabama] to [see] Manchester’s [illegible] spot. Oasis are a five piece outfit playing good old guitar music at a time where Manchester music [illegible] [are realising] that you look like a pillock in 36 inch flares and stupid haircuts. The band’s comprised of Liam Gallagher on vocals, his brother Noel along with Paul Arthurs on guitar, Paul McGuigan on bass and Tony McCarroll on drums and if that doesn’t sound like good [fresh stock], I don’t know what does.

But what about the name? “I know there are loads of curry houses called Oasis but it’s got nothin to do with them. We used to go to a shop in the underground market called Oasis [illegible] [illegible] so we took it from that” says Noel. Thank God they never went to Freeman, Hardy and Willis.

Oasis don’t approach anybody. They don’t have too. They’re good… very good. If someone asks for a tape they’ll get one. Already both Virgin and Rough Trade have asked and have wasted no time trying to sort out a deal, but the band aren’t in a hurry. But is it not two years too late for another Manchester band? “It’s not for us” says Liam. “It’s happening right now for us. In a couple of years time I think [people] are going to [illegible] bands like the [Inspirals] and the [illegible]. There’s gonna be a new movement that’s got little to do with music but lots to do with attitude, maybe a kind of punk revival. Let’s face it, the press have mocked Manchester music to death. They jump on the bandwagon but don’t have the intelligence to know when to jump off.”

They’ve only been going three months but have already played a sellout gig at Manchester’s Boardwalk and recorded a [new/raw] demo at Out Of The Blue Studios off Great Ancoats Street says Noel. “Yeah, Tony’s a plasterer by trade and so they asked him to plaster the walls of the studio. Instead of being paid the they let us record a demo for free.”

It’s certainly paid off. The three tracks on the tape are superb, from the melodic ‘Alice’ to the [illegible] ‘Reminisce’ and the heavy guitar sound on ‘Take Me’. Liam Gallagher’s Northern [illegible] are an inspiration and wildly unique. “D’you reckon,” says Liam. “Well I’m just a Northern geezer aren’t I! A lot of people tell me I sound like a young Ian Brown, but I don’t think so.”

In an industry where looks are more important than music does it not worry them that they may have to conform to oversize flares and psychedelic underpants? “We’re just not bothered about what people think,” says Paul McGuigan. “It’s about enjoying yourself and we’re having fun. We don’t have a group image as such. Everyone has their own individual image and that’s the way we want it to stay.”

Oasis will succeed. They’ve got what it takes. They have arrogance that is genuinely [illegible] than [cosmetic] and [illegible] that’s [real]. It’s too [easy] to [illegible] cliche after cliche so I [won’t]. I’ll just suggest that Oasis are going to be the next big thing to happen in Manchester music… [illegible] if I’m wrong.

From Steve Cowell in Sydney, Australia
I was the first person in the world to interview oasis back in 1991 for UpTown magazine. we met in Monroes Hotel on London Road. Guigs, noel and Liam showed up. Liam had just been to sign on the dole, whilst guigs was working for BT. Noel was fine, Liam.... well Liam is just Liam. He had belief in himself and the band. He told me they were going to be the next biggest thing to hit the Manchester music scene. I guess he was right!!!!! I now Live in Sydney Australia. I saw the band play the Livid festival 2 months ago. They were awesome. I have nothing but respect for the band. Nobody, and i mean nobody cared about Oasis back in August 1991. But they did. Good luck to them. Hes not a God and hes not a goon. He is in fact just an ordinary manc whose become extraordinarily successful. Keep rockin Oasis.

Noel talking about 'The Red, White and Blue': "But because we were lads who liked drinking beer and going to football, no-one thought we would be into art or anything. It was like this song I had, "The Red, White and Blue'. That song came about cuz one day I had gone down to Johnny Roadhouse [music store] to get some equipment. As I came out, there was some march going on. I'm standing there and this guy comes over and starts ranting at me for not taking any interest in his cause. I'm like, 'I'm arsed about your cause. All I want to do, mate, is be in a band. If this is your thing, then fine, I haven't got a problem with it, live and let live. But leave me out of it. He just went on and on, so I wrote this song about how if you look a certain way you instantly get labelled and I called it 'Red, White and Blue', which was also about how things like the Union Jack get hijacked and if you use it people automatically think you're part of something you're not."