The directors of the upcoming Oasis documentary have spoken candidly about the Liam and Noel Gallagher tension they witnessed during filming, describing a palpable friction between the brothers that only broke when the band took to the stage for their first reunion concert. Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern, who directed the film, gave the details in an interview with Variety.
Workmanlike in the studio, electric on stage
The documentary, titled Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger, is written and produced by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. It is set for a cinema release on 9 September, before arriving on Disney+ later in 2026. The film follows the Gallagher brothers as they reunite for their first shows together in nearly 16 years, documenting the tour that brought one of British music’s most famous sibling partnerships back together.
Lovelace and Southern explained that they set up cameras in the rehearsal studio and deliberately kept their distance, conscious that they were witnessing something fragile. ‘It was literally the first time they’d been in a room together for a prolonged period for 15 years,’ Southern said. The directors watched as the brothers worked through the set without any grand gestures of reconciliation.
‘There was no kind of messing around,’ Southern told Variety. ‘As soon as Liam arrived, it’s like, “Right, are we doing this?” And they were just going through the whole set.’ Lovelace was equally struck by what he saw: ‘It was so interesting hearing the music come together, having not heard them play as a band for 15/16 years, but also seeing them reconnecting. It was a privileged view.’
Both directors described the atmosphere as ‘workmanlike’, noting that the subtlety of the brothers’ interactions was precisely what made the footage compelling. There was no tearful embrace, no visible resolution of old grievances, just two people getting on with the job.
The Liam and Noel Gallagher tension lifted in Cardiff
‘There was definite tension,’ Lovelace said plainly. According to the directors, that Liam and Noel Gallagher tension did not ease until the band played their very first comeback show. That concert took place at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on 4 July 2025, according to setlist.fm.
‘From our perspective as observers, that didn’t dissipate until that first moment when the expectant energy of the crowds met the nervousness of the band,’ Lovelace said. ‘That was a real moment of alchemy. It was like something incredibly special happened when these people who’ve been waiting 16 years for this momentous thing to happen got it.’
A reunion years in the making
The backdrop to all of this is a tour that had already generated extraordinary excitement before a single note was played live. Oasis announced their reunion in August 2024, ending a split that had lasted since 2009. According to Billboard, the Oasis Live ’25 Tour comprises 41 shows in total, with 19 of those taking place in the UK and Ireland.
The documentary captures the band celebrating their 25th anniversary with that worldwide run, giving audiences a window into rehearsals, the brothers’ dynamic, and the moments of friction and, eventually, release that came with performing together again. The Liam and Noel Gallagher tension visible in the studio footage makes the Cardiff breakthrough all the more charged as a centrepiece for the film.
Lovelace’s description of the Cardiff crowd meeting the band’s nerves as ‘alchemy’ suggests the documentary is aiming for something more than a straightforward concert film. With Steven Knight’s involvement on the writing and production side, and two directors who clearly had close access throughout, it has the ingredients for a portrait that goes well beyond the setlist.
Oasis: Don’t Look Back In Anger opens in cinemas on 9 September, with a Disney+ release to follow later in 2026.
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