Oasis Blocks Auction of Unheard Archive Recordings

A collection of unheard Oasis recordings, including 63 live shows, hours of rehearsal footage and informal conversations between Noel and Liam Gallagher, has been withdrawn from auction following legal action brought by the band.

In September, Littleton Auctions in Worcestershire, England, had listed the archive with a guide price of between £1.2m and £1.6m. The material was originally compiled by the band's former sound engineer, Huw Richards, who worked with Oasis from the release of their 1994 debut album Definitely Maybe until 2001. The collection comprises 209 DAT tapes, 73 analogue cassettes and three MiniDiscs, and was being offered for sale by the engineer's son, Owain Richards.

Auction house managing director Ben Homer confirmed to the BBC that the so-called Desk Tapes had been pulled from the October 3 sale due to the ongoing legal proceedings, saying the company was disappointed it could not offer the significant archive as planned.

Rights dispute

Speaking to the Times in September, Owain Richards described the collection as a piece of history and said the recordings remained in good condition, though he acknowledged that because Oasis retains the intellectual property rights, any new owner could not release the material without the band's cooperation. On Wednesday he confirmed to the BBC that Oasis had sued both him and his father in an effort to stop the auction, and that the parties had agreed to postpone the sale while the dispute is resolved, either through litigation or otherwise.

The rest of the auction will go ahead as scheduled on Saturday, featuring other music memorabilia including an Oasis tour parka from Richards' collection, signed Nirvana photographs, autographs from two Rolling Stones members and a guitar signed by Brian May.

Last month, Noel and Liam Gallagher attended the world premiere of the documentary Oasis: Don't Look Back in Anger at the Venice Film Festival, followed by its UK premiere in London. The band has also recently announced its Live '27 world tour, following the success of their 2025 reunion tour.