The China Mail - Oasis tribute act in demand ahead of real band's reunion tour

Oasis, which was integral to the 1990s Britpop scene but split in 2009, announced on Tuesday it will reunite next year for a worldwide tour, starting with 17 concerts in the UK and Ireland.

Millions of fans flocked online early Saturday as tickets for the first joint gigs by Liam and Noel Gallagher in 16 years went on sale, but with demand outstripping supply, many were left disappointed.

For tribute acts like Definitely Mightbe, that is likely to further fuel decades-spanning demand for their services, with the group already report a "big upturn" in bookings this week.

"I've made a living from it for a good 20 years, but since the announcement... the phone has just been off the hook," Ian Alcock, the band's version of Liam Gallagher, told AFP.

"It's lots of people ringing, (asking) 'are you free? Can you do this? Can you do that?'" the 58-year-old explained, backstage at a Friday night performance at a working men's club in Leeds, northern England.

- 'Busy' -

Oasis was formed in Manchester, northwest England, in 1991, with Alcock seeing the group live for the first time three years later as its profile rocketed and the Gallaghers toured the UK.

He was in the crowd when the band played at a local pub in his hometown of Stoke-on-Trent, in central England.

A studio owner and performer himself, Alcock began covering Oasis tracks as the indie quartet became world-famous throughout the 1990s.

He eventually founded Definitely Mightbe -- a play on the original band's 1994 debut studio album "Definitely Maybe" -- in the early 2000s.

Proclaiming themselves the longest established Oasis tribute group, it has since played more than 2,000 shows worldwide.

The Gallagher brothers' feuding saw Oasis split in 2009, but Alcock revealed the acrimony has not been mirrored within the tribute act. Its members "get on and we don't fall out," he noted.

Meanwhile, the original band's rupture did not disrupt demand for Definitely Mightbe, which has "been busy all the time" since forming.

And the "incredible" news of Oasis' reunion -- after what will have been a 16-year hiatus -- is now proving a further boon.

- 'Excited' -

Alcock hoped that with hundreds of thousands of fans likely to have missed out on seeing the real thing next year, Definitely Mightbe could be set to play bigger and better gigs.

"Not everybody that wants to go is going to get a ticket, so I think we'll slot into that gap where people can't get tickets for the originals," he noted.

"There's still a buzz about Oasis, so they'll come and see us. Hopefully that's the case!"

As an avid fan, he is also just happy Oasis are getting back together.

"It's just been talked about for a long time, and to actually find that it's going to happen next year... everybody's excited."

Paul Mitchell, 41, who takes on the role of Noel Gallagher on-stage for Definitely Mightbe, was equally enthused for the reunion.

He explained their crowds of Oasis devotees span the ages.

"There's a very, very young crowd right at the front, with the parents and then further back, the normal crowd that we expect to see in their 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s and onwards," he added.

W.Tam--ThChM