Noel Gallagher, the notoriously outspoken Oasis guitarist, criticised the organisers of the Glastonbury Festival yesterday for featuring the American rapper Jay-Z as a headlining act, declaring hip-hop "wrong" for the annual event.
Gallagher said the festival was "built on a tradition of guitar music", and that the scheduled
appearance of a rap star on the central Pyramid stage could be the reason why tickets for the summer festival had not yet sold out.
"If it ain't broke, don't fix it," he said. "If you start to break it then people aren't going to go. I'm sorry, but Jay-Z? No chance."
Gallagher added: "Glastonbury has a tradition of guitar music and even when they throw the odd curve ball in on a Sunday night you go 'Kylie Minogue?' I don't know about it. But I'm not having hip-hop at Glastonbury. It's wrong."
This year, there were 100,000 tickets sold for Glastonbury on the first day but in past years all tickets have sold out in a matter of hours. Oasis appeared as the headline act on the Pyramid Stage in 1995 and 2004.
The Somerset festival, which prides itself on its "inclusiveness", has showcased a range of musical acts since its inception in 1970, from Al Green to Fatboy Slim.
A festival spokesman yesterday defended its choice of musical acts in line-ups of the past and present. "In its 40-year history, Glastonbury has always been about the event, the location and the breadth of the bill," he said.
"It's a celebration of people at different stages of their career. Jay-Z demands to be heard and he is an incredibly important figure in America.
"Oasis have enjoyed some of the greatest moments of their career at Glastonbury. They are a part of history. So is Jay-Z."
Black and urban acts have proved popular at Glastonbury. Last year, East London rapper Dizzee Rascal played with Sheffield-based guitarist band Arctic Monkeys. He is set to headline the Park stage this summer.
The full line-up will be announced on May 1.
- INDEPENDENT
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