Oasis fans discover 'weird' origin of Liam and Noel Gallagher's band name - and are baffled

Oasis fans are already excited for next year as those lucky few who bagged tickets for their reunion shows do not have long to wait.

The band formed in 1991 and just two years later had their breakthrough with debut album Definitely Maybe. Though they split in 2009, Liam and Noel Gallagher appear to have buried the hatchet and will tour as Oasis for the first time in 2025.

Thanks to a band Noel had previously worked with, the group he formed with brother Liam got their name and the rest is history. Their name origins may not have been as rock and roll as Oasis were, but the underrated Madchester band (a term for the musical and cultural scene in Manchester in the late 1980s) that inspired the pair, had some hits of their own.

Oasis is believed to have taken their name from an unlikely source - an Inspiral Carpets tour poster. Noel had worked with Inspiral Carpets as a roadie for the tour in question and later joined Liam's band after being dismissed by the Saturn 5 hitmakers.

A post to Twitter/X revealed the origins of the name, reading: "Before joining his brother Liam's band, Noel Gallagher was a roadie for the Inspiral Carpets. An Inspiral Carpets gig at the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon was an inspiration for their name…" Oasis fans have since been wondering what would have happened if it were not for Noel being "fired" by Inspiral Carpets.

One fan speculated: "Oasis fate is so weird. What if Liam and Noel never saw The [Stone] Roses, what if Noel didn’t get fired from the Inspiral Carpets, what if Liam didn’t get hit with the hammer, what if Alan McGee wasn’t there, what if they never played at King Tuts."

Another baffled fan simply said: "Swindon? You jest," but were reassured by others it was completely true.

Noel had even applied to be Inspiral Carpets' lead singer in 1988 but did not get the role. The band liked him enough to take him on as a roadie, according to The Oasis Timeline Project, which revealed he joined the road crew for their 1989 tour.

Liam has since spoken on the name's origins, confirming the poster he had in his room was an influence. He says he joined the band but insisted on a name change and pulled "Oasis" from the Inspiral Carpets tour poster. He recalled in a clip that has resurfaced on TikTok: "There was a poster in our room with the Inspiral Carpets. It certainly wasn't about Swindon Oasis it was like - you know there was a kebab shop called Oasis, a f**king taxi rank called Oasis, that f**king name keeps coming up. Oasis."

Oasis Leisure Centre closed in 2020, and is now listed as a Grade II building, given its designated status on December 2, 2021. The venue had influenced other popular Manchester-based acts of the time, with Shaun Ryder and Happy Mondays' early song Oasis seemingly paying tribute to the venue.