Oasis could break UK seismic records once again

Oasis are back in Edinburgh this weekend, and their return to Murrayfield Stadium could break the UK seismic records once more.

Their 2009 concert at the same venue has been confirmed as the most powerful in terms of ground movement at the site in the past 20 years, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS).

Seismic data was captured by a monitoring station around 4km from the stadium.

The energy measured was not due to sound levels, but to the crowd’s physical movement, jumping and dancing to the music. Potential factors also reported were the crowd's size, weight and jump height.

“In 2009, seismic signals generated by Oasis fans were consistent with a crowd energy of 215kW at its peak – enough to power around 30 of the scooters featured on the iconic Be Here Now album cover,” said BGS seismologist Callum Harrison.

“Our network of sensors around the country is sensitive enough to pick up ground movement from a source miles away that may not be detectable to humans – and precise enough to register exact timestamps for when the events occur."

“The peak energy reading was recorded around 8:30 pm on that June evening back in 2009, which correlates to the time the band first took the stage and performed 'Rock 'N' Roll Star', which couldn't be more fitting in terms of topping our seismic music chart.”

Oasis' Murrayfield performance beat out seismic readings from Red Hot Chili Peppers in 2004, Kings of Leon in 2011 and Taylor Swift’s show last June.

Next weekend, Oasis are set to play two nights at Dublin’s Croke Park on August 16 and 17.

Their last show in Ireland was in 2009, when they headlined Slane Castle to a crowd of over 80,000.