Supersonic.

The story of a few lads who went from the scratcher to stardom.

I went to this landmark documentary on a Sunday afternoon and there was a full house. It was mad. It’s a mark of the patronage Oasis created and bond between them and their fans. The fact that this is an outstanding documentary probably filled a few seats too.

When the lights came down and the first chord of the timeless Mancunian band’s music dropped the whole room began to bop. Because firstly, this is a film for the fans. It’s gritty and honest and funny, but they don’t ruin it by dwelling on the fact that Oasis no longer exist. Rather, this is addressed simply through Noel Gallagher’s melancholy lyrics, which leak out a message of what if to the crowd.

There’s a very simple format to this documentary. They have old videos and pictures, newspaper clippings and cartoons dubbed over with one-on-one interviews from band members, roadies’, managers and the insuperable Peggy Gallagher (the lads’ mum). Director Mat Whitehorse has fused all this history together seamlessly and has created 2 hours of pure bliss for fans of music and cinema. It’s a perfect snapshot of a time that came and went in a flicker but which meant everything to millions.

For the most part this is the story of Noel and Liam. With good reason too. The dynamic between the brothers, on and off stage, is what made Oasis so great. They brought out the best in each other but were too big in their own right to ever permanently coexist. For anyone like me who always liked Oasis but never bothered to find out why they broke up; this film has all the answers.

The interviews in this film are the difference maker. The stories of life on the road are hilarious. The old videos of the inebriated young rock stars are not shocking so much as they are endearing. It’s like watching old family videos. If your family spent their day’s drinking, smoking and writing a few modern-day symphonies.

The greatest achievement for Whitecross in many ways, is that he manages to peel the onion of the Gallagher’s feud without boring us or putting a dampener on the pulsating tone of the film. Better still is his ability to remind us just how special Oasis were/are.

It’s a film you must see in the cinema however. The blaring surround sound is necessary to transport back two decades and feel like you’re seeing history for the very first time.

It’s been over 20 years since Oasis’s unprecedented rise to stardom. In a time when burning cassettes was the height of the black market for music. When if you went to a concert, one in 20 people there might have a camera. When the engagement between the band and the audience was tangible and unfettered by our own shameless selfie-promotion. This was a golden age when music could still dominant the national conversation. Supersonic pays homage to all these ideals and the greatest band of this generation.