NOEL Gallagher’s PR team banned a Scottish journalist from a gig after he wrote a critical review of the former Oasis frontman’s latest album.
Gallagher played atEdinburgh’s Usher Hall on Thursday night, but the music journalist for the city’s evening newspaper was shut out.
Gary Flockhart had branded the musician’s High Flying Birds a “letdown” and a “big disappointment” in column last week.
In the article, Flockhart said that “any argument that Noel is Britain’s best song-writer died a long time ago”, and added that many other artists, including Thom Yorke, Morrisey and PJ Harvey, regularly “trump” the Mancunian in the song-writing stakes.
The article also stated that Gallagher had only written two great albums, with the last coming 16 years ago, and criticised the guitarist for failing to evolve musically.
But the review did not entirely savage the album and conceded that the “record is no stinker” containing “some nice tunes”.
However when the reviewer requested press tickets for the recent concert Gallagher’s PR agents.
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Black Arts PR stated: “Sorry Garry – not going to be able to spare any (it is ridiculously over subscribed and can’t fit everybody in). That piece you wrote about him last week didn’t exactly help your cause to be honest.”
It is understood that tickets would have been available to any other reporter on the paper.
Speaking today, Mr Flockhart said he was “shocked” by the reaction as he did not consider his article to be particularly scathing.
He said “Noel is a great musician, and I’ve no doubt he would have put on a great show.
“He would have been judged on the gig itself, not the new album.
“This is a man who’s spent his entire career slagging off other artists – he obviously doesn’t like it when the shoe is on the other foot.”
The newspaper’s editor, Tom Little, added: “Personally, I think Noel Gallager is a fine artist and songwriter but it sounds like he needs better PR. Black arts indeed.
“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.”
Blackmore PR were unavailable for comment.
