Chris de Burgh reacts angrily to concert review

An Irish Times review of Chris de Burgh’s concert last week at the Gaiety Theatre in Dublin has sparked a row between the singer and arts critic Peter Crawley with the newspaper publishing a lengthy letter from de Burgh today alongside a reprint of Crawley’s original review.
The review, first published last Thursday, began by Crawley writing about the entrance of “a small man” in suit trousers and a white shirt. Comments such as “warbly tenor… mawkish balladeer…cringe factor… squeaky clean… cheesy” etc followed, all of which de Burgh referred to in his letter.
“Yes, they were all there”, de Burgh said in reference to what he described as the newspaper’s “Lexicon of Handy Insults”. de Burgh drew attention to Crawley’s colleague, former music critic Joe Breen, “who, I note, has been put out to pasture in the wine section and I am assured by friends in the wine trade that he knows as much about wine as he did about music – precious little”.
The singer said Crawley reviewed theatre and was not a music critic and he must have mistook the Gaiety for the rear entrance to Neary’s pub. de Burgh highlighted the “rapturous welcome” he received at the start of his show and the later cries of “Chris, we love you”.
Remarks were made by de Burgh as to how other people regard Crawley. He said “a leading impresario” described him as “puffed up with his own self-importance” and a “much-loved and successful actress” referred to Crawley as “that loathsome turd”.
The singer said he would like the opportunity of meeting with Crawley but doubted he has the courage, “like so many others of your kind”. In a PS sign-off, he asked if he was teased as a boy and called ‘Creepy Crawley’ by his school chums. “I think we should be told!”, de Burgh added.