5FM DJ Gareth Cliff kicked off the 2009 Coca-Cola Zero Fest press conference at the Radisson Hotel in Sandton by poking fun at the ‘fiery Gallagher brothers’ from Brit super-group Oasis. ‘They haven’t had a fallout as yet but they did take separate flights, separate cars and separate lifts on the way to this conference,’ he joked, referring to the siblings’ much-publicised, volatile relationship. He then mock-cautioned the audience to turn off their cellphones or face the possibility of having a microphone thrown at them by oldest Gallagher sibling, Noel.
Of course, Gareth made mention of 'unstable rock stars' from the bands Bullet For My Valentine and Red Jumpsuit Apparatus who cancelled their appearances at the last minute much to the dismay and outrage of their local fans and organizers, Big Concerts. Attie van Wyk, Big Concerts’ managing director, admitted they’d been ‘devastated’ when these bands had cancelled a week before the fest, especially considering they’d spent a year approaching 37 international artists to star at the fest.
‘Bullet For My Valentine used the excuse that they hadn’t completed their new album so we told them that Metallica had been in the same boat when they’d come to play in SA but that hadn’t stopped them from climbing on a plane and living up to their contractual obligations,’ van Wyk said.
Thankfully, though, ticket sales hadn’t been adversely affected by these cancellations as thousands of concertgoers were expected at Riversands Farm in Fourways, Johannesburg, and at Lourensford Wine Estate in Somerset West, Western Cape. Also, Panic At the Disco, Snow Patrol and Oasis had agreed to play slightly longer sets to make up for the missing bands, van Wyk added.
Next up on stage at the conference were local bands Zebra & Giraffe, Cassette, One Day Remains and Evolver, who all agreed they were pumped to be sharing the stage with these top international acts.
Las Vegas rockers Panic At The Disco were met with much applause when they took the stage. When asked what they’d been doing since they arrived the day before, guitarist and lyricist Ryan Ross said they’d been ‘drinking wine, eating seafood and sleeping’.
‘Yeah, it took us about two weeks to get here,’ quipped Jon Walker. Asked about where they got their inspiration for their songs from, they replied that it came from movies, books, people being creative and ‘whatever makes you think… or not’. One journalist wanted to know what their favourite SA music was and, typically, Ross said he’d listened to Paul Simon’s Graceland a lot and really loved Ladysmith Mambazo.
Snow Patrol’s frontman Gary Lightbody seemed rather taken aback by the enthusiastic applause they got when his band trooped onto the stage, and sincerely thanked the media for the ‘great reception’ in his lovely, lilting Irish accent. There wasn’t a journalist in the room who wasn’t immediately taken in by the frontman’s friendly, engaging and sincere personality.
When asked if their show the following day was going to be moody or more upbeat, Lightbody promised a ‘bipolar show'. 'We may all cry together or maybe three of us will be happy while three of us are sad,’ he joked. When asked how they felt about their hit single 'Run' being ‘hijacked’ by Leona Lewis, Lightbody diplomatically answered, ‘She’s got a brilliant voice and she made the song her own. When a song gets that popular everyone is allowed to do with it what they please.’ When asked about what they thought of Oasis, Lightbody quipped, ‘They’re the funniest band in the world. Noel certainly has a way with words and doesn’t care who he offends. He’s a whirlwind. We’re still very polite.’ Asked about touring with U2, Lightbody admitted, ‘It was an incredible experience and we learnt from the masters.’ In fact, U2 has invited them to tour with the band again this year. ‘The superstars you see onstage aren’t who they are backstage – they don’t swan around,’ added Lightbody.
Only Oasis guitarist Noel Gallagher strode onto the stage sporting his trademark sunglasses, but he certainly stole the show with his sharp replies and irreverent wit. (Liam was next door being interviewed for 5FM.) Contrary to expectations, the older sibling wasn’t gruff, monosyllabic or even vaguely aggressive – in fact, he had the room in stitches from the very start and was decidedly generous even asking one of the festival’s Superfans to accompany the band the following day in singing 'Wonderwall' and even offering to answer more questions. He was asked what the inspiration was for 'Wonderwall'.
‘It was such a long time ago,’ he admitted. ‘I could be one of those rock stars and bullshit you but I’m not going to. I have absolutely no idea. We may have nicked some of the lyrics… I was probably drunk at the time.’
When asked which of their albums was the most fun to make, he had the crowd giggling when he answered, ‘Be Here Now was the most fun, which is why it sounds the worst.’ He proclaimed that Oasis ranked seventh in the Top 10 British bands of all time with the bands’ mightiest influence, The Beatles, in the top spot – and there isn’t anyone who would dare contest his proclamation.
When asked by Gareth Cliff why he’d got into music, Gallagher replied that it wasn’t to ‘get the girls’, the reason the Sex Pistols got into music, he said.
‘I came from a working class background where you faced unemployment or joining a street gang. I certainly didn’t get into music for the art – I wanted to get rich,’ he stated matter-of-factly.
Gallagher finished the press conference off with some sage advice on how to survive your family and sibling tension. ‘Ignore everything you say to each other at all times and communicate through the media,’ he quipped and once again had his rapt audience giggling appreciatively.
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* Read our interview with
Gary Lightbody