'I sang with Oasis in the backroom of a pub - the ticket cost me £3'

The almost blanket media coverage of the Oasis reunion and the subsequent frenzied ticket scramble led me to think back to a May evening just over 30 years ago. That was the night I saw an embryonic Oasis perform in the backroom of a pub with my ticket costing a mere £3 - and for that I even got to sing with the band.

The widespread dismay at Ticketmaster 'surge pricing' leaving eager fans facing £350-plus per ticket for the 2025 shows is a stark contrast to Friday, May 6, 1994 when the Burnage boys were taking the early steps of their stellar career - and I was on the front row to witness it.

The show took place in the back room of the Charlotte pub in Leicester, a famed small music venue now sadly lost. Like me hailing from Lancashire, my girlfriend at the time Nicola Ainscough was at university in the city and used her student discount to get tickets for the 'up and coming' indie group for a mere £3 a pop.

Oasis had released their debut single 'Supersonic' just weeks earlier and it was still a couple of months before 'Definitely Maybe' would hit the shops, propelling the Gallaghers and their brand of swaggering Manc guitar rock to mega-stardom. I would estimate the audience was around 200, all about to witness a group on the cusp of greatness.

I remember sensing immediately that the band had the songs and the attitude to make it big as they reeled off iconic tunes such as 'Shakermaker', 'Bring It On Down', 'Live Forever' and Rock 'n' Roll Star'. Around half way through the set came the moment I've bored many a music fan (or anyone who'll listen) over the next three decades.

Liam was wearing a long sleeved red and black striped vintage Manchester City top for the show and I'm also a City fan - and was a little worse