Oasis' Cardiff reunion gig was 'hugely emotional' say film-makers

Oasis' reunion gig at Cardiff's Principality Stadium was a "hugely emotional" experience that took Noel Gallagher by surprise, the directors of a film charting the brothers' comeback tour have said.

Will Lovelace and Dylan Southern's portrayal of the band's world tour in 2025 also captured the moment Liam and Noel reunited in the rehearsal studios following a 15-year hiatus.

Reflecting on the opening gig, Southern said: "You saw grown men who probably rarely express their emotions crying and hugging each other.

"Noel says in the film that he completely underestimated what it would be like, and it really did kind of hit him hard."

Lovelace said: "Those opening few moments, just as they're about to go on stage in Cardiff, and then the first song, was definitely a turning point on the tour but certainly in the film."

The directors told Behnaz Akhgar on BBC Radio Wales how the brothers' relationship grew as the tour progressed.

The film, Don't Look Back In Anger, shows that Columbia was the first song they practised during the reunion rehearsal.

Under Noel's instruction, the band had been piecing together the setlist before Liam's arrival.

"There was no kind of big entrance," said Lovelace.

"He walked in and said ''should we do this then?' and then [the band went] straight into a two-hour set."

Southern explained that the brothers "were that estranged that Noel's youngest sons and Liam's sons hadn't met".

"They were on tour for the whole time and they became like friends and more importantly family," he said.

"I think that was another huge thing in those barriers coming down between Liam and Noel was that suddenly there's this togetherness and harmony."

But it was the Cardiff gig that showed the kind of reception the band could expect to receive from fans old and new as they went back on the road.

"The sense of anticipation was huge," recalled Southern.

He said Noel "wasn't expecting... the emotional response" from fans.

"Looking out at the crowd and seeing three generations of a family out there, and not just fans from back in the day."

He added: "I'll never have another experience in my life like the one that we had in Cardiff. It was amazing."

Oasis: Don't Look Back In Anger is in cinemas from Wednesday 9 September.