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Is it April Fool's Day?

Jason Carter's picture

The Guardian reports that Babyshambles have been stopped from performing at a festival:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2008/aug/20/petedoherty.festivals

"Experts are telling us that the profile of fans that follow Pete Doherty and Babyshambles is volatile and they can easily be whipped up into a frenzy, whereas the profile of someone that would follow around Cliff Richard or Bucks Fizz, for example, is completely different."

You what?

0

That is... not to put too fine a point on it...

bollocks.

I am especially intrigued by these so-called 'experts' that were consulted. Who they?

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Patrick Crowther | 20 August 2008 - 8:58am

He

probably wouldn't have showed up anyway.

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eddie g | 20 August 2008 - 9:34am

Has there ever been another performer...

with a similarly miniscule talent who has generated as much press as Pete Doherty?

I'm struggling to think of one...

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Patrick Crowther | 20 August 2008 - 9:53am

Sid Vicious

Not noted for his musical ability.

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LOUDspeaker | 20 August 2008 - 10:03am

No...

he most certainly wasn't.

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Patrick Crowther | 20 August 2008 - 10:06am

To Be Fair...

...Sid never touted himself as the poet laureate of the punk generation.
He was a just a daft lad who got lucky/unlucky.

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Mr Drayton | 20 August 2008 - 2:26pm

And I don't think

he was particulalry feted in his lifetime, the rock icon myth seemed to grow after his death.

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Retro Man | 20 August 2008 - 2:35pm

His version of 'My Way'...

was rather splendid, to be fair...

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Patrick Crowther | 20 August 2008 - 7:12pm

How about

Lily Allen? Or the Kings of Leon?

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eddie g | 20 August 2008 - 10:05am

I was convinced..

I was reading a report from the 1950s! It sounded like what they used to say about early rock 'n' roll gigs! I especially like the line "They speed up and then slow down the music and create a whirlpool effect in the crowd. They [the crowd] all get geed up and then they start fighting." I also wouldn't think that Bucks Fizz would be a better choice as surely they would be a mass outbreak of skirts being ripped off during 'Making Your Mind Up?!'

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humphreym | 20 August 2008 - 10:18am

I like the bit where he was "livid"

about the gig being cancelled - what about the number of times he has cancelled gigs or not appeared?

I don't think it's just my age, I'm not frowing on the rocknroll outrageous lifestyle - but I just cannot see any talent in this bloke at all, musically or lyrically. I mean, take away the junkie behaviour and tabloid friendly lifestyle - what is it that exactly makes him interesting?

Is there someone here who can explain the appeal? I'm not taking the piss, it's like sometimes a good art critic can make you see a painting that you've never been keen on and you can suddenly appreciate it.

The hilarious police report reminds me of the reaction to the Sex Pistols and scenes outside the venues where the Sex Pistols played on their Anarchy Tour - groups of worried parents, clergymen and councillors all gathered outside singing hymns to ward off the evil punk rock spirit.

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Retro Man | 20 August 2008 - 10:58am

I blame MTV

for giving him his first taste of "fame"

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Beany | 20 August 2008 - 11:13am

The festival itself has been cancelled

The line-up included: The Australian Pink Floyd, Ozric Tentacles, Zenyth, Curiosity Killed the Cat, Shakatak, Heaven 17, Go West, and Imagination.

Can't think why it didn't sell out - perhaps the Babyshambles story is a load of cobblers? Do you really need to send an intelligence expert in to tell you Babyshambles are a bit of a state? Would it have been a story had they said "Shakatak admit having Hell's Angels As Security was 'A bad idea'", "Rioting Disrupts Imagination's Performance", "It's War! Go West and Curiousity Killed The Cat 'refuse to share the same beer tent'"

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lovelyian | 20 August 2008 - 12:02pm

Oh yes

from the BBC:

"Despite the fact that only 150 tickets had been sold for the 5,000-capacity festival, Mr Green said he was certain more would have gone if the band had played.

"Sales have been increasing quite dramatically and we were expecting quite lot of people to turn up at the gate as well."

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Jason Carter | 20 August 2008 - 12:21pm

Awww...

if Johnny Hates Jazz had played I might have gone...

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Patrick Crowther | 20 August 2008 - 1:13pm

I like the last quote

Williams denied his force had offered a deal or had anything against the singer. He had never heard Doherty's music, he said. "Public safety is our primary concern."

Never heard his music? Count yourself lucky Mr Williams!!!

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Gordon Kerr | 20 August 2008 - 1:02pm

Another one bites the dust

In the latest, and presumably last, twist in the Rock'n'Roots saga, the festival has been cancelled once again.

The organisers were unable to obtain a licence to hold the event at the original venue near Much Marcle, and were originally forced to cancel last week. However, it looked like the festival was back on after negotiating a last-minute change of venue to Chepstow Racecourse.

However, due to the loss of a major headliner (Marillion) and a large number of refund requests, the organisers confirmed today that Rock'n'Roots will no longer be going ahead.

The organisers have said that they intend to take legal action against the decision by Herefordshire Council who decided not to grant a licence for the event. "(The council) has no moral or commonsense values, in fact just the opposite as many small business people will be hurt and some crippled with this. We are"

So it had nothing to do with the weather or the unruly crowds expected to see Jefferson Starship?

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Beany | 20 August 2008 - 2:49pm

That's brilliant

So we aren't allowed music which might make us feel excited?

Darn it, I'll have to go and hide my CD collection now before the police turn up.

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Dr Yang | 21 August 2008 - 10:25am
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