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Johnston Press The Edinburgh Evening News

Noel Gallagher bans Edinburgh Evening News critic from Usher Hall concert over negative album review

By Hamish Mackay

November 1, 2011 | 3 min read

Edinburgh Evening News music writer Gary Flockhart has been banned from a Noel Gallagher concert after writing a disparaging review of the former Oasis star’s latest album.

Flockhart was banned from the Usher Hall concert after describing the singer’s High Flying Birds album as a ‘letdown’ in a column last week - pointing out that Gallagher had not written a great album for 16 years.

Reporting the ban today, media website HoldTheFront Page, explained that after a request for press tickets, Flockhart 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.

The Johnston Press-owned title was told that tickets would be available for any other reviewer at the newspaper other than Flockhart.

Flockhart is quoted as saying: “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, is quoted as commenting: “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.”

HTFP recalls that this is not the first time that the Gallagher brothers have been involved in “spats” with regional journalists.

It says that 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.’

Johnston Press The Edinburgh Evening News

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