THE FRONTMAN OF The Stunning and The Walls Steve Wall has lashed out at tomorrow’s Arthur’s Day campaign, organised by Diageo, calling it an insult to Irish artists.

In several posts on Facebook he’s called Arthur’s Day a “cynical exercise in pulling the wool over Paddy’s eyes” and says that the advertising execs behind the day “must be having a right old laugh”.

Arthur’s Day is pitched as a celebration of music and the black stuff, and has brought massive names to Dublin and the rest of the country over the past few years. However, the event is coming in for some criticism for failing to promote Irish acts.

Of the eleven main artists listed on the Arthur’s Day homepage, none are Irish. Writing on Facebook Steve Wall notes that the Irish acts who are involved “won’t feature on the TV coverage or the radio or on anything really… just like last year”.

If anyone says Happy Arthur’s Day to me I’ll f***ing skull them.

He goes on to list Bell X1, Ham Sandwich, The Frames, Le Galaxie, The Walls, Heathers and many other Irish artists who should have appeared on advertisements for Arthur’s Day. The organisers had advertised that more than 500 homegrown acts will be taking part, but none of these acts are headliners.

Steve Wall (Facebook/Natalia Kostrzewa)

“Paint the town black?” My town is already black with unemployment, shootings, depression, lack of paying gigs and a lack of Irish artists on daytime radio. No thanks Diageo…go paint your own town black. We need some light.

Do you agree with Steve Wall’s sentiments? Let us know in the comments section below.

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