Even if you weren’t there – you knew it was happening. Even if you weren’t born in ’96 you know their names, the words to their most famous songs and now, thanks to Jake Scott’s glorious documentary, you can experience the defining moment of a generation.
This week sees the digital release of the acclaimed documentary Oasis Knebworth 1996. A band, a place and a time is all you need to summon an entire era of our lives. Scott’s documentary benefits from the compelling presence of the biggest band in the world taking to the stage with enormous confidence, but the interviews with some of the fans who were there elevates this film to great emotional heights.
It’s very unusual for us to quote ourselves, but in his glowing 5 star review of the documentary Marc Burrows sets the scene perfectly:
It’s hard to comprehend, 25 years on, how massive Oasis were in 1996. You can know that they were a big band, you can see the sales figures and chart placings, but honestly, I promise, if you weren’t there you can’t really get your head around their scale and importance – quite simply because it hasn’t happened since and is unlikely to again.
His whole review is (obviously, in our opinion) worth reading. It’s been one of the most read pieces on this site since it was published because of the personal nature of the emotional connection to this era, and this moment in particular, that is so well evoked by the film.
In case you need a tease before checking out the film – here’s the trailer.
Oasis Knebworth 1996 will be available on digital from the 8th of November, 2021.
