Express & Star

Oasis fans who attended 2009 V Festival in Staffordshire react to reunion news

The last time the British rock band performed was on August 22 2009 at V Festival in Staffordshire.

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Oasis fans recalling the group’s final performance at V Festival in 2009 said they have been waiting their “whole life” for the band’s reunion.

At 8am on Tuesday, the social media accounts for Oasis revealed Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher will reunite with a worldwide tour in 2025.

The last time the British rock band performed was on August 22 2009 at V Festival, in Staffordshire.

They were supposed to take to the stage for the festival’s Chelmsford leg the following day too – but the Sunday slot did not happen, much to the dismay of fans, including “gutted” then 19-year-old Chris Berrow.

Man smiling
Chris Berrow when he was 19 and at V Festival (Chris Berrow/PA)

Simon Pearce, 40, was one of the lucky people who got to see Oasis perform at V Festival.

He said although the band’s set was not as memorable as previous concerts of theirs he had gone to and a standout moment was when they ended their performance with the Beatles classic I Am The Walrus.

“They had not brought that song out since the earlier days, so that was sort of memorable but (Noel and Liam Gallagher) seemed to be going through the motions a little bit,” the transport planner, who is based in Widnes, Cheshire but used to live in Wolverhampton, told PA.

“But, it was a bit of a bragging right to be able to say I went to their last ever gig; it felt really special.”

Man with guitar in hand
Chris Berrow is hoping to get tickets to see Oasis on their new tour (Chris Berrow/PA)

When it was announced the group had split just days after V Festival, he said he went to “drown my sorrows” in various pubs and listened to Oasis songs on loop.

“I started listening to them from 11 and it just sort of became an obsession from then onwards and the band then became part of my adulthood and I went to their different gigs,” he said.

“I’m a working class lad – I’m born and raised on a council estate in the 90s – and they just gave something to people to believe in and made it cool for kids on council estates to pick up a guitar.”

He said while he has his reservations about if the brothers will perform as well as they did in their prime, he is “buzzing” about the reunion.

“I can’t wait to get tickets on Saturday,” he added.

Man with beer in hand
Simon Pearce in 2009, the same year Oasis split (Simon Pearce/PA)

Mr Berrow, now 34 and living in Epping, Essex, became a fan of the band “really quickly” after buying their Stop The Clocks CD and so decided to see them at V Festival in Chelmsford.

“We got there and we waited and waited and there was this rumour going around that they weren’t going to play and we didn’t know what was happening,” the guitar teacher and presenter told the PA news agency.

“There was this announcement that Oasis weren’t going to play and Snow Patrol were going to step up and cover their slot.”

He said when it was announced that Liam and Noel Gallagher were reuniting for a tour, he was “very excited”.

“I’ve already signed up for the link to download tickets and I’m just hoping that I can get one on Saturday.”

Man looking at camera
Simon Pearce was at Oasis’s last gig in 2009 (Simon Pearce/PA)

He said getting to see Oasis in person after over a decade of waiting will “massively be unfinished business” for him.

“In the time in between, I became a professional guitar teacher, so I’m teaching kids how to play Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back In Anger, Champagne Supernova and I haven’t actually seen them together ever,” he said.

“I’m not somebody to cry very readily, but I think that could happen as I would be able to complete something I’ve been meaning to for what feels like my whole life.”