CinemaSerf

You see so many of these musical biopics that are clearly just manufactured by record companies and/or the acts to create some publicity and squeeze an extra bit of juice from their back catalogues. That cannot be said of this way more visceral film that takes us from the origins of “Oasis” as two brothers and their pals rehearing relentlessly in a basement through to global stardom. Neither Noel nor Liam Gallagher pull their punches as their evaluations of not just their own turbulent relationship, but of a grasping and manipulative industry and of the hilarious degree of hypocrisy that prevailed as these struggled to attain success before struggling even more with it’s consequences, play out. The band, their manager Alan McGee alongside their dedicated and long-suffering team and the press at the time offer us as honest an appraisal as you’ll ever see - and these brothers appear unconcerned that at times they come across as obnoxious, drug-infused, prats. Indeed, it’s that very honesty that, augmented by an astonishing selection of archive with some really decent audio, gives this whole thing an authenticity that makes it a compelling watch. Musically, it serves as a reminder of just how extensive that back catalogue is, and at just how international their success was - despite their much publicised peccadilloes, antics and hotel-room-trashing. Also, it takes a look at just how relationships inside and outside the band thrived and suffered across this relatively short but hugely intense timeframe, and many of those incidents are well documented for us to watch, wince and wave at. The narration comes from these characters directly, either by way of sound bites or from contemporary interviews and so, again, the whole thing smacks of something real. Like them or loathe them, it’s not possible to be bored by them.