Oasis have undoubtedly had one of their biggest years since the inception of the band.
Their global comeback tour, which Johnny Marr called the “biggest reunion of all time,” has been a musical and cultural phenomenon, and is estimated to have contributed over $1.2 billion [£940 million] to the UK economy alone.
As for the band members themselves, Gem Archer and co are ready for a rest – but the end of the tour might not quite spell the end of Oasis.
“I still don’t know my ass from my elbow,” Archer says of the post-tour exhaustion in a new Guitar World interview. “It’s time to decompress.”
Fans are desperately hoping for more shows, and hopefully, more music, but Archer remains cryptic. He asserts that he doesn’t know “anything about what’s coming up” and that the Oasis machine is “not just something you can flick on”. That doesn't mean there's no hope, though.
“It’s the weirdest thing,” Archer admits. “It’s all a blur. We’ve all said that we won’t know what this was ‘till next year. When all the wheels stop spinning, you know, there’s just so much to take on board. It really was a bit of a whirlwind, you know?”
He does say, however: “Anything could happen, which could include nothing. But this was quite a thing… if stuff was happening, I think I might already know about it, if you know what I mean? It’s not something you just flick on. But Noel has said, ‘No rest for the immensely talented,’ so take that how you want.”
It seems like Oasis fans and those pining for more ’90s nostalgia will have to wait. Archer’s thoughts line up with Oasis’ official social media statement – “There will now be a pause for a period of reflection” – and, by the word “pause” instead of “period,” there’s a glimmer of hope that this is just the beginning of Oasis’ return.
Guitar World's full interview with Gem Archer will be published in the coming weeks.
