The manager of Glasgow’s King Tuts has stated that Alan McGee signed him because Oasis weren’t up to their standards the day they played.
When they begged to appear onstage the night they secured a record deal, Oasis were polite and “not very rock’n’roll.”
The night the Gallagher brothers were signed to Creation Records by Alan McGee at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut is part of rock ‘n’ roll folklore, but the legend that they threatened to smash up the venue if they didn’t get to play has been debunked by the venue’s owner Geoff Ellis.
The date was May 31, 1993 and Oasis turned up to the Glasgow live venue with fellow Manchester band Sister Lovers but had no place on the bill. The story goes that Liam and Noel Gallagher made it clear they would wreck the place if they didn’t get to play and the promoters relented and their four-song set – which included Rock ‘n’ Roll Star – impressed the watching McGee so much that he told Noel he wanted to sign them on the spot.
Now, Geoff, the CEO of King Tut’s for 35 years, claims that this is a rock ‘n ‘roll myth to make Oasis seem like a dangerous band. Liam and Noel were politely asked if they could play and agreed to pay for a few beers as a fee.
According to Geoff, who appeared on The Money Trench podcast, Ali Murdoch, our venue manager, called to say, “Look, there’s an extra band turned up for tonight, they’ve turned up with Sister Lovers who are from Manchester as well.” Additionally, they desire to play. Do you approve of that?
“Well, yeah, I mean, can our sound engineer handle four acts,” I said. He responded, “Yes, that’s no problem; we just need your consent.” No pun intended. So I simply responded, “Well, you know, but we’re not paying them by the way.” But I responded, “Give them some beers, look after them.”
When Creation’s press officer at the time, Andy Saunders, who I had been at Middlesex Poly with, came up with a good story about them threatening to do whatever to the venue if they didn’t get on the bill, you know, but that was a great story because they politely asked, “Is it OK if we go on?” didn’t have the same “rock and roll” sound!
Geoff also defended the pricing of tickets for the Oasis Live 25 shows – some of the most expensive and sought after tickets for gigs this year. Geoff, who is promoting Oasis’ shows in Scotland, insists the pricing was fair as demand was more for the Oasis then it was for Taylor Swift ’s record-breaking Eras Tour. He said: “Demand wise there’s been nothing like it. I was told that the demand for tickets massively exceeded Taylor Swift, which was phenomenal demand as well, you know.
The phrase “artists need to earn money, and they should do it, and that money enters the ecosystem. You are aware that ticket prices are generally higher than they were a few years ago. However, the industry continues to use that money.
“It’s going on, the PRS is getting their share, and HMRC is getting their share.” Additionally, there is less leakage in the secondary market and less dumping there. You’re aware that that money also trickles down to the rest of the ecosystem.
The Gallagher brothers will perform for the first time in 16 years, according to the promoter, who claims the Oasis shows will be a music event unlike any other.
He added, “What’s exciting, in my opinion, is all the newcomers who haven’t seen Oasis, because they were either born after they split up or because they were too young to go.” And to hear those kids excited, they’re really excited, they’re 18; my son’s daughter is 21; and they’ve purchased tickets. They have never seen Oasis. They have seen Noel, Liam, and Oasis, but they have never seen them. They are excited, which is great because live music keeps people upbeat.
Noel and Liam will walk on stage for the first time together in public, since the band split nearly two decades ago, on July 4 at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium. There will also be dates in Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin as part of the tour.
Source: Mirror
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