Rock band Royal Blood have scrambled to reschedule a run of gigs they had to cancel after testing positive for Covid – but a lot of fans say they’re ‘disappointed’ and have blasted the ‘p*ss poor’ planning of the new dates.
The duo were supposed to perform at the AO Arena in Manchester last Saturday, 2 April.
But lead singer Mike Kerr announced that they had to postpone the show, writing: “This morning I’ve woken up to discover I have lost my voice. Unfortunately, this isn’t something I can ‘power through’, I currently cannot sing a single note. My voice has gone.”
He added: “I’m absolutely gutted. We were having the time of our lives up there, and your support and passion is not taken for granted for one second.”
The statement issued at the time stressed that the band and its management would ‘work as hard as we can to reschedule to shows for as soon as possible’.
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Royal Blood. Credit: Publicity picture
It’s a promise they stuck to, with new dates now announced in just a few days’ time.
Royal Blood are now going to be on the stage in Manchester on Monday 11 April, also announcing new dates for Glasgow and Leeds.
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Despite the speed at which the shows have been rearranged, some ticket-holders are unhappy, saying it’s ‘nowhere near enough notice’ and adding it’s ‘really poor’.
One person said to the band on Twitter: “Surely not, less than 1 weeks notice?! I’ve just spent over £200 to go to Manchester this weekend for the concert not to take place, cannot afford to do that’s again especially on a week day.”
Someone else said: “So you cancel and then give people a week’s notice to book time off work and make arrangements?! Yeah excellent.”
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Credit: Wikimedia Commons
Others were unhappy that the gig is now on a weeknight rather than a Saturday, with one ticket-holder saying: “You don’t wanna mention how to get refunds for these gigs you’ve moved from the weekend to weekday with one f***ing weeks notice then?”
One person Tweeted: “This is a shocking, what are you guys thinking ? Been excited about seeing you live for a long time but with such late notice I won’t be able to get it off work, place will be half empty with all the refunds.”
Another commented: ‘Not happy at all. It was a Saturday in Manchester, now a Monday. With a week to go? What about work, childcare, travel arrangements? And no refunds. Sorry, but that’s not great at all…my favourite band, but this leaves a sour taste.”
Lots of people are delighted they’ll get to see Royal Blood so soon though.
One person pointed out: “Shouldn’t we just be happy bands are back touring and take covid postponements with a pinch of salt? I had 36 shows rescheduled due to covid, some I could make and some I couldn’t. Surely we haven’t already forgot how much we took live music for granted?”
One Twitter user reasoned: “I’m gutted cos i won’t be able to make it to the rescheduled date, but looking at the touring schedule the guys have for the next few months in usa/Canada and the Europe until June I can see why it’s been done like this.”
And another said: “Well done lads for getting this on so quickly. I’m on leave next week so good times incoming. As for the naysayers, look at their tour schedule for next few months, chill your beans and am sure you’ll get a refund.”
Ticket-holders who can’t make the new dates are advised to contact their point of purchase for information.
Featured image: Publicity picture
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Oasis finally confirm ‘private ballot’ ticket information for reunion tour
Daisy Jackson
Oasis have just announced more information about how tickets will be sold through a ‘private ballot’ for their extra reunion tour dates.
The group added two additional shows at Wembley Stadium after their initial 17 gigs across London, Manchester, Dublin, Edinburgh and Cardiff generated huge demand and sold out in a day.
Oasis and Ticketmaster came under fire though for the use of dynamic pricing, which saw ticket prices shoot up by hundreds of pounds by the time people made it through the online queues.
For these additional reunion tour dates at Wembley, ticket sales will look a little different.
They’ll be using a ‘private ballot’, which will give first dibs to those who missed out on the first ticket sale.
You’ll only be invited to register for the sale if you signed into your Ticketmaster account on Saturday 31 August, and joined a queue for a specific show.
And you’ll only receive an invitation if you DIDN’T manage to bag tickets the first time round.
THEN you’ll be able to register for the actual ballot, which still doesn’t guarantee you a ticket but does at least get you into a (hopefully less lengthy) queue.
“Invitations to enter the private ballot will be sent overnight tonight (Saturday) to eligible fans we have been able to identify.
“If you signed into your Ticketmaster UK account on Saturday, 31st August, and were able to join a queue for a specific show, but didn’t get a ticket-then you may be eligible to take part and will receive an email on how to register for the ballot.
“Keep an eye on the inbox associated with your Ticketmaster account, and don’t forget to check your junkmail.
“Once successfully registered, you will be entered into the ballot for a code for access to the final Wembley on sale.
“Due to the demand for the shows and to avoid last week’s long queues, codes will be strictly limited. Entry to the ballot does not guarantee you will receive a code.
“The ballot is only open to invited fans. You must register with the email to which your invitation was sent and which is registered with your Ticketmaster account.
“All other entries will be discounted. If you do not receive an email then unfortunately you will not be eligible for the ballot.
“You will be automatically discounted from the ballot, even if you go through the registration process.”
Featured image: Simon Emmett
News
Manchester Airport named UK’s worst in annual Which? survey for third year running
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Airport has officially been declared the worst airport in the UK, according to a new survey by Which?… yet again.
The summer travel season may be drawing to a close now, with hundreds of flights having taken off and landed in our region over the last couple of months, but for any Greater Manchester holidaymakers who are still yet to jet off, an annual ranking by consumer choice group Which? has proved to be pretty grim reading.
That’s because several terminals at the UK’s third largest airport have found themselves at the bottom of the list in Which? latest findings.
Manchester Airport has hit back at the survey and defended itself, saying its own passenger surveys suggest people are “much more positive” about the airport, adding that it was “proud to give people in all parts of the North easy and affordable access to nearly 200 different destinations across the world”.
For its annual survey, Which? spoke to nearly 7,000 passengers to gather feedback about their experiences of flying from UK airports over the last 12 months, and asked them to score the airports across 11 categories.
Manchester Airport has been named the worst in the UK for the third year running / Credit: The Manc Group
Some of these categories including seating, staff, toilets, and of course, the queues we all dread at check in, bag drop, passport control, and security.
And just like in both 2022 and again in 2023, it was Manchester Airport Terminal 3 that ranked right at the bottom, receiving the lowest customer satisfaction score of 37%.
Manchester Terminal 1 ranked one place above that with a score of 40%, while Manchester Terminal 2 was a little further up the the list with a score of 51%, and just saw Luton Airport, London Stansted, and Belfast International Airport sandwiched in between it.
According to Which?, some of the complaints it received about Manchester Airport from passengers who responded to the survey this year was that older people struggled with long walks due to travelators being broken since 2021, difficulties with finding a seat, and “horrendous” queues with people apparently being “corralled like cattle”.
As mentioned though, Manchester Airport has slammed Which?’s findings in a formal statement.
The UK’s third largest airport has hit back at the survey results and defended itself / Credit:
Describing the survey as “disappointing to see”, Manchester Airport’s statement reads: “We understand not every experience is perfect and want all passengers to feel able to raise their concerns directly with us. That is why we speak to them on a daily basis, surveying hundreds of people a month to get in-the-moment feedback from a full range of perspectives.
“That is in stark contrast to Which?, which conducted a tiny and unrepresentative survey of its members six months ago, asking them to recollect airport experiences that could have been as far back in time as April 2023.
“Which? fully understands that its readers form a narrow group of passengers whose views cannot in any way be taken to represent those of the travelling public at large, but chooses to promote its survey findings as if they do.”
Manchester Airport says it’s disappointing see Which? “chase cheap headlines” with its “sensational and over-simplified characterisation of airports” and the different roles they play, adding: “To make matters worse, it has printed inaccurate statements about our facilities and security waiting times that paint a more negative picture than reality.