Oasis fans were left wondering if the comeback tour has already gone off the rails after a Liam Gallagher lookalike caused a stir in iconic Manchester record store, Sifters, all over a cheeky novel taking the mick out of the band’s reunion.
The scuffle took place at legendary Sifters Records, the same shop name checked in Shakermaker, where author Paul Carroll was quietly signing copies of his new book Be Here Now. The novel imagines a chaotic Oasis reunion in 2029, set on a greenwashed eco-island where things spiral into influencer madness, brand deals, and breakdowns.
Witnesses say the Liam lookalike swaggered in, browsed the shelves, then stopped dead when he clocked the book’s cover. After flipping through a few pages, he reportedly muttered “What’s all this then?” before confronting Carroll, leading to a mock bust-up complete with finger pointing, flying paperbacks, and a lot of confused shoppers wondering if it was all part of the act. It was. Sort of.
“He Looked at Me Like I’d Just Cancelled Glastonbury”
The staged spat was part of a cheeky countdown stunt marking exactly one month until the real-life Oasis reunion on 4 July. Author Paul Carroll, who once worked in PR during the heyday of Britpop, insists the book isn’t really about Oasis, but more about the fans and the nature of modern nostalgia.
“If anyone was going to kick off about it, it was going to be a bloke in a parka,” said Carroll.
“The novel is about hype, fame, greenwashing, and what happens when you try to bring the past back with hashtags.”
He added, “If you grew up in the nineties and ever queued overnight for tickets, wore Adidas poppers, or got into a blazing row about whether Heathen Chemistry was genius or garbage, this book might feel uncomfortably familiar.”
Stop Crying Your Heart Out. It’s Only Satire.
Be Here Now has already been described as “Spinal Tap meets Alan Partridge” and “a perfect antidote to festival culture”. The plot imagines Oasis re-forming in 2029 for an exclusive one-off gig on a tech-funded eco-island. Naturally, it doesn’t go to plan.
The book takes aim at everything from the corporate takeover of festivals to obsessive fan behaviour, with a healthy side of Mancunian mayhem and musical chaos. It’s already gaining cult status among those who love a bit of satire with their setlists.
Photos from the event show a perfectly executed mock standoff, with the Liam-alike storming out in protest, muttering something about brand values and artistic integrity. One shopper was overheard saying, “That was the most rock and roll thing to happen in Burnage since the bins went on fire.”
One Month to Go
With the real Oasis reunion show just four weeks away, and excitement building to fever pitch, Carroll says the timing of the stunt couldn’t have been better.
“People are already arguing about setlists and whether Noel will smile. We just wanted to ask, what if the reunion wasn’t what anyone expected? And what if someone tried to spin it into the world’s biggest marketing opportunity?”
Be Here Now by Paul Carroll is out now in paperback and ebook, published by DreamEngine.
You can order the book by clicking here.
Photographer: Aaron Parfitt
