Chasing the Sun: Oasis 1993 to 1997

I've sweated, danced and sung my way through hundreds of gigs over the years, but it all started in a field in Hertfordshire, aged 13. On Saturday 10th August 1996 - a date etched on my memory - I went to my very first gig, Oasis at Knebworth.

I don't recall the lengths I went to in order to persuade my parents to buy me a ticket, but for some reason they did. And so it began, surrounded by 124,999 other people, chaperoned by my older brother and sister (my eldest brother also went, but on the Sunday), a thirst for live music that's not let up in 18 years. That day was also significant because I first saw, and fell hard for, the Manic Street Preachers.

Having had such a massive impact on my life, it was only right I shake along to Chasing the Sun: Oasis 1993 to 1997 to step back into my childhood for an hour or so. An exhibition to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of Oasis' first single 'Supersonic', Chasing the Sun offered an opportunity to gawp at old photos, memorabilia and more to the ultimate 90's soundtrack.

 Chasing the Sun

I think this is from when they played Maine Road, Manchester

Oasis at Knebworth, 10th August 1996

Well lookie what we have here, an aerial photo of the crowd at Knebworth on the day I was there. I'm pointing to where I stood for the gig, I couldn't believe how close I was at the time. I was a pretty lucky bastard when you think about how many people at the back were basically just watching TV in a field.

Oasis played to 250,000 people that weekend. Apparently those gigs smashed box office records when one in every 20 people in Britain applied for tickets for one of the two gigs. Madness.

This photo does help to explain why we didn't get home until 5am the following morning. I remember falling asleep on the coach and waking up a few hours later to find we were still in the Knebworth car park. I still have my t-shirt from the gig, my green Pit 2 wristband and my ticket stub - £22.50! Bargain!

Ticket stubs, wristbands and VIP passes

I had my nose pressed up against this display for ages. I loved gawping at all the old ticket stubs and seeing all the old places they'd played before they were a household name. Some of the tickets were just £4 and plenty of those old venues have now gone. Such as the one below...

I was probably still going to Granby Halls to roller skate back in '95
I've also never heard anyone call it Granby Hall, it's always been plural

 Brit Awards, Brat Awards, the gramophone from the 

'Be Here Now' cover and other memorabilia

  Handwritten 'Don't Look Back in Anger' lyrics

 Noel Gallagher's iconic Union Jack guitar

And me, slightly weeing myself with excitement

 Single and album posters

Toniiiiigggghhhhht, I'm a rock 'n' roll staaaaarrr...

Of course, the best bit of the exhibition was stepping into a recreation of the 'Definitely Maybe' set, complete with cig packet and wine glasses. Since we were a duo, rather than a five-piece, we went for the Gallagher positions, with me being Noel and Dan being Liam.


A few nerdy facts on the Definitely Maybe cover for you: 

• The glass to the right of Liam actually contains Ribena, not red wine
• The still on the TV is from 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'
• It was shot in the house Bonehead lived in at the time