Oasis mania hit Venice Film Festival on Saturday night as Liam and Noel Gallagher presented the world premiere of their highly anticipated documentary “Don’t Look Back in Anger.”
The rock doc received an eight-minute standing ovation as the once-estranged brothers held hands and raised them triumphantly. Though the Gallaghers aren’t one for emotions, Noel at one point appeared to be wiping tears from his eyes while Liam hyped up the crowd. The atmosphere inside the Palazzo del Cinema was electric, with fans clamoring to get a photo, autograph or just a look at the iconic musicians. Before the screening, the brothers were greeted with cheers of “C’mon, boys!” and “Fight!” One fan even brought a Manchester City flag (their football club of choice) and flew it over the balcony.
As the documentary rolled on, the rowdiness continued — attendees clapped after most of the live performances in the film and, as the audience sang along to “Champagne Supernova,” several were reduced to audible tears. During the actual standing ovation, the brothers — understandably new to the film festival world — looked like they had no idea what to do, with Liam eyeing his watch and mouthing, “Should we fuck off?” before creator Steven Knight seemingly convinced him to stay. But all hell broke loose when the Gallaghers descended into the crowd to sign autographs, turning the theater into a mild mosh pit as fans jockeyed for a selfie or signature. One thing’s for sure, this is likely to be the closest Venice Film Festival gets to a rock concert.
Earlier on the red carpet, Italian fans donned their best bucket hats and band merch, singing along to “Acquiesece” and “Wonderwall” as they waited for Liam and Noel to arrive. Ever the rock ‘n’ roll stars, when they finally did, it was through the cinema’s entrance instead of from a car at the start of the carpet, causing screams to erupt. The Gallaghers, known for their love of windbreakers and Fred Perry polos, dressed smartly for the occasion in all black (though still decidedly unfancy, with Liam layering a T-shirt underneath a blazer and Noel wearing a zip-up jacket). Fans chanted “Oasis! Oasis! Oasis!” as the brothers signed autographs separately, before coming together to pose for photos — even holding hands and raising them up victoriously for one shot.
Directed by Dylan Southern and Will Lovelace, the documentary “charts Liam and Noel Gallagher’s triumphant reunion tour, Oasis Live ‘25, one of the most anticipated rock ‘n’ roll comebacks of our time,” according to its official synopsis. The film, which premieres in theatres Sept. 11 before bowing on Disney+ later this year, boasts footage of the band both backstage and onstage as well as the first joint interview with often-feuding brothers Noel and Liam in over 20 years.
The Oasis reunion tour last year marked the first time the Gallagher brothers had played together since 2009. Tickets for the tour sold out immediately and it went on to generate hundreds of millions of dollars across dates in the U.K., North America, South Korea, Japan, Australia, Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
The success of Oasis Live ’25 — and the fact that the brothers are still getting along well enough to do press for their documentary together — has sparked rumours of a further Oasis tour, perhaps next year. Though the Gallaghers weren’t on hand at the film’s press conference earlier on Saturday to field questions, the band has posted several cryptic teasers on Instagram that have sent fans into detective mode. Adding to the speculation, Noel said in a recent interview on Talksport: “Let’s put it this way: there’s no football tournament on next year, so we’ve got to do something in the summer, right?”
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From Variety US