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The Battle, a new comedy charting the bitter rivalry between 90s Britpop bands Oasis and Blur, is heading out on a UK tour in 2026, prior to a run in the West End.

The Battle will open at Birmingham Rep on 11 February 2026, and then tour to Leicester, Manchester, Bromley, Woking, Cheltenham, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Sheffield, Ipswich, London Richmond, Glasgow, York, Norwich, Nottingham, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Brighton, and Chester. See all dates here.

Dates and venue for the West End run are to be announced.

Written by former indie rocker and A&R executive John Niven (Kill Your Friends), the comedy will be directed by Matthew Dunster (2:22 A Ghost Story, The Hunger Games on Stage).

The Battle is produced by Life of Pi producers Melting Pot (The Girl on the Train, Ghost Stories, Paranormal Activity ), the new name for Simon Friend Entertainment, Birmingham Rep, and Gavin Kalin.

Joining Matthew Dunster in the creative team are Set and costume design by Fly Davis, Lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, Sound design by Ian Dickinson, Video design by Tal Rosner, and casting by Claire Bleasdale.

The project was initially announced back in August.

The Battle is billed as a wickedly funny dive into one of the greatest rivalries in rock history, featuring legendary personalities and unforgettable clashes.

Set in London in 1995, and mostly based on real events, two of the country’s biggest bands release singles on the same day, beginning the battle of Britpop. On one side, clean-cut, art-school Londoners Blur. On the other: raw and unapologetic lads from Manchester, Oasis.

Rivalries flare, friendships fracture and at the centre of it all a mania that would define an era.

There’s no current news on casting for the show, including the roles of Noel and Liam Gallagher, Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Alex James, and Dave Rowntree.

Neither Oasis nor Blur will be involved in the production.

The Battle is announced as Oasis’ Gallagher brothers, Liam and Noel, are reconciling on a major tour this year, starting in Cardiff on 4 July.

Matthew Dunster is a busy man at the moment, currently directing a revival of Patrick Marber’s Dealer’s Choice, which is now playing at the Donmar Warehouse in London. He is also directing Lily Allen in Hedda, in a new adaptation by Dunster of Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler, opening at Theatre Royal Bath’s Ustinov Studio from 25 July 2025.

In the autumn, his new production of The Hunger Games on Stage, written by Conor McPherson, is coming to new East London venue the Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre.

Book The Battle tickets – UK Tour

The Battle – 2026 Tour Dates

Birmingham Rep
Wednesday 11 February – Saturday 7 March

Leicester, Curve Theatre
Tuesday 9 – Saturday 14 March

Manchester, Opera House
Tuesday 17 – Saturday 21 March

Bromley, Churchill Theatre
Tuesday 24 – Saturday 28 March

Woking, New Victoria Theatre
Tuesday 31 March – Saturday 4 April

Cheltenham, Everyman Theatre
Tuesday 14 – Saturday 19 April

Edinburgh, Festival Theatre
Tuesday 21 April – Saturday 25 April

Cardiff, Wales Millennium Centre
Tuesday 28 April – Saturday 2 May

Sheffield, Lyceum Theatre
Tuesday 5 – Saturday 9 May

Ipswich, Regent Theatre
Tuesday 12 – Saturday 16 May

London, Richmond Theatre
Tuesday 19 – Saturday 23 May

Glasgow, Theatre Royal
Tuesday 26 May – Saturday 30 May

York, Grand Opera House
Tuesday 9 – Saturday 13 June

Norwich, Theatre Royal
Tuesday 16 – Saturday 20 June

Nottingham, Theatre Royal
Tuesday 23 – Saturday 27 June

Milton Keynes Theatre
Tuesday 30 June – Saturday 4 July

Newcastle, Theatre Royal
Tuesday 7 – Saturday 11 July

Brighton, Theatre Royal
Tuesday 14 – Saturday 18 July

Chester, Storyhouse Theatre
Tuesday 28 July – Saturday 1 August

What They Said

Writer, John Niven, said: “1995: a time long before music splintered into a billion different Tik Tok 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 and a director as talented as Matthew.”

Director, Matthew Dunster, said: “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.”

Producer, Simon Friend, 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.”

Co-Producer and Artistic Director of the Birmingham Rep Joe Murphy, said:”Bringing the World Premiere of The Battle to The Rep is genuinely so exciting. This chart battle rocked the nation and quite literally defined a generation and I already know that our audiences are going to have the time of their lives being taken back to the rivalries, the chaos and the big personalities that made it all so unforgettable.”

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Main photo: The Battle - Set to tour and play the West End in 2026

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