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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Entertainment
John Kierans

'It was my choice to book Harry Styles for Slane - he's a modern-day David Bowie'

Rock Lord Henry Mountcharles last night branded Harry Styles the modern-day David Bowie and predicted he will become one of the biggest stars of all time.

He regards him as the first real "crossover star" since Bowie and is confident his concert in Slane Castle next Saturday will be one of the best ever at the legendary venue.

The Slane owner said: "It was my choice to book Harry. I think he is phenomenal and he is still so young.

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"My wife Iowna and my kids are all huge fans and we have Harry's music playing in our house all day long!

"As soon as I heard he was touring, I rang Denis Desmond, the owner of MCD and told him to get Harry.

"I knew from the outset there would be people criticising the decision but I couldn't give a damn.

"Harry is the first real crossover star since Bowie. When I say crossover, I mean doing the lot - fashion, music and movies. Bowie did it all and so will Harry.

"The first time I actually ever saw Harry as a performer was in the cinema. We went to see the movie Dunkirk and Harry was in it.

"I think he is a phenomenal artist and a great entertainer. The reaction so far to his tour has been wonderful. Everyone who has seen him says he puts on a great show."

Henry disclosed that the Harry Styles gig was one of the quickest sellouts in the history of Slane Castle concerts.

He stated: "I think Harry has opened Slane to a whole new generation of fans who have never been there before. There will be people of all ages going.

"There will be grandparents there with their children and their grandkids.

"I know because I am one of them. My eldest daughter Henrietta is coming with her children and they are all Harry Styles fans. We are going to have a Mountcharles gathering of the clan so to speak and we are all so looking forward to it.

"It promises to be a really exciting Slane concert and I honestly believe it will be one of the best ever.

"I have been around a long time and seen it all so to speak in the world of rock and roll but trust me when I tell you, Harry Styles is going to be one of the biggest stars of all time."

Meanwhile, Harry's fans have been warned to stay away from Slane if they have no concert tickets.

Harry Styles has arguably enjoyed the most success away from 1D (Dave J Hogan/Getty Images)

Gardai will be stopping all fans on every approach to the picturesque Co Meath village as far as 30 miles away.

Anyone without a ticket for next Saturday's sellout gig will be turned around and sent packing.

A senior Garda source warned: "No one will get near Slane Castle if they have no ticket. We have an 80,000-strong sellout crowd to deal with and we don't need extra people making a nuisance of themselves and getting in the way.

"We want everyone to have a great time and get them in and out of Slane in one day without any issues."

The former One Direction star is expected to take the stage between 8.30pm to 9.30pm and play for almost two hours.

It is understood he is being paid around €2.2million for headlining the legendary gig as he follows in the footsteps of Queen, U2, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Madonna and Bruce Springstein.

The weather forecast for next Saturday is good and sunny with a high expected of 21 degrees for the day.

Fans are still advised to have a jacket just in case the weather suddenly turns and it starts raining.

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