Being passionate fans of the brooding Northern icons helps Oasiz give faultless performances of their heroes' legendary hits. A Butlins favourite who always go down a storm with audiences, this successful tribute band comprises Jamie France (Liam), Marcus Brown (Noel), Steve Brown (Gem), Gary Ayres (Andy) and Simon Osborne (Zak). We caught up with Steve to talk Manchester, memorabilia and mood swings…

How did the band hook up and were you all in separate bands before forming Oasiz?

Me, Marcus and Gary were, and still are members of the covers band Colourkinesis (also on the Butlins circuit). Colourkinesis are also a top originals band having had a number of top 10 internet radio hits and performed on three UK tours. It was always an Idea to start an Oasis tribute band at some point and from time to time we would put the feelers out on music websites to see if there was anyone who could do the whole Liam Gallagher thing, as vocally none of the existing members had the required sound. When we eventually got a reply to an ad from Jamie and we asked him down to audition we knew we could make it work. The drummer in Colourkinesis is a full-time pro and has loads of session commitments so we needed a drummer who was more available. Marcus had spent years fronting another covers band Wall 2 Wall and Simon was the drummer for them. We knew he could do the job and got him in to complete the lineup.

Why Oasis? Was it because you're all fans of the band or because you had a particular sound already?

I like to think that what separates us from the other Oasis tribute bands out there is the fact that all five band members are massive Oasis fans and therefore play the songs 100% as per the real versions. Before we were in an Oasis tribute band, we'd spend hours listening to the albums and mastering every note or drum feel. It was just part of growing up for us that if the Gallaghers had a new album out it would be stuck on repeat for about three months while we soaked up every inch of its content. Years on, nothing has changed - the only difference now is that it is business as well as pleasure. It had to be Oasis.

Do you collect Oasis memorabilia and if so what?

I have loads of it. Ticket stubs, signed photos, t-shirts, badges. From the age of 15 to 22 Oasis was my life.

Oasis are from Manchester and you're from London where rival Blur hails from. Do you ever get ribbed about this?

To be honest, when we are actually doing the gig we put on Mancunian accents in between songs to make the whole thing authentic. We make a point though to address the audience in our real accents at the end of each show. And there are times when you can feel the surprise in the audience when they realise they have been given the ultimate Oasis experience by 'a bunch of cockneys'. There are friendly ribbings from the fans, particularly when we play in Oasis' own back yard. The biggest compliment we can get is being told how authentic the show was by people from the North. We like to introduce the song ‘Roll With It' as ‘Country House' just to stir things up (a reference to the two singles being released the same day in 1995 and Blur getting the number 1 spot ahead of Oasis).

Have you ever gigged in Manchester? And if so, what's the reaction to you there?

Probably our best gig so far was in Manchester. Apparently there were distant relatives of the Gallaghers in the audience and we were assured we were more than authentic.

Have Noel or Liam ever heard you play?

Not yet, but I know they like to see their tribute bands, so fingers crossed. I think Noel would be particularly impressed by Marcus' guitar work. It's 100% bang-on what Noel himself does and he uses exactly the same effects. He might have something to say about the wig though.

How do you get into the persona of the band before you get on stage? Any wild mood swings like Liam's?

I think it's most difficult for Jamie (Liam), as he is so quiet and reserved but needs to show confidence bordering on arrogance and loads of charisma. He normally has five or ten minutes to himself before we go on in a corner somewhere, building up to it. For the rest of us, standing still and trying to look cool is as much as we need to worry about.

Do any of you have similarities to Oasis – either in personality or looks-wise?

We all have that indie look about us and once the clothes are on and the whole show is put in place we definitely have that Oasis look. In terms of personalities, we have the same passion for music as Oasis do, but beyond that, we don't go in for any of the off-stage antics or arrogance. We will take the stage show so far but not beyond a point. When we are doing family weekends at Butlins, for example we make a point of keeping things clean and even popping down to sign autographs for the young kids in the audience. I think there is always scope to approach gigs with flexibility according to the venue and type of gig. Our Liam is confident and at times arrogant on stage, but never offensive – it's our only rule.

Ever got up to any bad-boy antics like Liam?

What happens on tour stays on tour! But no, to be serious it's not our style. We believe in 100% professionalism at all times. I appreciate this may be boring to read though so, if it spices things up a bit, we once stayed up all night in a Travellodge, drinking and watching some of the greatest WWE wrestling matches on TV. Mick Foley is a legend!

Why do you like playing at a Butlins Weekender?

Great atmosphere and the people are out to have a good time. We play to some massive crowds at the Butlins Big Weekends and although I wouldn't say we are a band that gets particularly nervous, any butterflies we may have are reduced by the smoothness and organisation of the staff and the hospitality.

What's the best Butlins gig you've ever played and why?

For pure emotion it has to be the gig we did in 2007 with Vanilla Ice and East 17 in Reds, Skegness. Three thousand people going absolutely crazy.

Who do you most admire musically and who are your musical influences?

Noel Gallagher obviously, The Beatles, Coldplay, Embrace. We like a bit of everything really. I think people have different strengths and I like to draw on a bit of inspiration from each. Oasis though will always be the ones who have the whole package as far as I am concerned.

Why does Oasiz rock as a tribute band?

We appreicate that Oasis has a massive fanbase due to some of their lesser-known songs and B-sides. While we play all the classic hits an Oasis fan would expect, we pride ourselves on throwing in two or three B-sides or rare album tracks each night, to satisfy the die-hard fans, also, Jamie is as good a Liam as I have seen and delivers the snarling vocal and arrogant moves perfectly. Our trump card is Marcus (Noel), who not only plays the lead parts to a tee but also has a great voice and can do the classic Noel acoustic numbers that the fans love. Oasis has a massive back catalogue of songs and while we tend to play only the biggest hits for the Butlins shows, we like to mix things up when on tour around the UK.

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