And After All: A Fan History of Oasis

Music journalist Locker debuts with a flimsy history of Oasis’s fan base. Spanning the band’s rise from performing in front of 50-person audiences at Manchester clubs in the 1990s to its upcoming reunion tour of stadiums around the world, the author spotlights musicians who were inspired by Oasis, merch collectors turned professional memorabilia evaluators, and couples who met because of their shared passion for the group (and in several cases gave their children Oasis-inspired names). “I think it’s fair to say my life was kind of changed by this,” one fan comments about her first Oasis show. Others conjure the excitement of sneaking out of the house to go to concerts as teens, forming cover bands with work friends, and even loitering outside Liam and Noel Gallagher’s houses. Though Locker offers some glancingly intriguing insights into the intimacy of the fan relationship—including how early fans can react in averse ways to a band becoming famous—she fails to make a larger point about fandom. As a result, the parade of anecdotes soon begins to feel stale, sentimental, and unlikely to appeal to all but the most devoted Oasis obsessives. Fans who need something to hold them over until the reunion tour may find this worth their while, but others can skip it. (July)