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Oasis Voted Best Gig Of All Time In Scotland
















01: Oasis, King Tuts Wah Wah Hut, Glasgow, 31 May 1993


When the idea of listing Scotland's 20 most significant gigs was first mooted, one show in particular leapt immediately to mind, and refused to budge from deliberations. Oasis's legendary gig at King Tut's in Glasgow looms so large over Scottish pop lore that it had to be the No 1 choice of our panel. Because it is - no matter how devalued the term - legendary, with all the baggage that such a description comes with.

So, as Noel Gallagher once wrote, what's the story? The most commonly cited version of events has five mouthy Mancunians rolling up at the venue without a booking and gatecrashing the bill, which already comprises three other bands. They go on first in front of a sparse early-evening crowd. Alan McGee, head of Creation Records, is there to see his latest signings 18 Wheeler (only remembered now as the ultimate bridesmaids in pop), but is so taken aback by the uninvited guests that he whips out the chequebook there and then, and the rest is Britpop wars, tea with the Prime Minister, two great albums then a steady creative decline, and a seemingly unassailable status as the nation's favourite band.

It may have gone down like that - or Oasis may have been invited to the showcase, and Alan McGee might have known precisely what he was getting into... With so few people in attendance to verify the details, the enigma of Oasis at Tut's has snowballed, to the extent that the venue was recently included in New York Magazine's list of the top ten must-visit attractions in the world.

Aren't all legends subject to a bit of embroidery along the way? What actually happened or how good, bad or indifferent the gig was would only get in the way of a fantastic, even romantic story. But if you really must know what it was like to be at Scotland's most significant gig of all time, why not ask one of the thousands who say they were there?

Source: www.living.scotsman.com

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