Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs leaves Oasis tour for cancer treatment
Oasis rhythm guitarist Paul ‘Bonehead’ Arthurs has announced that he is now leaving the band’s reunion tour to undergo prostate cancer treatment.
The founding member of the band, best known for providing the crunch on tunes like ‘Champagne Supernova’, had been diagnosed with cancer in early 2025. Although he has announced his plans to leave for some of the tour dates, he has assured fan that this is not intended to be a massive sabbatical from the group.
In a post on social media, Bonehead said that he was “responding well” to treatment but had been given doctor’s orders to take time off to recuperate from treatment, saying, “I am having to take a planned break for the next phase of my care, so I’ll be missing the gigs in Seoul, Tokyo, Melbourne, and Sydney.”
This is also not the first bout with health issues Bonehead has had over the years. After being diagnosed with tonsil cancer in 2022, the guitarist said that he was given a clean bill of health after undergoing treatment in June of that same year.
While he did apologise to the fans, Bonehead promised he will be “back and ready to go in time for South America.” Additionally, the band sent a follow-up message to the guitarist’s post on social media, saying, “Wishing you all the best with your treatment Bonehead – we’ll see you back on stage in South America.”
Despite leaving the band in 2000, Bonehead had played a big part in Liam Gallagher’s solo years prior to their 2025 run of shows. Aside from being interviewed alongside the frontman for the Supersonic documentary in 2016, he also appeared in the video for Liam’s song ‘Better Days’ and would be a constant with him on his tour for the album C’Mon You Know.
That leaves Noel Gallagher on rhythm guitar for most of the shows and Bonehead‘s replacement, Gem Archer, rounding out the band. As of yet, there has been no word if anyone is coming in to replace the guitarist’s spot in the group for the dates he cannot attend.
Although there have been no new dates announced for the band’s plans in 2026, the band have hinted that they are going to have a big announcement in the near future. While Liam had said that fans should be ready for news in the next few months, he also alluded to the idea of them returning for more dates at their final gig at Wembley Stadium, where he proclaimed, “See ya next year” before their final song.
See their remaining tour dates below.
Oasis tour dates 2025:
October
- 21st – Seoul, Goyang Stadium
- 25th – Tokyo, Tokyo Dome
- 26th – Tokyo, Tokyo Dome
- 31st – Melbourne, Marvel Stadium
November
- 1st – Melbourne, Marvel Stadium
- 7th – Sydney, Accor Stadium
- 8th – Sydney, Accor Stadium
- 15th – Buenos Aires, Estadio River Plate
- 16th – Buenos Aires, Estadio River Plate
- 19th – Santiago, Estadio Nacional
- 22nd – Sao Paulo, Estadio MorumBIS
- 23rd – Sao Paulo, Estadio MorumBIS
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