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Sixteen years after Oasis last played Buenos Aires, Benjamin Rock, a painter based in Manchester, has found himself standing beneath a vast new mural of the band, fielding a stream of strangers who stop to photograph him as much as the artwork. 

“It’s all a bit of a dream,” he said, looking up at the finished wall. And it’s not hyperbole. In the past 72 hours, his work has been shared by both Gallagher brothers, endorsed by Oasis’ media team, and celebrated by the Buenos Aires community, who helped make the project possible. The legendary Richard Ashcroft even swung by for a snap. 

Benjamin Rock in Buenos Aires

Oasis fans gather at the Mural site in Buenos Aires

Benjamin first encountered the Buenos Aires Oasis mythology the same way many British fans did: through shaky YouTube videos of the band’s 2009 show. “I loved the crowd, the energy, everything,” he said. “I told myself: if they ever get back together, I want to be in that crowd.” When reunion dates were announced this year, he acted on that teenage promise, but he also decided to do something more ambitious.

In Manchester, Benjamin (aka @SketchMCR on Instagram) is best known for his Oasis-themed paintings and mural work around the city. He’s also a cofounder of @muralofmusic Over the summer, he held exhibitions at the Definitely Maybe Bar and later at Croke Park in Dublin. While in Ireland, he draped an Argentina shirt around his neck, “trying to attract Argentinian fans,” he said, although he admits he wasn’t yet sure why. Back home, he put out a message on Instagram asking whether anyone in Buenos Aires could help him create “something special” during the band’s visit.

Richard Ashcroft at the Mural

The response was immediate. Within two days, a WhatsApp group he created for potential collaborators had grown to 800 members. Today, it sits at more than 18,000. “Argentinian Oasis fans are different,  they just get it,” he said. “Everything has been done out of love for the band.”

The road to Buenos Aires

Fans get stuck in at the mural site

Rock built a small team from the group: local artists, volunteers, and a social-media manager who coordinated posts from Buenos Aires. Sponsors in the UK, Wonderwall Beer, Lyreco, and B4 Basics,  covered his travel and materials. The photographer Lawrence Watson, famed for his work with Oasis as well as Michael Jordan and numerous hip-hop artists, flew out to document the project.

Rock arrived in Buenos Aires late on a Wednesday. On Thursday morning, under the dense spring heat, he and four other artists began scaling and sketching the mural. The process took hours; the painting took days. Crowds gathered almost immediately. Fans played Oasis songs through portable speakers, sang, filmed, and, at times, overwhelmed the artists. “It was chaos,” Rock said, “but the good kind.”

By Saturday, the mural was ready for its public reveal. On Sunday, Oasis’ official media team arrived to film their own unveiling, prompting a second day of flares, crowds and celebration. 

Noel and Liam love the mural

Later that evening, the mural appeared on social media feeds belonging to both Noel and Liam Gallagher. Rock learned of this mid-interview. “I couldn’t speak,” he said. “It doesn’t feel real.”

Rock plans to remain in Buenos Aires until mid-December. He will then travel to São Paulo to see Oasis again, his 11th time,  and paint outside the stadium. When asked why the band matters to him to this extent, his voice shifts. “They’re my life,” he said simply. “They’ve got me through good times and bad. And it sounds daft, but their lyrics, we can make it happen, I’ve always believed that.”

Standing under a mural now photographed by hundreds of locals and blessed by the Gallaghers themselves, he adds: “And somehow, here I am.”

Ben would like to give a huge shout-out to Maca and all the team at Mural of Music (click here for their Instagram) and Macainconcerts (click here for their Instagram)

You can check out Benjamin Rock’s work on his Sketchmcr Instagram by clicking here

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