No excuse to miss it now. It’s superb.
“He loved cricket and Doctor Who and weed and Man City, I’d say 5th after that was being in Oasis”
If ever one line summed up the anarchic brilliance of Mat Whitecross’ superb documentary, Supersonic, it’s that description of Oasis’ bassist, Guigsy.
Since debuting last year, Supersonic has rightfully been regarded as one of the best music documentaries of the modern era and you don’t even have to be an Oasis fan to love its intoxicating mix of music, drugs and rock ‘n roll.
As Noel Gallagher perfectly said: “It was the pre-digital age, the pre-talent show reality TV age…things meant more.” After watching this documentary, you’ll fully agree.
Ok, we know that the Gallagher brothers are never shy about expressing an opinion but you could argue that Supersonic is more of a comedy than anything else.
Truth be told, the stories about them getting thrown off a ferry en route to Amsterdam, doing massive lines of crystal meth before a gig in LA and their ‘mad for it’ antics on the road are bloody hilarious.
This being said, it’s the more introspective and quieter moments that really stay with you. Try not to marvel at the brilliance of Liam recording the vocals for Champagne Supernova, Noel’s wonderful story about the origins of Talk Tonight, or Liam’s raw anger towards his father after he gatecrashed a gig in Dublin.
Do you want to know who the real star of the documentary is? Their mother Peggy. Her story about moving from Ireland, raising a family on her own and supporting her sons through thick and thin is quietly inspirational.
After it aired on TV over Christmas, plenty of first-time viewers were absolutely blown away by the remarkable footage and if you haven’t seen it yet, we urge you to do so.
Featuring extensive unseen archive, the film charts the meteoric rise of Oasis from the council estates of Manchester to some of the biggest concerts of all time in just three short years. This palpable, raw and moving account shines a light on one of the most genre- and generation-defining British bands that has ever existed, and features footage of new interviews with Noel and Liam Gallagher, their mother and members of the band and road crew.
In Liam’s own words: “Oasis was like a Ferrari: great to look at, great to drive, and it’ll fucking spin out of control every now and again.” You could say the same about this documentary.
Supersonic is now available to watch via the BBC iPlayer but be quick though, it’s only available for a short period of time.
