There’s a fine line between educational ambition and gimmickry in 2025. But occasionally, a bit of both is entirely warranted.
Enter Glasgow Clyde College, which has announced it will be launching an Oasis masterclass—a real one, not a metaphor, not a think-piece—a literal, structured session about the band. Timed neatly ahead of the long-anticipated Gallagher reunion tour, the college’s one-night course aims to give newcomers a crash course in Britpop’s most volatile dynasty, and explain—explicitly—why this matters.
The premise is surprisingly earnest. Like last year’s Taylor Swift course designed to help confused parents decode Eras Tour mania, this flips the script. Now, it’s the kids who need educating. Because “Wonderwall” didn’t just happen. It came from somewhere.
The course, held June 26 at the college’s Langside campus (and also available online), promises more than just a walk through Definitely Maybe and What’s the Story (Morning Glory)?. It covers the group’s humble beginnings as “The Rain,” their chaotic ascent via King Tut’s in Glasgow, and the spectacular implosion that turned them from bandmates to myth.
Fronting the course are two lifelong acolytes. Christopher Kennedy, 50, has apparently seen Oasis live over 40 times—a number that immediately obliterates any suggestion of irony. His counterpart, Amy Butler, 38, sports Oasis tattoos and has named her son Noel. She calls the band “a movement,” and frankly, after two decades of devotion, she’s earned the right to say so.
Robert Anderson, assistant principal, summed up the intent without a hint of sarcasm: “This masterclass is about more than just the music; it’s about the attitude, the era, the energy, and the cultural moment that Oasis defined.”
It’s a bold claim, but not an unearned one. At their peak, Oasis didn’t just dominate the charts—they defined them. They were arrogant, loud, volatile, and for a while, completely untouchable. This wasn’t just a band; it was the last time British guitar music truly felt like the centre of the cultural universe.
This course won’t repair Liam and Noel’s fractured relationship. But it might give the next generation a clue as to why thousands of older fans are treating the reunion as a quasi-religious event.
And for once, the hype might just be justified.
