Pulling the plug on Oasis wonderhaul

Prime Minister hints at change in law to prevent repeat of surge hell | Hundreds of complaints that ads for reunion shows were misleading

- DAVE BURKE, GRAHAM HISCOTT

PRESSURE is growing on Oasis amid fury over how the cost of tickets soared for their moneyspinning reunion gigs next year.

Hundreds of fans have lodged complaints after the prices to attend the shows rocketed by more than double within hours of going on sale.

"Dynamic" pricing meant music lovers expecting to pay £148 were asked for more than £350 when they reached the front of the queue after spending hours waiting.

The system works by increasing prices as ticket supplies dwindle and demand for them soars.

It is thought that performers can opt in or out of dynamic pricing, but it is unclear how much brothers Noel and Liam Gallagher actually knew about the arrangement.

Robert Smith, frontman of The Cure, has called it "a greedy scam".

He said: "If no artists participated, it would cease to exist." Prime Minister Keir Starmer yesterday hinted at a law change to prevent a repeat of the scandal.

Oasis tickets were already on sale for almost £12,000 yesterday on resale site Viagogo. Meanwhile, the official firm reselling tickets at face value was charging over £100 in fees.

Mr Starmer said: "This isn't just an Oasis problem. This is a problem for tickets for all sorts of events.

"There are a number of things that we can do and we should do because otherwise families simply can't go or are absolutely spending a fortune." He said the government would "make sure that tickets are available at a price people can actually afford".

Asked by the BBC whether this would involve changing the law, Mr Starmer said: "We're consulting and it may well mean adjustments. But there are a number of techniques where people are buying a lot of tickets, reselling them at a huge price.