Our biggest gig as an Oasis tribute band will be playing next door to our icons when they come to Murrayfield
With Oasis set to take over Edinburgh in August, Livingston-based tribute band Definitely Oasis reveal how they feel about playing next door to their heroes when they rock Murrayfield Ice Arena at pre-gig events.
It feels a bit surreal to be playing next door to our heroes at Murrayfield Ice Arena. When we got the email to tell us, it was just amazing. I’d never even thought about playing there.
The fact that it’s next door to Oasis playing at Murrayfield Stadium is really surreal. It’s huge, and just very surreal with what’s happening next door when we are playing in the ice rink.
It’s the first time we have been back here since the 90s, we used to come to the disco on Friday nights quite regularly, pretty much every week for a while, we’ve got great memories of the place, good times.
I used to love ice skating, I got into it in Livingston and when that closed I started coming here to skate also. I then got into music and going out, so the ice skating faded away.
We are all Oasis fanboys, so to think they will be in the stadium doing a soundcheck and we will be here playing the same songs at the same time, it’s mind-blowing.
We don’t suppose we will get a bigger gig than playing next door to Oasis. We’ve played to bigger crowds at festivals and big arenas, but this is incredible and the most excited we’ve been about playing a gig.
We got together in 2012 but never started playing properly as Oasis until 2015. We knew there was a demand to hear Oasis songs live given they split in 2009, but we didn’t realise how big it was. The band were gone but the fans weren't, and they were still mad for it!
We only played local gigs to start with, before we knew it we were all over the country and then the world. We absolutely love doing what we do for a job.
We get in character on stage, with a bit of needle between our Liam and Noel, a bit of pantomime. Sometimes the egos take over on stage and we just get lost in the moment, forget we aren’t actually Oasis!
Acting is a big part of it, not just playing the tunes, but being them also. We are quite happy guys, so sometimes we have to remember to be a bit mean and moody on stage.
The buzz of being them has never went. When the intro of the first song kicks in, especially if it’s a good crowd, it’s a great buzz to keep the music alive. Sometimes the hairs on the back of our necks stand up.
There are so many layers to it. The first thing is everyone in the band are huge Oasis fans, we get to play the tunes we grew up with.
And we’re in a great band with great musicians, we sound great. Playing in front of great and very appreciative fans, it’s such a buzz, and we never get sick of it. Oasis were our band growing up, and still are. They mean so much to us.
Even since they announced their return the demand is still there for us to play. Everyone is so excited Oasis are back. It’s amazing they are back, biblical. Especially for the younger fans who never got the chance to see them live, in all their glory.
It’s always been a ‘will they, won’t they’ for years. But when Noel had his divorce I really thought for the first time that it could happen, and here we are.
We are so excited to see the set lists when they kick-off the reunion tour next month. And they have done really well to keep the media blanket since the announcement. I hope there is a wee spark between them on stage. I hope they show passion. It would be nice to see some brotherly love, and it’s not just a big pay day.
We were always busy, but since the reunion news broke last year the bookings have went through the roof. We are playing constantly this year and probably next year as well.
It’s interesting now at our shows as adults are bringing their kids to see us, it’s amazing the amount of kids that are into Oasis, and they sing every single word of every song. It’s great that Oasis have still got that pull, just like the Beatles really.
We have not met Liam and Noel yet, but we met Oasis bassist Andy Bell once at an after-show. We would love to meet them, not sure what we would say though. They are the reason we are into music and musicians. We would just love to say thank you for teaching us music.
Oasis changed everything when they came out, not just music, fashion, everything. It’s hard to overestimate the impact they had on us and that generation. You never know, we might meet them at Murrayfield when we are both playing there?
Tickets, priced at £5- £10, for the Oasis pre-show events at Murrayfield Ice Arena are still on sale, for Friday, August 8, click here. For Saturday, August 9, click here. And for Tuesday, August 12, click here.