The initial image in “Roll with It,” a photographic collection by music photographer Tom Sheehan capturing the evolution of Oasis from their early days to their massive stadium performances, presents a youthful Noel Gallagher lounging on a sofa at Abbey Road Studios. Beside him is Andy Bell, formerly of the indie band Ride, who eventually joined Oasis, along with his wife, Idha. This scene is set in January 1994, when Gallagher was still an unknown figure.

According to Sheehan, now 75, the moment came just after Oasis performed at the Water Rats venue in King’s Cross, where Noel met Andy Bell. “Ride were recording in Abbey Road, and Noel wanted to check it out. I had a similar Levi’s leather jacket, which sparked our conversation,” he recalls, marking the beginning of a professional partnership that would endure for a decade.

“Noel was just a regular guy,” Sheehan reminisces of their first encounter, which was just seven months before the groundbreaking release of Oasis’s debut album, *Definitely Maybe*. “He was chatty and easygoing. The next day, Alan McGee from Creation Records brought a demo tape to me, and I told him it was ‘knee-deep in swagger.'”

“As for their image, it was all there: unique personalities, incredibly charismatic, and completely at ease in front of the camera. They were distinct from most northern bands who often carried a chip on their shoulder about London and the music press.”

Gallagher’s personality was more complex than just being a regular individual. Like many successful band leaders, he carried the weight of early trauma that instilled in him an unyielding determination. “Once you’ve been left lying unconscious by your father and realize you won’t die, you lose fear of everything,” Gallagher reflects in the introduction to *Roll with It*, recalling his experiences of childhood abuse.

The well-known feud between Noel and Liam Gallagher ignited one night when Liam, intoxicated at 14, urinated on his brother’s new stereo. The bond between the brothers never truly healed after that incident.

By the time Oasis was revitalizing rock music following the grunge era, Sheehan was already recognized as one of the top rock photographers in the UK, primarily contributing to *Melody Maker*.

On April 11, 1994, just days after Kurt Cobain’s tragic passing, Oasis released their debut single, “Supersonic.” Soon after, Noel Gallagher remarked to *NME*, “Everyone’s got to make a statement, whether it’s about *Parklife* by Blur or their politics. We’re all about cigarettes and alcohol.” These words signified the start of their ascent, with Sheehan capturing every moment. Their first stop? New York, in July 1994.

“We were in economy class, while the band sat up front, and Liam came back to greet us. This woman with her child needed to use the bathroom, and Liam stepped up to help her kid while she went,” Sheehan reminisces about the flight. “Later at the hotel, he was just talking to a man at the bar, and I thought, ‘This isn’t a wild rockstar; he’s a decent guy.’”

The next day, Sheehan photographed Oasis on a bridge with the iconic Manhattan skyline behind them, featuring Liam in front and the rest of the band in formation behind him. “It was extremely hot, and I told them to trust me even as I had them walking around New York. It was all spontaneous.”

Sheehan also took them to Strawberry Fields in Central Park, a tribute to John Lennon, and visited the Dakota Building, once home to Lennon and Yoko Ono, before his tragic death in 1980.

“I was of the right age to have whistled ‘Love Me Do’ on my paper round, and here were these lads from the north who had discovered music that resonated with their fathers and uncles. Every musician needs to look back before they can create new works,” Sheehan explains.

During a session at Loco Studios in south Wales in April 1995, where their second album, *What’s the Story Morning Glory?*, was crafted, Sheehan recalled the shift within the band. Encountering the Gallagher brothers and their manager amid other members departing, he knew the dynamic was evolving. “They hadn’t changed personally, but they were in the process of creating a record, and photographing a big band is always about time management.” He mentioned how Noel even had the band assist with handclaps on the track “Some Might Say.”

When asked about the tensions between the brothers, Sheehan admitted, “I didn’t notice it at that point; it was early days. They felt cohesive back then … they were friends.”

In a notable sign of the influence music publications had in the 90s, *Melody Maker* dispatched Sheehan and journalist Ben Marshall to Philadelphia in 1996 to cover Oasis without notifying the band or their record label.

“We arrived in the afternoon, and the bouncers initially barred our entry. But when Liam and Noel noticed us while leaving the venue, Noel joined us for a quick chat at a bar nearby,” Sheehan recalls. “Motivation helped; having papers along to relate to their homesickness often worked in those days.”

This was just months ahead of Oasis’s iconic two-night performance at Knebworth in August 1996, for which 2.5 million fans sought tickets. “It felt as if it happened overnight, but it was truly rapid for them. I was genuinely surprised by how quickly they skyrocketed to fame,” Sheehan noted.

However, tension began to surface, notably with the lack of quality in their third album, *Be Here Now*, released in 1997, which was marred by excess. An incident in 1996 during a Vancouver concert exemplified the rising discord when Liam stormed off stage after being hit by a shoe.

By 1999, both Bonehead and Guigsy departed the band (with McCarroll already replaced in 1995), leading to new members including Gem Archer, Bell, and Alan White. The following year, Liam infamously berated the Wembley arena during a performance, reflecting on his failed marriage scribbled in humor.

“They evolved in terms of visual appeal but remained fundamentally the same,” Sheehan remarks. Despite their changes, Liam would still ask about Sheehan’s family. The Gallagher brothers’ relationship drastically deteriorated, culminating in Sheehan’s final photo sessions with them in 2002, which occurred shortly before Liam faced a shocking altercation resulting in injuries. In that last shoot, Noel is captured with his arm around Gem Archer, indicative of the shifting dynamics.

“Yet, they retained a sense of humor, which is a rarity among musicians,” Sheehan adds. “You could enter a space, and Liam would make a sharp remark, and we’d be off. The Gallaghers valued my presence as a professional and contributed meaningfully during the shoots, unlike many who conveyed nothing but arrogance.”

Ultimately, the relationship reached a breaking point in 2009 when Liam threw a plum and then a guitar at Noel’s head before a performance in Paris. Despite the past, there’s speculation over the possibility of an Oasis reunion. Sheehan humorously concludes, “I won’t be attending; I prefer my evenings with a book. However, if they return with the spirit they had in 1994, it will be an experience worth having.”

*Roll with It: Oasis in Photographs 1994-2002* by Tom Sheehan (Welbeck) will be released on April 10.