Oasis of calm

A CANDID NEW DOC ABOUT THE 1996 KNEBWORTH GIGS GIVES GLIMPSES OF THE GALLAGHER BROTHERS IN A RARE STATE — GETTING ON

It took the Gallagher brothers just four years to really make and break Oasis.

From 1993 to 1996, they signed a record deal, released two decade-defining albums, habitually disbanded in drugfuelled acrimony, and performed to over 250,000 people at Knebworth in the most sought-after set of gigs in British history.

The personal and professional cloudburst that followed threatens to become their legacy, but those shows marked a pop culture zenith that no musical act has matched since.

Twenty years later, Asif Kapadia and James Gay-Rees’s (Amy, Senna) access-allareas documentary Supersonic charts the bumpy road that led to those two momentous nights at Knebworth. With the help of unearthed behind-the-scenes footage and revealing commentary from the band, Supersonic manages to fully encapsulate the chaos that came with being the biggest rock stars on the planet.

Of course, Noel and Liam’s sibling rivalry takes centre-stage once again.

But while their constant fall-outs are a much too trodden subject, a focus on what unites the pair makes Supersonic the most affecting insight into their relationship yet. A mutual hatred for their physically abusive father, as well as candid moments of heart-warming brotherly affection, lifts their familiar story away from the tabloids and far closer to tragedy.

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Supersonic is out now