THE AUTOMATIC - THE AUTOMATIC'S VIOLENT IRISH TOUR

British rockers THE AUTOMATIC have some explaining to do after wreaking havoc while touring Ireland this week (begs29JAN07). Keyboard player ALEX PENNIE allegedly broke a fan's glasses at a gig in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Monday night (29JAN07) and became embroiled in a fight with an audience member during a show in Dublin, Ireland just 24 hours later. Recalling the fight, fan SHEENA MCGINLEY told NME.com, "Some guy from the audience managed to climb up on one of the speaker stacks and lit a cigarette, thus flouting the smoking ban. Pennie just went mental and went up after him where the pair of them engaged in some wrestling before it all spilled over onto the stage. "Pennie looked to have given your man a slap before (bandmate) ROB HAWKINS intervened and turfed him out. Pennie then bizarrely apologised for the incident. It was strange." The band are no strangers to controversy - last year (06) they trashed the set of a morning TV show during a performance of their hit single MONSTER.