A photo illustration of the frontmen for Oasis tribute bands Live Forever (left), Oasus (middle) and Supersonic LA (right).
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Photo Illustration by Paula Kiley
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Topline:
In the aftermath of Oasis’ 2009 break up, tribute groups like Live Forever, Oasus and Supersonic LA have kept the Britpop dream alive in Southern California. But has renewed interest in the recently reunited band trickled down to the local tribute groups?
Why now? Oasis is playing two sold-out shows at the Pasadena Rose Bowl this weekend, so we're taking you inside the world of Oasis cover groups, from what it’s like to embody Liam to the impact of the real Oasis being back in town.
Banding together: Unlike the real Gallagher brothers who publicly traded insults for years, there’s no infighting in the tribute band space. Oasus guitarist Steve Fazio has played shows with Supersonic LA. And Orange County-based Tom Ricci has even filled in for the role of Noel Gallagher in Oasus when he was a drummer for another Oasis cover band in Buenos Aires.
Read on... for more on SoCal's Oasis tribute band scene.
When Seth Romano takes the stage, donning a parka and Windsor sunglasses, he’s no longer a singing teacher from Riverside — he’s Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher.
“We’re the greatest band in the world,” he says, impersonating the English rocker’s Mancunian accent.
Romano sings for Oasis tribute band Oasus — the last two letters reference the group’s origin country, the U.S.
Oasus is a tribute to the Britpop band Oasis.
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Photo by Kelli Hayden / Courtesy of Oasus
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And Oasus is not the only group in the Oasis cover band game. In the aftermath of Oasis’ 2009 break up, tribute groups like Live Forever and Supersonic LA have also kept the Britpop dream alive in Southern California.
With Oasis reunited and playing two sold-out shows at the Pasadena Rose Bowl this weekend, we take you inside the world of Oasis cover groups, from what it’s like to embody Liam to the impact of the real Oasis being back in town.
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Listen: Inside the world of SoCal’s Oasis cover bands
These three Southern California-based cover bands have been keeping Oasis alive for years. LAist's James Chow talks with them about how each group is faring since the reunion of brothers Liam and Noel Gallagher.
Becoming “rock ‘n’ roll stars”
Orange County-based Tom Ricci has been playing Oasis songs live since 1999, when he was a drummer for another Oasis cover band in Buenos Aires. The Supersonic LA frontman says his band has played in bars, amphitheaters and even funeral homes.
“The reason I got into them [Oasis] back in ‘99 was because I was part of a group of misfits. I didn't see much of a future,” Ricci said. “And when I discovered their music, I'm like, 'Wow, you can play rock and roll and make it?' So for me what I get out of [playing] Oasis is my youth.”
Supersonic LA performs at the Redondo Beach Pier.
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James Chow
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Unlike the real Gallagher brothers who publicly traded insults for years, there’s no infighting in the tribute band space. Oasus guitarist Steve Fazio has played shows with Supersonic LA. And Ricci has even filled in for the role of Noel Gallagher in Oasus, when their “Noel” couldn’t make it to a show.
Conner Stevens of Live Forever — also based in Orange County — plays Liam Gallagher too. Stevens, who’s in his early 20s, wasn’t alive when Oasis was at their peak in the 1990s, but he discovered them through scrolling YouTube. Now, he says he knows every song.
Unlike Oasus and Supersonic LA, Live Forever is a newcomer to the Oasis tribute space. They started in early 2024, after guitarist Justin Anderson — the “Noel” of the group — found Stevens through a Craigslist ad. The cover band started playing shows right after Oasis announced the reunion tour.
“Our first gig was in Long Beach and we had no fan base, but immediately there's 20-plus people out there singing every word to every song. And it was like, 'OK, this is something special,'" Anderson said.
A performance shot of Oasis tribute band Live Forever.
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Courtesy of Live Forever
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The business of being a tribute
Even though they mostly play paid gigs, the members of Oasus, Supersonic LA and Live Forever aren’t making a living solely in the Oasis tribute business.
The band members of Oasus and Supersonic LA play in other musical projects. Ricci and his guitarist Will Ferguson play in Coldplay and Tears for Fears cover bands. And the “Liam” and “Noel” of Live Forever have day jobs completely unrelated to music: Stevens works at a Genesis dealership and Anderson works as a general contractor.
Live Forever averages one to two shows a month, while Oasus averages one. For Romano of Oasus, playing in other bands is a must for him to be above water.
“ I would say that financial compensation with this band is inconsistent,” he said. “So we all play in other bands [where] we're able to actually make a living, but this one's a little harder because it's such a niche.
The members of Supersonic LA say that while the local fan interest is steadily growing, it’s still small in comparison to other countries.
“I don’t think we’ve turned a profit,” said Ferguson, the Noel Gallagher of Supersonic LA. “ Oasis is soccer. It's kind of popular in the U.S. Huge everywhere outside of the U.S.
Does the Oasis reunion impact its tribute groups?
When tickets went up for the Oasis North America shows last year, they sold out within hours. So-called Oasis mania hit Hollywood last August, as lines of fans flocked to an Oasis pop-up shop for band merchandise.
But did the mania trickle down to the tribute groups?
“When the reunion was announced, we thought, ‘Well, this can't hurt our band because suddenly Oasis is back in the general consciousness,’” Romano said. “How has it affected us? It hasn't really… We're still playing the same amount of gigs."
Conner Stevens of Live Forever had a more optimistic perspective.
“It was great timing for us because Oasis announced a reunion a few months before [we played our first gig],” Stevens said. “It's just been uphill ever since and really helped us out.”
But ultimately, the members of Oasus, Supersonic LA and Live Forever all emphasized that they’re in it for the music.
“What I'm most excited about is that my daughter will get to see them together,” said Ricci of Supersonic LA, who is going to the Rose Bowl show on Sept. 7. “She knows all the songs because of the tribute [band]. We'll get to share that together. I feel like it's gonna be something that she'll never forget.”
