As the questions surrounding Oasis’ fast-approaching reunion tour continue to swirl, longtime bassist Andy Bell has confirmed his presence within the lineup.

Bell’s presence was confirmed in a recent conversation with Austrian outlet OE24, who spoke to Bell following a performance in the country by his band Ride. “Yes, I’m in and I’m really looking forward to it,” Bell noted. “We’ll see each other on tour. Or rather, you’ll see me, because I’ll hardly be able to spot you in the audience!”

News of Bell’s involvement gained traction in March after NME reported that “sources working closely with the band and tour” had outlined who would be performing with the Gallaghers onstage this year.

At the time of their split in 2009, Oasis officially featured Gem Archer on guitar, with Bell taking on bass, guitar, and keyboards. A series of touring drummers had sat behind the kit since the 2004 departure of Alan “Whitey” White, with Chris Sharrock holding the beat at their final shows.

According to the March report, the forthcoming version of the band would see the Gallaghers joined by Archer and Bell, along with Oasis co-founder Paul “Bonehead” Arthurs, and Joey Waronker, who has previously performed with R.E.M., Beck, Roger Waters, and more.

“NME tell me who your source pots are that keep giving you info about OASIS and I’ll give you an exclusive interview about up n coming OASIS tour,” Liam Gallagher wrote in response to the report. “You can have it all but how much do you want it.”

Bell – who had performed in Oasis since 1999 and later joined Liam Gallagher, Archer and Sharrock as a member of Beady Eye – previously sparked speculation of a reunion from the group in April 2024 when he was asked by Virgin Radio U.K.’s Andy Goldstein whether the band could ever perform together again.

“I’m going to say a qualified yeah, I think they will at the end of the day,” Bell said. “I don’t think it looks likely right now, but I think life is long, isn’t it?”

Liam Gallagher responded to Bell’s comments on social media, writing, “Andy bell from ride the shoe gazing phenomenon should really not be getting people’s hopes up it’s not big and and it’s not clever.”

When pressed by a fan who claimed Bell was simply noting what Gallagher himself had claimed in the past, the vocalist claimed, “I’ve never mentioned oasis reunion it’s over we must all really move in for our own mental health.”

To date, Oasis have lined up more than 40 dates for their Live ’25 outing, which will hit stadiums in the U.K., North America, Asia, Australia and South America from July through November. So far, the only participants confirmed by the Gallaghers to appear are the brothers themselves — who have not shared a stage since August 2009.

News of Bell’s self-confirmation comes soon after Alec McKinlay, who heads the band’s Ignition Management and Big Brother Recordings, Oasis’ U.K. label, disputed claims from Liam Gallagher that the band had a new album in the works.

“This is very much the last time around, as Noel’s made clear in the press,” McKinlay said in an interview with Music Week published Tuesday (May 13). “It’s a chance for fans who haven’t seen the band to see them, or at least for some of them to. But no, there’s no plan for any new music.”

Fresh from teasing the release of new album Love Chant last month, The Lemonheads have previewed the upcoming LP with latest single “Deep End.”

Co-written by Evan Dando alongside longtime collaborator Tom Morgan (of Australian outfit Smudge), “Deep End” features Juliana Hatfield on backing vocals with additional guitar from Dinosaur Jr.’s J Mascis. Both Hatfield and Mascis make brief cameos in the accompanying video, which was filmed in by São Paulo, Brazil by Surreal Hotel Arts.

The black-and-white clip sees Dando walking down an endless sidewalk as he’s passed by a series of objects, people, and landscapes, with his bandmates occasionally joining. “It’s never been so painless making a video,” Dando said of the clip. “Everyone working was really great. The endless sidewalk goes really well with the song.”

“Deep End” is also backed by a cover of Townes Van Zandt’s “Sad Cinderella,” which features backing vocals from Nashville artist Erin Rae. Both tracks will appear on a limited edition 12″ vinyl single that arrives on June 13 via Fire Records.

The A-side is set to appear on Love Chant, which will arrive as the band’s first album of new material since 2006. The record will reportedly release in fall, though specific details are expected to arrive in the coming months.

The Lemonheads first formed in Boston in 1986, with a series of independent albums arriving via Taang! before the group signed to Atlantic for 1990’s Lovey.

Working with Morgan while in Australia, The Lemonheads found their commercial breakthrough with 1992’s It’s a Shame About Ray, which reached No. 68 on the Billboard 200.  Its success was bolstered by a cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Mrs. Robinson,” and helped the group achieve their commercial peak with 1993’s Come on Feel the Lemonheads, which peaked at No. 56.

The Lemonheads initially dissolved in 1997, though Dando reactivated the group in 2005, with a self-titled record arriving the following year. Since then, two cover albums have been released, with Varshons and Varshons 2 being issued in 2009 and 2019, respectively.

With more than 2,000 attendees converging on Atlanta for the annual Music Biz conference at the Renaissance Atlanta Waverly Hotel and Convention Center Galleria, Music Business Association president Portia Sabin opened day 2 by reminding everyone of the “guiding belief” behind the Music Business Association and its conference — while revealing the conference will return to Atlanta next year.

“We’re all better together,” Sabin proclaimed. “We know we can achieve success and overcome any challenge in our way when we come to the table with open minds, foster collaboration, and develop solutions that truly support one another.”

Sabin pointed out that the music industry has become truly global in the past several years and, corresponding to that, international music companies now comprise one-fifth of Music Biz’s membership. What’s more, she said 15% of the attendees at this year’s conference (which runs from May 12-15) are from outside the U.S: “That’s 250 individuals, representing 168 companies and over 30 countries, ranging from Vietnam and Australia, to Japan and Egypt,” she said.

In order to better represent its membership and the global music industry, “we’ve embraced this shift by hosting our virtual Passport series — free webinars that dissect issues in music markets across the globe — as well as expanding our traveling Roadshow series with our first international event in Toronto this past March,” Sabin added.

Finally, Sabin pointed out that in preparing to hold the conference in Atlanta over the last year, Music Biz hosted a number of mixers and meetups to “build relationships with Atlanta’s vibrant music business community. Most recently, we partnered with the Mayor’s Office of Film, Entertainment and Nightlife for an event at City Hall, to connect local & global music professionals and preview some of the programming we offer at our conference.”

After holding the convention for the last 10 years in Nashville, the Music Biz conference is going on the road again, just like its antecedent organization, the National Assn. of Recording Merchandisers, did for decades by moving the annual convention to various cities. However, Sabin revealed that Atlanta will host the convention again next year, too, while thanking the city and the hotel for supporting it.

“Thank you to the team here at the Renaissance for making this year’s event possible, and to the city of Atlanta for being such gracious hosts ever since we announced plans to bring our conference here in 2025 and 2026,” Sabin said at the beginning of her remarks to attendees.