Grennan will host a virtual performance on the 2^nd October, after his headline show at the academy, which was supposed to take place back in May, had to be cancelled. Apart from hits like “Found What I’ve Been Looking For” and “This Is The Place” he will also play some new tunes that he’s been creating during lockdown. The concert will be livestreamed via state-of-the-art virtual reality technology and will be broadcasted on the Melody VR app.

The 25-year-old said that rehearsals have been an “emotional experience”. “It’s weird at the moment. It doesn’t smell like Brixton or feel like it at the moment – it’s just not had anyone in there for a while. Hopefully I can help breathe some life back in to it. It’s going to be a wicked gig.”

Buzzing to announce that I will be doing a 360° interactive livestream direct from @O2academybrix on Friday 2nd Oct! This is going to be special with unreleased songs and surprises to be revealed! I want you all to be involved. Be ready to book your tickets Wednesday 10am pic.twitter.com/RIBCfgg9Gw

— Tom Grennan (@Tom_Grennan) September 14, 2020

The singer admitted that he’s quite “nervous” about the show, as he hasn’t used his voice in a while due to cancelled shows and tours. “Usually I use my voice every day, especially when I am on tour. So its a bit like going back to the gym. I am a bit out of practice. But I’m excited.”

Tickets will go on sale on Wednesday, 16^th September at 10am here, with a Live Nation presale taking place a day earlier on Tuesday, 15^th September, at 10am. To gain access to the presale, you have to register to Live Nation prior to the sale. According to the ticket website, the show on the 2^nd October will start at 20:30, with doors “opening” at 19:00. They’re promising “an exclusive and very special virtual performance”, including “never-before-seen material, and major surprises on the night, you will have the best view in the house for this immersive production, guaranteed.”

Bratton has been with Creeper ever since the band was found in 2014. The drummer has been working on both of the band’s albums, the 2017 released debut album “Eternity, In Your Arms” and this year’s “Sex, Death & The Infinite Void”. He has also performed on the 2014 self-titled EP, as well as on the “The Callous Heart” EP from 2015 and 2016’s “The Stranger”.

Underneath the tweet, fans have been speculating about the decision. Normally, when a member leaves a band, the announcement features something along the lines of “we wish him all the best for the future”, but as the Creeper statement lacked any sentences like this, many have been speculating if there’s some kind of bad blood between the Southampton-based band and their now former drummer. “Not even a “we wish him well in all future endeavours” ouch.”, one commented. “oh my god this was such a shock to wake up to?? i hope everyone’s on good terms but by the sounds of things i’m unsure”, someone else said, to which they received a reply saying “they didn’t wish him “the best of luck” or whatever bands normally do so I’m assuming it’s bad terms?”

Creeper have parted ways with drummer Dan Bratton.

— C R E E P E R (@creepercultuk) September 10, 2020

It is unsure what this announcement means for the future of the band. Creeper had to reschedule their UK tour, which was originally planned for April, to March 2021 due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. If they will get a new drummer to replace Bratton on the tour, as well as on future studio recordings, remains uncertain as of now.

But one thing is for sure: If the rockers want to play live with a drummer, they need to find a new one rather sooner than later, as they are supposed to play three hometown shows in December. That means that we should receive information about a possible new drummer no later than three months from now.

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the award ceremony was held online this year, but that didn’t stop organisers from letting the winners speak for themselves. The trio is seen laughing on screen, before they went on to hold their speech. Tion Wayne is starting off the speech whilst Stormzy is fiddling with the award in his hands.

The “Vossi Bop” rapper is laughing it off when his colleague is thanking him for “making me a rich one.” Stormzy himself recalls the moment he got to hear the first beat of the song that earned the three of them the award: “Tion sent me the rhythm and it was a smash!” “We done it, so I just did my part but Tion, genius, bro.”

The ceremony featured performances by Dizzee Rascal, Kano, George The Poet and M Huncho. The winners were voted by GRM Daily readers in July and August via an online poll. Track of the Year wasn’t the only award that Dutchavelli got to take home that day. Stormzy’s colleague also won Breakthrough of the Year – and dedicated the award to his late manager Fox, who passed away earlier this year. “Grateful for this one, it means a lot. Big up to the runners-up, management, family and the mandem. This one’s for Fox.”

One of the biggest prizes of the night went to London-based rapper Dizzee Rascal who won the Legacy Award, which has been given to him for changing the face of British music. An award, that probably everyone would like to earn. Who knows, maybe next year it’s up to Stormzy to take the prize home, seeing as he’s influencing not only Britain’s youth but also the UK music scene.

The 27-year-old shared a video message on his website, explaining the meaning of the video. “I think it’s important that you guys understand how powerful you are”, he addresses the viewers. “Despite the colour of your skin, despite where you come from, despite your religion, despite whatever it is that you feel may be holding you back; you are a Superhero. So, I wanted to make this video to inspire you guys, to let you know that the sky is the limit.”

The inspiration came from a “very underprivileged background” as a young Black man from South London, who didn’t have many role models when he was growing up. “I didn’t have many people who I thought I could look at and aspire to be similar to”, he explained. Until he realised: “And as I’ve grown older, I noticed that a lot of people around me are superheroes.”

“Superheroes” is the sixth single from his sophomore album “Heavy Is The Head”, which dropped in December last year. It was his second album that gained a Number 1 spot on the Official Charts. Unfortunately, the rapper had to reschedule his “Heavy Is The Head” tour, which was set for the fall, to spring 2021, due to the ongoing pandemic. But that’s not keeping him from spreading positive messages to his fans.

“Those little skills that we have, those big skills that we have, those talents, those things that often go ignored that makes you a superhero” – Stormzy recalls how everyone is a superhero in their own way, but that we don’t realise this often enough. If you know anything – whether it’s to rap, to play football or to know how to figure out an equation – you are a superhero. Even if you’re “just” passionate or clever, you’re a superhero without knowing it. And that’s what Stormzy wanted to achieve with the video: To remind the people, that each of them is a superhero on their own.

Just last week (2^nd September) metal pioneers Bring Me The Horizon released a collaboration with Yungblud, called “Obey”, which came along with a music video. It’s not the only collab the Doncaster-born rockstar has been working on, back in August he released “Lemonade” with American rapper Denzel Curry.

And as if the collaborations wouldn’t be enough already, he also released some classic Yungblud solo tracks: “Weird!”, which came out in April, deals with anxiety and contains some real quarantine-lyrics like “don’t wreck your brain, It’ll be alright, We’re in a weird time of life”, though the song was written and recorded before the pandemic. And then there’s the single “Strawberry Lipstick” which introduced us to the new Yungblud-era. It’s a classic pop punk tune that he wrote at the early age of 15, after a Green Day gig inspired him.

up to something. not long now.

— YUNGBLUD (@yungblud) September 7, 2020

And now it seems as if something new is going to be added to the Yungblud-collection. Under the tweet, a fan jokingly replied “sir we simply want ice cream man”, which he answered with “ask and u shall receive wiv a flake n cherry’s on fookin top”. Could this be a hint?  After all, he teased the announcement of “Strawberry Lipstick” by posting strawberries all over his social media accounts. From changing his profile photos on various platforms to a picture of a strawberry to tweeting the strawberry emoji, the fruit was all over the place.

Though it of course is a bit of a stretch, the possibility of the reply featuring cherries being a clue is still there. Doesn’t it seem a bit odd that this is the only tweet he has replied to? To find out, if it actually is a clue or if it after all is just a simple reply, we still have to wait a bit, but “not long now.”

So far, the campaign has raised £75,000 from the first prize draw. Because the thing is, you can’t buy tickets for the shows. Say what? Since the whole point of the campaign is to help your favourite venues, you get to decide on your own how much you want to help. “We’re asking you to support your favourite venues by making a £5 minimum donation to the campaign”, the website reads. Everyone who donates automatically enters a prize draw to win entry for themselves and a plus one.

The participating artists and venues are regularly getting announced via the campaign’s crowdfunding page, with the dates of the particular shows to be announced later on, as “these shows are not live-streamed from an empty room or held under ‘social distancing’ conditions.” Instead, “they are a celebration of the unrivalled experience of watching your favourite artist in a room full of friends and fellow fans – as it should be.”

BLOCK TWO – MORE GIGS COMING – MORE VENUES TO BE SAVED

LINEUP ANNOUNCING 10AM 07.09.2020.

Sign up and be the first to find out >> https://t.co/rIlqKiQGsO#saveourvenues #backtoourroots @musicvenuetrust @crowdfunderuk @bandonthewall pic.twitter.com/HEUOXjIklh

— Passport: Back to Our Roots (@passportgigs) September 2, 2020

In honour of the campaign, Pet Shop Boys are going to play at Camden’s Electric Ballroom, and singer-songwriter Passenger is going to put on a show at Komedia in Brighton. Another addition to the line-up is Russell Watson, who is going to perform at Manchester’s Stoller Hall. KT Tunstall is going to play two shows, one at The Windmill in Brixton, and one at PJ Molloys in Fife.

More acts are going to be announced today (7^th September) at 10am, with two more names being revealed on BBC Radio 6 Music during the station’s State Of Independents Day on September 10. Keep an eye out on the “Passport: Back To Our Roots” Twitter account and their website to find out about the newest additions.

For their “Post Human” project, the Sheffield-based metal pioneers have been working with quite a few artists, so what made them pick Yungblud as their next collaboration partner? “There was an energy to it where it felt heavy but then had some slight brit-pop influences, which I hear in Yungblud’s music”, Sykes explained. The decision came along with the with to give the new album a “harder edge” than 2019’s “amo”.

Whilst “amo” was more focused on collaborations with artists from outside the scene, this album is supposed to get back into the familiar scene – and Yungblud fits right in there. “with this record we wanted to have people that reflect the scene at the moment and still not choose obvious people that you would expect us to work with”, Sykes said. And with Yungblud dominating the alternative scene at the moment, the choice seems to reflect the scene just right, just like they wanted. “I really like what Yungblud’s doing. I love his energy and I think he’s reflective of a new breed of rock star.”

#teamedward pic.twitter.com/sXQFpHD3Xt

— YUNGBLUD (@yungblud) September 3, 2020

Admiring the work with Yungblud, the 33-year-old, he admitted that “we’re honoured, to be honest.” And just like they were honoured to work with Dominic Harrison, as Yungblud’s real name is, he was also quite fond about working with Bring Me The Horizon, as he used to listen to their music when he was younger.

Yungblud grew up in Doncaster, were people were “quite set in their ways”, with a Yungblud wearing nail polish and dresses not really fitting in the local community. It was when he discovered BMTHs 2008-record “Suicide Season” that he noticed that the album “just got my rage out… it kind of hit a nerve.” He realised then that “these lads are where I’m from and they’re kind of unconditionally themselves and have been celebrated for it so I’m gonna do that one day.” Little did he know that in 2020, he would not only be celebrated for being himself, just like they did back in the day, but that he would also collaborate with them.

The five names that are brand-new to the line-up are Yungblud, Charli XCX, Neck Deep, Jack Harlow and Sigrid. For the first time in the history of the event, the festival will have two main stages on which the six headliners are going to play. Reading and Leeds festival is taking place from August 27 to August 29 2021.

The first night in Reading will be headlined by Stormzy and Catfish And The Bottlemen, with Liam Gallagher and Queens Of The Stone Age headlining night one in Leeds, before Stormzy and Catfish And The Bottlemen will play Leeds on Saturday. As for Reading, Gallagher and Queens Of The Stone Age will play there on Sunday. Post Malone and Disclosure are going to perform at Reading on Saturday and Sunday in Leeds.

Just Announced Here are your FIVE NEW #RANDL21 NAMES Don’t forget, general tickets go on sale TOMORROW at 9:00am
Reading https://t.co/qncszFqCEn
Leeds https://t.co/U4cYT2m9ay pic.twitter.com/D4GG8nGgrK

— Reading & Leeds Fest (@OfficialRandL) September 2, 2020

Fans were able to keep this year’s tickets to transfer them to next year, however there were also some tickets left that went on sale today (3th September) at 9am. Melin Benn, the Managing Director of Festival Republic, is super excited about the return of the event: “After an absence of a year we are delighted to announce the 2021 return to Reading’s Richfield Avenue and Leeds’ Bramham Park in 2021 with our most epic plan yet. Two main stages, six headliners, the best line up of acts 2021 will see and 200,000 fans are going to celebrate the best music in the best music festivals in Britain”, he said in a press release.

But even if Reading and Leeds festival will be back next year, it will be a bit different than what we’re used to. To ensure a safe festival experience for visitors, everyone will be tested for coronavirus before entering the festival grounds. But for a line-up like this, we can probably deal with a little test.

“COVID has given us a year off, so the innovation for next year is testing – everybody will be tested”, he said. “We don’t need a vaccination because we can work through the problem with a really good testing regime. We’ll be able to do this by next year. If there is a vaccine, there will be sufficient for the old and the vulnerable.”

“Young people can resist it. The government know that now. In March and April, they didn’t know that. Everybody was shit-scared and that’s inevitable, but as we’ve learned more, we know the strong and healthy are able to survive it.”

LIAM GALLAGHER
STORMZY
POST MALONE
DISCLOSURE
QOTSA
CATFISH AND THE BOTTLEMEN

BRING ON 2021 @OfficialRandL

— JACK SAUNDERS (@jackxsaunders) August 31, 2020

He is “very confident” that next year’s festival season will go ahead as planned, and he’s positive, that even with the new guidelines and restrictions, it will be “remarkably similar to what it’s always been like.” As for the tests, Benn doesn’t think that it will affect festivalgoers that much, even though people might feel like they aren’t used to it. He’s sure that this will be “the new norm” that people will get used to.

In fact, he thinks that doing the test will become such a normal part of our lives, that young people will treat it the same way they treat downing a pint at a night out: “There will be some sort of test. By the time August 2021 comes around, it will take 10 minutes. You can see the kids outside doing it – who can neck a pint quickest, who can do a test quickest?

“Happy what would be Notting Hill Carnival my beloved London”, the caption to the post that shows the Tottenham-born singer wearing a bikini top with a print of the Jamaican flag, reads. Her hair was knotted in dozens of small buns – this is called “Bantu knots” and it’s a style from the African culture. Now Adele is a white, blonde woman and therefore many were accusing her of cultural appropriation.

The term cultural appropriation means that someone practices or inappropriately uses custom of a culture to which they do not belong to. It is usually used for people who belongs more to a different culture in society than the one they are deemed to be appropriating. For example, a white person using so much fake tan that they seem to be brown or black would be a case of cultural appropriation (though this phenomenon has its own name called blackfishing).

If 2020 couldn't get anymore bizarre, Adele is giving us Bantu knots and cultural appropriation that nobody asked for.

This officially marks all of the top white women in pop as problematic.

Hate to see it. pic.twitter.com/N9CqPqh7GX

— Ernest Owens (@MrErnestOwens) August 30, 2020

So why was Adele accused of doing such a thing? The Notting Hill Carnival, which she refers to in the caption, is an annual event that celebrates the black culture. Though this year the carnival had to be held online due to the ongoing pandemic. Adele wearing a bikini top with the Jamaican flag on it is not the problem, however her wearing bantu knots is.

A lot of people on Twitter think that as a white woman, who doesn’t have any connection or relationship with the African culture, the 32-year-old shouldn’t be wearing a hairstyle that belongs to a culture that isn’t hers. However, there are also many people defending her, saying that she just wanted to celebrate African and black culture, like the Notting Hill Carnival does. People of colour were also arguing that though it is their right to discuss it, white people shouldn’t define if it is appropriate or not, as this is a decision that only people from the culture can actually have a say in.

Sometimes the Black Americans get outraged over nothing. There’s nothing wrong with Adele wearing a Jamaican-flag bikini top & African Bantu Knots on her head.

Africans love it. Jamaicans love it. So why are the AA pressed?

Who made them the spokespeople for the black culture?

— Tunde ➐ (@Tunnykvng) August 31, 2020