What do you do when your band is invited to open for Oasis? Grab a pint, of course

There’s only one thing to do when you find out you’re opening for the legendary British band Oasis – head to the pub to celebrate.

That’s precisely what Sam Cromack, frontman of Brisbane-based indie-rock band Ball Park Music, says they did when they received the call inviting them to join Noel and Liam Gallagher on tour in Australia later this year.

“Mind-boggling, full-circle moment”: Ball Park Music can still hardly believe they will be opening for one of the most legendary bands of all time.Credit: Glenn Hunt

“We’ve come to not expect these kinds of massive, mind-blowing opportunities,” says Cromack. “At first, they just say you’re in the mix with a bunch of other bands, and in the past, we’ve known that’s not good. We never come out on top. So it was truly a euphoric moment when we got the call to say the contract is signed, it’s real, it’s going ahead.”

Opening for Oasis is undeniably the biggest opportunity they’ve received since forming in 2008, says guitarist Dean Hanson. “We’ve played live so much over so many years in so many different places, so getting up in front of tens of thousands of people will be great. It feels like we’ve been practising for over a decade.”

It’s hardly overnight success. They have released eight studio albums, six of which have featured in the ARIA top five. Earlier this month their new album, Like Love, became their first ARIA Albums Chart No.1 when it debuted in the top spot, also becoming the first Australian No.1 this year. They’ve done more than 500 live shows, including at SXSW in Texas, and will set out on a Like Love national tour in May.

But supporting Oasis is next-level – Ball Park Music will be playing huge stadiums (Marvel in Melbourne and Accor in Sydney). If these spaces are even a third or half full by the time the band begins playing, Cromack says it will still be their largest audience by far.

As nerve-racking as this may sound, he says the stage, regardless of its size, will always be a safe space.

Ball Park Music has been around for nearly two decades, but this year has been their biggest yet – by far.Credit: Glenn Hunt

“You don’t go into this line of work unless you have some kind of rock star ego and ambitions. There’s a part of you that’s always been waiting to step out on that stage and strut your stuff,” Cromack says. “But no one wants to see an Oasis cover band get up there. So we’ve got to be true to ourselves and our own artistry, play the songs we’re proud of and that have worked for us all these years.”

This is also important for Australian music more broadly, Hanson adds. Local acts have been sinking further down Triple J’s annual Hottest 100 list, streaming fragments audiences, and iconic Australian venues shutter, such as the Gasometer Hotel in Melbourne and Brisbane’s The Zoo.

Ball Park Music will open for Oasis in October and November this year.

“Reaching new fans is becoming more and more difficult by the day, and we have so much incredible music being made here at home in Australia,” he says. “It’s also difficult to export music overseas from this giant island in the middle of the ocean, so putting the spotlight on some of our great homegrown talent right here, right now can give us all a massive boost.”

Among the efforts to support local artists is the Association of Artist Managers’ Michael’s Rule campaign – named for the late Hoodoo Gurus manager Michael McMartin – which is seeking a mandate that Australian artists must be included on international tours as an opening or supporting act. Such rules within the arts feel like “sacrilege” to Cromack, but he says he understands the need.

“It’s not about saying Australian music is better than anyone else’s, but rather celebrating it because it is indeed ours. It celebrates who we are,” he says.

“This rule could have systemic benefits. We’re not so idealistic to think we can just plod on and it’ll all work out, or the cream will always rise to the top. If we don’t have policies like this, we can expect to see Australian culture increasingly stuck in a fight to survive.”

Despite how big this opportunity is for Ball Park Music and the industry, Cromack says they’re trying to keep their expectations in check.

“It’s a bit like looking forward to your birthday. Sometimes you get very excited, but the party ends up leaving you with mixed emotions … But it is a mind-boggling, full-circle moment. I remember little Sam with his eyes glued to the TV watching Rage, just waiting for the Oasis songs to come on. It’s hard to put the excitement into words.”

Ball Park Music will open for Oasis in Melbourne from October 31 to November 4, and in Sydney on November 7 and 8.

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