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  Supporting act, Sam Ryder, rose to prominence during the COVID-19 lockdown by posting music covers on social media platform TikTok. He was selected to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest 2022, and his single “Space Man” peaked at no.2 on the UK charts and achieved the highest score ever by a UK contestant in the contest. He is set to go on a winter tour in the UK.

 

 

 

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McFly and Sam Ryder are both set to perform at Rock N Roll Circus, a festival that takes place over multiple days in summer 2025. It’s held in both Sheffield and Norwich, with McFly set to perform at the opening night in Norwich. The band have commented: “Rock N Roll Circus in Norwich sounds amazing. See you there.”

 

 

 

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The director of the festival, Ali O’Reilly, commented saying: “Rock N Roll Circus is launching in Norwich with a bang,” he said… McFly is the perfect act to open the show. Their energy and iconic hits will set the tone for an unforgettable weekend.”

With McFly’s success in the UK charts, and their continued sustained position in the spotlight, proved by their various wins in reality shows, is sure to create anticipation for the show. Both music lovers and McFly fans are sure to be in for a great show.

Other headliners include Olly Murs, Courteeners, and Reverend and the Makers. Information for other shows can be found here. Ticketing information can be found here. Tickets go on sale 9am, December 13.

The seven song record is their 14th mini-album. It includes tracks like 80s beat inspired track “Kiss My Troubles Away”, two versions of “Strategy” (one featuring Megan Thee Stallion, one without), “Sweetest Obsession”, a track spoiled by the members at their ninth anniversary fan meeting earlier in October, and a Christmassy, winter themed song “Magical”.  The album also includes “Keeper”, a track written by member Kim Dahyun. Following its release, the album has reached a peak of no.40 on the UK iTunes albums chart, with each song charting on the UK K-pop albums chart, including “Strategy feat. Megan Thee Stallion” which has peaked at no.2.

“Strategy” Songs iTunes UK K-pop Charts Peak Positions

2. “Strategy feat. Megan Thee Stallion”

6. “Strategy”

8. “Magical”

12. “Sweetest Obsession”

13. “Like It Like It”

74. “Keeper”

75. “Kiss My Troubles Away”

Strategy features Twice’s signature catchy sound whilst exploring a new, more mature sound. The addition of Megan Thee Stallion, in what is Twice’s first ever lead single featuring another artist, is seamless – her vibe and sound fitting the song perfectly, still bringing a rap that is inherently what she’s known for.

Twice are a nine member Korean girl group formed through the survival television show “Sixteen” and created by JinYoung Park, founder of Korean entertainment company JYP Entertainment. The members in age order are Im Nayeon, Yoo Jeongyeon, Hirai Momo, Minatozaki Sana, Park Jihyo, Myoui Mina, Kim Dahyun, Son Chaeyoung and Chou Tzuyu. After a successful debut with debut mini-album “The Story Begins” and lead single “Like OOH-AHH”, Twice solidified their status in Korea with the release of their second mini album “Page Two” and the viral hit “Cheer UP”. The song was their first PAK (Perfect All Kill, a term used when a song reaches number one on all of the popular real time charts in real time) and produced the viral “Shy Shy Shy” meme. The achieved the same with lead singles “TT” (2016), “Knock Knock” (2017) and “Yes or Yes” (2018). The group have an extensive discography in both Korean and Japanese, boasting 14 Korean mini albums and three full albums and five full Japanese albums.

Twice have conquered the South Korean and Japanese music scene for ten years at this point, and they’re already record breakers in the US. For their most recent tour, “Ready To Be World Tour”, they performed to sold out crowds in London’s O2 Arena, marking the first shows they ever performed in Europe.

With their success in their home country, and the home country of Japanese members, Momo, Sana and Mina, and the success in the US in recent years, the group undertake promotions in all three countries for album releases. Their newest release, “Strategy” marks their first English title track, hinting at their marketing towards a more global music market, and bringing in Megan Thee Stallion for their second collaboration (the first being Twice’s feature on the Mamushi remix released earlier this year), will they achieve their highest charting song in the UK so far? Up to now they featured heavily on the official albums download chart with eleven entries since 2019, but have not yet had a top ten entry into the official UK singles chart. Megan Thee Stallion has featured on the Hip Hop and R&B charts and the album charts with a top 40 album, and this year had the viral song “Mamushi feat Yuki Chiba”.

An anomaly, as a group so active in their tenth year, Twice do not look like they’re slowing down. Just this year they’ve had three group releases and multiple solo works and subunit activities for Japanese member trio MISAMO.

Twice activities this year

With you-th – Twice 

NA – Nayeon (Member solo)

Dive –  Twice (Japanese full album) 

AbouTzu – Tzuyu (Member solo debut)

Haute Couture – MISAMO (Mina, Sana, Momo – Member subunit)

Strategy – Twice

They’re heavyweights in the music markets of South Korea, Japan and the US, play to sold out audiences in almost every continent in the world, and they’re simply masters of performance. They’re known for the synchronised in their dancing , catchy lyrics, powerful vocals and smooth rapping that fits their style. But will this translate to higher levels of success in the UK music scene?

After their albums release on Friday (December 6), the album and all of the songs from it have featured on UK iTunes chart. As of December 7, “Strategy” was no.1 on Korea’s real time daily physical albums chart (Hanteo), beating “Rosie“, by Rosé, which was highly anticipated and released on the same day. Will they finally have their big break in the UK music charts?

The album opens with “number one girl‘’ the second single, released on November 22. Though the tone and balladic is probably unexpected for first time listeners after the initial release of “APT.”, it’s understandable that she would decide to release this as her second single – it shows who she is and what she is capable of. With lyrics such as “So what’s it going to take for you to want me? / I’d give it all up if you told me that I’d be / the number one girl in your eyes”, it perfectly sets the story that she’s going to tell should you listen to the album in order. The refrain of the song is a particular highlight, with the lyrics “The girl in your eyes” repeated in a high, wispy tone that reflects the longing feeling of the whole song perfectly.

The next two songs, “3am” and “two years” continue to set the scene of the toxic ex, reflecting her mindset. “3am” opens with the lyric “I just saw a red flag / Gonna pretend I didn’t see that.”, before building upon the guitar string melody with some bass and a catchy hook, “I just want it to be you”. The next song, “two years”, is decidedly slower pace, but opens up the recurring theme of trying to move on from her ex, but finding that “this love never dies”. A particular stand out lyric in this song is “I’ll always hate the fact that you ruined everybody after you”, which is an entire universal feeling anyone trying to move on from a relationship could understand encapsulated in a single lyric.

The single released on the same day as the album, “toxic till the end”, sets up the rest of the album by signalling the realisation that the ex in question was toxic. ROSÉ has referred to this ‘ex’ in interviews and playfully announces part way through the song, “Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the ex”. 

The album moves on to confident, upbeat “drinks or coffee”, which acts as the perfect bridge to the most upbeat track, “APT.” This single reached no.1 on the UK charts, creating anticipation for this album.  The following song is “gameboy”, still up beat, but lyrically melancholic, it refers to someone who acts like a good guy who took her love for granted. From “stay a little longer” with the longing for someone familiar to stay longer, even though they’re not good for you, to “not the same” with the acceptance of the inevitably of change in relationships, to “call it the end” where she is unsure of what to call her relationship anymore, “Do I call you an ex or do I call you my boyfriend? / Call you a lover, do I call you a friend?”.

“too bad for us”, an unusually long song, sounds like acceptance with lyrics like  “Now the roses don’t grow here / I guess that love does what it does” reflecting the lack of control. The album wraps up with “Dance All Night”,  upbeat but a little melancholic – the lyrics telling the story of what she would change if she could – “I would dance all night, not care about the heartache in my life”.

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The album is mostly English, the only Korean being used in “APT.”, the title of which is a play on the Korean drinking game, 아파트, the Korean word for “apartment”. The song is a reminder of her status as one of the most well-known K-pop idols in the world, but also a bridge between her two main languages and identities as an Australian-Korean.

ROSÉ has referred to writing this album as therapy, and it truly does feel that personal. The sounds, lyrics and song order makes “Rosie” sonically cohesive, cathartic listen. She said she named her album “Rosie” because that is what her friends call her, and through listening to this album you’re given a glimpse of such a personal part of her life. Group members JISOO, JENNIE and LISA all took to Instagram stories to publicly congratulate ROSÉ. Given the chart success of her single “APT.” in the UK and her album already sitting at no.2 on the Korean Hanteo daily physical album chart (currently only topped by girl group, TWICE), the album is sure to rise up charts around the world in its first week of release. 

It’s no surprise that Sabrina Carpenter would be a headliner at one of the UK’s biggest festivals given her recent success. Her music career began to take off when she moved to Island Records in 2021, releasing “Emails I Can’t Send” in 2022. Her song “Nonsense” and “Feather” were viral successes and in the following year, she opened for Taylor Swift at the Era’s Tour on the Latin American, Australian and Singaporean shows. In 2024, she released the UK no.1  album “Short n’ Sweet”, with singles “Espresso”, “Please Please Please” and “Taste” coming from the same album. “Espresso”, co-written by Carpenter, debuted at no.6 on the UK official chart, before rising to no.1 after two weeks, making it her first UK number 1 single. The track was also the second most streamed song on Spotify in the UK in 2024. 

Support artists for her Hyde Park show are Clairo and Beabadoobee, and though they may not be as well known they are stars in their own right, definitely deserving as their spots at next year’s festival. 

Clairo is a 26-year-old US singer-songwriter who first gained recognition online with her 2017 track “Pretty Girl”. She released her third album “Charm” this year which saw her venture into jazz-style production and a notable expansion of her style and lyricism.

Beabadoobee is a British pop-rock artist born in the Philippines. Active since 2017, she has released five EPs and she is another opener for Taylor Swift’s Era’s Tour in 2023. Her most recent album release, “This Is How Tomorrow Moves”, was released in August this year, and became her first no.1 album in the UK. 

With their viral successes, they are sure to garner an audience at the show, solidifying their presence as Sabrina’s support/opening acts at BST Hyde Park 2025.

The Hyde Park artists position’s are both deserved and in demand, on one of the biggest stages in the UK. Dates for Sabrina Carpenter’s current tour can be found below. 

03/03/2025 – 3Arena – Dublin 

04/03 – 3Arena – Dublin 

06/03 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham 

08/03 – The O2 Arena – London 

09/03 – The O2 Arena – London

11/03 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow 

13/03 – Co-op Live – Manchester 

14/03 – Co-op Live – Manchester 

Dates for Clairo’s UK tour dates are below.

03/03/2025 – 3Olympia Theatre – Dublin

04/03 – 3Olympia Theatre – Dublin

13/03 – Eventim Apollo – London

14/03 – Eventim Apollo – London

16/03 – O2 Academy – Glasgow

17/03 – O2 Academy –  Glasgow

19/03 – O2 Apollo –  Manchester

20/03 – O2 Apollo –  Manchester

Beabadoobee’s only show set to be in the UK is next year’s festival.

Hyde Park BST

05/07/2025 – Hyde Park London – London

Ticket presale starts at 12 pm on Monday 9 December here, and the general sale begins at 10 am on Wednesday 11 December. AMEX presale is available for American Express customers between 9/12 and 11/12, more information can be found here.

don’t like how music is becoming less and less about albums

not a single mention of albums on Spotify wrapped

love a full album listen personally

— Jed (@Jed__28) December 4, 2024

apparently spotify laid off a lot of workers and used AI to create the wrapped this year instead no wonder it sucks… pic.twitter.com/jRvbHW9qGq — noah (@weremytown13) December 4, 2024

Top Streamed Artists

It seems the UK loves US artists with three out of five being American, and two Canadian. It’s no surprise that Taylor Swift has taken the top spot again with her incredible Era’s Tour and release of the album “The Tortured Poets Department” and an extended 31 song long version of the album, aptly titled “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology”. Popular as ever are Drake and the Weeknd, both of whom appeared on this list for 2023, with Drake retaining his spot as the second most listened-to artist, though the weekend has dropped from third to fifth.

The Five Top Streamed Artists in the UK:

1. Taylor Swift
2. Drake
3. Kanye West
4. Billie Eilish
5. The Weeknd

With Kanye West (with his release of the album trilogy “Vultures”) and Billie Eilish (with her hit album “Hit Me Hard and Soft”) taking the third and fourth spots respectively, which means no British artists appear in the top five this year, replacing both Ed Sheeran and Arctic Monkeys.

Top Streamed Songs

Interestingly, none of the artists featured in the top five streamed songs in the UK this year were present in last year’s top five. Last year three out of five artists were British, with the most streamed song being “Sprinter” by Dave and Central Cee. This year the most streamed song is the lyricially complex, alternative/folk song “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan, originally released in 2022. Taking second place is, unsurprisingly, Sabrina Carpenter with “Espresso”. The catchy pop hit was released as a single this year in support of the equally successful full-length album “Short n’ Sweet”, which marked Carpenter’s big break in the UK. The track currently has 1.6 billion streams on Spotify worldwide. Spots three and four are also taken by US artists Benson Boone and Teddy Swims, with the fourth most streamed song being “Too Sweet” by Hozier. The track is the only one originating from an artist originating from the UK, with Hozier being Irish, and he happens to be the only British/Irish artist to appear on any of the top five statistics covered in this article.

The Five Top Streamed Songs in the UK:

1. “Stick Season” – Noah Kahan
2. “Espresso” – Sabrina Carpenter
3. “Beautiful Things” – Benson Boone
4. “Too Sweet” – Hozier
5. “Lose Control” – Teddy Swims

Top Streamed Albums in the UK

Following with the trends of the previous lists, the most streamed albums in the UK come from only US artists, with two coming from Taylor Swift. Interestingly, Noah Kahan’s album “Stick Season” takes the third spot despite being released in October of 2022; similarly, “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” was released in 2023 yet still made it onto this year’s list. Carpenter capitalised on the success of single “Espresso” with the release of hits such as “Please Please Please” and “Taste”, both of which also charted well in the UK. Billie Eilish’s album “Hit Me Hard and Soft” justifies her spot on the list, with the viral success of her track “Birds of a Feather” from the album.

The Five Top Streamed Albums in the UK:

1. “The Tortured Poets Department: The Anthology” – Taylor Swift
2. “Short n’ Sweet” – Sabrina Carpenter
3. “Stick Season” – Noah Kahan
4. “Hit Me Hard and Soft” – Billie Eilish
5. “1989 (Taylor’s Version)” – Taylor Swift

How do the UK’s most streamed artists, songs and albums compare to your Spotify Wrapped? More information can be found here, and last year’s statistics can be found here. Find your Spotify Wrapped 2024 here.

The single, which features R&B beats, features repeated lyrics “We know when it’s christmas” in a children’s choir style, with Fuse ODG’s rap over the top – a direct response to the Band Aid 40 song title, the question: “Do they Know it’s Christmas?”.  The rap style may not be as mainstream as the Band Aid single, but the repetitious lyrics is sure to be memorable for any listener following along with the controversy. 

Fuse ODG, real name Nana Richard Abiona is a Ghanaian-English rapper born and based in London. The 36-year-old has been active since 2012 making music influenced by Afro-beats, reggae, dance and hip hop. His name ‘Fuse’ is said to come from his combination of genres while ‘ODG’ stands for ‘Off Da Ground’. In 2013, his song “Antenna” became his first top ten hit, reaching number 7. His song “Dangerous Love” also reached number 3 in 2014. He is well known as a voice for African people, being of African descent himself. In 2022, he launched an educational gaming app for children called “School of New Africa” to educate others on African history and languages, as well as financial literacy.

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Talking about why he refused the offer to participate in Band Aid, Fuse ODG said, “I refused to participate in Band Aid because I recognised the harm initiatives like it inflict on Africa… While they may generate sympathy and donations, they perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism, and investment, ultimately costing the continent trillions and destroying its dignity, pride and identity.” It’s this view that Fuse ODG explained to Ed Sheeran, and since their comments went public, it has educated several on the other side of the story. This song and music video is a direct response to the Band Aid single, titled “We Know It’s Christmas (Band Aid Reply)”, following Bob Geldof’s recent comments welcoming the debate. Geldof welcomed the debate concerning the Band Aid single, saying it’s fantastic, alluding to the fact that the more people talk about it the more awareness it brings – meaning the single will ultimately be listened to more.

In an interview, Fuse ODG has made it clear that the original Band Aid was “touching” and well-intentioned, saying “It’s been touching seeing the efforts that were put into it initially […] because there was a crisis at the time they needed attending to”. But went on to say the subsequent Band Aid singles has created an identity crisis for Africans, saying that “It took away our collective sense of pride and identity.”

 

 

 

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During an interview on Radio 2, co-founder of Band Aid, Midge Ure, said that this sort of opposition has been thrown at them many times over the past forty years and he understands the aspect of the “white saviour complex” that the charitable work poses. He ultimately concluded that regardless of the debate, the work is still helping those in Africa who need medicines and education. Others like Tony Hadley, who sang on the original Band Aid single, have been more pointed in the criticism of the single, saying “Everybody’s doing their bit to try and support various charities and we were doing our bit, innocently, to support what was happening in Ethiopia… So what do we do? Do we sit back and do nothing?”. There have yet to be any direct public comments on Fuse ODG’s single. 

It’s true to say that the criticism and debate has brought more attention to the Band Aid remake, as well as the charitable history of the organisation. However, Fuse ODG is a recognised voice for Africans and his voice cannot be ignored. It’s important, and always has been, to listen to the voice of the people the issues directly concern – “We Know It’s Christmas” is one way in which the African voice can be represented.

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    The Eden Sessions are a set of outdoor concerts held at the Eden Project in Cornwall. The concerts are held in high regard as one of the best places to see live music, with the Evening Standard saying “The nearest you can get to watching a gig on the moon.” The Eden Project, where the concerts are held, opened in March 2001. In the year following, August 2002, the first Eden Sessions took place with Pulp headlining the first show, and big name artists such as Oasis, Amy Winehouse, Kylie, Elton John, and more headlining over the years.         

 

 

 

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Madness are a ska and pop band formed in Camden Town, London in 1976. Current active members include Chris Foreman, Mike Barson, Lee Thompson, Graham “Suggs” McPherson, Dan Woodgate and Mark Bedford, with five past members Cathal “Chas Smash” Smyth, John Hastler, Dikran Tulaine, Gavin Rodgers and Garry Dovey. Their first release “The Prince”, a homage to their idol Prince Buster, was a hit on the UK charts, reaching number 16 despite their rookie status. Their most well-known song is the 1982 track “House of Fun, ” their only UK number-one single. Their most recent album “Theatre of the Absurd Presents C’est la Vie” also took the number one spot on the UK albums chart.

Gary Barlow is an English singer, songwriter and member of the well-known band Take That. Born in 1971 in Cheshire, he became lead singer in Take That in 1989. He wrote many of the group’s songs, including Take That’s first UK charts number-one single “Pray”. He embarked on a solo career in 1996 and is also active in the band with members Howard Donald and Mark Owen (previous members include Robbie Williams and Jason Orange). Barlow’s most recent music release is the 2023 album “This Life” with Take That, which peaked at number one on the UK albums chart.

The Script are an Irish rock band from Dublin, formed in 2001. The current members are Danny O’Donoghue, Glen Power, Benjamin Sargeant and Ben Weaver, with only one past member Mark Sheehan who passed away last year. After signing to record label Sony Label Group, they began working in London and released their debut album “The Script” in 2008 – the album reached number one in the UK charts. They are known for mainstream hits “The Man Who Can’t Be Moved” and “Hall of Fame”. Their most recent release is the album “Satellites” which peaked at number two on the official album charts.

Madness last performed at the Eden Project in 2017 and it’s no surprise that they have been invited to perform again off the back of their recent chart success. The managing director of the Eden Sessions, Rita Broe, expressed her excitement in a comment, “We can’t wait to see what the band have in store for us this time around.”  

The dates each artist is set to perform can be found below. 

Gary Barlow

18/06/2025 – Eden Project – Cornwall 

The Script plus Tom Walker 

25/06 – Eden Project – Cornwall 

Madness 

12/07 – Eden Project – Cornwall

More information can be found on the Eden Sessions website, and ticketing information can be found here. 

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Kendrick Lamar is a 37 year old, American rapper from Compton, California. With a career beginning in high school, he signed with Top Dawg Entertainment where he founded a group called Black Hippy in 2008. Following a successful album, he then signed with Interscope and Aftermath Entertainment, a company created by Dr Dre. He rose to prominence in 2012 with the release of his second album “Good Kid, M.A.A.D City”. He was ranked as the 9th greatest rapper of all time by Billboard in 2015, and then he was ranked at number two by Billboard in an updated list in 2023. In 2018 he received the Pulitzer Prize for Music, making him the first in his genre to do so.

Kendrick Lamar’s first album entry in the UK charts was the 2015 release “To Pimp a Butterfly”. He also has five top ten albums with another making it to the top 40. Though he has yet to receive a UK number one single, he has ten top ten entries and 25 top 40 entries, including the 2015 collaboration “Bad Blood” with Taylor Swift and collaborations with the WEEKND, Sia, Beyonce, and Maroon 5. His songs “Euphoria” and “Not Like Us” reached number 4 and 11 respectively. 

His newest album release “GNX” was an unpromoted, surprise album released last Friday, charting at number 1 on the chart on 29 November. Three songs from the album occupy spots 4, 5 and 6 on the official single charts for the period 29 November – 5 December. These songs are ‘Squabble Up’ (4), ‘Luther’ (5) and ‘TV On’ (6), topped only by a top three that have each been in the chart for over a month already. The album is a West Coast hip-hop album that seamlessly blends multiple genres, including both classical and contemporary hip hop as well as g-funk, R&B vocals and soul. 

After a year full of diss tracks and conflict with Drake (a conflict which resulted in the release of Lamar’s track “Not Like Us”) Kendrick Lamar released an album that NME said “showed the world that he would die for his pride in the scathing battle, igniting the fearless insolence that seeps into his latest album”. NME, who also called Lamar this year’s rap MVP, rating the album five stars, said “Lamar channels what could be interpreted as hate and negativity into a teachable moment, leading you to draw upon the purest emotion known to man: love. In a year that started with so much venom, Kendrick Lamar shares the antidote on ‘GNX’.”

Others have compared the album to the cultural phenomenon of an episode of Game of Thrones, saying, “a cultural moment of reception, that stopped the world for an hour or so.”, with The Guardian ranking the album a four out of five, and The New York Times adding comments such as “It all makes “GNX” less a coherent statement of purpose than a collection of approaches, a burning off of loose energy before something much more focused and contemplative. Call it the storm before the quiet.”

No matter what, the one thing that all reviews seem to have in common is that “GNX” is a statement, one that Lamar didn’t feel the need to promote because he simply knew the world would listen – all of the reviews and his standings on the chart are a testament to that.

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The Beach Boys are a rock band created in Hawthorne California in 1961. The original members were three brothers, Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin, Mike Love, and Al Jardine. There are four remaining members, including two original members (Brian Wilson and Al Jardine), with Mike Love and Bruce Johnston. Their sound was highly influenced by 1950s rock and roll and R&B. They also ventured into classical and jazz elements due to Brian Wilson’s influence. Their work is iconic in both the rock and pop world, having sold over 100 million albums across the world. Among their most popular songs are “Good Vibrations”, “Surf’s Up” and “Wouldn’t it be Nice”. They have performed in the UK before, notably at Wembley Stadium in 1975 at Elton John’s all day concert. 

David Essex OBE is a singer-songwriter hailing from Essex, England. Starting his career in 1965, he released his first song, “And the Tears Came Tumbling Down”, and began touring with a band named David Essex and the Mood Indigo. As his career progressed he ventured into acting, notably acting in the movie “That’ll Be the Day” in 1973. This same year, he wrote and released perhaps his most popular song “Rock On” which charted worldwide and earned a Grammy nomination. He received an OBE in 1999 and has continued to work in both acting and music, still active today. 

Lulu, real name Lulu Kennedy-Cairns CBE, is a Scottish singer-songwriter and actress who rose to fame as a teenager upon the release of her cover of “Shout” by The Isley Brothers. Her fame increased again when she was a part of the film “To Sir, with Love”, for which she sang the theme song charting in the US Billboard 100 at number 1 for five weeks straight. In a career spanning six decades, she has become a prominent long-standing figure in film, music and songwriting, having commercial success with songs written for Take That and Ronan Keating, both of which charted at number 1 and 4 in the UK charts respectively.

Giles Cooper of Heritage Live Festivals said: “It’s been a huge ambition of ours to host a show for the legendary Beach Boys for some time now, and we’re delighted to not only make it happen; but also to have their only UK show for next year! … This is going to be really special – the perfect summer band for the perfect summer concert and a show that will be etched in our memories for many years to come!”

The highly anticipated show with three such iconic figures is sure to garner a large audience with a varied music taste. Tickets go on presale December 4 at 9am here, and general sale is December 6 at 9am here. More information can be found here.

Earlier this year AIF announced a campaign called Five Percent For Festivals , which should the government grant it, would temporarily reduce the VAT on festival tickets from 20% to 5% to alleviate some of the strain on the budget and profits of festivals across the UK. The government have yet to agree to this, though they recently announced investments in Liverpool and the West Midlands as they were deemed creative hubs. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has been involved with these investments and has commented on them – but the Autumn budget failed to discuss the issues the UK nightclub scene and grassroots venues continue to face.

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    The CEO of AIF, John Rostron has said: “This has been a devastating period for the UK’s festival organisers. Ours is a highly important sector that offers opportunities to artists, audiences, and develops creative skills and volunteering opportunities across all of the UK. The festival sector generates significant revenue in and around local economies as well as to the Treasury every year… We have campaigned tirelessly for targeted, temporary government intervention which, evidence shows, would have saved most of the independent events that have fallen in 2024. It is sad to see that this erosion has been allowed to continue under this government. We have great events, with great demand, and we’re doing all we can. They need to step up, and step up now.”

 

 

 

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UK music sector contributed £7.6 billion to the economy last year, yet the government continues to let grassroots venues and independent festivals suffer the consequences of the economic and financial climate. Earlier this year Readipop was cancelled, with other festivals added to the list including: Nozstock Hidden Valley (held for the last time in 2024) despite running 26 years, Bluedot (taking a year off), Pennfest (cancelled for 2024), Tenterden Folk Festival (shut down) which has run for 31 years.    

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Longstanding festivals such as these, and even newer less stable ones, are going to continue to cancel, postpone or shut down completely should the government not deal with the issue at hand. Associations such as AIF and UK Music continually release figures and suggest some solutions to alleviate the problem. If festival numbers continue to deplete it could be detrimental, even if the investments the government make are beneficial for those looking to get the training and start they need to work in the music career.  What awaits after training is not promising if the grassroots and independent festivals continue to suffer the way they have this year.