Oasis The Masterplan: Photographs

A riveting visual evolution of Oasis captured by Kevin Cummins and featuring Noel Gallagher in his own words.

How does a band come into being? What are the myriad forces that shape the sound, look, and identity of an emerging band?

Oasis The Masterplan tells the story of how Oasis cemented their identity. At the center of this enterprise was Kevin Cummins, who was well aware of the intersection between the visual and the sonic and was brought on board to help the band find a look that fitted their sound. Drawing on the first six months of 1994, we follow Cummins as he photographs the band in various locations such as London, Manchester, and the Netherlands.

Using many unseen images as well as more well-known iconic shots, Cummins guides us through the ways a band can be shaped and designed, such as the famous photographs of the Gallagher brothers in Manchester City shirts - emblazoned with the Brother logo (a Japanese electronics company) which helped provoke worldwide interest in the band. With input from Noel Gallagher, we see how they played with fashion, were taught how to pose, and present themselves as they approached the summer of that year when their first album, Definitely Maybe was released on August 29th. The story from that moment on is well-known and this book reveals just how effective the masterplan was to get them to that point.