August 31, 2010 16:34

Axl Rose tweets: 'Guns N' Roses weren't late at Reading And Leeds Festivals'

Frontman says the band played within allotted changeover time

Photo: Tom Martin/NME

Axl Rose has claimed that Guns N' Roses were not officially late for their Reading And Leeds Festivals performances last weekend (August 27 and 29).

At the Reading Festival on Friday, the band went onstage an hour after their scheduled start time, and the plug was pulled on them before they could break the noise curfew. At Leeds Festival on Sunday, they came on half an hour after their scheduled start and complained onstage at not being allowed to play for as long as they wanted to.

Rose has again taken to Twitter.com/axlrose to offer an extended take on his views on the situation.

"Our start times at the Reading And Leeds Festivals factually had nothing to do with us as the previous bands came offstage when they did and we went on within our contracted and documented changeover time period," he wrote this afternoon (August 31).

He added: "If you are aware of our changeover time, the average length of our show and the general nature of how these types of festivals run all of which are no big secrets... why book us?"

He went on to suggest that the promoters of the festivals had disrespected Guns N' Roses fans by pulling the plug.

"Is it [booking the band] simply because the lineup on our nights at both festivals sold well?" he wrote. "So it's a cash grab with no respect for the fans or the band and somehow an unwanted inconvenience for the cities and law enforcement."

Reading And Leeds Festivals boss Melvin Benn told NME that the issue was simply down to the noise curfew.

"We have a curfew and I wasn't able to extend the curfew so we had to stop," he said after the Reading Festival performance. "It's straightforward stuff, really. Every band is under the same curfew restrictions. It's not about one band or another band."

Watch the full video interview with Benn by clicking on the right.

Head to NME.COM/festivals for full Reading And Leeds Festivals coverage including news, reviews, videos and picture galleries.

Plus make sure you buy this week's issue of NME to get the definitive review of Reading And Leeds Festivals, either on UK newsstands from September 1 or digitally worldwide.