Sham train Supernova! Over a 100 £640-a-head luxury train passengers turfed out early amid fears Oasis fans would pack station
More than 100 travellers who had handed over up to £640 a head for a 'champagne supernova'-style day out were meant to arrive at Cardiff Central.
But those on board the 1930s Pullman-style 'Northern Belle' train finished their day that had involved fizz and canapes at Windsor Castle and Hampton Court by disembarking 10 miles and half an hour away at Newport instead.
The company behind the trip has accused rail bosses of 'setting up a Blunder-wall' blamed on the prospect of Oasis gig-goers taking over the main Cardiff transport hub.
Britpop chart-toppers Oasis launched their planned 41-date comeback tour - 16 years after splitting - at the Welsh capital's Principality Stadium on Friday evening.
Long-feuding brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher have been hailed for their performance and emotional reunion tipped to net each one tens of millions of pounds.
More than 70,000 audience members were there for Friday's concert, which also included support acts Cast and the Verve's former frontman Richard Ashcroft.
Oasis devotees were seen celebrating in the sunshine throughout the day ahead of the Gallagher brothers' long-awaited arrival on stage.
Yet it was the subsequent arrival of those thousands of Oasis aficionados that appears to have concerned railway officials.
An estimated 120 people were on board the Northern Belle service that has been described as 'Britain's poshest train'.
The well-dressed passengers had paid between £550 and £640 each for the trip - but instead of arriving in Cardiff in the Northern Belle's plush carriages, the last leg of the journey was in a local Transport for Wales train.
Now the firm behind the Northern Belle service has hit out at Network Rail, also punning on some of Oasis's most famous and popular songs.
A spokesman said: 'While Oasis were singing hits like Wonderwall and Don't Look Back in Anger, Network Rail were setting up a Blunder-wall which left our passengers fuming.
'The whole thing rather spoiled their Champagne Supernova.'
They continued: 'We can understand Network Rail's fears about overcrowding, but they had known about this for months - so why wait until the last minute to derail the last leg of the Belle's journey?
'Our passengers had paid more than £500 expecting a slap-up day out aboard one of the world's most luxurious trains and most dress up for the occasion.
'But they had to cut short their six-course dinner at Newport and leave the comfort of their plush seats to squash on to a regular service back to Cardiff.
'Obviously they were very disappointed and so are we especially as, with a bit of forward planning, this situation could have been avoided.'
MailOnline has approached Network Rail for comment.
Oasis lovers have been sharing online their affection for both Noel, 58, and 52-year-old Liam who appeared for the first time together since splitting in 2009.
Their set, beginning with Hello from their 1995 album (What's The Story) Morning Glory?, took in hits including Supersonic, Wonderwall and Don't Look Back In Anger.
And on the second night there Noel and Liam emerged on stage linking arms - before the younger brother let go before bowing down to his elder sibling.
Throughout their sets so far, poignant pictures of the Gallagher family's home in Manchester flashed up on the screen along with baby pictures of both brothers.
Old black and white pictures of their mum Peggy and dad Tommy were also flashed in the screen from time to time as Stand By Me played.
Ahead of their final song Champagne Supernova, Liam told the Cardiff audience on Friday: 'Thanks for putting up with us over the years - we're hard work, we get it.'
The group's next scheduled gigs include five nights at Manchester's Heaton Park, including next Friday and Saturday, then five at Wembley.
These are due to be followed by performances in cities including Edinburgh, Dublin, Toronto, Mexico City, Tokyo and Buenos Aires.
Oasis are also scheduled to play Chicago, Sydney, Melbourne and Santiago.
The two final dates are set to be in Brazilian city São Paulo on November 22 and 23.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
an hour ago
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE This is the troubling comment Kelly Osbourne made to me - and why she now faces a serious marriage dilemma after accepting her Slipknot boyfriend's proposal: RICHARD EDEN'S DIARY
Ozzy Osbourne 's concert in Birmingham on Saturday was historic not just because it reunited the original line-up of local heroes Black Sabbath for the first time in 20 years but due to it being the final performance by the heavy metal singer, who has Parkinson's disease. But for Ozzy's daughter, Kelly Osbourne, the night was even more memorable because her boyfriend, Slipknot musician Sid Wilson, proposed backstage at Villa Park.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Oasis fans miss reunion gig after fake Cardiff ticket sales
Dozens of Oasis fans who believed they had bought a private box for Saturday's concert in Cardiff say they have paid hundreds of pounds for tickets they never victims told BBC Wales they were left "gutted" and "angry" after paying Pembrokeshire-based business owner David Gray for tickets which seemingly never allege Mr Gray may have left as many as 100 people without Wales has made multiple attempts to contact Mr Gray, but he has been unavailable for comment. Dyfed-Powys Police said it was investigating reports of a ticket scam, but did not make direct reference to Mr Stephens from Crumlin, Caerphilly, paid £500 for tickets for himself and his wife, who he said was "inconsolable"."My wife, Hannah, is literally the world's biggest Oasis fan," he said."I had a call from my friend who said he knew somebody with a box and asked if we would be interested."He said it was a gentleman called David Gray. He's a client of the Principality Stadium and has held many corporate events there."I've got friends who'd been to the Foo Fighters and the rugby, all as a guest of Mr David Gray. "There were no alarm bells. There was no reason to disbelieve it, there really wasn't."Mr Stephens said after Mr Gray confirmed their tickets last summer, it was only about a week before the concert that concerns began to day before the gig, Mr Stephens and his friend decided to drive to The Speculation Inn near Pembroke, a pub owned and run by Mr Gray's family, to confront him."I introduced myself and he told me the issue was with his mobile phone, which he said was the phone which contained all of the tickets," said Mr Stephens."He actually took a call during our time in the pub from a guy flying in from Gibraltar for the gig."He said that he would meet us outside gate three at 4:30pm and he would sort it out." 'It just makes me feel sick' Mark Bonnici from Machen, Caerphilly, also said he had no reason not to trust Mr Gray, whom he said he had known for paid £1,200 for four tickets and said the experience had left him feeling "sick".Mr Gray had previously offered him hospitality tickets for the rugby, which he went to without he asked him if he was interested in Oasis tickets, Mr Bonnici said yes and transferred the money."He said his phone was playing up and he couldn't transfer the tickets," Mr Bonnici Mr Stephens, he was told to meet Mr Gray outside gate three of the stadium. "There was no sign of him and his phone has been switched off ever since," he Stephens decided to call the hospitality account manager for the Principality Stadium on the Saturday morning, while on his way into Cardiff to try to find out whether his tickets were genuine."He broke the rather unfortunate news that the booking didn't exist in his name," he WRU has been asked whether or not Mr Gray has ever held a box at the Principality Stadium."I was annoyed, my wife was inconsolable. She was so looking forward to this," said Mr Stephens."As the day unfolded, it became very clear through a series of Facebook posts that not only did he sell 33 seats for the one box, he sold it over and over and over."The last count as of this (Monday) morning was 87 tickets. A lot of very angry people".Mr Bonnici also said it only became clear many others had been affected after his daughter posted on social media and contacted hospitality at the Principality groups of other people had been waiting for their tickets in the same location, he said."I'm probably more disappointed than anything," he said. "This is someone I know, I've known for years." Mr Stephens claimed that after the unprecedented demand for Oasis tickets led to significant price rises last summer, Mr Gray increased the prices he was charging to between £900 and £1,000 per said he believed that overall, fans had lost out to the tune of "tens and tens of thousands of pounds"."I think the biggest issue is, for all of these fans, they didn't get to see Oasis", he said."And because it's sold out, they won't get to see Oasis."It's more that than the money for me".Mr Stephens and his wife remain determined to get to an Oasis concert this year and have booked tickets to see the Gallagher brothers on the US leg of their tour in Los Angeles."Hopefully these ones are genuine," he said.
BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Wales' tourism tax plans set for go-ahead in Senedd vote
A new law allowing councils to tax people staying overnight in Wales is set to be passed by the Senedd on staying in hotels could have £1.30 per night added to the cost of their stay if the plans go hope the tax will raise as much as £33m a year to support and improve tourist destinations, but businesses worry it might put visitors Welsh Conservatives vowed to scrap the tax if the party wins the next Senedd election. Plaid Cymru support for the legislation means the Welsh government has the numbers it needs to get the law through the the plans, those staying in hostels and campsites would pay 75p per person per night, while people staying in all other accommodation would pay the higher charges are subject to VAT, while children under 18 will be exempt at hostels and campsites. Plans for a tourism levy were promised in Labour's 2021 Senedd election manifesto, and in the party's now-defunct co-operation deal with Plaid were drawn up following growing concerns about the impact of tourism in some Welsh would be up to individual councils to decide whether to levy the charges, which would be introduced in 2027 at the authorities could also decide after a year to increase the charges, in agreement with the Welsh councils have said they have no plans to introduce the levy, including the Vale of Glamorgan, Rhondda Cynon Taf and council's leader Huw Thomas has said he wants to introduce the policy in the capital, and Anglesey has backed the idea in principle according to Walesonline. Under the legislation, councils have to spend the cash on managing and improving tourist destinations. This could be things such as toilets, promoting the Welsh language, footpaths, beaches and visitor centres, but what the cash ends up funding will ultimately be up to councils to decide. The Welsh government has estimated that the levy could generate £33m a year if all councils took it up. An impact assessment drawn up for the law said the number of visitors could fall as a result of the suggests that, in the most optimistic case, the levy could lead to 100 new jobs overall, but in the worst could see 390 fewer for how much it will benefit or hit the economy range from a boost of £10.8m, to a reduction of £7.3m, when public spending is taken into adding on how much might be spent by the public sector as a result of the levy, estimates range from a £9.1m hit to the economy, to a £26.8m hit. 'Long ceased to be a tourism tax' Among those concerned with the plans have been the Welsh Tourism Alliance, who say that the way the bill has been drafted means councils do not need to focus on tourism when they decide how to spend the Mid Wales Tourism group's Suzy Davies said the levy had "long ceased to be a tourism tax" because it would apply to "staying in visitor accommodation for any reason". The Welsh Conservatives vowed to scrap the plans before they come into force, should they form a government after the next Senedd election. Shadow finance cabinet secretary Sam Rowlands said the plans "will harm the economy to the tune of tens of millions of pounds and hundreds of jobs every single year".Plaid Cymru's Luke Fletcher said the law would allow councils "to start the journey towards a sustainable tourism sector that works both for tourists and businesses alike".Reform UK, which is hoping to win seats in the Senedd for the first time next May, said the tax would "hurt local businesses and cost rural jobs".Plaid Cymru's Luke Fletcher said the law would allow councils "to start the journey towards a sustainable tourism sector that works both for tourists and businesses alike".Accommodation providers will also be required to join a register under the law, which will be voted on by the Senedd on Tuesday Secretary Mark Drakeford said: "We think it is fair visitors contribute towards local facilities, helping to fund infrastructure and services integral to their experience."Visitor levies are common around the world, benefiting local communities, tourists and businesses - and we want the same for Wales."
