Liam and Noel Gallagher Skip Oasis Documentary Press Conference at Venice Film Festival

The absence of Liam and Noel Gallagher from Saturday's press conference at the Venice Film Festival, held to promote their upcoming Disney+ documentary "Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger," will come as no shock to anyone familiar with rock's most infamous sibling rivalry. The Manchester-born brothers—who ended a bitter 15-year estrangement last year with the blockbuster "Live '25" reunion tour—made only a fleeting appearance on the Lido. Arriving by water taxi, they posed for photographers before vanishing ahead of the scheduled Q&A session, leaving journalists to speculate about their motivations.

When asked about the duo's abrupt departure, co-director Will Lovelace offered a notably vague response: "They were here a second ago having their photograph taken, so they are here." No further clarification was provided, and representatives for both Oasis and Disney remained silent, declining to respond to inquiries from Variety. This evasiveness fits a familiar pattern since the reconciliation—the Gallaghers have deliberately avoided joint public appearances, granting only a single interview together, conducted exclusively for this documentary and representing their first such conversation in two decades. Their approach suggests a calculated decision to allow the film to serve as their primary statement, rather than subjecting themselves to unpredictable press interactions.

The documentary, which premieres Saturday evening at the festival before hitting theaters on September 11 and later streaming on Disney+, promises an unfiltered exploration of the band's complex dynamic, featuring rare archival material and live footage. Yet another plausible motive for their reticence may be a desire to sidestep questions about rumored future tours. Over the past two days, the band has tantalized followers with cryptic social media posts, while Noel hinted at a possible 2027 concert series during a Talksport interview. "Let's put it this way: there's no football tournament on next year, so we've got to do something in the summer, right?" he quipped—a remark fans swiftly interpreted as confirmation of upcoming shows. Notably, the UK and Ireland are co-hosting the 2028 European Championship, making a 2027 tour a strategic choice to fill the summer void.

In a separate conversation with Variety, co-directors Southern and Lovelace shed light on their filmmaking strategy, revealing they installed hidden cameras in the band's rehearsal space to capture candid interactions. "We didn't want it to feel mediated. We didn't want it to feel like there's an annoying camera crew running around getting in their way," Southern explained. "And we were aware of how sensitive it was, and that this was literally the first time they'd been in a room together for a prolonged period for 15 years." However, viewers expecting emotional reconciliations on screen will be disappointed. "It's the Gallaghers, it's not 'Dawson's Creek,'" Southern added dryly. "They're not gonna sit down and talk about their emotions." This wry observation encapsulates the enduring friction that has shaped their relationship since Oasis emerged in 1991, becoming a defining force of Britpop with seminal albums like "Definitely Maybe" and "(What's the Story) Morning Glory?"—records that helped sell over 75 million units worldwide before their acrimonious split in 2009.

The Gallaghers' wariness of the press is hardly unprecedented—their legendary feuds have fueled tabloid headlines for decades, from the infamous 1994 American tour meltdown to Noel's temporary departure in 2000. The recent reunion tour, which attracted more than 4 million fans to stadiums globally, ranked among the most profitable concert series ever staged, reportedly generating upwards of £400 million. For those hoping the brothers might offer a more transparent chapter in their storied history, the documentary likely provides the most intimate glimpse yet—though the Gallaghers themselves remain characteristically enigmatic, leaving audiences to decipher the truth between the lines.