For more than 30 years – and in particular the Gallagher brothers – have lived their lives in the spotlight. Every single utterance makes headlines, often for reasons they didn’t expect, and amid this pandemonium it can be hard to find something new. Last year’s record-breaking tour was unusual, however – the announcement came out of the blue, and both Liam and Noel kept press engagements to an absolute minimum. Except for Liam’s ever-chaotic Twitter feed, fans had very little to go on – .
Shot by directors and – and with input from creator – Don’t Look Back In Anger is, on one level, an accurate, unflinching depiction of a truly one-of-a-kind music moment. Scratch the surface, however, and it’s a beautiful portrayal of siblings finding one another for the first time in 15 years. You’re led through itchy, anxiety-inducing rehearsal sessions, and to that first show in Cardiff. From there, something extraordinary takes hold – the fans lift each and every show, and in turn Noel and Liam let go of the past, their relationship strengthening almost in real-time.
It’s exceptionally well-paced, and tenderly done. While the songs are the primary soundtrack, the sound underpins each shift in emotion – in particular, a rehearsal room scene that focuses on Joey Waronker’s snare drum completely captures the knife-edge tension that overcomes the band.
But those moments of friction and doubt are, curiously, few and far between. Noel’s evident nerves backstage in Cardiff are just the start of a journey that sees him become more open, perhaps, than ever before. Musing on the band, the songs, and – yes! – the importance of his brother in all his, Noel Gallagher drops his long-developed humour-as-a-defence mechanism for something more reflective. Backstage footage of the band at Dublin’s Croke Park is stunning, with the 80,000 crowd singing ‘The Auld Triangle’ as Noel and Bonehead struggle to keep it together.
The loss of close friend Mani towards the end of the tour underlines its now-or-never significance. The grief is palpable, the band electing to continue performing as a salute to the Stone Roses icon, someone who had enthusiastically championed Oasis from Day One.
It’s the fans, however, who powered those magical shows, and their stories are etched throughout. A mother in Northern Ireland clutching her son, the eloquence of a stunned Welsh woman after the inaugural show, and two fans in Seoul who encapsulate their friendship through Oasis lyrics. There’s even a dog named Bonehead – it’s that type of a film.
Broadly, there are few points of comparison to what Oasis achieved last year. Famously, Shane Meadows’ documentary on The Stone Roses’ tour opens with an onstage argument, but nothing of that kind here. Swept up in the joyous euphoria of last summer, Don’t Look Back In Anger becomes a testament moving on, accepting happiness – and family – into your life in the process.
9/10