The return of Oasis brings back the ‘mod,’ the hairstyle of rock rebellion

There are musical styles that are linked, in the collective imagination, to certain hairstyles. Is anyone capable of thinking of reggae without associating it with dreadlocks or heavy metal without imagining long hair? The most iconic performers have a signature hairstyle: from The Prodigy’s Keith Flint to Bon Jovi to the side-swept fringe of the teenaged Justin Bieber, various musical legends have been associated with a certain hairstyle, in turn making it fashionable. From Louise Brooks to Jennifer Aniston, from Farrah Fawcett to Marilyn Monroe, many celebrities have become instantly recognizable with the simple strokes of their hairstyle. If women achieve this more often in the movies and television, men tend to dominate music.

“We notice this a lot in the salon. International catwalks advance many trends, but the fan phenomenon has an incredible impact,” says Noelia Jiménez, a stylist and owner of a hair salon that bears her name. “Many people want to look like their idols; they identify with them, they like their style and they try to emulate them both in the way they dress and in the way they do their hair. They become authentic symbols of cultural identity.”

The return of Oasis is responsible for the mod cut making a comeback. The Gallagher brothers’ hairstyles were a modernised version of the Beatles’ mod cuts from the 1960s and now generation Z is embracing these hairstyles again, giving way to what journalist Lara Olszowska has dubbed in The Standard as Liamgallaghercore in honor of the band’s vocalist. In fact, it is his sons, Lennon and Gene Gallagher, who have ensured that their father’s esthetic remains intact despite the passing of the years, and TikTok tutorials to achieve the singer’s hairstyle are a hit. “The younger ones haven’t seen it very much and that’s why I’m convinced that they’re going to love it. Considering how daring they are, they’re going to take it to another level. Second-hand shops are going to be a delight this coming season. The mod is a very wintery look and that always works,” explains Luciano Cañete, co-founder and director of the Cortacabeza hair salons.

Anatomy of a haircut

The success of this haircut is not only due to the fact that Oasis have announced a series of concerts in 2025, 15 years after their split: even before the announcement, public figures such as Australian actor Jacob Elordi had already popularized the mullet again. Its motto, “business at the front, party at the back,” is one of the reasons for its popularity, and after having exhausted all possible versions, says Cañete, the next logical cut to triumph was the mod. “This hairstyle is characterized by sideburns and napes full of hair and bangs, either straight and thick, or with a thick front part on one side, with a very pronounced part and that coif effect for both on the crown. The Gallagher brothers and the return of Oasis have dusted off the mod style again. They have opted for short, marked bangs, a short top part of the head and sideburns and nape of the neck that are full, somewhat longer, and close to the head,” the stylist explains.

Adrián Pardo, an expert colorist and director of the Adrián Pardo Hair Studio in Málaga, Spain, says that this cut is characterized by shorter sides and nape. It is not the easiest in the world to create: it requires scissors and a lot of skill. “You should avoid using machines that could give an overly polished finish,” he warns. Don’t try it at home: the mod hairstyle is defined with scissors and precision. Journalist Guy Trebay explained in The New York Times that when the British band’s hit album, Definitely Maybe, was released in 1994, Oasis were the standard-bearers of a class that was still recovering from the aftereffects of Margaret Thatcher’s systematic dismantling of the British social safety net. “Spitting profanities, with lips curled in a sneer and hair roughly parted, they conveyed the most essential element of rock identity: rebellion,” Trebay says. It is easy to connect the dots to find another moment of youth disenchantment when, with a not-so-elegant hairstyle and a twisted expression, young people can once again indicate, without quite saying it, that they are not happy.

Liam Gallagher surprised everyone by walking the catwalk for Versace in 1996 and founding his own clothing brand, Pretty Green, which he left when it was bought by JD Sports in April 2019, and is now the face of Stone Island. His children have taken over from the singer in the world of fashion. Lennon has represented Burberry and is the face of the Rokh and H&M collaboration, while Gene has posed for Adidas and Paul Smith. The reason why both young and old can pull off the mod cut is that, as Pardo points out, it can be “a great ally when it comes to hiding receding hairlines, since generally, the fringe is thick and combed forward. As for features, we must bear in mind that the upper volume will flatter faces with greater volume in the lower third,” he clarifies. Jiménez adds that the contrast of the cut is ideal for visually correcting certain defects, as it manages to divert attention from the problematic areas and direct the gaze to the most attractive ones. “In addition, as it is a graduated cut, it lasts longer and is very easy to maintain,” he says.

Liam Gallagher is proud of almost all of his haircuts. When asked to rate 10 of his most iconic styles in NME magazine, he only rejected three of them, and of two he claimed that the barber had got it wrong or failed to interpret “his George Harrison mode.” The Oasis cut not only influences men’s styles, but Chanel opted for hairstyles with this esthetic in its autumn/winter 2024/2025 collection, it has influenced the heartthrobs of Emily in Paris and Kristen Stewart, a fan of the group, opted for the look at the Berlinale. 2025 could be the mod year. If you were thinking of selling the Harrington in your closet, think again. Or, as Oasis would say, don’t look back in anger.

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