Looking back on Oasis' 1994 Sussex concert as superstar band gets set for reunion tour

It was December 29, 1994, just months after the release of their smash hit debut Definitely Maybe, and Oasis were playing the Brighton Centre.

Vocalists Noel and Liam Gallagher – slightly sullen faces, too much hair, thick Mancunian accents – seemed, for many people, to have come out of nowhere; propelled to national stardom off the back of three successful singles, a critically acclaimed debut album, and a hard-edged rock-star panache that struck some as deeply genuine, and as others as just a bit loutish.

But even this early in their careers, long before the wibbling rivalry, before the stage storm-offs and mid-tour abandonments, before either accused the other of hitting them with a cricket bat, December 29 would prove to be a memorable gig indeed for legions of Sussex fans eager to get their first look at what was fast becoming a national phenomenon.

"Me and my friend were there," remembers one Sussex World reader, Louise Talbot. “Such a good gig, packed out. They played’ Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ twice.”

‘Rock ‘n’ Roll Star’ was just one hit on an-killer setlist that also included ‘Supersonic’, ‘Fade Away’, ‘Shakermaker’ and ‘Live Forever’, a setlist another Sussex World reader Hannah Dinmore, was there to see in person: “Missed the last train back to London, was worth it though,” she said.

Another Sussex World reader, Andy Taylor said: “I was there for that show. Support from Ride and The Las. Great gig,” adding that Oasis had also played Brighton’s East Wing that June, and returned in 2002 on the Heathen Chemistry Tour.”

It all comes as Oasis looks set to return for a sellout tour – their first since disbanding in 2009 – next year, with dates in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Dublin and Edinburgh already confirmed.

It’s a much-anticipated, and in some ways surprising, return for the band, which famously split up as a result of Liam and Noel’s fractious relationship, with some doubting that the brothers will be able to keep from fighting long enough to see the tour through.

Whether or not it happens, only time will tell: will their 2025 reunion tour be a Champagne Supernova? or will Oasis fans everywhere find themselves Looking Back in Anger?