James Kelly
BBC News

For fans like Sam Shiner, tonight is set to be something of a spiritual experience.

She says she “never lost faith” that feuding brothers Noel and Liam would eventually put their differences aside and get back on the road.

The megafan from Wiltshire first spoke to the BBC in 2019, when Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe turned 25.

Now, she is in Cardiff for the opening gig of the Oasis reunion tour.

“I never lost faith that they would reunite – but even so when it was announced it was mind blowing.

“Until this week I’ve not been able to process it. I’m so excited!”

Mad ‘fer it? Definitely.

How’s your Mancunian accent?

Oasis fans in Cardiff give it their all as they attempt to impersonate Liam and Noel.

A few days ago, Liam Gallagher posted on X using a term which is commonly accepted to be a racial slur against people of East Asian origin.

He since deleted it and issued an apology: “Sorry if I offended anyone with my tweet before it wasn’t intentional you know I love you all and I do not discriminate. peace and love LG x.”

Dr Chen-Yu Lin, lecturer in creative and cultural industries at Cardiff University tells the BBC it sparked “some outrage” in countries including China and Korea.

She says some people are boycotting the shows and trying to sell tickets.

“I think it’s also showing audiences these days globally are more aware of the responsibility public figures have.”

Oscar Edwards
Reporting from Cardiff

Carl Davies says he is “delighted”to be here and already thinks it is the “fourth best day of his life” justbehind his wedding day and the birth of his two children.

“I can’t wait to hear that introand get the reunion party started,” he says.

The 42-year-old is not convincedthe Gallagher brothers are going to roll with it throughout the tour.

“That’s why we’re here for thefirst night,” he adds.

His younger sister Alex Rooke, 33, saysOasis is “all I’ve listened to growing up”.

She says “rock and roll is back” adding that she is “absolutely buzzing” that the bandhave decided to kick off the tour in Cardiff.

“Wales is amazing. Cardiff isamazing. Everyone’s wearing Adidas, everyone’s wearing Oasis. We love to see it,” she says.

Catriona Aitken
BBC News

Some have been queuing for hours, even days, others have rocked up straight from work – or the pub.

But the wait seems to be a step closer to being over as the doors appear to have opened for some people attending the gig.

It’s not yet clear if all doors have been opened at Principality Stadium but we’ve seen some fans crowding in front of the stage – inside the venue.

And, as a reminder, first to take to that stage will be the support acts – Cast and Richard Ashcroft – before Liam and Noel take to the stage later.

There is queuing traffic around the Principality Stadium, with just a few minutes until the doors open.

Several roads are closed in the area, including Castle Street, Duke Street, Westgate Street and Wood Street.

But fans making their way into the city should also be aware of extra traffic on surrounding routes, including the M4, according to traffic data firm Inrix.

We’re not sure about Liam, but Noel opted to get the train to Cardiff ahead of the band’s much-hyped gig in the city on Friday.

Eagle-eyed fan Joey, 16, spotted the Mancunian rock star on one of the platforms at about 14:00 BST on Tuesday.

“It felt so surreal seeing a rock icon live in the flesh. Their music has been such a big part in my parents’ life and also mine too. I can’t wait to see them both live on Friday,” says Joey.

Read the full story here

With half an hour until the doors open, people are making their way to the gates of the Principality Stadium to see the brothers side by side, on stage, after a 16-year hiatus.

Jake, who has a ticket for tonight’s gig, is sitting in his central Cardiff office watching the stadium staff prepare.

“I can feel the city beneath us warming up,” he says.

“The countdown has begun. Can’t wait to see the show.”

Meanwhile James Caine says the last time he went to see Oasis was during an “unreal” performance in Heaton Park in 2009.

“But tonight is going to be off the charts,” he says. “The wait is finally over after 16 long years! Live Forever.”

James Kelly
BBC News

Danny Pearson, from Newark-on-Trent, is going to the Oasis gig in Cardiff tonight on his 44th birthday.

He met Noel Gallagher at the UEFA Euro 2020 final in July 2021 at Wembley Stadium in London which he says was “nearly the best day of his life” – until his joy was shattered when England lost on penalties to Italy.

“I went to my first Oasis gig in 1995 at Trentham Gardens in Stoke. Oasis were supported by The Verve. I’d have been about 13 then,” he tells the BBC.

“It was good because it was an intimate, small gig – 2,000 maybe, 3,000 people max. After that, all the gigs got on a much bigger scale.”

He says it couldn’t be better for today’s gig to have fallen on his birthday.

Speaking of meeting Noel four years ago, he says: “I didn’t see Noel until after we scored. As we scored, I turned around and Noel was three rows behind me, so I ran up to him to have a little bit of a cuddle.

“I was cuddling Noel for about 10 seconds, which was unreal, you couldn’t make that up.

“That was almost the best day of my life… until the penalty shootout.”

Why today’s a big deal: It’s been almost 16 years since Oasis last performed live, following the band’s explosive split in 2009 after a backstage bust-up.

The key timings (in BST): The Principality Stadium gates open at 17:00. An hour later, at 18:00, the two support acts start. Then, at 20:15, Oasis take the stage. The whole thing is due to finish at 22:30.

Today’s support acts: Liverpool-based Britpop band Cast, followed by Richard Ashcroft, frontman of The Verve.

First song speculation: [Bleeping] in the Bushes? (What’s the Story) Morning Glory? Colombia? Basically, we have absolutely no idea – but culture reporter Paul Glynn’s had a stab at some educated guesses.

The mood in Cardiff: In a word – jubilant. We’ve wrapped up some of the best pictures from the streets as our reporters have been chatting to some of the fans waiting for doors to open. A standout so far is a Liam Gallagher lookalike who says Britpop fashion “never went out of style”.

We’ve got an hour to go before the doors open. Stay with us.

James Kelly
BBC News

Friends James Caine, 35, from Howarth, and Ross Bailey, 36, from Keighley are “absolutely buzzing” ahead of the gig.

James and Ross have been “best mates since school” and grew up to the sound of the Gallagher brothers.

“Cardiff is packing up with fans wearing bucket hats, shirts, all the memorabilia is on display, and the excitement is building,” James says.

He says after having seen Oasis in Heaton Park in 2009, it’s “pretty crazy” to be seeing them again.

“I never thought I’d get the opportunity,” he adds.

Meanwhile, this is Ross’ first time seeing Oasis live.

“It’s going to be a surreal moment.

“I’m just hoping they can stay civil with each other until the end of the performance!”

Catriona Aitken
BBC News

Alex Taylor
Culture reporter

Oasis’s return dominated national headlines and made global news when it was announced. So, just how have the band managed to maintain such an enduring stranglehold on music and culture 30 years on?

The answer, as their hit Supersonic suggests, lies in a mix of gin and tonic.

Noel, as the group’s commander-in-chief, put his years working as a roadie to strategic use – pinpointing powerful riffs and catchy lyrics imbued with a swaggering sense of confidence. All delivered by Liam with a rock voice and attitude for the ages.

But beyond cold calculation, the group’s working-class optimism captured a moment – embodying a sense of hope and freedom at a time when Britain was changing on all fronts.

Liam sang Noel’s lines about living forever and insisting “you gotta make it happen” with such force that a whole generation came with him, rejecting the doom-laden angst of US grunge one monobrow at a time.

For Rolling Stone UK editor Nick Reilly, this is part ofwhat makes the reunion a national event rather than a pure nostalgia pull.

“The tunes are obviously huge, but I think it can’t beoverstated how inspirational Oasis were,” he tells me.

“They came of age at a time of great social mobilityand thousands of people related to the fact that these two brothers from acouncil house in Burnage had suddenly become the biggest band in Britain.”

Jared Evitts
BBC Newsbeat

William and Cameron Sutton from Virginia, USA, say theycan relate to the brotherly bickering of the Gallagher pair as they awaittonight’s show.

“When I was three or four years old, I went to a storeand stole a Sharpie and [William] snitched on me to our mum,” says Cameron, 22.

“It’s kind of been a bad bloodfeud between us ever since then.”

William, 25, responds: “You’ve just got to be a moral andethical person. I think I did the right thing there.”

Paul Glynn
Culture reporter, in Cardiff

We’ve just heard the first strains of rock ‘n’ roll music blaring out of the stadium.

It’s not open yet but people all around can hear support act Cast sound-checking Britpop bangers like Finetime.

Frontman John Power, formerly of The La’s, has just told the BBC’s Mark Savage that even though “everyone knows how big Oasis are”, even the band themselves were “caught out a little” by the sheer demand for the 2025 live comeback tour.

It’s the Liverpool band’s job to get things under way at 18:00 BST followed by Richard Ashcroft at 19:00.

“I really do think when we hit that chord [and] light that touch paper tonight, that is going to burn through the evening,” he poetically pondered.

“And when Oasis come on stage and Noel hits that chord and does his intro and Liam starts singing, I think the place is going to levitate.”

Now, that would be magical.

Mark Savage
Music correspondent

They’ve not shared a stage since 2009, but Liam and Noel Gallagher have kept interest in Oasis alive by trading insults online.

In fact, the psychodrama between the fractious brothers is almost as much of a draw as their music.

Here are some of their best barbs.

• 2009: Just before the band break up, Noel talks about his brother in an interview with Q Magazine: “He’s the angriest man you’ll ever meet, he observes. “He’s like a man with a fork in a world of soup.”
• 2013: Liam describes the complicated relationship with his brother. “I love our kid – as in the Noel that’s not in a band and not in the music business. But the band Noel? … I absolutely [expletive] despise.”
• 2016: After Noel misses the premiere for the Oasis documentary Supersonic, Liam says: “Noel won’t be here. He’s in one of his really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really, really big houses. Probably eating tofu while having a face peel. Isn’t that right, man of the people?”
• 2016 (again): Fuming about Noel’s refusal to promote the film, Liam starts posting photos of his brother, captioning each one with the word “potato”.
• 2019: The Guardian asks Noel if he listens to Liam’s solo material. “I don’t listen to the albums, because I can’t stand his voice, but I hear it on the radio,” he replies. “I think it’s unsophisticated music. For unsophisticated people. Made by an unsophisticated man.”

It’s a wonder we’ve arrived at this reunion at all…

Kris Bramwell
BBC News

Sam Randall, 41, in Maidenhead, Berkshire, is going to the gig tonight with his old school friends Rollo and Pete. They went to secondary school together and “collectively all got into Oasis around the same time in 1995”.

However, there is one person missing from the group – Adam Conrad Pratt.

“In 1997, after plenty of pleading with our mums (we were barely aged 14 or 15), we managed to get tickets to see Oasis on their Be Here Now tour at Earls Court. Later that year, Adam and I saw them again at Wembley Arena. Oasis became our band! The soundtrack to our youth.

“In 2020, Adam was diagnosed with colon cancer. He faced it with courage and determination, undergoing multiple surgeries and treatments.”

So when the reunion tour was announced, the friends were “beyond excited”. Then Adam’s cancer returned aggressively around Christmas 2024.

“After a brave fight, Adam passed away at home in California in February surrounded by his family.

“I was lucky enough to have one final call with him just days before. Though weak, he still managed to joke and laugh. I’ll never forget him saying, ‘I’ll be there down the front with you boys at the gig’.

“In honour of Adam, we’ll be wearing custom t-shirts I designed for the concert. He may not be there in person, but he’ll be with us in every word we sing!”

Fans have travelled from all over the world to see the Gallagher brothers reunite, with some spending as much as $5,000 (£3,660) to make the trip.

One woman says she saw the final gig in Argentina before the split, and has been waiting 16 years for the chance to relive it.

Another fan, from Japan, adds: “I don’t care, it’s worth it.”

Paul Glynn
Culture reporter

Like many family members who also work together, Liam and Noel enjoyed (or endured) a love/hate relationship from day one.

Noel first quit the band in 1994 after his brother had thrown insults and a tambourine at him during a legendarily shambolic gig in Los Angeles.

Their fights were so iconic that one argument during an explosive interview with the NME ended up being released as a single, called Wibbling Rivalry. It reached number 52 in chart.

People loved them for it.

In 2009 ahead of a festival appearance in Paris, the band went out in a blaze of glory. Some fruit was thrown, then a guitar was smashed.

Noel said in a statement he “simply could not go on working with Liam a day longer”. Liam later told the BBC that “a lot of planning went into breaking up Oasis”.

For more than a decade, the apparently estranged brothers sent barbed messages to each other through the media, where the word “reunion” was never far from interviewers’ lips.

“I didn’t leave Oasis,” Liam told Radio X. “Noel Gallagher left Oasis… He couldn’t handle the rock ’n’ roll.”

And that was that. Until now.

Nelli Bird
BBC News, reporting from Cardiff

Glenn Moss from Essex is a dead ringer for Liam Gallagher and says he’s already had lots of double takes – but adds it “happens all the time”.

He says he always wears clothes similar to Liam, having grown up in the Britpop era.

“I grew up in the 90s, with the baggy parkas and the haircuts and that’s just stayed with me.

“That style has never gone out of fashion anyway.”

He saw Oasis in Cardiff back in 2002, but thinks being at the first reunion gig is “going to be special”.