Oasis

The band that would become Oasis was originally known as The Rain. Formed by guitarist Paul "Bonehead" Arthurs, bassist Paul "Guigsy" McGuigan, and drummer Tony McCarroll in Manchester, England, in 1991, the group brought on schoolmate Liam Gallagher to replace their previous lead singer. After he joined, Liam suggested that the band change its name to Oasis, inspired by an Inspiral Carpets tour poster in his childhood bedroom (which featured Swindon's Oasis Leisure Centre as one of the venues). Oasis played their first show in August 1991, sharing a bill with Sweet Jesus and the Catchmen. Soon after, Liam's brother Noel Gallagher returned home from a U.S. tour, where he had been working as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets. Noel, who had been writing songs for years, saw Oasis' potential and joined the lineup as lead guitarist and principal songwriter. With Noel controlling the band's musical direction, Oasis kept their instrumentation simple and cranked up the volume, developing a sound designed for maximum impact.