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Noel Gallagher has claimed that the current indie rock scene is so boring that he would rather 'drink petrol' than listen to an interview with the Artctic Monkeys.
In an interview with London's Evening Standard to promote his forthcoming appearance at Calling Festival, Gallagher expressed his frustration about the lack of personality in the indie charts.
“There doesn’t seem to be any characters any more," he said. "When you have proper characters, the music sort of becomes secondary - it looks after itself. Look at bands like The Smiths and The Jam - all great characters.
Gallagher then, somewhat unfairly, singled out Alex Turner as exemplying the worst elements of the lack of character in modern music. “I would rather drink petrol straight from the nozzle at a garage than listen to an interview with Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys. Wouldn’t you? Alternative thinking is on its way out. They just don’t make for great copy. Is it any coincidence that all the indie labels got bought up by the major labels and things have started to get boring?”
Gallagher, clearly warming to his theme, also complained that the Brit Awards has lost his edge - and singled out James Blunt for further abuse. “I remember the Brits in 1994 - we were all shit-faced on drugs. The new names like James Blunt, Ed Sheeran and Jessie J - hey defer to the [record] labels. The bands that I grew up with had a healthy dose of indifference and contempt towards their labels. That has gone.”
Meanwhile, Noel launched his new album with an intimate show at London's Tuffnell Park Dome last night. Read our report here.
Gallagher releases new solo album Chasing Yesterday on 2 March before embarking on a UK tour. Full dates are below. For tickets and information, visit here.
Belfast, Odyssey Arena (March 3)
Dublin, 3 Arena (4)
Nottingham, Capital FM Arena (6)
Glasgow, The SSE Hydro (7)
Manchester, Arena, (9)
London, O2 Arena (10)
Gallagher will also be performing at Calling Festival in Clapham Common on 4 July. Tickets go on sale on 6 February. For tickets and more information click here.
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