The legendary Britpop band Oasis is synonymous with the North West and Manchester, but did you know they owe a lot to Swindon?

You could go as far as to say that their success might never have happened if it wasn't for one of our leisure centres.

Gallagher brothers Liam and Noel might be best known as the unruly brothers that took the British music scene by storm in the mid 90s to early 00s.

But before their meteoric rise to stardom, their band at the time was called 'The Rain'. That doesn't sound quite right, does it?

Well evidently, they thought the same.

On April 28 1991, Noel was working as a roadie for Inspiral Carpets at the time and they were playing a gig in Swindon, at the Oasis Leisure Centre.

Liam came along to the concert and was taken with the name Oasis after seeing it on a poster, suggesting to Noel that it would be a better fit for their own band.

Noel was initially not that keen, thinking Oasis sounded more like a reggae band’s name. However thankfully, he was eventually convinced and decided to give the name a go when they returned to 'Man-chest-ah'.

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The rest as you say, is history.

Oasis went on to sell more than 25 million albums under their new name but, sadly, never played a gig at the venue which inspired it.

The closest they ever got to performing at their namesake was in 2011 when Liam's breakaway band Beady Eye played a gig there.

Recently a campaign group called Save Oasis Swindon stressed concerns that the leisure centre had been 'airbrushed' out of maps and signs in the town centre.

“Yes, the Oasis is closed currently but it is a grade II listed landmark. Why has it been airbrushed from Swindon’s map? Ridiculous," the group posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesperson said the rebuilt Oasis would feature on the maps once it has been built and opened: “The new signage within the Railway Village is designed to highlight and celebrate Swindon’s heritage in the area and help visitors navigate historic landmarks.

“Historic England provided funding for this signage, as part of the Heritage Action Zone, and it will be rolled out across the town centre as and when regeneration schemes are completed.

“As well as highlighting historic sites and key landmarks, the signage is also designed to be changed and updated as Swindon and the area evolves in the future.

“These updates will include the Oasis development when it is complete and the leisure centre will be a prominent feature when re-opened.”