Oasis are reportedly “unhappy” with a planned auction of unheard and rare recordings of them.
A collection of 63 concert recordings, over 100 hours of rehearsals, soundchecks and “unfiltered dialogue” between Noel and Liam Gallagher is due to be auctioned on October 3, with a guide price of between £1.2million and £1.6million.
Among the archive, which is listed by Littleton Auctions and dubbed The Desk Tapes, is what is believed to be the only recording of the band’s iconic 1996 concert on the banks of Loch Lomond in Scotland.
The master recordings were gathered by Oasis’s former sound engineer Huw Richards, who worked with the band from the release of their 1994 debut ‘Definitely Maybe’, up until 2001. He recorded the tapes directly from the sound desk.
However, the Gallagher brothers are reportedly unhappy with the auction, with Richards’ son, Owain Richards, claiming the band want the trove “back in their possession”, in an interview with The Times.
Richards told the paper that he had been in talks with Oasis’s management a few years ago over some of the recordings but the conversation apparently “fizzled away”.
“They don’t want these tapes to be sold through anyone else,” he said. “They want them back in their possession.”
Any buyer would be unable to commercialise the archive without the consent of the band, who retain the intellectual property rights.
Littleton Auctions have admitted that the band are opposed to the sale, but that it is legal, with managing director Ben Homer telling The Independent: “The Oasis camp is aware of the auction and has expressed concerns, which is entirely understandable given the scale and significance of the material.
“We’re handling everything with full transparency and proper legal process. Our focus is simply on presenting these items responsibly, with verified provenance, and allowing collectors and institutions to engage with an important part of British music history.”
The auction also includes internal tour itineraries, original setlists, a band-played Epiphone guitar, an original Kangol Oasis Tour parka and a rare pair of Adidas Kegler Super Ostrich trainers gifted to Noel.
NME has contacted representatives for Oasis for comment.
In other news, a new documentary about the band, Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger, debuted at the Venice Film Festival over the weekend, with the brothers attending the premiere and making their first off-stage appearance together in public since disbanding in 2009.
The film centres on the brothers’ 2024 reunion and huge ‘Live ‘25’ tour dates, and was produced by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight and directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace (Meet Me In The Bathroom).
Noel has since offered some kind words about his brother, describing him as “delightful” – a word he conceded he “never would have thought” he’d say about him.
NME gave Don’t Look Back in Anger four-and-a-half stars, in a review which called the documentary “masterfully done”.
“The impact of the band has never been clearer than over these two hours – as Liam puts it in the final moments, “Oasis saves” – as it reclaims the narrative around them and relives one of the most momentous, miraculous tours of modern times. By the end, you’ll be itching to do it all over again – and maybe, just maybe, we might,” we wrote.
Elsewhere, Oasis are reportedly planning a huge 2027 UK and Europe tour – including a rumoured show at Knebworth and a huge 12-night Manchester residency at the Etihad Stadium.
Rumours surrounding a return to Knebworth gained pace when the promoter of the ‘Live ‘25’ tour was granted a licence to host gigs there last month, while Noel himself hinted at the possibility, saying that “we’ve got to do something in the summer” as there isn’t a men’s football tournament happening.
Oasis have also shared a few cryptic videos, with fans speculating they are hinting at shows in Glasgow and Manchester.
