The Manchester ruffians, fronted by Liam and Noel Gallagher arrived in Albert Road on May 2, 1994 on their first tour, just a few months after electrifying (what was then still called) the indie scene with their run of singles – Supersonic, Shakermaker and Live Forever – their arrogant live shows and combative interviews.
Portsmouth photographer Paul Windsor was there to capture the legendary show, from the opener Shakermaker to the raucous version of I Am The Walrus which closed all their early shows.
Paul said: I was the only photographer there apart from Kevin Cummins, a big influence on me, who was working for the NME. I figured if I kept close to him I would be OK.
‘The show was the first time Liam wore a Man City shirt on stage, possibly to celebrate the team avoided being relegated from the first division – how times change!
‘The show was sold out due to mainly Radio 1 play, and an NME front page feature came out the following week.’
Paul said that East 17 were playing that night at the Guildhall in Portsmouth. After the show, the popular boy band and aspiring rock n roll stars found themselves staying in the same hotel, and locked horns in a verbal battle in the hotel bar.
Paul added: ‘Oasis continued late into the night, somehow liberating bottles of beer from the bar when the barman abandoned his post.’
Six months later Oasis sold out Southampton Guildhall, where Noel introduced a solo acoustic set halfway through, and at which point Paul said most people went to the bar.
In June 1995 Oasis headlined Glastonbury, and in August 1996, barely two years after the Wedgewood Rooms, Oasis were playing in front of 250,000 over two nights at Knebworth.
Recently speculation has grown about a reunion – despite the famously fractious relationship between the brothers. Noel has said: ‘I don't have any problem reconciling with the past – Oasis was the greatest thing that's ever happened in my life to me, ever and ever will be.’
