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“It’s about escaping,” said Noel Gallagher in 1994, speaking ahead of the release of Oasis‘ debut record Definitely Maybe.

But really, it’s about so much more than that.

One of the defining cultural documents of the ’90s, the Manchester quintet’s ferociously optimistic and thrillingly self-possessed debut album is a snapshot of what it means to be young, fearless and fiercely convinced of one’s own capacity to transcend the mundane and mediocre. Last summer, as the reunited Gallagher brothers reclaimed their mantle as The People’s Champions on the most euphoric tour of the 21st century to date, their 23-song setlist featured no fewer than six selections from the record, their swagger and snap utterly undiminished.

Written in the wake of the Conservative party securing a fourth consecutive general election victory in the UK, at its core Definitely Maybe is an album about working class pride, anger, ambition and defiance.

Though it was rarely identified as such upon its release, being bracketed alongside inferior Britpop albums with which it shared precious little DNA – “I’d hear Blur or Pulp or Suede on the radio and think, Fuck these idiots” Noel Gallagher admitted in 2023 – it’s a punk rock album at heart, a collection of dole queue anthems which thrust two upraised fingers in the faces of a firmly entrenched establishment doing its level best to break the spirit and solidarity of working class communities from Burnage to Belfast. And as such, it’s the most fearless collection of attitudinal rock n’ roll to emerge from Britain since the Sex Pistols’ incendiary debut Never Mind The Bollocks. In fact, in a 2023 interview with UK music magazine Mojo, Noel Gallagher, who wrote every song on the record, explicitly linked the two albums, boldly describing Definitely Maybe as “the last great punk album.”

“We were a punk band with Beatles melodies,” Gallagher stated. “We had no effects, barely any equipment, just loads of attitude, 12 cans of Red Stripe and ambition. If you listen to that and Never Mind The Bollocks, they’re quite similar. That album was about the angst of being a teenager in 1977. Fast forward to 1994 and Definitely Maybe is about the glory of being a teenager. It’s being down the park with a ghetto blaster distilled… There’s no bullshit on it. It’s an honest snapshot of working-class lads trying to make it. It’s about shagging birds, taking drugs, drinking and the glory of all of that.”

From its unapologetically nicked opening T. Rex riff, Definitely Maybe is Oasis’ own great rock ‘n’ roll swindle, an album which shamelessly pilfers and re-appropriates some of the most familiar riffs, rhythms and themes from rock n’ roll history while looking the listener square in the eyes and asking ‘So. Fucking. What?’

“Look at you now, you’re all in my hands tonight” sneers the then 21-year-old Liam Gallagher at the end of the strutting Rock ‘n’ Roll Star, a self-fulfilling prophecy the younger Gallagher brother later quite correctly identified as “the most arrogant song ever”.

Even the cocksure Gallagher boys would concede that Definitely Maybe is not a flawless collection… though if ‘The Chief’ had swapped out Digsy’s Dinner and Married With Children for contemporaneous B-sides Fade Away and Half The World Away it’d be as close to perfection as makes no difference.

As ubiquitous as pub jukebox mainstays Shakermaker and Supersonic might still be, their vitality and verve is wholly undiminished by over-familiarity, while Gallagher junior’s stretched vowels on the opening lines of Cigarettes & Alcohol remain an undeniable rock ‘n’ roll moment.

With its rallying call to the “outcast” and the “underclass”, the Stooges-inspired Bring It On Down, dusted down and sounding immense on the Live ’25 tour, is the album’s most overtly punk (and political) four minutes. Slide Away consists purely of choruses, each more uplifting than its predecessor, while the six minute Columbia, with its roots in Acid House jams and Ecstasy-fuelled mischief-making, is a blissful tangle of over-driven guitars and wide-eyed euphoria.

Best of all though is Live Forever, arguably Noel Gallagher’s defining song. Written as a response to (erroneous) ‘inkie’ music paper reports that Kurt Cobain was considering naming Nirvana’s third album I Hate Myself And I Want To Die, it’s the Oasis credo writ large, a surge of ‘Fuck you’ positivity and bullish self-belief standing as a grand secular hymn for the dreamers and schemers. Critics have often sneered at Oasis’ nursery rhyme lyrics, but Gallagher – like his nemesis Cobain – intuitively understood that there’s a beauty in simplicity, and Live Forever remains one of his most pure, perfect compositions.

On September 4, 1994, Definitely Maybe debuted at Number 1 on the UK album charts. That evening, Oasis played Belfast for the first time, receiving the news of their triumph as they sat backstage in the Limelight venue’s tiny dressing room. This writer was present that night, and recalls the Manchester band being greeted with an ovation which far exceeded the customary greeting for visiting bands, a reception which spoke of a shared belief that their chart success was a victory for ‘us’ over ‘them’. Even at their most cocaine-bloated and indulgent, Oasis managed to retain that sense of connection, as is being emphatically demonstrated in every sold-out stadium they visit this summer.

It’s easy to see why Definitely Maybe is connecting with a new influx of Gen Z fans. It’s a record about possibility, and hope, and growing up without giving in, whatever shit is thrown at you. Only Noel and Liam truly know how long Oasis’ second act will last, but their first album will forever remain an impossibly thrilling declaration of independence and intent.

Summer might be over (or almost, at least), but the big season for new releases is well and truly upon us. Just today, there’s new albums from Mastodon, Beartooth and In This Moment, plus what feels like hundreds of new singles arriving each week. That’s exactly what we’re here for though, cutting through the clutter to bring you a collection of brilliant new metal songs each week.

First, the results of our last vote! As ever, brand recognition isn’t always a guarantee of top placing, though Mastodon still managed a very respectable third place finish in the poll. Above them however were Japanese newcomers Zilqy, who edged into second, while Derby newcomers The Cartographer proved your overall favourite by some way.

It’s all to play for this week as we’ve got more big names returning to the mix in the form of Amon Amarth, Clutch, Imminence and Comeback Kid. But there’s still some rising underground talent in there too, so check out the tracks below and don’t forget to cast your vote!

In This Moment – I Want To Believe (ft. Dayseeker)

If any metal band is overdue a TikTok blow-up, it’s In This Moment. The industrial outfit have been going for over 20 years now, and their striking visuals and canny earworms have made them a mainstay of the metal scene, but it’s not outside the realms of possibility that they’ll get a Crowbar-style lift-off at some point. I Want To Believe sees them team up with Dayseeker’s Rory Rodriguez for a powerful, atmospheric track.

Imminence – If Not Now, When

Imminence have gone full Deftonescore. There’s no shortage of bands tinkering with heavygaze in 2026, but the Swedish metalcore group’s dive into thick, floaty melodies doesn’t sacrifice their own unique sound, the violins adding a gorgeous, melancholic tone to If Not Now, When that shows new album Axis Mundi – due October 2 – might be their true breakout moment.

Comeback Kid – Chosen Hell

Stride with absolute confidence to yet another howler from Comeback Kid. Pounding beats and big riffs make Chosen Hell a real swing-for-the-fences from the Canadians, marking the announcement of their new album – also called Chosen Hell – for a November 6 release date. We’ll be keeping our ears out for the planned Courtney LaPlante collab, too.

Amon Amarth – Eight Legs Of Thunder

Thor might have a hammer, but he doesn’t have an eight-legged steed, does he? That’s the topic of Amon Amarth’s latest melodeath banger, Eight Legs Of Thunder appropriately powered by a galloping riff and the distinct sense the Swedes are having the time of their lives on new album The Allfather Awakens, coming October 2.

Turnstile – Birds (Dying Fetus version)

#WhynotDyingFetus indeed. On a remix album that features appearances from Elton John and Hayley Williams, the biggest left-turn is surely Birds being ‘reimagined’ by Dying Fetus. It’s gloriously short and to-the-point, bringing to mind DF’s earlier grindcore-adjacent material.

Kamelot – Sanctuary (feat. Clémentine Delauney and Ignacia Fernández)

Kamelot know their way around an epic composition. Their new album Dark Asylum is positively packed with ’em, but with guest appearances from Visions Of Atlantis’ Clémentine Delauney and Decessus’s Ignacia Fernández, they’ve expanded their repertoire impressively on this new track, making great use of melody and Ignacia’s brutal howls.

Burner – Accelerationist

If you’re in the market for something fierce and nasty, you’d do well to give Burner’s Accelerationist a spin. Lumbering, limb-swinging hardcore meets guttural death metal in a whirligig of violent intent. Taken from new album No One Is Coming To Save Us – out September 25 – it’s sure to scratch an itch for underground brilliance.

Maple’s Pet Dinosaur – Child’s Play

Quite literally the next gen of talent, Australia’s Maple’s Pet Dinosaur has been signed by Warner Music at just 15 years old. Child’s Play – the title track of her upcoming debut EP – gives an insight as to why, the track taking horror aesthetics and pulsing riffs to create something unique and striking.

Clutch – The Drifter Returns

In a week that’s robbed us of legends, it’s good to have some of the old reliables come back as fiesty and fierce as ever. The Drifter Returns is a slick, punchy Clutch song in the vein of Earth Rocker or X-Ray Visions. There’s no word on when we’ll get a new album just yet, but this has us excited nonetheless.

Black Spikes – Dulkés

Lithuania’s Black Spikes released their new album Ydos this week, and Dulkés shows off their unique sound. There’s an odd, slightly off nursery rhyme quality to the song to start with, but when the band flex their more aggressive side they hit with pure nightmare-fuel force.

Love Is Noise – Smile

Bounding into life, Love Is Noise have announced their new EP The Space Between Happiness And Heartache for an October 9 release with the infectious Smile. The heavygaze markers are unmistakeable, but the band also inject so much energy and enthusiasm it’s hard not to want to leap about the room with joyous abandon.

I Helvete – Nälkätalvi

If you didn’t gather from our recent albums of 2026 round-up, black metal is having a stellar year. You can add I Helvete to the pile, if Nälkätalvi is anything to go by. The Finnish band have been through some line-up turbulence as of late, but this new single sees them asserting a ferocious and classic take on the BM sound, laying just enough melody atop a bedrock of frosty, furious extremity.

Celebrations for what would have been the 80th birthday of Syd Barrett, the late Pink Floyd co-founder and solo maverick, will take place in October, with proceeds raised going to mental health charities. Barrett, who died in 2006, aged 60, quit Floyd in April 1968. After the release of two solo albums, he walked away from the industry, seeing out the rest of his days as a recluse.

With the full support of the Barrett family, Syd’s legacy is honoured with a live concert in Cambridge, an all-star tribute album and an exhibition. As well as Cambridge being his home city, Barrett’s last known live performance took place at the Corn Exchange there on February 24, 1972.

The tribute show – featuring Kula Shaker, Soft Machine, Men On The Border, Diana Silveira & The Psychedelic Circus, Radhika and Pünk Floyd, with additional surprise guests set to be announced – takes place at the same venue on October 10, which is World Mental Health Day.

“Eighty years after his birth, Syd Barrett’s influence remains as powerful as ever,” says co-organiser Neil Jones. “It’s especially fitting that this celebration takes place in Cambridge, the city at the heart of his story.”

The album, Clowns And Jugglers: The Songs Of Syd Barrett, scheduled for release the previous day on coloured vinyl and CD, stars an array of heavy-hitters and stylistically related acts including Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets, Soft Machine, and Robyn Hitchcock featuring John Paul Jones. Curated by Mark Wilkinson (designer of sleeve art for Marillion, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest), Syd’s nephew Ian Barrett and Gonzo record label boss Rob Ayling, most of the tracks were recorded specially for the project.

“It isn’t just a bunch of oldies,” Wilkinson says. “Some of the best tracks are by the younger artists – I love what Rosalie Cunningham has done with Lucifer Sam, from [Floyd’s debut] Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.”

The inclusion of Terrapin, from Syd’s solo debut The Macap Laughs, by Mancunians Henge, was down to Ian Barrett. “Henge are an incredible band,” he enthuses. “For me they are one of the highlights of it all.”

The project has taken more than a year of planning, helped by several twists of fate. It effectively began when Wilkinson exhibited a portrait of Syd at the Bloodstock Festival and happened to have a conversation with Syd’s nephew Mark Barrett. Talk of an album led to the show at the Corn Exchange, and then the exhibition, which turns the spotlight on Barrett’s life, art and cultural impact. Running from October 3-9 at the Cambridge OpenSpace arts venue, with a further display on October 10-11 at The Cambridge Guildhall, it showcases original paintings and sketches by Syd, alongside prints of larger works.

All of the above confirms that 20 years after Barrett’s passing, his legacy remains as strong as ever. “People still care because Syd was completely unique and always adventurous,” says Wilkinson. “I can’t praise his lyrics enough – they were incredible. You can see where Bowie and Bolan took some of their ideas from.

“[Noted journalist] Nick Kent wrote that as an artist Syd emerged from the womb fully formed,” he continues. “There was no lead-in period, it was bang! And he was doing it all straight away. That’s what we are celebrating here.”

“From a family perspective, we are still slightly amazed that people are as interested as they are,” comments Syd’s nephew Ian Barrett. “After he died I kind of expected it to fade away slightly, but I’m realising that it probably won’t happen. The fascination is as strong as it ever was.”

Mental health is a strong part of the narrative that runs through the project’s several strands. It’s a subject that people are far more comfortable talking about than they used to be.

“It helps that there are names for these conditions now,” says Ian Barrett. “People can get treatment for it. There’s less of a stigma and hopefully things will get better still in the future. We are raising money as well, so that’s another positive.”

Ian still has strong memories of his uncle, specifically the year in the 80s that Syd spent Christmas with the family in Luton.

“He came over from Cambridge, and he seemed pretty normal, really,” he recalls. “I didn’t realise what he had done, because nobody talked about his fame. I couldn’t really understand how he fitted into the Pink Floyd story, because in a sense he didn’t.”

In the internet age, and thanks to the 2023 film Have You Got It Yet?, Ian believes that a lot of past myths and falsehoods about Syd have now been corrected.

“I hope so,” he says. “Rob Chapman’s book [A Very Irregular Head] took some of that stuff apart. The old stories about Mandrax and being locked in cupboards have all been discounted.

“Nobody is trying to deny that some strange things happened, and it was certainly a mysterious time,” he continues, “but I think people no longer believe in that stuff and hopefully they can focus on what’s important – the creativity he achieved in such a short career. And then he quit. The quitting was the important part. Nobody could understand that when he said that he was stopping, he meant it.”

Ian is prepared to offer hope that more of Syd’s work could be found and brought out of the archives in the future.

“Everyone’s looking around for it, and it’s possible there might still be some left to discover,” he says cautiously. “I’m pretty sure there will be something further, but these things don’t happen quickly.”

Asked to speculate what his uncle Syd might have made of the celebrations surrounding his 80th birthday, had he lived to experience it, Ian is adamant.

“Syd would have been pleased with it all, I think, especially because there is art involved,” he explains. “Personally, I think of him as an artist that ended up in music. Fundamentally, he wanted to be an artist, but he happened to play guitar too well and it all blossomed out of control. I think he just wanted to paint, really.”

Tickets for A Tribute to Syd Barrett – Official 80th Anniversary Celebrations are sold out.