Oasis sue to stop sale of 'Desk Tapes' — 209 unheard recordings worth up to £1.6m pulled from auction

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026 · last updated 1 October 2026.

Oasis have filed an injunction to block the sale of a large archive of secret recordings, forcing Littleton Auctions in Worcestershire to withdraw the collection from its 3 October sale. Known as The Desk Tapes, the archive spans 63 live shows, more than 100 hours of rehearsals and soundchecks, and unguarded exchanges between Noel and Liam Gallagher captured straight from the sound desk during the 1990s.

Among the 209 tapes is believed to be the only known recording of Oasis's legendary 1996 Loch Lomond concert.

The archive was gathered by former sound engineer Huw Richards and brought to sale by his son Owain, who confirmed: 'Oasis have sued me and my father to try to prevent the auction.'

Oasis retain the intellectual property rights, meaning any buyer could not release the recordings without the band's cooperation.