OASIS: The Masterplan. Kevin Cummins in conversation

News of the first live Oasis concerts for 15 years has been met with frenzied excitement around the globe and the 17 dates within the UK and Ireland, scheduled for July and August 2025, sold out within hours.

Celebrated photographer Kevin Cummins was there at the beginning of the band’s supersonic career and this book explores their first year.

How does a band come into being? What are the myriad forces that shape the sound, look and identity of an emerging band?

In 1993, Oasis signed to Creation Records and were shortly to begin recording their first album. Unknown, and unknowing of what was ahead, the following year began with a masterplan – the creation of Oasis. At the centre of this enterprise was celebrated photographer Kevin Cummins, brought on board to help the band find a look that fitted their sound.

Cummins documents twelve months of seismic change that cemented the identity of Oasis. From the just-bought-at-Affleck’s Palace attainability of their look to the Brother- sponsored Man City Shirts, the changing backgrounds from Maine Road, the Peveril of the Peak pub and the Arndale Centre to riotous early gigs, the Virgin Megastore and red buses of London these photographs show the masterplan coming into being.

At the centre are two brothers with their arms round each other, hinting at a sound you can almost hear through these images and a look that will resonate across the world.

In Oasis: The Masterplan Noel Gallagher’s thoughts on football, fashion and music sit alongside his recollections of that year and those of Cummins himself, as well as cultural commentary from Gail Crowther. We see how Oasis played with fashion and were taught how to pose and present themselves as they approached the summer when their first album, Definitely Maybe was released. The story from that moment on is well- known. This book reveals just how effective the masterplan was to get them to that point.

We have two ticket options available: * Event Only and *Event with Discounted Book Combo deal - books will be available for collection at the Festival.

Our event will be followed by a dedicated signing event with Kevin. RRP books will also be available for purchase on the day.

About Kevin Cummins:

Manchester-born Kevin Cummins has an international reputation as one of the world’s leading photographers and is famed for his iconic portraits of musicians including Ian Curtis, Bowie, The Smiths, Iggy Pop, Bjork, Debbie Harry, Bob Marley, Public Enemy, Patti Smith and Oasis. These photographs have appeared on magazine covers and in galleries and museums worldwide, including Brooklyn Museum, Sydney Opera House, Pace Gallery, and other cities including New York, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Berlin, London, and Bologna. His work is included in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, V&A Museum and Manchester City Art Gallery.

Cummins had a 20-year association with British Rock ‘bible’ NME, where he created many of the best-known images in modern music history. He was awarded an honorary doctorate (arts) by Manchester Metropolitan University in 2015.

His monographs for Octopus include Joy Division: Juvenes, Morrissey: Alone and Palely Loitering, Britpop: While We Were Getting High, Telling Stories: Photographs of The Fall and David Bowie: Mixing Memory & Desire.

Host or Publisher Louder Than Words Festival