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Regional journalist banned from Gallagher gig

A journalist on a Scottish regional newspaper has been banned from a Noel Gallagher gig after writing a negative review of the former Oasis star’s latest album.

Edinburgh Evening News chief music writer Gary Flockhart was banned from the concert at Usher Hall in the city after describing the singer’s High Flying Birds album as a ‘letdown’ in a column last week, adding that he had not written a great album for 16 years.

After a request for press tickets on Monday, Gary was told by Simon Blackmore from the singer’s PR company Black Arts that there were no spare tickets and the review he had written had not helped his cause.

According to the Johnston Press owned title, tickets would have been available for any other reviewer on the paper.

Gary said he was shocked by the reaction as it was not a scathing review.

Said Gary: “This is a man who has spent his entire career slagging off other artists – he obviously doesn’t like it when the shoe is on the other foot.”

Tom Little, editor of the Evening News, said: “Personally, I think Noel Gallagher is a fine artist and songwriter, but it sounds like he needs better PR.”

“Maybe Mr Blackmore and I should do a job swap – he can choose who does our music reviews and I can travel round the world and party with Noel.”

This is not the first time that the Gallagher brothers have been involved in spats with regional journalists.

In 2007 Aberdeen Evening Express reporter Steven Henry wrote a review of an Oasis concert saying that Liam Gallagher didn’t talk to the audience enough – prompting a sarcastic reaction from the frontman at a gig the following night in which he started asking audience members their names and what they had done that day.

Then in 2009 we reported that Manchester Evening News columnist Angela Epstein had upset the band after complaining that they were holding a concert in her local park.

In retaliation Liam dedicated the song Cigarettes and Alcohols to her on the opening night of the tour. She responded in her column by saying she didn’t even know he could read.

Noel then responded through the band’s blog calling her a ‘ginger whinger’ and ‘joyless old husk.’

18 comments

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  • November 1, 2011 at 9:21 am
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    ‘Edinburgh Evening News chief music writer’

    How many work in the music writing department?

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  • November 1, 2011 at 9:24 am
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    Ah diddums, poor old Noel. I printed a photo of him walking on a railway line while recording in Cornwall, which caused a minor furore. I suddenly found myself slapped with a letter from Oasis’ solicitor ordering me not to print the photo again.
    Maybe Noel should spend more time writing a decent song rather than haranguing regional journalists.

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  • November 1, 2011 at 9:35 am
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    Why would a big name like Gallagher worry about an album review in small paper like the Edinburgh Evening News? He had some favourable stuff in the nationals. Perhaps he should have a word with his PR bods as it all sounds a bit petty.

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  • November 1, 2011 at 9:38 am
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    Noel and Liam vs Regional Press – a resounding victory for the Gallagher boys.

    ‘Joyless old husk’ – excellent put-down.

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  • November 1, 2011 at 10:02 am
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    As a Freelance Writer myself, I feel he should have been given the Press Pass. Maybe the Music Writer for the Edinburgh Evening News would have made a retraction after hearing them live. Instead his PR rep would not allow this journalist access to the show. Now it is giving Noel Gallagher a worse reputation to his fans. His PR reps are going to have to step up a bit now and take some responsibility because this could be bad news for album and concert sales.

    All they had to do was give him the Press Pass…..

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  • November 1, 2011 at 10:03 am
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    Why would a reviewer choose to go to a gig they probably won’t like, offer it to someone in the office who would have liked it. It’s a bit like me going to a JLS concert, I’d hate it, but others may like it. Sounds like a self important music writer glory hunting the high profile gigs

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  • November 1, 2011 at 12:50 pm
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    Ha! Great comments from the Oasis fans but seriously – the whole thing makes Noel look like an idiot who should have a thicker skin.

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  • November 1, 2011 at 2:04 pm
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    If I was a multi-millionaire rock star of international renown – which, incidentally, I am not – and some hack stuck his knife into me and slagged me off for not having done anything worthwhile for 16 years, I’d ban him out too.

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  • November 1, 2011 at 3:53 pm
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    So he wasn’t banned at all. There just weren’t enough free tickets to go round. Bit harsh to start gunning for the poor PR.

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  • November 2, 2011 at 11:20 am
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    Nioel, Don’t Look Back in Anger. Just Acqueisce to the journalist’s request…….

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  • November 2, 2011 at 1:50 pm
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    The good journalist wasn’t being self-important: just doing his job, he’s paid to review and whether anybody likes his review or not, it’s irrelevent.
    Same as Noel Gallagher, paid to write good material and entertain people…whether it does or not, irrelevent.
    He’s the one being self-important.

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  • November 2, 2011 at 3:54 pm
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    The thing I’m thinking – request for tickets put in on Monday. Gig on Thursday. A bit late notice for a major attration playing a reasonably small venue – I can imagine it was oversubscribed.

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  • November 3, 2011 at 11:47 am
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    So he wasn’t banned, he just didn’t get a free ticket. On that basis I’ve been banned from most of the concerts I’ve ever seen.

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