What the Oasis reunion can teach us about not looking back in anger

I was fifteen when Oasis’ debut album Definitely Maybe came out. They even organised a little competition with Blur to celebrate my GCSE results in 1995. I rode the wave of Britpop rock-and-roll hysteria while studying for my A-Levels, and their Woolworth’s-purchased singles had pride of place in the shoebox of CDs responsible for presenting my desired self-image in a pre-Instagram world.

So, when my 17-year-old casually checked whether I “liked Oasis, yeah?” I was suitably gushing (not wanting to admit I could only now name a handful of their songs).‌

So, when my 17-year-old casually checked whether I “liked Oasis, yeah?” I was suitably gushing (not wanting to admit I could only now name a handful of their songs). Within a minute, we were checking our Ticketmaster accounts were logged in. I wouldn’t miss the opportunity to accompany him to the Manchester reunion concert in 2025. I think many of us Xennials feel proud that our Gen Z babies have grown up with an eclectic music taste (and don’t want to admit it’s probably thanks to TikTok algorithms and Spotify, not us).

I now understand the wave of nostalgia behind my mum’s smiling eyes when she watched me try on a pair of round ‘John Lennon’ glasses in Tammy Girl back in the day. I, too, thought I was so cool to be rejecting modern music for the timeless Beatles classics or continually rewinding the tape to listen to the heavy guitar riffs in T-Rex’s ‘20th Century Boy’. 1990s kids looked back to the ’60s and ‘70s for music and fashion inspiration; Adidas Samba-wearing 2020s kids aspire to ’90s clothing and popular culture.

Secretly, I didn’t care if I got tickets.

Secretly, I didn’t care if I got tickets. Being part of the hype (waiting in a virtual line, checking ‘X’ for relatable memes and checking in with my son to see if any of his friends – 1 out of 200 - had succeeded) felt like a cultural moment in itself! Despite this, I spent an insane moment at 2pm considering whether one of us could borrow a wheelchair to make us eligible for the Viewing Platform Access Tickets or whether I could afford the only other remaining ticket type (Hospitality: £268 each). This madness made me consider whether there is something wrong with these intense waves of nostalgia.

Nostalgia is an emotion involving a sentimental longing for the past. In a social sense, it helps develop close relationships with those with shared experiences, which I love. However, Solomon warns us against too must sentimentality: ‘Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions.’ (Ecclesiastes 7:10). We are to be present and content with the blessings and challenges we currently face, not whingeing and harking back to a rose-tinted view of our past.

It is for our own good that we spend our time and energies facing forward, living in hope, forgiving past wrongs and moving forward in our lives. ‘Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland.’ (Isaiah 43: 18-19)

I spoke to someone at church who frequented the same pub as Liam and Noel. There was no way he was going anywhere near that Ticketmaster queue yesterday! He said Noel was boring and Liam was OK. His recollections of the ’90s were very different to mine. Too much sentimentality is dull, annoying, and more importantly, against God’s plan for us.

‘Please don’t put your life in the hands of a rock n’ roll band and blow it all away’* is a line from Don’t Look Back in Anger.

I get so much happiness out of nostalgia, especially when it unites people, makes conversation fun, and brightens our daily lives. However, when it comes to teen idols, that conversation at church reminded me of the importance of worshipping God alone and dismantling any pedestals on which we may have placed others.

(And for the record, we ‘90s kids in our round glasses did know best: one of Noel’s cleverest lines - ‘Cause you said the brains I had went to my head’ - was lifted from an old tape recording by John Lennon! There really is ‘nothing new under the sun’. (Ecclesiastes 1:9))

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*Don’t Look Back in Anger by Noel Gallagher, 1996