Stereophonics star Kelly Jones: Justin Bieber deserves a slap
STEREOPHONICS frontman Kelly Jones has blasted Justin Bieber, saying he deserves “a slap” for turning up two hours late to his own show on Monday night.
The teen brat sparked uproar when he arrived on stage at London’s O2 Arena at 10.20pm, forcing scores of fans to leave early to catch trains home.
Bieber has since claimed the delay was down to “technical issues” – but Welshman Kelly revealed in a live webchat with The Sun that the singer has got no excuses.
He said: “If you can’t turn up and get on stage on time then you deserve a slap.
“There’s no excuse for that. He’s probably got about 80 people around him, and if none of them have got a watch with all the money he’s got then something’s wrong, isn’t it?
“The kids that are coming to his shows have got school in the morning. He should be ashamed of himself.”
He continued: "Rebelling and the pressures of fame are different from not showing up on time.
"You can rebel in the hotel room, in many ways. You can rebel in the red light district if you want to, Justin - you don’t have to do it in the O2.
"He’s just a kid but I don’t care how old he is – he should still be able to tell the time."
Kelly also admitted his footie star pal Wayne Rooney would have been gutted to have watched Manchester United’s Champions League defeat to Real Madrid from the bench.
He said: “We watched the second half of the game after our gig in Paris. I think he’d probably be very disappointed.
“But he’s a good guy – he’s been coming to our gigs since he was 17.
“If he does leave United I think he should come to Leeds United because we could do with all the help we can get at the moment.”
The singer/guitarist took part in a live chat with readers on Wednesday - and you can watch the full interview below.
He popped by The Sun HQ two days after the release of the Welsh band’s eighth album Graffiti On The Train.
The ten-track collection is the band's first since 2009’s Keep Calm And Carry On.
Written by Kelly and produced by the rocker and Jim Lowe, Graffiti On The Train is arguably the Stereophonics’ most stripped-back and honest effort to date.
They’ve picked up praise for their lightness of touch on the cinematic tracks, allowing Kelly’s soaring vocals to take centre stage.
There’s also a new maturity to the band, placing greater emphasis on finesse and song-writing craft than heavy riffs and distorted guitars.
Speaking about the album’s making, the 38-year-old previously said: “I found myself walking into a studio with 40 unfinished ideas, rather than ten finished ones.
“And by doing that, the songs became way more unpredictable.
“The band and everyone involved had a good time doing it because we knew we were doing something we hadn’t done before.”
This coming August will mark 16 years since the release of Stereophonics’ debut album Word Gets Around.
The collection launched them to prominence, peaking at No6 in the UK charts.
Their next five albums – Performance And Cocktails (1999), Just Enough Education To Perform (2001), You Gotta Go There To Come Back (2003), Language. Sex. Violence. Other? (2005) and Pull The Pin (2007) – all shot straight to No1.
They’ve also released 29 singles, ten of which have charted in the top 10 – including fans’ favourites The Bartender And The Thief, Just Looking, Pick A Part That’s New and Dakota.
The original band – Kelly, Richard Jones and Stuart Cable – formed in the Welsh village of Cwmaman in 1992.
They started out as a covers band, called Tragic Love Company, before changing their name to Stereophonics.
Aside from the success of their albums, Stereophonics have built up a reputation for being one of the best live bands on the scene.
Such is their popularity, they have landed headline slots at festivals including Reading and Leeds (2000), Glastonbury (2002), V festival (2002), Isle Of Wight (2004 and 2009) and Oxegen (2010).
They’ve also sold out Cardiff City Stadium, Donington Park, the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Morfa Stadium in Swansea and Cardiff Castle.
In September 2003, drummer Stuart was sacked by the band – reportedly because of his lack of commitment.
Tragedy struck on June 7, 2010, when Stuart was found dead at his home, aged 40.
He had choked on his own vomit following a heavy weekend drinking session.
Javier Weyler took over from Stuart for 2005’s Language. Sex. Violence. Other? and played with the band until Jamie Morrison was announced as his replacement last September.
Stereophonics also added another guitarist to the line-up, Adam Zindani, in 2007 after the former Casino frontman joined them onstage for their Pull The Pin tour.
Away from the band, Kelly released a solo album, Only The Names Have Been Changed, in 2007.
He’s also a big football fan, supporting Leeds Utd, and is a mate of Wayne Rooney.
The England striker even had the title of Stereophonics album Just Enough Education To Perform tattooed on his arm.
Kelly has two daughters, Lolita Bootsy and Misty, with former girlfriend Rebecca Walters.
He’s currently dating MTV journalist Jakki Healy.
The Sun
