Following the encouraging results, the industry bodies demand to get the entertainment business back on its feet safely. Festivals such as Truck and Kendal Calling already announced their cancellation after the Government postponed the country’s way out of the lockdown restrictions: “The cancellation of Kendal Calling is heartbreaking and, like many other festival cancellations, was entirely avoidable,” Association of Independent Festivals CEO Paul Reed told NME.

The Government is also being criticised for having published the ERP report after a legal action launched by the creative bodies: “The live music and festival industry has spent months participating and investing in pilot events to develop a rationale for how events can safely reopen with the right mitigations in place. Government are now delaying the publication of the ERP report. We call for full transparency and for the release of the report, which will demonstrate how we can safely reopen and inform relevant guidance,” Reed added.

On the same matter, Greg Parmley, CEO of LIVE, stated: “We are pleased that the government has finally published some of the ERP research but it is incredibly disappointing that it took the live music and the theatre industry launching legal action yesterday to force them to do so. We will of course read the report with interest but we are pleased that there were no Covid outbreaks associated with any of the pilots detected, either by testing or by a general increase in community incidence. It is also pleasing to see that the air quality of the indoor events was, in almost all cases, the same or better than being in an office for a short working day.”

Michael Kill, CEO of the Night Time Industries Association, explained: “We are being marginalised by a Government that has no regard or value for our sector, we have businesses suffering, peoples livelihoods destroyed and youth culture excluded. It’s time to give us the certainty that we have been crying out for, and open the night time economy fully, no more excuses.”

On the back of today’s report, I again urge to Government to announce Event Indemnity Insurance, in line with many other countries.

You’ve got artists and freelancers who’ve had no income since March 2020.

A huge supply chain about to go bust.

Time is of the essence. Act now.

— Sacha Lord (@Sacha_Lord) June 25, 2021

In reaction to this, the Government has promised £300 million to help the industry survive these weeks. The Culture Recovery Fund previously helped arts bodies and institutions with £1.57 billion support. A DCMS spokesperson said that this would “provide further support as the cultural, heritage and creative sectors move towards reopening at full capacity” and would be “available for both new organisations who are at imminent risk of failure and existing recipients of CRF grants” in order to protect these spaces “for future generations and safeguarding hundreds of thousands of creative jobs in the supply chain”.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden stated: “Our record-breaking Culture Recovery Fund has already helped thousands of organisations across the country to survive and protected hundreds of thousands of jobs. Now, as we look forward to full reopening, this funding shows our commitment to stand behind culture and heritage all the way through the pandemic.” He added: “This round of funding will provide a further boost to help organisations build back better and ensure we can support more of those in need – safeguarding our precious culture and heritage, and the jobs this supports.”

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On the other hand, there is some anger from freelance musicians, crew and technicians, who claim to be left out of this funding. Dave Webster, the National Organiser of Live Performance at the Musicians’ Union explained: “When they announced the third round of the Cultural Recovery Fund we asked for them to please make it available for musicians and freelancers because so many are falling between the gaps, as we have been since COVID started, and the answer was no. They managed to do it in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland but it’s staggering that they can’t do it here in England.”

“The Late Late Show” host James Corden has confirmed that the composer of the hit “A Team” will be appearing on his show every day next week: “All next week the one, the only Ed Sheeran is going to be on the show every night,” Corden said. “A full week of Ed. We’re going to do comedy, we’re going to chat, he’s going to play… Ed Sheeran’s going to be our musical guest every night of the week. Plus, right here on The Late Late Show, he’s going to do the television debut of his brilliant new single “Bad Habits”.

“Bad Habits” is Sheeran’s big solo return after almost four years. He introduced the new song with a new look, which sees him in a horror-Esque costume with make-up, vampire teeth and a pink suit. In a promotional clip, we can hear a snippet of the song with the following lyrics: “My bad habits lead to late nights sleeping alone, conversations with a stranger I barely know”. The singer allowed TikTok users to use the sound of Sheeran’s video for their own personal creations, which turned out to be a very popular initiative: The video itself received over 250,000 likes and has been viewed 2.1 million times since its release date.

The Government’s failure in negotiating a free travel visa for UK and Europe for those who are touring – musicians and crews – continues to pose a problem for the industry. With no visible end in sight, it is very likely that touring acts will face huge costs of travel for future live music concerts, further developing the gap between emerging talents and big established acts. The UK Government recently rejected a petition, signed by over 280 thousand people and receiving overwhelming public support, calling them to negotiate visa-free tours for artists and crew.

Skin, frontwoman of the iconic band Skunk Anansie, explained: “EU touring and the need to get the right processes in place for simple and economical access to Europe is crucial at this time more than ever. “It is the lifeblood of bands and artists, not just financially, but in order to expand their fanbase and deliver their art to a wider audience. EU touring also opens up the windows of touring on a global scale with surrounding countries and continents, with the knock-on effect of the impact that bands and artists have that tour there. We need action, we need support, we need access, and we need it now!”

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree added: “Blur played our first gig outside the UK in Rotterdam in February 1991. We just jumped on a ferry with no restrictions for us or our gear. That August we were back in the Netherlands, followed by dates in Germany, France and then on into a full European tour. If we were starting out today trying to do the same, there would be a vast range of bureaucracy and costs, with different regimes in every country. We simply wouldn’t be able to afford it. The UK Government has to take this issue seriously and support touring artists. The future of British music is at stake.”

To try to fix the problem, the campaign calls upon the Government to deliver, along with many other points, a viable and long term plan for UK artists and crew to continue working without extra costs and bureaucracy, an urgent transitional package and measures to overcome the restrictive vehicle rules. To support and know more about the campaign, visit here.

For the UK leg, Lorde will start off in Leeds’s O2 Academy on May 25^th, then stopping in Edinburgh, Manchester and Birmingham. She will then conclude in London for two nights at the Roundhouse on June 1^st and 2^nd. Tickets for the mailing list pre-sale will be available on Thursday 24^th of May at 10 am local time. General tickets go on sale here on Friday 25^th of May at 10 am. Please see Lorde’s UK tour dates below.

“Solar Power” is the name of the single the artist recently released – the first one since 2017 – after months of teasing her return. Lorde also released a video clip for “Solar Power”, co-directed with Joel Kefali, who also worked on the “Royals” video. On June 21^st, the songwriter revealed that “Solar Power” will also be the name of the album, out on August 20^th.  Lorde presents her new body of work: “The album is a celebration of the natural world, an attempt at immortalizing the deep, transcendent feelings I have when I’m outdoors. In times of heartache, grief, deep love, or confusion, I look to the natural world for answers. I’ve learned to breathe out, and tune in. This is what came through.”

To honour nature and the message behind her album, the singer will release the physical format as an eco-conscious Music Box instead of the classic CD: “I wanted this Music Box product to be similar in size, shape and price to a CD, to live alongside it in a retail environment, but be something which stands apart and that’s committed to the evolving nature of a modern album,” Lorde explains. The Music Box will contain extra visual content such as handwritten notes, exclusive photos, and a download card. You can pre-save “Solar Power” here.

UK 2022 Tour Dates:

25/05/2022 – O2 Academy – Leeds
26/05 – Usher Hall – Edinburgh
28/05 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
30/05 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
01/06 – Roundhouse – London
02/06 – Roundhouse – London

After being involved in talks with the Government, Benn – who is also managing director of Festival Republic and is organising Download’s pilot event – is confident that Latitude will go ahead as planned: “It’s been a long week after the Prime Minister’s announcement on Monday and while I was disappointed in the immediate aftermath of the statement, on reflection, I think it actually gives much more certainty of Latitude being able happen than if he had loosened things on Monday because the country will have strangled the variant’s ability to spread to a greater degree through increased vaccination than if we had opened fully this coming Monday”, he stated on the festival’s social media pages.

He continues: “So, for much of the week I have been in conversation with the Government on Latitude in particular and I’m very confident after those talks that Latitude will be allowed to go ahead. There will be more detail on the specifics next week but with this in mind, we will be announcing even more artists and day splits tomorrow as a demonstration of my confidence. More details will follow but we’ll 100 per cent keep you updated every step of the way. We’re very excited – it’s really happening!”

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Hence, the Download pilot event happening this weekend is crucial in understanding what would be the future of UK festivals this summer. The event will be headlined by Bullet for my Valentine, Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes and Enter Shikari. The three-day campaign is part of ongoing research for a safe return to live music.

These prizes include a signed gift box from Sir Paul McCartney, a meet and greet with the 1975, a Fender Stratocaster signed by Mark Knopfler, tickets to see Eric Clapton and much more. Other names that were involved in this lovely initiative are Coldplay, The Vaccines, James Blunt, The Chemical Brothers, Arlo Parks, Jack Savoretti and The Amazons. The tickets for the #comeonhome campaign can be purchased here until June 25^th, and cost £5.00.

On his social media, Knopfler said: “People experiencing homelessness are some of the most vulnerable and marginalised in our society, and the last year has been a particularly tough time for them. Centres across London are doing all they can to keep providing support despite being hard-hit by a loss of funding. By entering this special prize draw you will help raise vital funds to support homeless people.”

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Streets Of London’s director Ian Steuart Fothringham explained how the money raised could help both the city of London and the people without a home in the capital: “With the right support, people experiencing homelessness can turn their lives around. The money raised through this prize draw will allow us to provide funding to multiple projects across London that give homeless people the help they need, so that they can leave the streets behind and make a fresh start.”

He continued: “Thanks to the generosity of the artists who have donated special prizes, and to everyone who enters the prize draws, we hope to raise a significant sum that will make a real difference for people who are homeless in the capital. We’re grateful to Crowdfunder for their help with setting up the pages for this prize draw and for waiving their platform fees.”

“We are so excited to announce our upcoming ​‘Evening With’ tour of the UK and Europe this February through March 2022!” guitarist and lead singer Lzzy Hale stated. ​“That’s right, all Halestorm, all the time! A collection of up-close and personal shows where we will be performing deep cuts, all the fan-favourites, and even some brand-new songs! Come join us! Tickets go on sale this Friday, June 18!”

For the UK run, the band led by brothers Lzzy and Arejay Hale will play venues of the calibre of the Albert Hall in Manchester, Birmingham’s O2 Academy, concluding in the prestigious O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London (see full dates below). Tickets go on sale here on Friday the 18^th of June.

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Lzzy recently appeared on SiriusXM and talked about the band’s follow-up album of “Vicious”, released in 2018. She said: “It’s going great. We’re actually kind of in the eleventh hour. Everything is starting to really congeal and just reveal itself. So we’re at the tail end of it. We already have a first single picked; that just happened. So you’re definitely going to be hearing music sooner than later. As far as the release date of the record, I don’t have that yet.” 

As per Lzzy’s statements, the new album is produced by Nick Raskulinecz, he seems to be very close to the band, and also worked on Halestorm’s “ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP” in 2017. “He’s so passionate and he’s just a fan of music,” she explained. “And I know that sounds surprising — oh, yeah, a music producer that isn’t a fan of music. There are a lot of those; there are a lot of those types of producers that are not fans of your music, let alone really listening to your genre. So it’s just great to be working with a producer that just loves the same kind of music and knows what we can do.”

Halestorm 2022 UK Tour Dates:

27/02/2022 – Albert Hall – Manchester
28/02 – O2 Guildhall – Southampton
02/03 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
07/03 – Barrowlands – Glasgow
09/03 – O2 City Hall – Newcastle
10/03 – Great Hall – Cardiff
12/03 – O2 Academy – Sheffield
13/03 – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire – London

This year’s line-up included international names such as Van Morrison, Frank Turner, Saving Grace featuring Robert Plant, Suzi Dian, Foy Vance, Band of Skulls, John Smith, Bess Atwell and more. However, organisers officially confirmed that the 2021 edition will not take place. They will be looking at bringing the same acts in 2022. In the statement released on social media, they said: “We can’t quite put into words how we are feeling right now. The delay by the Government on the easing of restrictions means we’re unable to bring you Black Deer Festival 2021. It’s devastating news for all connected with Black Deer. But we’ll be back in 2022”.

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Meanwhile, the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) has called for an urgent intervention from the Government to help small independent festivals, following the new COVID announcements. According to the AIF, with the reopening being postponed to July 19th, 93% of festivals with a capacity of over 5,000 could still happen this summer, but without insurance. Most of the festivals that were supposed to happen in June were blocked just a month before their happening, and the average cost of staging a festival is over £6 million.

“The AIF fully understands the rationale for delaying Step 4 of the lockdown roadmap. However, any measures that prevent festivals from operating fully have to be counterbalanced with effective support to ensure businesses can survive”, AIF CEO Paul Reed explained. “For those festival organisers that still have a chance of staging events after July 19, that support is government-backed insurance, which will give them the confidence to continue planning and commit the significant costs that entails. Ultimately, it is a political choice if the government does not support the sector with insurance at this stage, pushing festival businesses towards another cliff edge.”

“It’s a request for the rights to use my song, “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2” in the making of a film to promote Instagram,” Waters explained. “So it’s a missive from Mark Zuckerberg to me, arrived this morning, with an offer of a huge, huge amount of money, and the answer is – fuck you! No fucking way! And I only mention that because it’s the insidious movement of them to take over absolutely everything.”

“So those of us who do have any power,” he continued, “and I do have a little bit – in terms of control of the publishing of my songs I do anyway. So I will not be a party to this bullshit, Zuckerberg.” Waters also defined Facebook CEO as “one of the most powerful idiots in the world” and added “how did this little prick, who started off by saying, “She is pretty, we’ll give her a 4 out of 5,” “She’s ugly, we’ll give her a 1” – how the fuck did he get any power in anything?”

“¡Vete a la chingada!”: @rogerwaters a Mark Zuckerberg. El músico contó que le ofrecieron “una gran cantidad de dinero” por permitir el uso de Another brick in the wall II para promover Instagram. Lo narró en un acto por la libertad de Julian Assange (@Wikileaks)#VideosLaJornada pic.twitter.com/gEVqaor8Eo

— La Jornada (@lajornadaonline) June 12, 2021

Waters was also recently involved in a dispute with his ex-band member David Gilmour. Indeed, the argument was over the reissue of their 1977 masterpiece album “Animals”, in particular its liner notes. He claimed that Gilmour wanted the liner notes to be kept secret so that he could allegedly “claim more credit…than is his due”.