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The ticketing system for gigs, including next summer’s Oasis concerts, is “broken”, a senior executive at a resale site has told Sky News.

Matt Drew, who oversees business development at Viagogo, said Saturday’s sale of tickets for the band’s first gigs in 16 years “descended into chaos”.

Thousands of fans were left angry and frustrated in their efforts to buy tickets for the concerts in the UK and Ireland next July and August.

Many entered hours-long virtual queues to buy tickets on Ticketmaster, GigsAndTours, and See Tickets, only to find prices balloon into the hundreds of pounds by the time they could buy them, with others missing out completely.

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‘Dynamic pricing’: What can be done?

While defending Viagogo, where tickets were advertised for more than £2,000 shortly after going on sale on the “primary market”, Mr Drew said: “It’s a system that isn’t fit for purpose.”

“It’s clearly broken, and bands and consumers are the ones that are losing out,” he told Niall Paterson on Sky’s Daily podcast.

“Asking fans in the first place to buy tickets so far in advance, you’re putting fans in massive queues, which are pre-queues to other queues, having them be kicked out of these services, having the price triple on them at the point of checkout – these are scenarios that just illustrate what a mess this is.

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“That’s the reason why we believe this whole system needs a full review. It needs to be looked at from top to bottom and redesigned in a way that supports consumers.

“There’s a number of very clear and common threads that would be foundational to a better system – much greater transparency, much greater levels of competition.

“These exclusive points of sales are almost unique to this industry, and it’s clear that they don’t work. They cause crashes, they cause the ability for people to squeeze on price to eye-watering levels.”

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Mr Drew added that the use of dynamic pricing in the sale of Oasis tickets was different from other instances of its use in industries such as taxi rides because “it was a closed shop”.

“There is no competitive tension. So what that means is that people who are dynamically pricing the event can really do as they see fit.

“In terms of their pricing, they’re really just choosing a price and there’s no downward pressure or competitive tension pushing them in a different direction.”

What is dynamic pricing?

The demand-based system was introduced by Ticketmaster in 2022.

It said it was brought in to stop touts and ensure more money goes to the artists.

Essentially, when there is a lot of demand for tickets, and limited supply, the price can go up.

Amid anger over Oasis’s ticket prices, the company said it does not set prices and shared a link to a website that said costs could be “fixed or market-based”.

On its own website, Ticketmaster describes its “Platinum” tickets as those that have their price adjusted according to supply and demand.

It says the goal of the dynamic pricing system is to “give fans fair and safe access to the tickets, while enabling artists and other people involved in staging live events to price tickets closer to their true market value”.

The company claims it is artists, their teams, and promoters who set pricing and choose whether dynamic pricing is used for their shows.

Mr Drew also rejected criticism that Viagogo’s prices could not be justified, saying: “We run a ticketing marketplace… we don’t set prices.

“What we find almost all the time in these special cases with Oasis, with Taylor Swift, with Beyonce the year before is that there’s an initial flurry, there’s some crazy prices.

“They get listed, those tickets don’t sell, and over time the ticket prices smooth off, evolve down and end up in a place that’s reasonable and rational and ultimately set by the market.”

Read more:
Government promises review of dynamic pricing
Oasis tickets sold out as fans complain about surge in prices

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It comes as former minister David Davis told Sky’s Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge that the sale of Oasis tickets was “corporate Britain at its worst”, with fans “mistreated and ripped off”.

Mr Davis, who’s been a Tory MP since 1987, revealed he’d written to the Competition and Markets Authority about it to say “the rules are not working” and “this needs to be put right”.

“My hope is they will respond and do something about it. If they don’t, then we’ll have to pursue it further in parliament,” he added.

“These are digital shackles, a digital locked-in queue.

“You can’t get out, and that’s not how free markets work.”

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has said the government will get a “grip” on the issue of surge pricing and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy called the inflated selling of Oasis tickets “incredibly depressing”.

She said the government “will include issues around the transparency and use of dynamic pricing, including the technology around queuing systems which incentivise it, in our forthcoming consultation on consumer protections for ticket resales”.

Ticketmaster said it does not set prices and its website says this is down to the “event organiser” who “has priced these tickets according to their market value”.

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Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia talked about modern masculinity before Gen Z was born 

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Pete Townshend's Quadrophenia talked about modern masculinity before Gen Z was born 

Despite The Who’s Quadrophenia being set over 60 years ago, Pete Townshend’s themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.

The album is having a renaissance as Pete Townshend’s Quadrophenia A Mod ballet is being brought to life via dance at Sadler’s Wells East, and Sky News has an exclusive first look.

As Townshend puts it, the album he wrote is “perfect” for the stage.

Pete Townshend
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Pete Townshend

“My wife Rachel did the orchestration for me, and as soon as I heard it I said to her it would make a fabulous ballet and we never really let that go,” he tells Sky News.

“Heavy percussion, concussive sequences. They’re explosive moments. They’re also romantic movement moments.”

If you identify with the demographics of Millennial, Gen Y or Gen Z, you might not be familiar with The Who and Mod culture.

But in post-war Britain the Mods were a cultural phenomenon characterised by fashion, music, and of course, scooters. The young rebels were seen as a counter-culture to the establishment and The Who, with Roger Daltry’s lead vocals and Pete Townshend’s writing, were the soundtrack.

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Quadrophenia the album is widely regarded as an essay on the British adolescent experience at the time, focusing on the life of fictional protagonist Jimmy – a young Mod struggling with his sanity, self-doubt, and alienation. 

Townshend sets the rock opera in 1965 but thinks its themes of identity, mental health, and modern masculinity are just as relevant today.

He says: “The phobias and the restrictions and the unwritten laws about how young men should behave. The ground that they broke, that we broke because I was a part of it.

“Men were letting go of [the] wartime-related, uniform-related stance that if I wear this kind of outfit it makes me look like a man.”

Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson
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Paris Fitzpatrick and Pete Townshend. Pic: Johan Persson

This struggle of modern masculinity and identity appears to be echoing today as manosphere influencers like Andrew Tate, incel culture, and Netflix’s Adolescence make headlines.

For dancer Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy, the story resonates.

Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet
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Paris Fitzpatrick, who takes on the lead role of Jimmy in the ballet

“I think there’s a connection massively and I think there may even be a little more revival in some way,” he tells Sky News.

“I love that myself. I love non-conforming to gender norms and typical masculinity; I think it’s great to challenge things.”

Despite the album being written before he was born, the dancer says he was familiar with the genre already.

“I actually did an art GCSE project about Mods and rockers and Quadrophenia,” he says.

“I think we’ll be able to bring it to new audiences and hopefully, maybe people will be inspired to to learn more about their music and the whole cultural movement of the early 60s.”

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In 1979, the album was adapted into a film directed by Franc Roddam starring Ray Winstone and Sting but Townshend admits because the film missed key points he is “not a big fan”.

“What it turned out to be in the movie was a story about culture, about social scenario and less about really the specifics of mental illness and how that affects young people,” he adds, also complimenting Roddam’s writing for the film.

Perhaps a testament to Pete Townshend’s creativity, Quadrophenia started as an album, was successfully adapted to film and now it will hit the stage as a contemporary ballet.

It appears that over six decades later Mod culture is still cool and their issues still relatable.

Quadrophenia, a Mod Ballet will tour to Plymouth Theatre Royal from 28 May to 1 June 2025, Edinburgh Festival Theatre from 10 to 14 June 2025 and the Mayflower, Southampton from 18 to 21 June 2025 before having its official opening at Sadler’s Wells Theatre, London on 24 June running to 13 July 2025 and then visiting The Lowry, Salford from 15 to 19 July 2025.

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Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

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Russell Brand charged with rape and sexual assault

Russell Brand has been charged with rape and two counts of sexual assault between 1999 and 2005.

The Metropolitan Police say the 50-year-old comedian, actor and author has also been charged with one count of oral rape and one count of indecent assault.

The charges relate to four women.

He is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on Friday 2 May.

Police have said Brand is accused of raping a woman in the Bournemouth area in 1999 and indecently assaulting a woman in the Westminster area of London in 2001.

He is also accused of orally raping and sexually assaulting a woman in Westminster in 2004.

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Ashna Hurynag discusses Russell Brand’s charges

The fourth charge alleges that a woman was sexually assaulted in Westminster between 2004 and 2005.

Police began investigating Brand, from Oxfordshire, in September 2023 after receiving a number of allegations.

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The comedian has denied the accusations and said he has “never engaged in non-consensual activity”.

He added in a video on X: “Of course, I am now going to have the opportunity to defend these charges in court, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.”

Metropolitan Police Detective Superintendent Andy Furphy, who is leading the investigation, said: “The women who have made reports continue to receive support from specially trained officers.

“The Met’s investigation remains open and detectives ask anyone who has been affected by this case, or anyone who has any information, to come forward and speak with police.”

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to ‘dear friend’ Val Kilmer

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Tom Cruise leads moment of silence in tribute to 'dear friend' Val Kilmer

Tom Cruise has paid tribute to Val Kilmer, wishing his Top Gun co-star “well on the next journey”.

Cruise, speaking at the CinemaCon film event in Las Vegas on Thursday, asked for a moment’s silence to reflect on the “wonderful” times shared with the star, whom he called a “dear friend”.

Kilmer, who died of pneumonia on Tuesday aged 65, rocketed to fame starring alongside Cruise in the 1986 blockbuster Top Gun, playing Tom ‘Iceman’ Kazansky, a rival fighter pilot to Cruise’s character Maverick.

Tom Cruise, star of the upcoming film "Mission: Impossible - The Final Reckoning," leads a moment of silence for late actor Val Kilmer during the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Tom Cruise said ‘I wish you well on the next journey’. Pic: AP

Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP
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Val Kilmer in 2017. Pic: AP

His last part was a cameo role in the 2022 blockbuster sequel Top Gun: Maverick.

Cruise, on stage at Caesars Palace on Thursday, said: “I’d like to honour a dear friend of mine, Val Kilmer. I can’t tell you how much I admire his work, how grateful and honoured I was when he joined Top Gun and came back later for Top Gun: Maverick.

“I think it would be really nice if we could have a moment together because he loved movies and he gave a lot to all of us. Just kind of think about all the wonderful times that we had with him.

“I wish you well on the next journey.”

The moment of silence followed a string of tributes from Hollywood figures including Cher, Francis Ford Coppola, Antonio Banderas and Michelle Monaghan.

Kilmer’s daughter Mercedes told the New York Times on Wednesday that the actor had died from pneumonia.

Tom Cruise takes part in the Paramount Pictures presentation at CinemaCon at Caesars Palace on Thursday, April 3, 2025, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello)
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Tom Cruise at Caesars Palace on Thursday. Pic: AP

Diagnosed with throat cancer in 2014, Kilmer discussed his illness and recovery in his 2020 memoir Your Huckleberry and Amazon Prime documentary Val.

He underwent radiation and chemotherapy treatments for the disease and also had a tracheostomy which damaged his vocal cords and permanently gave him a raspy speaking voice.

Kilmer played Batman in the 1995 film Batman Forever and received critical acclaim for his portrayal of rock singer Jim Morrison in the 1991 movie The Doors.

Read more from Sky News:
Tributes to ‘genius’ Kilmer
Richest billionaires named
Springsteen’s seven new albums

He also starred in True Romance and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, as well as playing criminal Chris Shiherlis in Michael Mann’s 1995 movie Heat and Doc Holliday in the 1993 film Tombstone.

In 1988 he married British actress Joanne Whalley, whom he met while working on fantasy adventure Willow.

The couple had two children before divorcing in 1996.

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