Archive March 31, 2025

New book from acclaimed photographer Kevin Cummins shows Oasis from their humble beginnings in 1994

Liam Gallagher already had some of his swagger and there were plenty of cigarettes and alcohol on the menu for Oasis early in 1994.

But these unseen photos show the band in the months before they were about to become huge superstars, first in Britain and then around the world. Photographer Kevin Cummins was tasked by Creation records with shooting Liam and the band in different locations to “see what kind of look would suit them” after they signed to the label. In his first ever photoshoot in February of that year Liam already looks a rock’n’roll star. Cummins describes Liam as having “an angelic face back then” when first photographing the band. He added: “It was a perfect look for the British music magazine market – and so it was proven to be.”

The band’s first single Supersonic was released at the end of April 1994 and many of the photos in this book were taken in and around that time. Noel and the rest of the band – Paul ‘ Bonehead ‘ Arthurs, Paul ‘ Guigsy ‘ McGuigan and drummer Tony McCarroll also feature in shots taken in and around Manchester or in London studios. But there are no flash clothes or designer labels, as the band couldn’t afford them. “We looked like any average working-class lads of our age, from our area. Nothing special”, remembers Noel Gallagher.

In other iconic shots by Cummins in May, the band were taken outside and onto the streets of Manchester with Noel and Liam wearing City shirts as well as posing as a duo celebrating like they had scored or knew the band was now winning.

Elsewhere in the book, Noel is asked if Oasis could have existed anywhere else other than Manchester? “Absolutely not”, he says. “We’re Mancuinans. We have a thing. The rest of the world LOVES that thing. Why? F**k knows”.

Man City’s sponsor at the time – Brother – a Japanese electrical company was perfect as the brothers hugged and pretended to fight over a football. Real fights between the Gallaghers both onstage and off would be something that happened later in the band’s story.

Liam and Noel became big Manchester City fans early on in life. Noel recalls in the book his dad watched both City and United but he knew Manchester was blue after his ‘ old man ‘ took him to see City v Newcastle in 1974 in an era when City had fantastic players including Colin Bell, Francis Lee and Mike Summerbee.

Noel said: “I do have a clear memory of seeing Bell, Lee and Summerbee play. The stadium seemed enormous to me, and I love the buzz, the noise and the singing”.

Fast forward 50 years and Noel is still going to watch City most weeks of the season home and away and now some of the chants are to the tunes of Oasis songs, whilst Oasis tracks are also played over the Etihad stadium soundsystem before and after games.

Noel said: “It’s a real honour when you see the huge banners and flags with some Oasis reference on them. It’s the ultimate for me. To have the respect of the lads on the terraces is, well, there’s no higher accolade”.

Turning to discuss the current crop of players and City manager Pep, Noel writes in The Masterplan book that he “can’t get his head around” the facts players are Oasis fans.

He added: “Pep is my mate, actually, for real. I love him so much, it’s a f**king joke!. It’s a real privilege to be able to wander in to say ‘ hi ‘ to the lads. It doesn’t get any better”.

Noel and brother Liam will be in Manchester this Summer as part of their Oasis Live 25 tour when they play a number of dates at Heaton Park.

From the original line up, Paul ‘ Bonehead ‘ Arthurs is also expected to be playing guitar on stage but there is no chance bass player Guigsy or original drummer Tony McCarroll will be involved as Tony left Oasis before the second album was recorded. Guigsy no longer plays in any band and lives away from the limelight.

Photographer Cummins discusses the Summer comeback shows in the book.

Asked about the fans meltdown around the Oasis Live 25 ticket sales, Noel said: “I thought it’d be a big deal, but I was a bit taken aback by just how much of a big deal it was”.

He is also quizzed to name his favourite Oasis song but replied: “Can I have more than one? Supersonic, Some Might Say, Live forever and Rock’n’Roll Star”.

All these songs are from early in the band’s career and are now expected to be played when the tour kicks off in Cardiff in July. Some might say apart from their clothes being more expensive, the Gallagher brothers haven’t changed too much from 1994. Football, music and a pint are still amongst the most important things in life.

* Oasis: The Masterplan by Kevin Cummins is out now, published by Cassell.

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The fashion designer and former Spice Girl swears by this affordable beauty cream that leaves more than just a fruity scent behind

Known for her fashion and beauty choices, Victoria Beckham has a legion of fans always keen to replicate her ‘ chic ‘ look. The mum-of-four has previously shared some of her best-kept secrets, which include one item not reserved for A-listers—you can buy it on the high street.

According to Hello Magazine, Posh Spice has been using one kind of affordable body butter for years. It has also been widely reported that the former singer and designer uses the mango version of The Body Shop’s Body Butter – which starts at £7 for a small 50ml pot – but there are lots of different scents to pick from.

This cheap product is something most people could easily add into their beauty routines. The website states the product will “nourish dry skin like never before” making it ideal for those who struggle with the common skin condition.

It adds that skin should feel “softer, smoother and nourished with 96 hours of moisture”. On top of this, you can enjoy smelling like “sweet, fresh scent” mangoes.

Plenty of shoppers also back the former Spice Girl singer’s choice. Waves of glowing reviews were left online with hundreds claiming to have gained “silky smooth skin” too.

One said: “Love this product, wonderful scent and beautifully moisturising. A long-time favourite”! Another added: “Since I’ve started using mango body butter I’ve seen a great improvement in my skin. My dry and itchy skin is now silky smooth”.

A third wrote: “It smells amazing and really moisturises”! Someone else wrote: “Smells gorgeous – it’s easy to put on and doesn’t sit on your skin for ages”.

And, a fifth said: “Great product that smells divine and is deeply moisturising. I’ve tried a few cheaper body butters but none are on par with Body Shop”. However, there were a few critics, too.

There was one who claimed: “I used to absolutely love all of the body butters until this recent formula change. The scents are all different and nowhere near as nice”. Another warned: “The formula of the mango body butter is now super thick and hard it doesn’t rub into the skin as easily. I find myself having to use more because it’s so hard to spread around. It’s also definitely not anywhere near as moisturising as the old formula”.

There are lots of similar products elsewhere like Boots which sells 250ml tubs of its own branded body butter in coconut, mango, vanilla or shea for £4 each (normally £8). You could make a saving, and experiment with every option, by treating yourself to the Extracts Body Butter Gift Set that has all four full-size products for £10, currently down from £20.

Reality queen Gemma Collins ‘ famous besties Jedward open up on her stunning weight loss as the Irish twins declare she’s looking ‘ younger by the day ‘ – but her ‘ vibe ‘ will never change

Irish twins Jedward famously share a tight bond with Gemma Collins, having been friends for years, and even spent Christmas together with Gemma at her home in Essex. Now,former X Factor stars John and Edward, from County Kildare, have opened up on how their famous pal has achieved her stunning new look.

They tell the Mirror exclusively: “Every time we see her, there’s always a change. She looks like she’s getting younger by the day! When you’re on your own weightloss journey, you don’t necessarily see the changes, because you keep seeing yourself every day. But when you haven’t seen each other for a week or two, like us with Gemma – woah, we could see the difference!”

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Revealing their pal’s uber-healthy diet these days to maintain her trim new look, the siblings add: “She’s just been eating light foods and fruits – it’s starting a new chapter, which is really good for Gemma. It’s on the up for her, the fact that she’s embarked on this journey.” They add: “She was at the Cheltenham races recently, and honestly, she looked like Alice in Wonderland! We’re rooting for – it is nice to see her achieving what she wants, in whatever way she feels most comfortable.”

Gemma is thought to have dropped four dress sizes and more than two stone after turning to fat loss injections. She previously said have she “tried almost every diet” with no success and after careful consideration she started taking GLP-1 weight loss injections under medical supervision.

She revealed recently: “I’m on those weight-loss injections at the minute. People used to call me ‘three-course Collins’ and now I can only eat one course. It’s really amazing. I want to be open with everything I do in my life. There’s no point in lying to the people who love me and that’s the public. I wouldn’t be where I am today without the public. I just always want to be transparent.”

The boys – who see Gemma more frequently than ever since moving to London in the summer of 2023, also explain that, though she may have shed some serious pounds, their BFF will never change – in all the right ways. “Gemma is always herself. It doesn’t matter what weight she is. She’ll always brings that energy and vibe. No matter what weight you are, your head or your heart will always be the same. And look, everyone likes Gemma the way she is, no matter what weight she is.”

But while they admit it is Gemma’s personal journey, the pair have noticed the physical changes in the former TOWIE star, who is engaged to businessman Rami Hawash. “We do notice the changes, even when we go on walks with her – we’re always walking those dogs! Gemma is like our Charlie’s Angel, like, we’re Charlie – she’ll call us and be like, I need you! So we hop on the train and make our way to her. Now, we just need our driver’s license. We’ll get on it, but we might wait for self-driven cars….!”

Gemma’s impressive health kick is a far cry from days of old, when she and her ex-boyfriend Arg – now smitten with Swedish model Nicola Arturssen and himself over 13 stone lighter after gastric sleeve surgery in 2021 and a series of lifestyle changes – confessed they bonded over shared love of junk food.

In an interview with the Mirror before their final 2020 split, Gemma admitted that the couple would go through phases of gorging on takeaways, chocolate bars and burgers. As she detailed her unhealthy diet, Gemma revealed their day would often start with a fry-up for breakfast and two Twix bars before a lunch of burgers and chips. Dinner was usually a Chinese takeaway from her favourite restaurant.

She explained:” They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And with Arg that couldn’t be more true! His favourite part of a meal out is the bread basket so for our first date at an Italian ­restaurant I made sure it was topped right up. He’s the male equivalent of me. “How times have changed, for both of them.

Following on from a stint working as a barista at Starbucks when I was at university, I like to think that I know a thing or two about good coffee. As such, my coffee pod machine is one of my most used kitchen appliances, whirring into action at least two or three times a day – and my favourite model is now hugely reduced in a limited-time-only sale.

I’ve tried a number of different coffee machines but my Nespresso Vertuo Next is, I think, the best, for taste, easy and style. Usually priced at around the £125 mark on Amazon or £149 on the Nespresso website, it’s now down to £65 on Amazon as part of its big spring sale – a saving of 48%.

Not only that, but this offer also entitles you to 50 free Nespresso Vertuo capsules from the Nespresso website, given that these range from 47p-85p per pod, that’s saving you at a minimum of £23.50 of top notch coffee for free.

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This offer gets you the Nespresso Vertuo Next automatic pod coffee machine by Magimix in Matt Black (an Amazon exclusive) for £65 instead of the usual £124.38, or you can buy it together with a milk frother for £95 instead of the usual £199, an even better saving.

If you’re a coffee connoisseur, you’ll love the brews that the Vertuo makes, they are, in my opinion, far superior to the original Pixie machine and, depending on the variety you buy, really do taste like café-made coffee. It’s also handy to just have one button to press instead of selecting your size, and the machine slides the used pod back into the empties bucket in a very slick and satisfying way.

I had previously tried the smaller Vertuo Pop and I initially didn’t see why the bigger device could be better, but little things like the adjustable cup tray and bigger compartment for used pods did actually make a difference.

The biggest downside to the Vertuo machines is that you can only use Vertuo pods, which are currently only available through Nespresso. These are more expensive, and non-compostable – although I’ve bought this nifty little £12.99 device so I can recycle them at home.

In summary, if you like a good coffee and are on the look-out for a new home machine, the Vertuo Next gets my vote – especially when it has such a big discount.

As an alternative, Lavazza machines are also a popular choice, in particular the Lavazza A Modo Mio Deséa. Our head of shopping Zoe also recommends the Grind Two Nespresso pod-compatible coffee machine, which looks sleek and shiny and makes excellent drinks.