The cast for The Battle, the upcoming West End play about the Oasis vs Blur chart war, has been revealed, with Mathew Horne leading the way.
The two groups went head-to-head in a legendary rivalry that ran throughout the height of Britpop in the 1990s, and has remained so infamous that last year it was revealed that a West End play based it was on the way.
The Battle will debut in February, and explores the two Britpop giants releasing ‘Country House’ and ‘Roll With It’ in direct competition on the same day in August 1995 in a bid to hit Number One. Blur famously won ‘The Battle Of Britpop’, after selling 274,000 copies, with Oasis selling 216,000 singles.
Now, the cast has been unveiled, with Gavin and Stacey‘s Mathew Horne set to star as influential Britpop music executive, Andy Ross.
Elsewhere on the cast, Paddy Stafford will play Noel Gallagher, while George Usher will make his professional debut as Liam.
Oscar Lloyd will play Damon Albarn, Will Taylor will be Graham Coxon, and Brandon Bendell will take on the role of Alex James. Check out the full cast list below.
The play is written by author, screenwriter and former music industry legend John Niven – famed for his best-selling book O’Brother and the acclaimed satire turned movie starring Nicholous Hoult Kill Your Friends – and is directed by Matthew Dunster, known for his work on the play 2:22 A Ghost Story.
It comes after Albarn admitted last year that Oasis won the Britpop battle in the end, saying: “Well, it was obvious, wasn’t it? I think we can officially say that Oasis won the battle, the war, the campaign, everything.”
The Gorillaz artist continued: “They are the winners. They take first place. In the face of such overwhelming evidence, I am happy to accept and concede defeat. It’s their summer and God bless them. I hope everyone has a wonderful time but I’m going to be in a very, very different place.”
The Battle will go to these venues in 2026:
FEBRUARY
11-7(March) – Birmingham Rep – Birmingham
MARCH
9-14 – Curve Theatre – Leicester
17-21 – Opera House – Manchester
24-28 – Churchill Theatre – Bromley
31-4(April) – New Victoria Theatre – Woking
APRIL
14-19 – Everyman Theatre – Cheltenham
21-25 – Festival Theatre – Edinburgh
28-2(May) – Wales Millennium Centre – Cardiff
MAY
5-9 – Lyceum Theatre – Sheffield
12-16 – Regent Theatre – Ipswich
19-23 – Richmond Theatre – London
26-30 – Theatre Royal – Glasgow
JUNE
9-13 – Grand Opera House – York
16-20 – Theatre Royal – Norwich
23-27 – Theatre Royal – Nottingham
30-4(July) – Milton Keynes Theatre – Milton Keynes
JULY
7-11 – Theatre Royal – Newcastle
14-18 – Theatre Royal – Brighton
28-1(August) – Storyhouse Theatre – Chester
Back in 2019, NME charted The Battle Of Britpop, speaking to main players from the scene, including those who have worked directly with Blur and Oasis. This included Stephen Street (Blur producer), Johnny Hopkins (Oasis press officer), and Steve Sutherland (NME editor in the ’90s).
It also featured quotes from the Oasis and Blur band members, which they said at the time of the battle. “I cared, ’cause I want Number Ones,” Liam Gallagher said back in 1995.
He continued: “I think ‘Roll With It’ is a great song. I met that Alex in the pub, so I bombed over and said, ‘Congratulations on Number One – it’s about fucking time, mate’ and he goes, ‘Oh yeah. But both our songs were shit anyway’. And I went, ‘No, this is where you’re wrong. And this is why I fuckin’ hate your band, and you. I thought our song was top.’ And then I went, ‘Do you want a line?’ and I gave him one and it was cool. But I still think they’re shit.”
Meanwhile, Blur’s bassist Alex James said: “I think they’re [Oasis] are a great band and that this is the defining Britpop moment. It’s not Blur versus Oasis, its Blur and Oasis against the world… The thing that most people don’t understand when they read the papers is that this rivalry is all made up. I know that when I want to hear a good song I can write one and when I want to go for a drink, I can call up Liam. There’s few people I’d rather drink with than Oasis.”