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Fundraiser launched for family of man who died following fall at Oasis concert

Fundraiser launched for family of man who died following fall at Oasis concert

Sunday Worlda day ago
Lee Claydon was attending one of the groups come-back shows at London's Wembley Stadium
Lee Claydon died at the gig in London on Saturday
A fundraiser has been launched for the family of a man who died following a tragic fall at an Oasis concert in London last week.
Lee Claydon from Bournemouth died after he tumbled from an upper tier balcony at Wembley Stadium on Saturday night.
His brother Aaron has now set up a GoFundMe to raise money for the father of one.
'Hi everyone, my name is Aaron Claydon and I have set up this gofundme page for Amanda, Harry, Matthew and James who have very sadly and tragically lost their Dad, partner and also my brother Lee, the man I have always looked up to,' the page reads.
Lee Claydon died at the gig in London on Saturday
News in 90 Seconds - Tuesday, August 5th
'Our family has been turned upside down and are struggling to deal with this devastation and unexpected loss.'
'Lee leaves behind his Son, Dad, Partner , Brothers, Sisters, Nephews and Niece.'
Aaron described his brother as a 'loving family man who was a role model to his son Harry and was loved so much by all his family.'
'Lee would have done anything for any of us and he was taken from us far too soon and we will miss him so very much,' he added.
'Lee loved all outdoor activities, one of his favourite hobbies was fishing. He also loved music and his guitar.
'He also really enjoyed going to watch and support the boys and his nephew at their football games.
'Amanda and the boys have our full support at this very sad time which is why we would love to be able to help them financially as well as emotionally,' a statement on the page continues.
'Please help us raise as much funds as we can to take one worry off Amanda and family right now as they are going through any family's worst nightmare.'
In a statement issued over the weekend, Oasis stars Liam and Noel Gallagher expressed their shock and sadness at the tragedy.
'We are shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan at the show last night.
"Oasis would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person involved.'
It's understood that Lee was sitting in the upper tier of the stadium, some 170ft above the ground.
Emergency services rushed to the scene, but he was sadly pronounced dead.
In a statement on Sunday, a spokesperson for Wembley Stadium said: "Last night, Wembley Stadium medics, the London Ambulance Service and the police attended to a concert goer who was found with injuries consistent with a fall.
"Despite their efforts, the fan very sadly died.
"Our thoughts go out to his family, who have been informed and are being supported by specially trained police officers.
"The Police have asked anyone who witnessed the incident to contact them.'
The concert was the bands fourth of seven gigs at the London venue as part of their sold-out reunion tour.
The brothers are set to play Croke Park in Dublin on August 16th and 17th.
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'We just got lucky': Tales from the Cork lads who ran merchandise stalls for Oasis in the 1990s
'We just got lucky': Tales from the Cork lads who ran merchandise stalls for Oasis in the 1990s

Irish Examiner

time7 minutes ago

  • Irish Examiner

'We just got lucky': Tales from the Cork lads who ran merchandise stalls for Oasis in the 1990s

Morty McCarthy remembers the first time he met one of the Gallagher brothers. It was February 1992, and the Cork man and his band, the Sultans of Ping, were sharing a bill with fellow Leesiders the Frank and Walters at the Boardwalk venue in Manchester. A local lad by the name of Noel popped up during the soundcheck to say hello. He'd been rehearsing in one of the other rooms with an unsigned group he said were called 'Oasis', and wanted to reacquaint with the Franks, a band he'd previously worked with as a roadie. Little did anyone there know that the 'sound' 21-year-old and the four lads banging out tunes in the basement were on their way to becoming the biggest band in Britain. Or that McCarthy would have a front seat on the Oasis rollercoaster. As the Sultans' career plateaued, the Greenmount drummer ended up working with the Manchester band's merchandise material in the era when they exploded onto the scene. His switch of career to the merchandise world originated in his Sultans days when, as the non-drinker in the band, McCarthy was the designated van driver. During a period of downtime in early 1994, he heard that their merchandise company Underworld needed somebody to ferry gear to various gigs. McCarthy signed up, and drafted in his childhood pal Damien Mullally when an opening came up for somebody to look after the company's London warehouse. 'Underworld were probably the biggest merchandise outfit in the UK at the time,' recalls McCarthy. 'We just got lucky, because we all started working literally a couple of months before the whole Britpop thing broke. And Underworld not only had Oasis, they also had Pulp.' Liam and Noel Gallagher messing about at Knebworth in 1996. Mullally and McCarthy enjoyed working in the merchandise, travelling to gigs and making the most of life in London. In true Cork style, they'd even managed to secure jobs in Underworld for a few more of their mates from home. Not that it was all plain sailing. There was still an element of anti-Irish feeling in the UK in the mid-1990s – especially in the wake of the IRA bombing of the Bishopsgate financial district in 1993 – and going around in a van full of boxes meant the Cork duo were regularly stopped and questioned at police checkpoints. 'We also got a bit of it around Abbey Wood where we lived, but things were much better when we moved to Hackney, which was more multicultural,' says Mullally. Meanwhile, between April 1994 and the release of Definitely Maybe at the end of August, a real buzz was building around Oasis. The three singles Supersonic, Shakermaker, and Live Forever, had been hitting incrementally higher chart positions, and the album went straight to number one in the UK charts. The Gallagher brothers had arrived. For the Cork duo, the gigs they worked were getting ever busier, and the few dozen t-shirts and other bits they'd previously sold were now getting to hundreds and even thousands of units. Underworld realised they were going to need a bigger boat. Or at least a decent lorry. This created a bit of a conundrum as nobody in the company had the special licence required in the UK. Step forward the lad with the Irish licence which, at the time, was universal and didn't need the special HGV training. 'I'd never even sat in the truck before,' recalls McCarthy, now 55, of the day they went to hire their new vehicle from a yard near King's Cross. 'I just thought, how hard can it be? We got in and the first thing I did was hit a barrier. I was just thinking 'I'm not going to be able to reverse this. So whatever we do, we'll just have to drive it forward'. I suppose we had this 'It'll be grand' attitude. I wouldn't do it at this age!' Morty McCarthy on a merchandise stall back in the 1990s. Life on the road was a mixture of good fun and hard work. Depending on the tour, Mullally and McCarthy would sometimes be living on the crew's bus, or other times driving to venues themselves. Of course there were some late nights and partying along the way, but the Oasis entourage also had a serious work ethic. 'If everybody knew that did a couple of days off, then there might be a big party and a bit of a blowout. But a lot of the time, people were up early to get set up at the next venue, and working long hours through the day. You wouldn't have been able to do your job if you were partying all the time,' says Mullally, now working at the Everyman theatre in Cork. 'People got on very well on tour. You knew you just couldn't be invading people's private space or doing the langer in any way.' The band themselves travelled in a different bus, but both Mullally and McCarthy recall the Gallagher brothers as being down-to-earth lads who were always pleasant to deal with. 'I think because we were Irish, that helped too,' says Mullally. 'Yes,' agrees McCarthy. 'I even remember Noel joking with us about Taytos and Tanora!' He does recall a friendly disagreement before a gig in Bournemouth when Liam Gallagher fancied his footwear. 'We had this Dutch driver who used to come every week delivering merchandise, and he used to sell Adidas off the back of the truck. I'd bought this pair of orange Adidas. Liam collected Adidas trainers. He was like 'I'm having your trainers.' And I was going no, and he was like '100 quid!'.' While it was predominantly merchandise that kept Mullally and McCarthy involved with Oasis, they also dropped a load of equipment for the band to Rockfield Studios in 1995. Those sessions at the Welsh studio would of course spawn (What's the Story) Morning Glory?,the second album that would propel the band to stratospheric levels of popularity. On the road, part of the Cork duo's job was dealing with the increasing amount of bootleggers who were selling unofficial merchandise near the venues. 'We'd go out to chat to them, and then of course it'd turn out that a lot of them were friends of the Gallaghers from Manchester,' says Mullally. 'They were mostly nice guys so you'd just ask them to push back a bit – 'Just go down to the end of the road to sell your stuff'.' The mid-1990s was an era when everything was paid for in cash. This meant the two Cork lads would sometimes end up with tens of thousands worth of banknotes in cardboard boxes or plastic bags in the back of the truck or in a hotel after a gig. Liam and Noel Gallagher of Oasis arriving at Cork Airport in 1996. Picture: Dan Linehan An event like Knebworth in 1996 – when Oasis played to 250,000 people across two days – created even more issues. 'A few times a day we used to do a cash-run to get the money off the stall. Somebody would come along with a backpack and we'd stuff it with maybe 10 grand in notes," says Mullally. "You'd try to be as inconspicuous as you could walking through the crowd with that on your back, hoping that nobody comes at you.' Knebworth had 'proper' security vans taking the cash from the event HQ, but Mullally recalls the earlier days when himself and his co-worker would have to bank the money. 'You can imagine with all the stuff that was going on at the time, and two Irish guys coming into the bank with 20 grand in cash, sometimes even in deutsche marks if we were after a European tour. They'd be looking at you strangely, and you know that they're just about to push a button. But they might make a few phonecalls or whatever and we'd eventually get it done.' Knebworth is widely regarded as the high point for the band, but McCarthy also has particularly warm memories of the gig they played in his hometown just a few days later. 'I couldn't believe they were actually playing in Cork at that stage,' he says. He drove the truck from the UK via the Holyhead ferry, but as he arrived at Páirc Uí Chaoimh ahead of schedule, they wouldn't let him into the arena. Wary of leaving a truck full of merchandise parked around the city, McCarthy drove it to the seaside village of Crosshaven. 'When I got there I decided I'd leave it at the carpark at Graball Bay. I didn't even know if it'd fit up the hill but I just about managed it,' he recalls. When he went back later that evening to check everything was ok, there was a big crowd of children gathered around the emblazoned truck. 'There was a big mystery in Cork about where the Gallaghers were staying, and the word had gone around that this was their truck. One of the kids asked me 'Are Liam and Noel coming out to play?' I had to shoo them away.' Oasis merchandise has become an even bigger business since the 1990s. Picture: Lucy North/PA Those two Cork gigs were among the final dealings McCarthy had with Oasis. He has since moved to Sweden, where he teaches English, but regularly returns to the merchandising world for tours with various other bands. He's happy the Gallagher brothers are back together, and realises he was part of something special in the 1990s. 'It's hard to explain people the energy in the UK that the Britpop thing had. Musically, I didn't think it was the greatest, but the energy was phenomenal,' says McCarthy. ' I think at the time, the Indie scene was very middle class. But then along came Oasis. We probably didn't realise we were living in a golden era, but we had the time of our lives.'

Dad of man who died at Oasis gig was told 'it was an accident waiting to happen'
Dad of man who died at Oasis gig was told 'it was an accident waiting to happen'

Irish Daily Mirror

time7 hours ago

  • Irish Daily Mirror

Dad of man who died at Oasis gig was told 'it was an accident waiting to happen'

A "loving family man" who tragically fell to his death at an Oasis concert in Wembley slipped on spilled beer, his dad claims. Lee Claydon, 45, is believed to have fallen from the arena's upper tier just as the sell-out gig wrapped on Saturday night. The dad, from Bournemouth, was described as a "lifelong" fan of the Gallagher brothers and was at the gig alongside his brother Aaron, and his niece and nephew. Lee tragically died at the scene despite the best efforts of medics who desperately tried to save his life. His devastated father Clive Claydon, 75, claims his son plunged to his death after slipping on beer. "There was beer all over the floor, it was really slippery and Lee just slipped and fell," Clive said, reports The Mirror. "I've been told that it was an accident waiting to happen. It was a horrible, horrible accident. All I really know is there was beer everywhere, he slipped and we don't know the rest of it. Lee Claydon and his partner Amanda (Image: Facebook) "I wasn't there so I don't know what happened, but it will all come out. I am so devastated. I can't understand how it happened, I've never been to Wembley, but you would expect the health and safety to be good," he told the Sun. "He has never taken drugs in his life and he may have had a beer, who doesn't at a concert, but he certainly was not drunk." Lee's dad previously said his son was "a lifelong Oasis fan and he was so looking forward to going. Out of all the thousands of people there why's it got to be my son?" Paying tribute to Lee on Facebook, his cousin Shannon Gabrielle said: "Honestly don't even know what words to write right now. My cousin Lee tragically passed away this weekend after no doubt having the time of his life at the Oasis concert this weekend, most will have seen snippets in the news I'm sure and as you can imagine it has devastated the whole family and for his closest knit family unit it's the toughest time they are going through ever right now. "Sharing his go fund me page, in the hope that any donations, big or small, will go a long way towards helping his partner Amanda and the boys throughout this awful period and costs of things. You just don't fathom you will go out for a night of amazing fun and not come home at the end of it." After the news emerged, Oasis said they were "shocked and saddened" to hear of the death during their sell-out Wembley show this weekend. The band said in a statement: "We are shocked and saddened to hear of the tragic death of a fan at the show last night. Oasis would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family and friends of the person involved." Oasis at Wembley (Image: Lewis Evans/Big Brother Recordings) A spokesperson for Wembley Stadium said: "Wembley Stadium operates to a very high health and safety standard, fully meeting legal requirements for the safety of spectators and staff, and is certified to and compliant with the ISO 45001 standard. "We are regularly inspected by certifying authorities both on an event day and throughout the year, and we regularly review and test our plans to ensure adherence to the conditions set within the stadium's general safety certificate. "We work very closely and collaboratively with all relevant event delivery stakeholders - including event owners, local authorities, the Sports Ground Safety Authority and the police - to deliver events to high standards of safety, security and service for everyone attending or working in the venue." The Mirror have contacted Wembley Arena for further comment. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here. The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week

The favourites to headline as Slane Castle concerts set to return
The favourites to headline as Slane Castle concerts set to return

Extra.ie​

time8 hours ago

  • Extra.ie​

The favourites to headline as Slane Castle concerts set to return

Concerts at Slane Castle are expected to come back in 2026, on the 45th anniversary of its first ever gig. For over four decades, bands, singers and rappers have headed to the Meath castle to play one of the most iconic venues in the country, and dare we say the world, with over 80,000 revellers usually heading to the field. With Harry Styles being the last person to headline Slane in 2023, fans have been clamouring for the gigs to return — with the new lord of the castle, Alex Conyngham, confirming that he plans to bring the gigs back next year. U2 are the favourites to headline Slane next year. Pic: Han Myung-Gu/WireImage According to Ladbrokes, U2 are the hot favourites to headline Slane next year, with the odds of them performing at the Meath castle being 2/1. Bono and co last performed at Slane in 2001 as part of their Elevation tour, and haven't played in their home country since 2018 when they played the 3Arena, as part of their Experience and Innocence Tour. While most would think that, ahead of their huge Croke Park gig and after the reunion that most thought would never happen, Oasis would be a lock to play Slane — having last done so in 2009 — the brothers Gallagher are actually second favourites, with the odds of them performing at Slane for the first time in 17 years at 4/1. While the brothers Gallagher are on their insane reunion tour — which reaches Dublin next week — some believe that the band will return next year, with fingers being firmly crossed that they'll come to Slane. Pic:The lads were joined by their family members for the gig, tracing back their Irish roots as Peggy was born in Co Mayo, with Liam calling the gig 'f**king biblical' before they split two months later. Following their mammoth reunion tour, which will finally come to Dublin on August 16 and 17, fans believe that Oasis will kick off a new tour next year (including an anticipated 30-year anniversary gig in Knebworth), but Some Might Say that Slane is also on the cards. As for who else are dark horses to entertain the masses in Meath, Coldplay are coming up behind Oasis with odds of 5/1 (just don't bring the mistress), while Dublin's own Fontaines DC could take on their biggest gig ever as their careers go from strength to strength; coming in at 6/1 to headline the festival. Coldplay and Fontaines DC (pictured) are also rumoured to potentially take over Slane next summer — the latter of whom just headlined All Together Now in Waterford. Pic: Matt Crossick/Empics 'U2 are favourites to land in Meath once again and celebrate 25 years since their last appearance at the iconic venue,' Ladbrokes spokesperson Cal Gildart said. 'It's been a long while since they played in Ireland and this would be a beautiful way to return.' Following the death of Lord Henry Mount Charles earlier this year, his son Alex Conyngham confirmed that they're looking to bring the festival back for 2026; but kept mum on who could be Meath bound. 'My plan is to stage a 2026 gig in Slane, and the only thing I'm willing to confirm at this stage is our desire to do so,' Mr Conyngham said. 'We want to bring the shows back, we miss them, but it is not just about the revenue but keeping the name of Slane as a rock venue on the map.' WHO COULD HEADLINE SLANE NEXT YEAR: U2 – 2/1 Oasis – 4/1 Coldplay – 5/1 Fontaines DC – 6/1

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