Gallagher brands Jay-Z ‘wrong for Glasto’
Rosie Swash
Monday April 14, 2008
Noel Gallagher has declared hip-hop “wrong” for the Glastonbury festival, claiming Jay-Z’s headline slot is one of the reasons tickets for this year’s event have been slow to sell.
In an interview with the BBC, the Oasis man said the festival was “built on a tradition of guitar music” which the rapper failed to fit into.
Asked by the interviewer what he made of Glastonbury’s failure to sell out, he responded: “Well, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
Gallagher continued: “Sorry, but Jay-Z? Fucking no chance. Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music, do you know what I mean? Even when they throw the odd curveball in on a Sunday night and you go, Kylie Minogue? Don’t know about that.”
According to the BBC, Gallagher, whose band Oasis headlined the festival in 1995 and 2004, also said: “I’m not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It’s wrong.”
Gallagher did not reveal the reasoning behind his statements, but was no doubt basing his comments on the many acts with a tradition of guitar music who have played the festival in recent years: acts which include Roots Manuva, the Marley family, Al Green, Mylo, MIA and Cypress Hill, who played the Pyramid stage in 2000. Not forgetting last year’s hugely successful guitar-based venture Africa Express and headlining indie act Shirley Bassey. (Ahem).
The decision to hand Jay-Z the headline slot at this year’s Glastonbury had already been the subject of criticism prior to Gallagher’s remarks, although objections were mainly confined to posts made on internet messageboards, which were subsequently reported on by tabloid newspapers.
Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis has confirmed that Jay Z will be playing the festival despite the bad coverage and told the Guardian that there were a number of reasons for slow ticket sales, predominantly the consistently appalling weather over the past few years. Eavis said the festival always attracted criticism for its headliners, but said “we have a responsibility to do something a bit different”.
Although a number of acts have already been confirmed for this year’s festival, including headliners Kings of Leon and the Verve, the full line-up will be revealed by guardian.co.uk/music at midnight on April 29. The Guardian are the official sponsors of Glastonbury festival, which takes place in Somerset from June 27-29.
