Oasis among record number of Brits entering Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

Oasis Among Record Number of Brits in Rock & Roll Hall of Fame

This year marks an unprecedented surge in British musical talent recognized by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, with Oasis, Iron Maiden, and Sade joining the ranks of those inducted. The six British acts in the eight-member class include Manchester’s Joy Division and New Order, treated as a single entry, along with Phil Collins and Billy Idol.

Previously, the highest number of British inductees in a single year was five, set in 2019 with Radiohead, The Cure, Def Leppard, Roxy Music, and The Zombies. In contrast, 2021 saw no British performers honored at all. The 2026 class includes acts eligible 25 years after their debut, a rule that has now allowed for this notable addition.

The list was revealed during an episode of ABC’s American Idol, presented by Ryan Seacrest and judged by Lionel Richie, who joined the Hall of Fame in 2022 for his solo work. His band, The Commodores, has never been inducted. The choice of the talent show as a platform for the announcement raised eyebrows, especially since Joy Division—a famously somber Manchester post-punk group—was among the honorees.

Legacy and Unlikely Connections

Joy Division’s surviving members formed New Order, and the Hall of Fame is celebrating both acts as a unified entity. New Order later gained significant traction in the U.S., with Quincy Jones as their manager and performances at the Hollywood Bowl. Oasis, another Manchester-based act, will be inducted following their most extensive U.S. tour, which saw both nights at the Rose Bowl, a 90,000-seat venue in Pasadena, California, sell out.

“I know what the Hall of Fame is. I know what it entails, and it won’t be happening, okay? They showed me all these exhibits about Oasis. It’s a great place, but I don’t be doing it,” said Noel Gallagher in 2017 after visiting the museum in Cleveland.

Liam Gallagher’s attendance at the November ceremony in Los Angeles remains uncertain, as he once dismissed the honor as “an award from some geriatric in a cowboy hat.” Meanwhile, Sade, led by singer Sade Adu, has found greater success in the U.S. than in the UK, with Soldier of Love reaching number one on American charts in 2010 and selling 500,000 copies in its debut week. Adu, born in Nigeria but raised in the UK since age four, becomes the first British Black woman inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Iron Maiden, after being nominated in 2021 and 2023, will finally be inducted. Their lead singer Bruce Dickinson has expressed skepticism about the Hall of Fame, stating during an Australian spoken word tour: “It’s run by a bunch of sanctimonious Americans who wouldn’t know rock’n’roll if it hit them in the face.” He later told the Telegraph in 2023, “I don’t want