Right, this blog finally doesn't look like a bot. I've added an icon and a header image. URL and title are of course a reference to Noel's now-legendary opening words at Knebworth: “This is history. This is history! Right here, right now. This is history!”
Noel was a student of music culture, he'd read all the biographies and music magazines. He knew that what Oasis were doing was a significant moment in music history: an independent (Creation-signed) band four years into their career, on the back of only their second album, a rock album that would go on to become the third-highest selling British album of all time in What's The Story (Morning Glory)?, selling out a show where about 4% of the country's population signed up for tickets.
250,000 people over two days (and much more, if the unofficial numbers on how many sneaked into the show are to be believed. Likely closer to 300,000 people over the weekend). To see an independent band from the dregs of working class, northern Manchester. Hardly ever seen before, certainly never seen since. And Noel has talked about how he wanted to acknowledge the moment (well, before Liam had to step in and deflate it with a joke: 'I thought this was Knebworth!' Classic Oasis, isn't it? Light and shade, yin and yang).
I'm a fiend for shared pop culture, so I adore this moment. And this was one HELL of a moment for 90s pop culture, fucking hell. And cried out in Noel's distinctly Mancunian accent too! Well, I would have used thisishistory for my url, but like most Oasis references, they are so clichéd and common that that URL is already taken. I've run out of ideas going through some of my favourite Oasis lyrics already.
Icon from the Rock Archives, Liam in that iconic white coat from Knebworth night 1, the photography of the incredible Jill Furmanovsky, with whom Liam shares a birthday. New icon is unrelated. Liam, from Oasis' 2002 Coachella appearance. Can't believe Oasis were ever considered indie enough to do old Coachella, but that may have been the fact that they never got as big in America as they did in the UK. The Knebworth night 1 icon may yet return someday.
Header gif, one of my favourite moments from night 2, giffed by magicview:
This blog has little to no organisation, sorry. It's mostly just to keep the spamming down on my main, but maybe sometime I'll make an effort to tag things properly. Hello anyway! I'm down to yap about this band big time, perhaps to the detriment of all my off-the-clock time from work unfortunately. The Gallagher brothers have bewitched me heart and soul (and Bonehead).
Update: lost my head one weekend, here’s a full timeline of 1996.
