"They've been with Sony for the last 30 years, mislabelled. I've found some interesting stuff... now we can sell the album for the fifth time": Oasis tease sparks reissue vs reunion speculation

Oasis in 1994
(Image credit: Getty Images/Michel Linssen)

A social media post posted by Oasis has got fans all of a flutter about – you guessed it – a possible reunion of the iconic Britpop band.

It shows a brief 14-second aerial shot of a house on one side of a river, surrounded by woods and lush countryside, whilst you can hear the muffled sounds of a band tuning up and the count-in of a drummer.

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However, eagle-eyed observers would have recognised the house as Sawmills, the Cornish studio where the bulk of their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe was recorded. 

Rather than a reunion, that strongly suggests some upcoming activity regarding a 30th-anniversary reissue of the album, which was first released in August 1994 and has gone eight times platinum in the UK.

When Oasis did Definitely Maybe the idea was we would do three takes of each track and then move on... there’s another two versions, which weren’t chosen, right?

Noel Gallagher seemed to confirm this when in an interview with Spin last year he revealed that unheard tapes of the album have been found: "I found some master tapes with some cool stuff on it that’s going to be coming out. It was in the Sony vault and was mislabelled.”

“So, when Oasis did Definitely Maybe the idea was we would do three takes of each track and then move on. I remember saying to somebody, so presumably, the master version, there’s another two versions, which weren’t chosen, right? 

"They said, 'Yeah, but the master tapes had gone missing.' It turns out they have been with Sony for the last f*****g 30 years, mislabelled. I found them and there’s some interesting stuff on there. Now, we can sell the album for the fifth time all over again."

Meanwhile his estranged brother, Liam, will take to the road next month for his own celebration on his Definitely Maybe 30 tour that includes four nights at the O2 in London. He will also headline Reading and Leeds festivals at the end of August.

Fans pining for a reunion proper are likely to have a long wait. Since the band’s split in 2009, there has been no love lost between the two Gallagher brothers who have taken to regular sniping on social media. Noel in particular has long insisted that – in the short term, at least - there is little to no chance of a rapprochement between himself and Liam.

However, speaking on Matt Morgan’s podcast last week, he did reveal that after seeing Abba Voyage an Oasis hologram show could be a possibility: “I was very impressed by it (Abba Voyage) to be honest but yeah, if anybody wants to do an Oasis one, give us a shout. I would be bang up for it.”

Liam Gallagher’s Definitely Maybe 30 tour kicks off at Sheffield Utilita Arena on Saturday 1st June

Will Simpson
News and features writer

Will Simpson is a freelance music expert whose work has appeared in Classic Rock, Classic Pop, Guitarist and Total Guitar magazine. He is the author of 'Freedom Through Football: Inside Britain's Most Intrepid Sports Club' and his second book 'An American Cricket Odyssey' is due out in 2025