Cassell Illustrated snaps up book on landmark Oasis gigs at Knebworth

Cassell Illustrated will publish a 25th anniversary book on the inside story of the landmark Oasis gigs at Knebworth. 

The Octopus Publishing Group imprint has acquired Oasis: Knebworth – Two Nights that will Live Forever by photographer Jill Furmanovsky and Penderyn Music Book Prize-winning author Daniel Rachel.  

Joe Cottington, editorial director at Octopus, secured world all-language rights from Carrie Kania at C&W Agency. The hardback will be priced at £40 and issued on 5th August, marking the 25th anniversary of the concerts at Knebworth House in Hertfordshire.

The blurb reads: “On 10th and 11th August 1996, Oasis played Knebworth, the concerts that would define them, a band at the height of their powers playing to over 250,000 people. One in every 20 people in the UK applied for tickets. This is the definitive account of two nights that a generation will never forget. 

“Containing hundreds of never-before-seen photographs by acclaimed music photographer Jill Furmanovsky—granted unprecedented access to Oasis throughout that summer—it covers events from relaxed rehearsals and warm-up concerts, to backstage and even on-stage at Knebworth itself. The breathtaking images are partnered by evocative text from Daniel Rachel, containing interviews with the people behind the concerts, including Noel Gallagher and [band manager] Alan McGee.” 

Furmanovsky said: “There is no single image that could sum up those shows at Knebworth; perhaps one of the helicopter shots of the vast crowd, or images that show the magical way the light played upon the audience when the gig was at its height. However, I hope this book and Daniel Rachel’s impeccable writing—along with the contributions of key figures, especially Noel Gallagher—will help those who were not there to enjoy it retrospectively, as I am doing now.”  

Rachel added: “Knebworth was the crystallisation of the Cool Britannia generation and it took a small army to make it happen. From T-shirt sellers and roadies, to the who’s-who cast of '90s support acts and an indefatigable management team who worked behind-the-scenes for the band, I was thrilled to piece the story together. I hope this book captures the pills, thrills and bellyaches; the inside and outside tales.”