Elvis Costello has said he is not a fan of Oasis, calling them a “simplification of The La’s“.
During a new interview with the Liverpool Echo, the London singer-songwriter discussed the difference between musicians from Merseyside and Manchester.
“This is probably an heretical thing to say to Mancunians, but I think that Oasis are a simplification of the La’s,” Costello told the outlet.
He continued: “There was a purity to [The La’s frontman] Lee [Mavers’] songs and the whole attitude of that. [Oasis] is much more ruthless, and undoubtedly effective, so I’m not going to knock it.
“It’s not for me, never has been. Sometimes that happens. Someone has a good idea and someone takes that idea and turns it into something that communicates to more people. If they’re happy with it then that’s great.”
Costello admitted that he “can’t really understand Mancunians” either, adding: “They could be saying something nice, or they could be insulting me, I don’t speak that language. I just can’t understand anything they’re saying. Newcastle, I can, weirdly enough. I can tune that one in.”
He went on to say that there are “lots of unacknowledged people in music”, telling Liverpool Echo: “I’ve had tremendous good fortune so I’m not going to say anything about that. If somebody has the opportunity, they should take the moment and they’re not [going] to harm anybody that I can tell.”
Cast, who are fronted by The La’s bassist/vocalist John Power, supported Oasis on their massive Live ’25 reunion tour last year, along with Richard Ashcroft.
Costello previously criticised Oasis during an interview with The Telegraph in 2009, saying:
“Well Noel [Gallagher] is deluded about a lot of things, most obviously that he is a songwriter at all.
“That he even brackets himself in the same sentence as Paul [McCartney] is laughable. You have to keep these boys in line! None of us are Irving Berlin or Burt Bacharach, you know. I sat at the side of the stage recently watching Burt sing ‘Alfie’ and it was magical.”
In another new interview, Costello told those who accused him of being “woke” for removing the N-word from ‘Oliver’s Army’ to “go fuck yourself”, and defended Olivia Rodrigo while hitting out at “arrogant” artists who take credit for other people’s work.
Elvis Costello & The Imposters’ 2026 UK tour kicks off in Brighton tonight (Friday June 12), ahead of shows at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall, London’s Royal Albert Hall, York’s Barbican, Liverpool’s Olympia, and Manchester’s Palace Theatre, among other dates. Find any remaining tickets here.
Meanwhile, Noel Gallagher has explained why he won’t be watching the Chris Martin-curated World Cup halftime show.
In other news, Steven Knight’s new “landmark” documentary about the Oasis reunion tour is set to arrive in cinemas worldwide for a limited run from September 11. It’ll also stream on Disney+ around the world, and on Disney+ alongside Hulu in the US, from a later date in 2026.