As Oasis prepares for one of the most highly anticipated returns in modern British music, U2’s Bono has publicly voiced his support, calling the band’s rehearsal sound “shocking” in its strength and praising the impact of the group’s original rise to fame.

Speaking with Zane Lowe on Apple Music 1 in an interview published Thursday (June 12), Bono reflected on the band’s cultural significance and their distinct presence during the 1990s. “I love them,” he said. “What I really love is, the preciousness that had gotten into indie music, they just blew it out. There was just the swagger, and the sound of getting out of the ghetto, not glamorizing it.”

The remarks come as Oasis rehearses for their Oasis Live ’25 tour, which begins July 4 at Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales. The tour marks the band’s official return to the stage after a 16-year hiatus, following their split in 2009 after long-standing personal and creative tensions between frontman Liam Gallagher and lead guitarist Noel Gallagher.

The global tour is expected to include stops across Europe, North America, Asia, Australia, and Latin America. Details surrounding the reunion have remained limited, with the band quietly entering rehearsals earlier this year. No formal press announcement accompanied the tour reveal, but both Liam and Noel have confirmed the reunion through social media and management.

Liam Gallagher recently commented on the band’s rehearsals via X (formerly Twitter), stating that it “sounded f—ing FILTHY,” suggesting a confident return to form. Bono echoed the sentiment, saying that Noel had sent him a message about how strong the rehearsals were sounding. “He’s kind of shocked by how great the band is. I think we’re going to have a good summer,” Bono said.

Oasis rose to international prominence during the 1990s as one of the central forces behind the Britpop movement, alongside bands such as Blur, Suede, and Pulp. Their debut album Definitely Maybe (1994) was a critical and commercial success, followed by What’s the Story Morning Glory? (1995), which included some of the most recognizable British songs of the era such as Wonderwall, Don’t Look Back in Anger, and Champagne Supernova among them.

The group’s influence was not only musical but cultural. The Gallagher brothers’ volatile relationship became as central to the band’s story as the music itself, ultimately leading to their 2009 split when Noel exited the group just hours before a scheduled performance in Paris. Since then, both Liam and Noel have pursued solo careers, occasionally commenting (often critically) on one another in the press and online.

The Oasis Live ’25 tour marks a rare moment in contemporary music where a legacy act returns with nearly its full original momentum, not for a brief appearance or anniversary tribute, but for a full-scale tour.