High Demand for Oasis Tribute Act Before Band’s Reunion Tour

Oasis’ reunion tour next year has not only ignited a frenzy for tickets to see the legendary British band but also heightened interest in the tribute band Definitely Mightbe.

Oasis, pivotal to the 1990s Britpop scene before their split in 2009, announced on Tuesday their plans to reunite for a global tour in 2025, commencing with 17 concerts across the UK and Ireland.

Millions of fans swarmed online early Saturday as tickets for the first gigs together by Liam and Noel Gallagher in 16 years went on sale. But with demand exceeding supply, many fans were left disheartened.

For tribute acts like Definitely Mightbe, this situation is likely to propel the already substantial demand for their performances, with the group reporting a “big upturn” in bookings this week.

“I’ve made a living from it for a good 20 years, but since the announcement… the phone has just been off the hook,” Ian Alcock, the band’s version of Liam Gallagher, said.

“It’s lots of people ringing, asking ‘are you free? Can you do this? Can you do that?'” the 58-year-old explained, backstage at a Friday night performance at a working men’s club in Leeds, northern England.

Oasis was formed in Manchester, northwest England, in 1991, with Alcock seeing the group live for the first time three years later as their profile skyrocketed and the Gallaghers toured the UK.

Alcock was in the crowd when the band played at a local pub in his hometown of Stoke-on-Trent, in central England.

A studio owner and performer himself, Alcock started covering Oasis tracks as the indie quartet gained global fame throughout the 1990s.

Eventually, he founded Definitely Mightbe—a play on the original band’s 1994 debut studio album “Definitely Maybe”—in the early 2000s.

Proclaiming themselves as the longest-established Oasis tribute group, Definitely Mightbe has since played more than 2,000 shows worldwide.

The Gallagher brothers’ feuding led to Oasis’ split in 2009, but Alcock noted that the acrimony has not been mirrored within the tribute act. Its members “get on and we don’t fall out,” he said.

Remarkably, the original band’s rupture didn’t disrupt demand for Definitely Mightbe, which has “been busy all the time” since forming.

And the “incredible” news of Oasis’ reunion—after a 16-year hiatus—is now proving to be an additional boon.

Alcock hoped that with hundreds of thousands of fans likely to miss out on seeing the real band next year, Definitely Mightbe could be set to play larger and more prestigious gigs.

“Not everybody that wants to go is going to get a ticket, so I think we’ll slot into that gap where people can’t get tickets for the originals,” he said.

“There’s still a buzz about Oasis, so they’ll come and see us. Hopefully that’s the case!”

As an avid fan, he is also just delighted that Oasis is getting back together.

“This has been talked about for a long time, and to actually find that it’s going to happen next year… everybody’s excited.”

Paul Mitchell, 41, who portrays Noel Gallagher on stage for Definitely Mightbe, expressed similar enthusiasm for the reunion.

He noted that their audience is diverse and spans multiple generations.

“There’s a very, very young crowd right at the front, with their parents and then further back, the typical crowd that we expect to see in their 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and onwards,” he added.

Source: AFP