Oasis

Oasis is a British rock band from Manchester. Formed in 1991 and originally named The Rain, the band was initially made up of Liam Gallagher (vocals), Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs (guitar), Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan (bass) and Tony McCarroll (drums), soon joined by Noel Gallagher (lead guitar and vocals), Liam's older brother. They are regarded as one of the leading exponents of Britpop, a subgenre of alternative rock. Oasis is often cited as an inspiration by many bands, past and present, such as Coldplay, The Libertines, The Strokes, The Killers, Snow Patrol and Arctic Monkeys.

Oasis signed to the independent label Creation Records in 1993 and released their debut album, Definitely Maybe, in 1994. The following year, as a rivalry developed with the band Blur, Oasis recorded (What's the Story) Morning Glory? with Alan White, the band's new drummer following McCarroll's departure. This new album became one of the best-selling albums of all time, with more than 22 million copies sold worldwide, and the Gallagher brothers regularly appeared in the tabloids for their antics and fraternal disputes. In 1996, Oasis played two shows at Knebworth in front of an audience of 125,000 people each night, at the time the largest open-air concerts in British history. 2.5 million people tried to buy tickets, which remains the highest demand for a show in British history. In 1997, Oasis released their eagerly awaited third album, Be Here Now, which became the fastest-selling album in British chart history, but which is retrospectively regarded as a disappointment.

Arthurs and McGuigan left Oasis in 1999. They were replaced by Gem Archer on guitar, formerly of the band Heavy Stereo, and Andy Bell on bass, formerly of Ride. White was ousted from the band in 2004. He was replaced by Zak Starkey and later by Chris Sharrock for tours. The band released four more studio albums during the 2000s, Standing on the Shoulder of Giants in 2000, Heathen Chemistry in 2002, Don't Believe The Truth in 2005 and Dig Out Your Soul in 2008, which met with modest critical and commercial success compared with previous albums. The band split up when a dispute led Noel Gallagher to leave the band on 28 August 2009 after a fresh backstage altercation at the Rock en Seine festival. The other band members, now led by Liam, continued under the name Beady Eye, while Noel started a solo project, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds. Following Beady Eye's split in 2014, Liam Gallagher launched a solo career, occasionally accompanied on tour by Paul Arthurs, while Bell returned to the band Ride and Archer and Sharrock became members of Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds.

Oasis is one of the most successful bands on the UK Singles Chart and the UK Albums Chart, with eight number-one singles and eight number-one albums in the United Kingdom. They have won 17 NME Awards, nine Q Awards, four MTV Europe Music Awards and six Brit Awards, including one in 2007 for "outstanding contribution to music" and one for "best album of the last 30 years" for (What's the Story) Morning Glory? They have also been nominated for two Grammy Awards. (What's the Story) Morning Glory?