Rockers Oasis say banned by China over Tibet concert

Tuesday, March 03, 2009

AFP
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Noel Gallagher, right, and Liam Gallagher of British band "Oasis" perform during the television show "Wetten Dass..?" (Bet it..?) in the western German city of Duesseldorf, Saturday Feb. 28, 2009. (AP Photo/Ina Fassbender, Pool)

SHANGHAI (AFP) — British rock supergroup Oasis say Chinese authorities have banned them from performing in the country because guitarist Noel Gallagher played at a Free Tibet benefit concert 12 years ago.

In a statement posted on their website, Oasis said they were disappointed that authorities had cancelled two shows -- April 3 in Beijing and April 5 in Shanghai -- that would have marked their debut in mainland China.

"The Chinese authorities' action in cancelling these shows marks a reversal of their decision regarding the band, which has left both Oasis and the promoters bewildered," the group said.

Calls to China's Ministry of Culture went unanswered Tuesday and the shows' Chinese promoters distanced themselves from the band's statement.

Luo Xiaochuan, a spokesman for the promoters, told AFP they cancelled the concerts because business had been hurt by the economic crisis.

The move came with tensions surrounding Tibet especially high ahead of the March 10 anniversary of a failed 1959 uprising against Chinese rule that ended with revered spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fleeing into exile.

Gallagher, Oasis' main songwriter, performed some of the group's hits in a solo appearance at a Tibet Benefit concert in New York in 1997.

"Officials within the Chinese Ministry of Culture only recently discovered that Noel Gallagher appeared at a Free Tibet Benefit Concert... and have now deemed that the band are consequently unsuitable to perform to their fans," the band said.

They said they were informed on Saturday that the government had ordered a stop to ticket sales, with refunds going to those who had bought tickets.

The band's performing licence, which had been approved, was also revoked, they said.

Live performances in China are tightly regulated, where authorities have toughened restrictions after a Shanghai concert last year by Icelandic singer Bjork, who shouted " Tibet!" at the end of the song "Declare Independence".

Tibet remains an extremely sensitive issue in China amid allegations by the Dalai Lama, and other Tibetan exiles and activists, of Chinese repression in the Buddhist Himalayan region.

Oasis are one of the most successful British rock bands ever, selling tens of millions of albums worldwide after emerging in the early 1990s.