Oasis Halt Auction of Rare 1990s Recordings After Filing Injunction

A planned auction of previously unheard Oasis recordings has been called off after the band launched legal proceedings to block the sale. The collection, which had been expected to fetch between £1.2 million and £1.6 million, was due to go under the hammer in early October.

Littleton Auctions, based in Evesham, Worcestershire, had been marketing the archive as a rare opportunity for fans and collectors. The lot consisted of 63 live shows recorded during the 1990s, alongside soundcheck material and more than 100 hours of tape featuring brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher.

The material was assembled by Huw Richards, who served as the band's sound engineer from the release of their debut album, Definitely Maybe, in 1994 until 2001. That period covered the group's rise from Manchester club circuit hopefuls to one of the biggest rock acts in the world, including the era of their landmark second album, (What's the Story) Morning Glory?

The sale was brought forward by Richards' son, Owain Richards, who has now confirmed that the family has agreed to pause the process. In a statement, he acknowledged that Oasis had sued both him and his father in an effort to prevent the tapes from going to auction.

He said the decision to postpone the sale would allow the legal dispute to be resolved "either by litigation or otherwise in an orderly way." The wording suggests that both sides remain open to a negotiated settlement, although no further details about the talks have been made public.

The auction house also confirmed the withdrawal. Its managing director, Ben Homer, said the recordings — known as The Desk Tapes — had been pulled from the 3 October sale in light of the legal action. He described the development as a disappointment, noting that the archive could not now be offered as planned.

Homer added that the remainder of the sale would proceed unaffected. He also said the auction house respects the legal process and would not comment further on the proceedings at this stage, a position that leaves the dispute to be fought out between the band and the Richards family.

When the sale was first announced earlier this month, Littleton Auctions described it as a "once-in-a-generation opportunity" for fans and collectors. At the same time, the company confirmed that the band did not support the auction — an early signal that a legal challenge was likely.

The tapes are significant because they capture Oasis in their formative and most commercially dominant years. Live recordings from that period are highly prized by collectors, and soundboard-quality material from an engineer close to the band is particularly unusual, since most bootlegs circulating among fans are amateur audience recordings of varying quality.

The legal basis for the band's injunction has not been disclosed in full. Broadly, disputes of this kind can turn on questions of copyright ownership, performers' rights, and whether the recordings were made with the band's consent, as well as the terms of any employment or studio access arrangements in place at the time.

For the auction house, the withdrawal removes the headline lot from a sale that had attracted international attention. The timing was also awkward, coming only weeks after the listing went public. Auctioneers typically promote such consignments heavily, and a late cancellation can affect both the profile and the financial expectations of an event.

The rest of the catalogue will still be offered. Items on the block include internal tour itineraries, original setlists, a guitar played by the band, and an original Kangol Oasis tour parka. These are the kind of memorabilia pieces that regularly draw bids from dedicated fans and music collectors.

The dispute also highlights a wider tension in the music business over archive material generated by crew members and studio staff. Engineers, tour managers and photographers often hold unique recordings and images, but the rights attached to that material can be complex and contested, especially when the artists involved never authorised its release.

Oasis, formed in Manchester in 1991, became one of the defining British bands of the decade. Noel Gallagher served as the primary songwriter, while Liam Gallagher fronted the group, and their often fractious relationship kept them in the headlines as much as their music. The band split in 2009, though reunion shows have since been announced.

The BBC has approached representatives for Oasis for comment. For now, the tapes remain out of the saleroom, and it is unclear when — or whether — they might return to auction, or be made available to fans through an official release.

The outcome may ultimately shape how other unreleased archives are handled. If the band succeeds in establishing control over the recordings, it could discourage similar sales by former crew members. If a settlement is reached instead, the tapes could eventually surface in a licensed form, giving fans a legitimate route to material that has until now remained unheard.