Oasis kick off their comeback: The best they've been since the 90s

7 hours ago Share Save Mark Savage Music Correspondent Share Save

Watch: Moment Oasis take to the stage in Cardiff for first gig in 16 years

Oasis blew off the cobwebs and swept away the doubters as they kicked off their reunion tour in Cardiff. Taking to the stage after a 16-year break, the band sounded refreshed and rejuvenated, tearing into classics like Cigarettes and Alcohol, Live Forever and Slide Away - as 70,000 fans clasped each other and spilled beer all over themselves. They opened with Hello, with its chorus of "it's good to be back", following up with Acquiesce - one of the few songs that features vocals from both Noel and Liam Gallagher. The lyric "we need each other" felt like a reconciliation - or a sigh of relief - as the brothers buried the hatchet of a decades-long feud and reconnected with their fans.

Watch Oasis perform Acquiesce as they reunite in Cardiff

Liam, in particular, attacked the gig with wild-eyed passion - stalking the stage and biting into the lyrics like a lion tearing apart its prey. The audience responded in kind. A communal fervour greeted songs like Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger, both pulled from Oasis's 1995 masterpiece, (What's the Story) Morning Glory? - one of the best selling British albums of all time. All night, it was one singalong after another: Some Might Say, Supersonic, Whatever, Half The World Away, Rock 'n' Roll Star. During Live Forever - which they dedicated to Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota - the audience even sang Noel's guitar solo. "You sound like a load of Charlotte Churches," said Liam, impressed, after Stand By Me. The frontman sounded fresh and powerful himself, putting to rest the vocal issues that had plagued him on previous tours - a result of Hashimoto's disease, an auto-immune condition that can affect the voice.

Getty Images Fans paid hundreds of pounds to see the band kick off their reunion tour

As fans will know, Oasis were never the most dynamic act on stage. Noel, in particular, wears the studious look of a man trying to remember his National Insurance number - but somehow, it's impossible to take your eyes off them. Although they came out hand in hand, there were few other signs of chemistry between the brothers, who never addressed one another during the two-and-a-quarter hour show. But just hearing them harmonise again, after all the animosity and the turbulent waters under the bridge, was hugely emotional. "Nice one for putting up with us over the years," said Liam, introducing the night's last song, Champagne Supernova. "We are hard work, I get it." As they left the stage, the Gallaghers shared a brief hug.

Big Brother The stadium closed its roof - giving the show an unusual intimacy

Getty Images Liam was in fine form throughout the night

But the band's volatility was always part of the appeal. Their off-stage antics made the headlines as often as their music: They missed their first European gig after getting arrested on a cross-channel ferry, Liam lost two front teeth in a fight with German police, and later abandoned a pivotal US tour go house-hunting. Half the fun was working out which act of the Shakespearean drama was being enacted in front of you. Still, Liam’s antics often frustrated his brother. "Noel is the guy who's chained to the Tasmanian devil," Danny Eccleston, consultant editor of the Mojo magazine, once said. "A lifetime of that would wear you down." BBC Sounds: The Rise and Fall of Oasis It all came to a head at a gig in Paris in 2009. Oasis split up after a backstage altercation that began with Liam throwing a plum at his older brother's head. In the intervening years, they engaged in a long war of words in the press, on stage and social media. Liam repeatedly called Noel a "massive potato" on Twitter and, more seriously, accused him of skipping the One Love concert for victims of the Manchester Arena bombing. Noel responded by saying Liam was a "village idiot" who "needs to see a psychiatrist". But relations thawed last year, with Liam dedicating Half The World Away to his brother at Reading Festival last August. Two days later, the reunion was announced, with the band declaring: "The guns have fallen silent. The stars have aligned. The great wait is over. Come see. It will not be televised." A scramble for tickets ensued, with more than 10 million people applying to see the 19 UK dates alone. Those who succeeded were shocked by the high prices - especially when standing tickets advertised at £155 were re-labelled "in demand" and changed on Ticketmaster to £355 plus fees. On stage, Liam made light of the scandal, asking the audience: "Is it worth the £4,000 you paid for a ticket?"

Getty Images The band's 2025 line-up included Paul 'Bonehead' Arthurs and Gem Archer on guitar, with Andy Bell on bass and Joey Waronker on drums.

For many, the answer was yes. Cardiff was awash with Oasis fans from all over the world - including Peru, Japan, Argentina, Spain and South Korea. An Italian couple had "live forever" inscribed on their wedding rings. A British woman, expecting her first child, had scrawled "our kid" - Noel's nickname for Liam - across her baby bump. The city was awash in bucket hats and branded tracksuit tops. Outside the stadium, an enterprising busker drew a massive crowd by playing a set of Oasis songs. Everyone joined in. Inside, the band stuck to the classics, with a setlist that only strayed out of the 1990s once, for 2002's Little By Little. The songs held up remarkably well. The youthful hunger of tracks like Live Forever and Supersonic crackled with energy. And Cigarettes and Alcohol, written by Noel in 1991, about the discontent of Manchester's working classes after 15 years of Conservative rule, sounded as relevant in 2025 as it did then. "Is it worth the aggravation to find yourself a job when there's nothing worth working for?" snarled Liam. Fans, young and old, roared along in recognition and approval. Later, during Wonderwall, the frontman cheekily changed the lyrics to say: "There are many things that I would like to say to you... but I don't speak Welsh." I have seen Oasis many, many times and this was the best they've been since 1995, when I caught them supporting REM at Ireland's Slane Castle, as they limbered up for the release of (What's the Story) Morning Glory? The Manchester band blew the headliners away - instantly making them seem dated and irrelevant - in a show that threatened to turn into chaos after Liam threatened a fan who'd thrown a projectile on stage. They might not have that sense of danger in 2025, but there was a hunger and a passion that was missing from their last shows in 2009. Fans, and some parts of the British press, are already speculating over whether Liam and Noel's rapprochement will hold – but from the evidence on stage in Cardiff, the Gallaghers are finally, belatedly, mad fer it once more.

Big Brother The view from backstage

Oasis setlist - 4 July 2025

Hello

Acquiesce

Morning Glory

Some Might Say

Bring it on down

Cigarettes & Alcohol

Fade Away

Supersonic

Roll With It

Talk Tonight (Noel sings)

Half the World Away (Noel sings)

Little by Little (Noel sings)

D'You Know What I Mean

Stand By Me

Cast No Shadow

Slide Away

Whatever

Live Forever

Rock and Roll Star Encore The Masterplan (Noel sings)

Don't Look Back in Anger (Noel sings)

Wonderwall

Champagne Supernova

Getty Images Noel Gallagher performed several songs solo during the set

Texas floods kill 24 people and leave many missing from girls' summer camp

22 minutes ago Share Save Angélica Casas BBC News Reporting from San Antonio, Texas Nadine Yousif BBC News Share Save

Getty Images Kerrville resident Leighton Sterling watches flood waters along the Guadalupe River in Texas

A major search and rescue operation is continuing through the night in Texas after flash floods killed at least 24 people and left many girls missing from a Christian summer camp. There was little warning as the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet (7.9m) in less than an hour and flooding that followed swept away mobile homes, vehicles and holiday cabins where people were spending the 4 July weekend. Rescue crews are still searching for up to 25 children who were among the 750 girls attending the Camp Mystic just outside the town of Kerrville 104km (64.0 miles) north-west of San Antonio. A state of emergency has been declared in several counties where several roads have been washed away and phone lines are down.

US President Donald Trump called the tragedy "shocking" and "terrible" as the White House pledged additional assistance. Pictures show the deep flood waters swamping bridges and fast moving water swirling down roads.

Watch: Flood water rushes through Kerr County, Texas

Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick said: "Within 45 minutes, the Guadalupe River rose 26 feet and it was a destructive flood, taking property and sadly lives." He also informed parents that if they have not been contacted, their child is accounted for. "That does not mean [the missing children] have been lost. They could be out of communication," Patrick added.

Officials said search and rescue operations, involving helicopters, drones and boats, will continue until everyone has been accounted for. The camp said they have no power, no water and no Wi-Fi , adding that "the highway has washed away, so we are struggling to get more help." On Friday morning, flash flooding in the state prompted disaster declarations for the Hill Country and Concho Valley regions.

Getty Images Children had been attending an all-girls summer camp near the Guadalupe River, just outside the town of Kerrville

Kerr County's most senior official, Judge Rob Kelly, was asked during a news conference as to why camps along the Guadalupe River were not evacuated in advance. "We didn't know this flood was coming. Rest assured, no one knew this kind of flood was coming," Kelly said. He then added "we do not have a warning system" in the area. Kelly added what happened on Friday far surpassed a flood in 1987, which killed 10 teenagers on a church camp bus near the town of Comfort, south of Kerr County.

Getty Images A UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter is part of the search and rescue operations

Crowds mourn Liverpool star Jota in his Portuguese hometown

40 minutes ago Share Save James Waterhouse BBC News Reporting from Gondamar, Portugal Share Save

EPA / Shutterstock Liverpool player Darwin Nunez attends the public wake in Gondomar on Friday

Crowds mourned Diogo Jota in his hometown to pay their respects to the Liverpool forward and his brother André Silva, who both died in a car crash on Thursday. Portugal's president, Liverpool and national team footballers, and fans gathered in the small town of Gondomar, on the outskirts of Porto, where the pair grew up. Their parents, grandfather and other family members held a private vigil at a chapel in the town before it was opened to the public for a wake. The funeral will be held on Saturday. The pair - both footballers, with André playing in Portugal's second division - were killed after the Lamborghini they were travelling in crashed in the Spanish province of Zamora.

Fans carrying Portugal flags, flowers and other memorabilia were seen weeping as they queued to pay their respects. Those in attendance included President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro, national team stars Bruno Fernandes, Bernardo Silva, João Moutinho, Diogo Dalot and Ricardo Horta, and Jota's agent Jorge Mendes. Later in the day, Liverpool players and staff were seen in the town, including captain Virgil Van Dijk. A number of Jota's former teammates also attended. For years as a young boy, Jota played for local club Gondomar SC, which named its academy after him in 2022. Emblazoned on its sign is a quote from Jota: "It's not about where we come from but where we're going to." Outside the club, shirts and scarves were laid inside a ring of candles.

Getty Images

The 28-year-old father-of-three - who this year won the Nations League with Portugal and Premier League with Liverpool - married his long-term partner Rute Cardoso just 11 days before the fatal crash. He had been travelling back to Liverpool for pre-season training, making the trip by car and ferry because he had undergone minor surgery and had been advised against flying. Liverpool said his death was a "tragedy that transcends" the club. Fans also grieved outside the club's Anfield stadium. Former captain Jordan Henderson was seen in tears as he laid a wreath, with a card that read: "Rest in peace my friend, along with your brother André. We will all miss you." There was also a touching moment at Oasis's reunion gig on Friday evening when Jota's image appeared on screen at the end of Live Forever, prompting applause around Cardiff's Principality Stadium. Liverpool striker Mohamed Salah admitted he was dreading returning to the club in the wake of Jota's shock death. "I am truly lost for words. Until yesterday, I never thought there would be something that would frighten me of going back to Liverpool after the break," Salah wrote in a post on social media. A delegation from Liverpool's city rival club Everton - including Portugal-born strikers Beto and Youssef Chermiti - also attended and left flowers outside Anfield. Former Liverpool councillor Peter Millea - a home and away regular who had come to pay his respects - told the BBC: "There was something about him as a player when he first came to us that he became an instant hit.

PA Media

'Any excuse to go to pub' culture at crisis-hit cathedral

20 minutes ago Share Save Emilia Belli, Ben Summer & Lucy Ballinger BBC Wales Investigates Share Save

X Casks of beer were blessed at an Oktoberfest event in 2022 at Bangor Cathedral

Priests and choristers at a cathedral mired in controversy did a "seven last shots of Christ" drinking game at a pub on Good Friday after services at the Archbishop of Wales' cathedral. People who sang with the choir at Bangor Cathedral have told the BBC there "seemed to be any excuse to bring out the wine" and "go to the pub" because of a "binge drinking culture". The claims come days after Andrew John retired as Archbishop of Wales with immediate effect after two critical reports highlighted safeguarding concerns and misbehaviour at his Bangor diocese. The Church in Wales said the "abuse of alcohol is always inappropriate" and said a policy regarding alcohol use was being developed.

Mr John will also retire as Bishop of Bangor on 31 August but the church has called for a series of reviews and investigations of his diocese and cathedral. This comes after reports highlighted "a culture in which sexual boundaries seemed blurred", excessive alcohol consumption and governance and safeguarding weaknesses. While there is no suggestion the then archbishop, the leader of the Church in Wales, behaved inappropriately, the church's representative body said there must be a "change in leadership, procedures and governance in the diocese of Bangor".

Andrew John retired as Archbishop of Wales last month and will retire as Bishop of Bangor on 31 August

Jessica, not her real name, said she was assaulted by someone who was trying to become a priest who had been drinking at a Bangor Cathedral Oktoberfest event in 2022. "He had had considerably too much to drink," she told the BBC. "I'd already warned people that night he's drinking a lot more than everyone else. So these warning signs were ignored and that led to that assault." Jessica, now in her early 20s, said another person was also sexually assaulted by the man at the event in the 6th Century Gwynedd cathedral. She reported it and he apologised, but she said the drinking culture did not change. "Several bottles of prosecco would be gone through on a Sunday morning," Jessica added. "Any sort of external event or big internal event there was prosecco or wine." The Church in Wales confirmed that Jessica was one of two people who complained about the man's behaviour and his priest training was not taken forward.

'Seven last shots of Christ'

After a cathedral concert on Good Friday in 2023, members of the choir went for drinks. "A few of the priests came out with the choir," recalled Jessica. "It was deemed appropriate to do the seven last shots of Christ." The Seven Last Words of Christ refers to seven last sentences that Jesus spoke from the Cross on Good Friday as quoted in the Bible. "Because Christ has seven last words, therefore we sang seven pieces of the seven last words in the concert - and that somehow translated into seven shots of Christ," she recalled. "I think I left after the first shot because I was like 'I don't think this is appropriate'. There's too many people taking shots in dog collars for me to be comfortable." Jessica said she went on a tour to Rome with the choir in June 2023. "Every night we'd go to a bar first and then a restaurant," she recalled. "At the time I was teetotal. I would be like I don't want wine, I don't want to drink in this situation. I don't want alcohol. "That would not be an okay answer, that would be questioned beyond belief. Like, this alcohol is free. Why are you not taking it? You should have it."

Esme Byrd Esme Byrd said she left her position as a lay clerk at Bangor Cathedral because no-one listened to her concerns about the culture at the diocese

Esme Byrd was a lay clerk at Bangor Cathedral for six months and regularly sang with the choir until leaving in January 2023. The 29-year-old said the culture and attitude to alcohol was "deeply unhealthy" with some people getting "really catastrophically drunk". "There was a culture of binge drinking," said Esme. "Not necessarily all the time, but certainly there was a lot of alcohol around almost all the services or various events. It seemed to be any excuse to bring out the wine, any excuse to go to the pub." Esme, who sometimes worked directly with the children in the choir, said she became concerned about the wellbeing of younger members of the choir, especially the language used around them. "It was the level of 18-rated sexual jokes, crude sexual humour done in front of children as young as six or seven," said Esme. "In terms of safeguarding training, there was absolutely nothing. There was no training, so in terms of certainly me starting and me doing my job, there was no training of anything whatsoever."

Esme Byrd Esme Byrd sometimes worked directly with the children in the choir at Bangor Cathedral

Diogo Jota was "a dream to work with and a pleasure to call a friend", says Conor Coady, who was Wolves captain during the Portuguese forward's three seasons at the club.

Before joining Liverpool, Jota was part of a Wolves side that won the Championship in 2017-18 and then went on to qualify for the Europa League with a seventh-placed finished during their first season back in the Premier League.

Jota, aged 28, died in a car crash on Thursday along with his brother Andre Silva, who was 25.

Their funerals will take place at 10:00 on Saturday in their hometown of Gondomar in Portugal.

Coady, who began his career at Liverpool and currently plays for Leicester City, heard about his friend's death while at pre-season training with the Foxes.

"I think we'll all remember where we were, but it goes bigger than football, what we're all feeling now," Coady told BBC Sport.

"This has hit everybody hard. And it will hit everybody hard for a long, long time because Diogo was a fantastic human being, an amazing friend, an amazing husband, an amazing father and an absolute incredible footballer for all the clubs he has played for.

"He was an unbelievable person. This is celebrating an incredible human being. A human being who should never left us this early and this [early] into an amazing career."