Oasis mark 30 years since first headline tour - and they didn’t even perform in Manchester

2024 is a big anniversary year for Oasis. The Manchester band released their debut album ‘Definitely Maybe’ in August 1994, kick-starting their rise through the ranks of music stardom. 

Earlier that year, Oasis ventured out on their first ever headline tour, taking in towns and cities across the UK. They had previously hit the road as a support act, but March 1994 would be their first tour where they topped the bill. 

It was a joint headliner tour with Scottish rock band Whiteout, a band that played their last gig before the turn of the 21st century. Oasis were getting ready to work on their fourth studio album when the band from Greenock called it a day. 

The tour took them to a range of towns and cities, including Northampton, Nottingham, Tunbridge Wells and Hull. One city that did not feature on the tour is the band's town of Manchester. 

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The band travelled the length and breadth of the UK on this joint-headliner tour, with the closest they came to Manchester being a gig at Liverpool’s Lomax in April 1994. This tour kicked off at the Angel in Bedford on March 23 1994, a venue which was knocked down several years later. 

Multiple Scottish dates featured on the tour, including gigs in both Glasgow and Edinburgh. Oasis and Whiteout ventured over the Welsh border, playing at TJ’s in Newport. Yet there wasn’t space for a Manchester gig on this inaugural tour.

Obviously, Oasis were even at that point in their careers no stranger to Manchester. On several occasions they had performed at both the University of Manchester and Boardwalk, making a name for themselves on their hometown scene. 

Their other taste of Greater Manchester music venues was at Oldham’s Hippodrome and Club 57. Oasis appeared at these venues in April and May 1992, almost two years before they headed out on their debut headline tour. 

The Manchester dates followed, and they quickly took place in bigger venues. When they did come back to play hometown gigs, they played three on the ‘Definitely Maybe’ tour. Two of these were at Manchester Academy, whilst a third saw Oasis take to the stage at the Hacienda. 

In the years that followed, Oasis went on to play at The City of Manchester Stadium, Emirates Old Trafford, Heaton Park and Manchester/ AO Arena. Yet Oasis came from humble beginnings, and despite not playing Manchester on their first headline tour they soon made their home town a favourite destination. For over 15 years, you’d rarely go long without seeing Oasis in Manchester.