Why Did Oasis Break Up? Inside Liam and Noah Gallagher’s Feud

Oasis is one of the most successful British bands of all time — and also one of the most complex.

After selling over 70 million records worldwide and garnering several entries in the Guinness World Records, the group broke up due to differences between siblings Liam and Noel Gallagher.

The singer and guitarist publicly feuded for years, but in August 2024, they announced their long-awaited reunion, ending their once-bitter battle.

“The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over,” Oasis said in a statement obtained by PEOPLE, which shared multiple stadium dates. “Come see. It will not be televised.”

Liam told fans via social media that he looked forward to sharing the stage with his brother, and they didn’t plan to do joint interviews.

“We don’t want to do interviews coz [sic] we’re scared of the media asking us intrusive questions and trying to pick holes in our relationship,” Liam shared on X.

So why did Oasis break up? Here’s everything to know about the English rock band, what caused their split and how Liam and Noel got the band back together.

Who Is Oasis?

Oasis is a U.K.-based rock band.

The group has undergone several lineup changes over the years, but is currently helmed by founding member Liam and his brother Noel, who joined Oasis after its inception.

When did Oasis form?

In 1991, Liam joined forces with musicians from the band Rain, which included Paul “Bonehead”  Arthurs, Paul “Guigsy” McGuigan and Tony McCarroll.

Rain was renamed to Oasis, and Noel later joined as the group’s lead guitar player and principal songwriter.

By 1999, McCarroll, Arthurs and McGuigan left. The latter two members reportedly wanted to spend more time with their families, per the BBC. They were replaced by Alan White, Gem Archer and Andy Bell, respectively. Drummer Chris Sharrock later took over White’s role.

When did Oasis break up?

Oasis broke up following a fight between Liam and Noel at the Rock en Seine festival near Paris on Aug. 28, 2009, which resulted in the show’s cancellation.

That same day, Noel announced his departure from the band with a now-deleted statement on the Oasis website.

“It’s with some sadness and great relief to tell you that I quit Oasis tonight,” he wrote, per Pitchfork. “People will write and say what they like, but I simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer.”

Why did Oasis break up?

While Noel has joked that his relationship with Liam deteriorated because the singer “stole [his] teddy bear” in 1978, he previously stated that they didn’t see eye to eye in the end.

According to the songwriter, the pair was feuding over Liam’s designer clothing label, which he reportedly wanted to advertise on tour.

“I didn’t think it was right for him to be flogging his gear to our fans,” Noel told The Hollywood Reporter in July 2011. “There was a massive fight about that.”

Speaking to Esquire U.K. in December 2015, Noel reflected on his decision to quit the band, revealing that he and Liam had had difficulties before the start of the tour, and it culminated

“We had two gigs left and I reckon if I’d had got to the end of that tour and I’d had six months off I would have just forgotten about it, got on with it,” he said. “But the straw that broke the camel’s back was the night in Paris and that was a fight … about f—— nonsense.”

Liam shared his perspective on the band’s demise with The Guardian in February 2011.

“Me and [my brother] were to blame for the split of Oasis,” the singer told the publication. “Not me. Not him. And it certainly wasn’t these guys,” referring to the remaining band members.

What happened after Oasis broke up?

While Liam, Archer, Bell and Sharrock continued to play together, they changed the group’s name to Beady Eye.

“Oasis is an entity that is to do with Liam and Noel,” Bell told The Guardian in February 2011. “It was much better to go, ‘Right – new band, new songs.’ ”

Liam also acknowledged his desire not to take credit for Noel’s songwriting to the outlet, stating, “Going around playing someone else’s songs? That’s not cool, is it?”

Beady Eye released two albums before splitting in October 2014.

Noel formed his own band High Flying Birds, while Liam released solo albums in 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2024.

How did Oasis get back together?

Following the band’s breakup in 2009, the brothers’ feud continued until they eventually appeared to make amends behind the scenes.

By December 2017, the siblings appeared to be on the road to reconciliation, with Liam wishing a “Happy Xmas to team NG”  via X. When fans asked if he was referring to his brother, he confirmed that Noel had reached out to him and added, “We’re all good again.”

The next summer, Liam suggested a reunion, publicly reaching out to Noel via X in July 2018. “Earth to noel … I forgive you now let’s get the BIG O back together,” he wrote.

When he didn’t hear back, he posted once more, writing, “I’ll take that as a NO then.”

Noel, who also turned down an anniversary tour offer from his brother, addressed the possibility in October 2022, stating on an episode of Pub Talk that it would have to be “an extraordinary set of circumstances” to get Oasis to reunite.

He added, “If we got back together, it’d be a circus.”

In May 2023, Noel seemingly opened himself up to the idea, telling talkSPORT Daily, “I put [a reunion] out there … I mean, [Liam] should call me. He’s forever going on about it, you’d have thought by now he’d have some kind of plan.”

The following year, they announced their 2025 tour in August 2024

According to their statement, the reunion was not the result of any “great revelatory moment, but a “gradual realization that the time is right.”

Is Oasis touring in 2025?

Liam and Noel were present when Oasis returned to the stage on July 4 in Cardiff, Britain, to perform for over 70,000 fans.

Their comeback set, which lasted two hours, included 23 songs from their albums Definitely Maybe and (What’s the Story) Morning Glory?, according to The New York Times. The duo sang tunes like “Wonderwall,” “Supersonic” and “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”

Oasis will continue on a 41-date sold-out tour across Europe, America, Mexico, Australia and South America.

NME confirmed in March 2025 that Arthurs, Archer and Bell were returning for the reunion tour. They’re joined by new addition drummer Joey Waronker. During Oasis’ second appearance in Cardiff, Noel introduced the band members and revealed that Arthurs encouraged them to get back on stage.

“On guitar, if it wasn’t for him, none of this would have happened,” Noel said, per the outlet.