In a recent interview with Guitar World, Gem Archer opened up about Oasis’ long-awaited reunion — and what it meant to see brothers Liam Gallagher and Noel Gallagher genuinely reconnect on the Live ’25 tour.
Archer, who witnessed the band’s infamous 2009 breakup firsthand, said the contrast with the reunion era couldn’t have been clearer. Throughout the tour, he noticed Liam and Noel constantly joking with one another backstage. “They’d immediately start cracking each other up on the ramp while we were walking up,” he said. “It’s almost like they were just in each other’s ears and faces.”
Once the show began, however, Archer explained that everything shifted. “When the curtain opens it all changes; it becomes the show,” he said. Still, he added, the bond between the brothers was unmistakable. “They’re brothers — and that’s tangible.”
The guitarist recalled the first full rehearsal as a particularly striking moment. Seeing Liam and Noel standing just a few feet apart again made the years-long split feel distant. “It really felt like we’d never split up,” Archer said. But he was quick to clarify that the reunion wasn’t sentimental. “It wasn’t all lovey-dovey or, ‘What do you want for Christmas?’ It was serious business we were getting down to.”
The revamped lineup — featuring original guitarist Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs and drummer Joey Waronker — immediately found its footing. Archer said having three guitarists gave the band more room to explore the arrangements. “We let Bonehead do Bonehead, and we fit around it,” he explained, noting that songs like “Champagne Supernova” and “Cast No Shadow” took on new life as a result.
Archer said the scale of the reunion exceeded expectations, even for the band. “None of us expected it to get this kind of reaction,” he admitted. Each show felt less like a typical concert and more like a shared celebration. “It was just this joyous thing, night after night.”
After completing 41 shows around the world, Archer said he’s still trying to process the experience. “I still don’t know my ass from my elbow,” he joked. “It’s time to decompress.” The whirlwind nature of the tour left little space for reflection, something Archer believes will only come with time. “We’ve all said we won’t really know what this was until next year.”
As for what comes next for Oasis, Archer said he’s just as unsure as the fans. “Anything could happen, which could include nothing,” he said. While he wouldn’t rule out more, for now the band is stepping back. “I’d be up for more,” Archer added, “but right now it’s only a couple of weeks since we were doing a gig in Brazil. It’s still like, ‘What just happened here?’”