Blur vs Oasis chart battle to be subject of new play ‘The Battle’
The play, written by John Niven, will go on tour around the UK for the first half of 2026
A new play charting the legendary 1995 chart battle between Blur and Oasis will go on tour around the UK next year.
The Battle was written by author and music industry veteran John Niven and directed by 2:22 A Ghost Story director Matthew Dunster.
It promises to provide “filthy language and razor-sharp dialogue” as it tells the story of Blur’s ‘Country House’ beating Oasis’ ‘Roll With It’ to Number One in the most talked-about chart battle in history.
The play will open in Birmingham next February, before going on tour around the UK until August, when it will finish up in Chester.
Niven said of the play: “1995: a time long before music splintered into a billion different TikTok feeds. When music was so central to the culture that two pop groups could dominate the entire summer, the evening news and the front page of every newspaper in the country. We’re going to take you back there.
“I’ve never written for the stage before, and it has been an absolute blast to do so for the first time with a producer as supportive as Simon [Friend] and a director as talented as Matthew.”
Director Dunster added: “I remember the Battle of the Bands. I remember the charts that week. Music mattered. I remember being in my twenties in 1995. What a wild time. Full of energy, naughtiness and hilarity. Just like John Niven’s play. I’m so delighted to be working with John on such a punchy, hilarious and revealing comedy about two of the best bands of all time, Blur and Oasis.”
The film will be produced by Simon Friend, who said: “Throughout my sister’s teenage years, she had an enormous poster of Damon Albarn on her wall, and I remember her falling out with friends over which band they loved more. Ever since, this story has been in the back of my mind, and I was delighted that John Niven agreed to write it because there is no more qualified or hilarious chronicler of this world, and combined with Matthew Dunster directing, we have a fearless team recreating the sweaty mid-‘90s carnage of ‘The Battle of Britpop’.”
According to a press release, audiences can expect “filthy language and razor-sharp dialogue” in this theatre comedy, recalling when fans were encouraged to pick sides as the Oasis and Blur chart battle reached the front page of magazines and newspapers, turning it into a football derby-like spectacle.
See the 2026 tour dates for The Battle below.
FEBRUARY 2026
11-28 – Birmingham, Rep
MARCH 2026
1-7 – Birmingham, Rep
9-14 – Leicester, Curve Theatre
17-21 – Manchester, Opera House
24-28 – Bromley, Churchill Theatre
31 – Woking, New Victoria Theatre
APRIL 2026
1-4 – Woking, New Victoria Theatre
14-19 – Cheltenham, Everyman Theatre
21-25 – Edinburgh, Festival Theatre
28-30 – Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre
MAY 2026
1-2 – Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre
5-9 – Sheffield, Lyceum Theatre
12-16 – Ipswich, Regent Theatre
19-23 – London, Richmond Theatre
26-30 – Glasgow, Theatre Royal
JUNE 2026
9-13 – York, Grand Opera House
16-20 – Norwich, Theatre Royal
23-27 – Nottingham, Theatre Royal
30 – Milton Keynes, Theatre
JULY 2026
1-4 – Milton Keynes, Theatre
7-11 – Newcastle, Theatre Royal
14-18 – Brighton, Theatre Royal
28-31 – Chester, Storyhouse Theatre
AUGUST 2026
1 – Chester, Storyhouse Theatre