Oasis is one of the most popular British bands of the 1990s, but also one of the most tumultuous because of the fractious relationship between its frontmen. Their reformation and 2025 tour are the subjects of the documentary Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger.
Oasis: Don’t Look Back in Anger was made for the fans. That’s hardly a groundbreaking statement because these documentaries/concert films are made with the full cooperation of the band, and the target audience is fans. Don’t Look Back in Anger stood out because it focused on the fans.
The fan focus was done in two ways. They showed the crowds before and during the concerts. The atmosphere before many of them was more like a football crowd. There was excitement as fans dressed up in Oasis gear, drinking, singing, and rushing into the stadiums when the doors opened. In the case of Buenos Aires, football fans were Oasis fans because San Lorenzo turned “Wonderwall” into their anthem and they went around in their footie shirts and waving flares.
The second method was giving some fans a more prominent voice. This was a wide-ranging group, from an Irish mother to a non-verbal son, a free diver from South Korea, and a Brazilian woman who named her dog after Bonehead. These were people who talked about their love for Oasis and why their songs meant so much to them. The songs had a personal resonance; they helped them get through difficult periods in their lives, and in some cases, they related to the band because they came from a similar background. Some of these fans were shown during the concerts and were in states of ecstasy or overwhelmingly emotional.
There was also a focus on Manchester. Obviously, the band are from Manchester, and they are arguably Manchester City’s most famous fans. They had a cupboard of Pep Guardiola at rehearsals and many of their concerts. The homecoming to Manchester was a massive event. Many people were trying to break into the concert at Heaton Park. One of the most impactful moments in the documentary was showing Manchester’s residents singing “Don’t Look in Anger” after the terrorist attack in 2017. The people turned it into a song of sombre comfort.
Being a film about Oasis’ tour, it did have some cracking tunes. They played the big hits like “Don’t Look Back in Anger,” “Wonderwall,” and “Champagne Supernova.” Even though I favour Pulp and Blur, hearing Oasis’ songs again did bring out feelings of nostalgia.
As a film about Oasis and their songs, Don’t Look Back in Anger was a surface-level experience. Noel and Liam Gallagher had one of the most notorious relationships in music, but the film showed them mellowed with age and they had reconciled. Nor did the film look into the meaning or reasoning behind the band’s songs. Because of this, Don’t Look Back in Anger does pale in comparison to films like Amy and Becoming Led Zeppelin, the cream of music documentaries.
Don’t Look Back in Anger was a film about the fans, for the fans, and they would appreciate this love letter to them.
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