An evening with Kevin Cummins at Waterstones Deansgate

Join us for an evening with iconic photographer Kevin Cummins, as he takes us through his new collection Oasis: The Masterplan, which features Noel Gallagher in his own words.

How does a band come into being? What are the myriad forces that shape their sound, look and identity? In 1993, Oasis signed to Creation Records and were shortly to begin recording their first album. The following year began with a masterplan - the creation of Oasis. At the centre of this enterprise was celebrated photographer Kevin Cummins, brought on board to help the band find a look that fitted their sound. In Oasis: The Masterplan we follow Cummins as he photographs the band as they cement their identity.

This event will consist of a talk from the author and audience Q&A, followed by a signing. The Ticket, Book & Print bundle includes a copy of Oasis: The Masterplan (RRP £35) to collect on the night, plus an exclusive A5 print.

About Oasis: The Masterplan

News of the first live Oasis concerts for 15 years has been met with frenzied excitement around the globe and the 17 dates within the UK and Ireland, scheduled for July and August 2025, sold out within hours. Celebrated photographer Kevin Cummins was there at the beginning of the band’s supersonic career and this book explores their first year.

Cummins documents twelve months of seismic change that cemented the identity of Oasis. From the just-bought-at-Affleck’s Palace attainability of their look to the Brother-sponsored Man City Shirts, the changing backgrounds from Maine Road, the Peveril of the Peak pub and the Arndale Centre to riotous early gigs, the Virgin Megastore and red buses of London these photographs show the masterplan coming into being. At the centre are two brothers with their arms round eachother, hinting at a sound you can almost hear through these images and a look that will resonate across the world.

In Oasis: The Masterplan Noel Gallagher’s thoughts on football, fashion and music sit alongside his recollections ofthat year and those of Cummins himself, as well as cultural commentary from Gail Crowther. We see how Oasis played with fashion and were taught how to pose and present themselves as they approached the summer when their first album, Definitely Maybe was released. The story from that moment on is well-known, and this book reveals just how effective the masterplan was to get them there.

About the author

Manchester-born KEVIN CUMMINS has an international reputation as one of the world’s leading photographers and is famed for his iconic portraits of musicians including Ian Curtis, Bowie, The Smiths, Debbie Harry and Oasis. These photographs have appeared on magazine covers and in galleries and museums worldwide, including Brooklyn Museum, Sydney Opera House, Pace Gallery, and other cities around the world. His work is included in the permanent collections of the National Portrait Gallery, V&A Museum and Manchester City Art Gallery.

Cummins had a 20-year association with British Rock ‘bible’ NME, where he created many of the best-known images in modern music history. He was awarded an honorary doctorate (arts) by Manchester Metropolitan University in 2015. His monographs for Octopus include Joy Division: Juvenes, Morrissey: Alone and Palely Loitering, Britpop: While We Were Getting High, Telling Stories: Photographs of The Fall and David Bowie: Mixing Memory & Desire.