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Kilimanjaro and Action! Promoter Alan Day has provided a statement concerning the group’s successful tour, “Bring Me The Horizon were the first band in the UK, possibly the world, to complete a full non-rescheduled arena tour after the height of the pandemic. Their vision from the start was to produce the tour as environmentally friendly as possible, whilst still giving the audience the best spectacle achievable. From savings in plastic waste, to transport, to accommodation, to stage production and more, I am proud to have produced such a landmark tour and hopefully an example for the future.”

During the 2021 tour, the band reduced their touring emissions by 38% and cut 27.97 tonnes of CO2e. The British rockers also implemented plans to ban plastic bottles, this meant that a total of 3,322 plastic bottles weren’t used. According to the report published by the non-profit organisation, the band’s dedication to an eco-friendly tour also extended to travel plans. Instead of using traditional trucking fuel, the Sheffield formed group opted to use HVO Renewable Diesel. The fossil-free source is one of the cleanest fuels available and is a safer renewable diesel which has proven to eliminate 90% of CO2 and also aids to reduce nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide emissions. A Greener Festival also took to Twitter to confirm the group’s impressive percentage of reduced emissions.

Bring Me The Horizon @bmthofficial have shown what is possible and how we can change things for the better. According to a report put together by A Greener Festival @agreenerfest, the band reduced their total emissions by an incredible 38%. @rocksound #bmth #bringmethehorizon pic.twitter.com/uOsZbCnCHw

— IDIOTEQ.com (@IDIOTEQ) February 21, 2022

Along with the band’s contribution, changes and assistance were also supplied by Raw Power Management, United Talent Agency and promotion company Kilimanjaro and London’s The O2. The three companies and live venue all shared the occurred costs associated with a tour impact audit and sustainability implementation advice. A spokesman from Raw Power Management, Matt Ash has given the following comment concerning the tour, “Working with an artist in BMTH and a tour production team that was fully behind the approach to sustainable touring was something that we absolutely endorsed and are keen to implement on all future touring whenever possible.”

Claire O’Neill, CEO of A Greener Festival has also given the following statement concerning the actions taken to include sustainability and eco-friendly changes within the live music and event industry, “During the pandemic, the touring music industry came together on the important topic of sustainability. We’re so happy with the results from walking the talk with the first UK arena tour off the mark. The report shows a direct link between well-being, stress, and environmental sustainability. Culture change and industry restructuring is essential to achieve a green future for artist touring. There is much still to be done, but these results are undeniable evidence that we can take huge strides to reduce emissions and protect ecosystems immediately. There’s no excuse to delay.”

Click here to request the report by A Greener Festival

YEAR-END SPECIAL: Congratulations to all of the Venues that appeared on the 2021 Top Worldwide Arena Chart!

#1 @BrdgstoneArena
#2 @TheGarden
#3 @TheForum
#4 @StateFarmArena
#5 #MGMGrandGarden
#6 @Golden1Center
#7 @cryptocomarena
#8 @ToyotaCenter
#9 @AACenter
#10 @MoSunArenaPA pic.twitter.com/1bu6qYf9sQ

— Pollstar (@Pollstar) December 13, 2021

The hitmakers climbed to the top of the list with their No Filter Tour, which was rescheduled to end this year due to COVID. Although the band only played a dozen dates from their tour, the group earned an impressive £87 million from the stadium shows. The tour was the first run of live shows which the group played since the tragic passing of drummer Charlie Watts.

The rockers’ recent tour has been heralded not just for its financial success but for its positive influence within the music industry. President and co-CEO of Concerts West, John Meglen has provided the following statement concerning the tour, “It’s a testament to all of the people who were out on the road and on our team, You have to give every single person out there credit for a ton of buckling down and saying, ‘Let’s go out and get this thing done,’ because we all wanted to get it done. We didn’t want to lose a show. And we’re watching all the others out there and going, ‘Man, they’re not taking it serious enough.”

Meglen also stated that the tour’s successes lay in adherence to the COVID guidelines, “We had a very, very strict bubble, both for the entourage and the same with Opie (veteran tour production director Dale “Opie” Skjerseth) on the production crew, When we moved into St. Louis for the first show (the run debuted on Sept. 26 at The Dome), we really got into all of the daily or every-other-day testing.” The tour required all crew members to be vaccinated and tested regularly, the team also adhered to strict rulings which included no unpermitted persons allowed backstage and dressing rooms to be fully sanitized. Meglen continued to add, “We had to be very, very strict, At the show in L.A., my wife was up in the suite, but I couldn’t go up and see her.”

Former One Direction band member Harry Styles placed at number two within the list, the “Watermelon Sugar” singer earned £65.5 million from his Love On Tour concert series. Much like The Rolling Stones’ No Filter tour, Styles had to postpone the tour twice due to social restrictions placed to manage COVID. Styles embarked on his second concert tour in support of his second solo album Fine Line. The British artist made £6.1 million alone from his three nights at New York’s Madison Square Garden. With over 669,051 tickets sold, Styles has become the highest ticket selling artist of 2021.

The Hella Mega Tour has landed in third place, the concert series featured a trio of iconic bands and earned £50.8 million. The tour featured Green Day, Fall Out Boy and Weezer and is set to embark on its European and UK leg in 2022. The Eagles came in fourth place within the list, the group’s live shows brought in £44.7 million. The top five was concluded by Dead & Company, the supergroup made up of former Grateful Dead band members generated £37.9 million from live shows in 2021.

The 26-year-old singer took to Instagram to announce the theft. The post gives contact information as well as a list of the stolen equipment.

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The theft occurred on 16th October 2021 whilst the singer’s tour van was parked at Wembley Travelodge car park over the weekend. The singer was in London for a gig at Electric Ballroom in Camden on Friday 15th October 2021. The perpetrators have stolen 13 items of equipment from the van including two Fender guitars and a custom-made kick drum that bears the singer-songwriter’s name.

The Dublin born singer-songwriter first gained popularity from her YouTube channel where she posted performances of cover songs. Gartland’s music has been identified within the genre of folk music, the singer has cited Joni Mitchell as her influence. Her first EP entitled Laughing at My Own Jokes was released in August 2011. However, Gartland’s first official EP is often regarded as Roots.

The artist’s EP, Roots, was released on 11th November 2013 to great critical acclaim. The release reached the top of the Irish album charts and reached number fifteen within the UK album charts. The four-track EP’s title track “Roots” became Apple iTunes Single of The Week within the UK and Ireland. The singer’s next EP, Lonely People, was released on 18th January 2015, the release incorporated funk styles into Gartland’s trademark folk-pop sound. The singer has released two more Eps, Why Am I like This? and Freckle Season before her debut album.

Gartland’s first studio album, Woman on the Internet, was released on 20th August 2021 and has sired three singles. The first single, “Pretending” was released on 16th October 2020. The album’s second single entitled “More Like You” was released on 13th January 2021, the track explores themes of jealously and identity. The third single taken from the debut album, “Zombie!” was released on 13th April 2021 and discussed toxic masculinity within society. Within the latest single, Gartland worked with producer Pete Robertson. Robertson is known for his work with singer-songwriter beabadoobee and indie rockers The Vaccines.

The artist has just finished eight UK performances, the singer embarked on tour earlier this month in support of her debut album. The singer-songwriter began the UK leg of her tour on 6th October in Bristol and finished with a performance in Brighton on 17th October. Gartland will be hitting the road again on 16th December with three performances in Ireland. In Spring next year Gartland will begin the European leg of her tour. Starting on 6th April, the singer will perform in twelve European cities.

Previous reports had advised that the group’s guitarist and songwriter Serge Pizzorno was to take up the microphone on their upcoming tour. The group will hit the road this October for their 17 date tour, which will see the band tour for the first time since the departure of former frontman Tom Meighan. A source from the newspaper Daily Mirror has given the following details, “Rob is a good friend of all the Kasabian band members, and they’ve all toured together in the past, and he’s a great frontman so it seems like a no brainer to try him out up front.”

The band’s rumoured new frontman is best known as the singer and founding member of English Alt-Rock band The Music. Harvey formed the group in 2001 and their self-titled debut album was released the following year. The Leeds formed group enjoyed chart success during their decade long career, after four studio albums the band disbanded in 2011.  The 38-year-old artist has also penned tracks for various other groups including the 2014 hit “Real Love” for Clean Bandit and Jess Glynne.

Harvey also wrote two songs for The Streets’ fifth studio album Computers and Blues, released on 7th February 2011. Harvey would continue to work with The Streets after his work on the album, Mike Skinner asked Harvey to join the group on the road as their touring guitarist and singer. Harvey and Skinner would also go on to partner on a new project, The D.O.T which saw the pair experiment visually and sonically.

Harvey has reportedly been enlisted to replace the group’s former frontman, Tom Meighan. Meighan sadly had to leave the band after the singer plead guilty to charges stemming from a reported assault. The incident occurred between Meighan and his partner Vikki Ager in July 2020 and the singer was sentenced to 200 hours of unpaid work. The pair have since put the incident behind them confirming that it was a drunken occurrence, the singer has since attended rehab in aid of his alcohol addiction issues. At the time of the incident, Meighan was also diagnosed with Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Ager has spoken out citing Meighan’s condition and an absence of support as the catalyst for his actions. She has also confirmed that the occurrence was not domestic violence.

Meighan has spoken on the incidence stating that the conflict was due to intoxication, “We had too much to drink. I regret everything that happened that night – what I can remember of it. I don’t condone it – it’s horrific. I love my partner to pieces. I was at a boiling point in my life – I didn’t know where things were heading. I was drowning myself with drink because of my problems and things going on around me. We had a fight and I took the brunt for it. I was fully responsible for what happened but we love each other and we’re getting over it.”

The group’s upcoming tour starts on 13th October with a set at the O2 Academy in Glasgow and finishes on 4th November at O2 Academy Birmingham.

Kasabian UK tour

13/10/2021 – O2 Academy Glasgow – Glasgow
14/10 – Liverpool Guild of Students – Liverpool
15/10 – Cardiff University Students’ Union – Cardiff
17/10 – O2 Academy Leeds – Leeds
18/10 – Engine Shed – Lincoln
20/10 – Rock City – Nottingham
21/10 – O2 Academy Sheffield – Sheffield
22/10 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester
24/10 – Norwich Nick Rayns LCR UEA – Norwich
26/10 – O2 City Hall, Newcastle – Newcastle-Upon-Tyne
27/10 – De Montfort Hall – Leicester
28/10 – O2 Academy Bournemouth – Bournemouth
30/10 – O2 Guildhall Southampton – Southampton
31/10 – O2 Academy Bristol – Bristol
02/11 – O2 Academy Brixton – London
03/11 – O2 Academy Brixton – London
04/11 – O2 Academy Birmingham – Birmingham

Photo Credit: Raymond Flotat

It has been reported that the group’s iconic tongue band logo will be changed from red to black. This alteration is said to be in tribute to the group’s drummer Charlie Watts who tragically passed away last month. The “Paint It Black” performers will feature the new logo on band merchandise sold on their US No Filter tour, as well as on large screens used during their performances. The band will also pay tribute to their bandmate by using archived footage used within montages, the footage will be used throughout their tour which starts on 26th September 2021.

A source has spoken with the Bizarre column from the Sun Newspaper concerning the surviving member’s plans to honour Watts. “They don’t want it to be a concert that is a downer because they know fans have paid good money to see them. But it feels only right that they reference Charlie’s passing because he was such a vital part of the band and it will be strange for them all to not have him there. They think the plans make for a fitting tribute.”

The tragic news of Watts’ passing was announced last month and has left the rock n roll community deeply saddened by the great loss. The acclaimed drummer passed away at the age of 80 on 24th August 2021, since his passing countless tributes have poured in expressing grief whilst celebrating his great talent and influence. Watts’ publicist Bernard Doherty released this statement to announce his death.  “It is with immense sadness that we announce the death of our beloved Charlie Watts. He passed away peacefully in a London hospital earlier today surrounded by his family. Charlie was a cherished husband, father and grandfather and also as a member of The Rolling Stones one of the greatest drummers of his generation. We kindly request that the privacy of his family, band members and close friends is respected at this difficult time.”

It has been reported that Watts’ fellow bandmates could not attend the funeral due to travel restrictions caused by COVID-19. Sir Mick Jagger, Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood were in Boston for rehearsals in preparation for their US tour and consequently were not allowed to return to the UK to pay their respects to their friend in person. However, an insider also told The Sun that the group are planning a celebration to honour Watts’ life when back in the UK.

It was also announced that plans were in place to honour Watts at this weekend’s Isle of Wright Festival. John Giddings, the festival’s boss, had confirmed that they aimed to pay tribute to the late great drummer. It was stated over the weekend that a photo of Watts was to be projected upon the main stage. It was on this same stage that Watts and the stones performed their legendary set in 2007, within the now infamous performance they were joined by fellow British icon Amy Winehouse. Giddings had this to say concerning the festival’s plan to pay tribute to Watts. “We have been talking about doing something. I mean it’s just so sad…he was such a great bloke. I am not sure it’s the Rolling Stones without him but they will continue on for the rest of their lives. I mean they are the best rock band in the world bar none. They get better every time I see them.”

The band will perform shows in Cardiff, Newcastle, Glasgow, Leeds, Manchester and other cities throughout November 2021. Their first London headline date will take place at O2 Academy Islington on November 25.

Wargasm were only formed in late 2019 and stated of the tour “We played two small tours and ever since then we have had to exist almost purely online. As the world reopens we are looking forward to the inevitable chaos of our own headline shows and bringing you War On The Road.”

Tickets for Wargasm’s debut UK headline tour go on sale tomorrow (Wednesday, August 4) at 10am BST  and you can purchase yours here.

Wargasm will be embarking on their debut U.K headline tour this November. pic.twitter.com/jATkWKXMbw

— (@thisiswargasmuk) August 2, 2021

This announcement comes as the band gear up for a set of support slots on Yungblud’s ‘Occupy The UK’ tour, which will then be followed up by appearances at Reading & Leeds. Yungblud said of the band “I love the songs, they make me want to rage. I believe it. They’re telling the truth.”

Back in June, the duo also performed at the Download Festival pilot event. They’ll head out on the road with Creeper in December

‘War On The Road’ Tour Dates:

17/08/2021 Clwb Ifor Bach – Cardiff 
18/08 Mama Roux’s – Birmingham 
20/08 Red’s Bar, Northumbria University – Newcastle
21/08 Cathouse – Glascow 
23/08 The Key Club – Leeds
24/08 Bodega Social – Nottingham 
25/08 O2 Academy Islington – London
27/08 Joiners – Southampton
29/08 The Shed – Leicester 
30/08 Rebellion Club – Manchester

The Scottish singer took to her social media channels to post a statement outlining the reasons for the termination of the tour.

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In the statement the ‘Suddenly I See’ singer related her fears to a previous incident involving hearing loss during her 2018 tour whilst thanking her fans for their continued support. Within the statement the singer also announces her unfortunate withdrawal from her US tour dates with Hall and Oats, the rescheduled tour saw the singer recruited to support legendary pop duo. The outfit responsible for such hits as ‘Maneater’ and ‘I Can’t Go for That |(No Can Do)’ will still be hitting this road this summer under the name Daryl Hall + John Oates, joined by with special guests Squeeze.

Tunstall has stated that she previously experienced hearing issues a decade prior, the artist’s left ear incurred high-frequency issues. Tunstall has stated that she then developed tinnitus, a hearing-loss condition, that includes symptoms such as ringing, roaring and humming sounds in the ears. The condition is said to affect 15-20% of people, the issue has also been described as a permanent ailment among people diagnosed.

Earlier in the year, the singer addressed her fears on the threat of hearing loss, the singer attributed her concerns to her underuse of ear protection whilst listening to loud music. The 46-year-old singer provided the following description of her relationship with live music and her subsequent issues with tinnitus. “I’d never been particularly careful about my hearing over the years, especially as a clubber through my 20s and cranking the volume up on bad monitors at my early gigs, The kicker is, I still have the tinnitus, even in a deaf ear, I’ve adapted really well and can still perform and record, but if I could do it all again, I would definitely make sure I was going for regular hearing checks from a young age.”

KT Tunstall first rose to fan with the release of her 2005 single, ‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree’. The track landed at number 28 within the UK singles charts and was the lead single from the singer’s debut studio album, ‘Eye to the Telescope’ released in 2004, the album was later re-released under Relentless Records in 2005. The track was performed live in 2004 on the popular TV show, ‘Later… with Jools Holland’, the solo performance garnered public attention for the singer and showcased the artist’s original talents. Tunstall was soon winning awards and being nominated for various accolades, such nominations include the 2005 Mercury Prize and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Performance in 2007.

Tunstall has also been nominated for various awards at the Brit award ceremonies, in 2006 the singer was nominated for the categories Best British Live Acts and BRIT Award for Best Breakthrough Act. Tunstall would go on to win multiple Brit Awards in 2006 for two categories, Best British Female Artist and the European Border Breakers Award. The multitalented singer has also worked within the film industry, Tunstall has written soundtracks for a variety of films. She has penned the score and music for such films as ‘The Kid’, the Disney sports biographical drama ‘Million Dollar Arm’ and ‘Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast’. Tunstall also wrote two pieces of music for the Blockbuster film ‘Bad Moms’, entitled ‘Band Moms (Suite)‘ and ‘Enough Is Enough (Suite)’.

Exposure to loud music is an issue in which the World Health Organisation wish to address and have provided guidance regarding prevention and care. Such precautions suggested include carefully controlled settings of volume levels on phones and other mobile devices and noise-cancelling headphones. The World Health Organisation has also suggested safety measures for live music such as wearable ear protection.

The band’s frontman Kieran Shuddall stated that “We can’t believe we are finally going to be back playing live shows again next month!! Ahead of the excitement we decided to add a couple of intimate shows to our tour! 1865 in Southampton and Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh. These will sell out quickly, so make sure you’re up early to get yours tomorrow!!!”

The band had originally intended to go on tour last year in support of their most recent album ‘Sad Happy’, which was released in March 2020. This was then followed up by the surprise release of their EP ‘Sadder, Happier’ in May.

However, due to the enforced coronavirus shutdown of live music initially forced Circa Waves to postpone their touring plans into 2021. They were made to rearrange the dates for this March but again had to push it back even further this time to August.

With all legal COVID-19 restrictions being lifted in England today (July 19), the band will now go ahead with their August dates and have added new shows in Southampton and Edinburgh.

All the Circa Waves’ UK tour dates are shown below. Tickets for the two new dates will go on sale tomorrow morning (July 20) at 9 am BST, whilst all remaining tickets for the existing shows can be bought here

Circa Waves UK tour:

09/08/2021 The 1865 (new show) – Southampton,
10/08 The Tramshed (sold out) – Cardiff
11/08 O2 Academy – Leicester
13/08 Keele University – Keele
14/08 Mountford Hall (sold out) – Liverpool
15/08 Liquid Room (new show) – Edinburgh
17/08 O2 Academy (sold out) – Glasgow
19/08 Waterfront (sold out) – Norwich
20/08 Brixton Academy – London

The band, formed in Leicester, gained popularity with their single ‘nightmares‘ back in 2018 and have since developed a creative, unique discography. Their new single ‘ocean view‘ perfectly captures the dazed hip-hop that is heavily associated with the band.

Frontman Murray Matravers offers detailed, lyrical narrative in the single. In his own words on ‘ocean view‘, Matravers stated that it is about:

“managing expectations. With great anticipation comes great disappointment. ‘ocean view’ is the feeling of taking your mate/lover out on a wild trip to the seaside and finding out the whole trip is massively underwhelming, and they don’t even enjoy trips to the beach.”

The single teases the release of the new album ‘Life’s A Beach‘ – a suitable title which is reflected in ‘ocean view‘. Murray acknowledges the hardship that your expectations won’t always be met, as seen in his deep lyrical contemplation, yet the band portrays this through energetic hop-hop. You can never have the highs without the lows – life’s a beach.

Previous singles have shown the bands ability to fluctuate emotionally and lyrically depending on subject matter. From the bands happy go lucky, upbeat approach in ‘ocean view‘ to a slower tempo in ‘a message to myself’. In interview with DORK, Easy Life’s guitarist Lewis Alexander Berry commented on why the band were yet to make an album. Berry summarised the bands ability to adapt between singles, something that makes their music so unique – “I think we realise that there isn’t going to be a point where we go ‘this is what we sound like’. That’s great. If anything, that’s really exciting for us because we just write whatever we want”.

The single captures unrealistic expectations under a nostalgic, romanticised melody. It is suitably accompanied by the music video, directed by Greg Barth. The video is supposedly set at the beach with frontman Matravers appearing to be on a date with a giant goldfish. By the end of the video the camera pans out and reveals the beach is a complete set up – a crime scene of a car crash. Of course, the car crash suitably resembles ‘ocean view‘ and its theme of failed expectations.

‘ocean view‘ will be featured along with 12 other tracks on Easy Life’s debut album ‘Life’s A Beach‘, which has been greatly anticipated. The band are also set to perform on their upcoming Record Store Tour in the UK this July. You can watch the music video for their new single ‘ocean view‘ here.

The track itself is brilliantly bizarre – thunderous, pounding, angular math rock. The driving drums and guitar are intertwined with softer piano and brass, but noodled riffs and industrial bass sounds make the track a fascinating listen. At times, Black Midi sound like someone has thrown their instruments down some stairs – in the best way you could imagine. The frantic nature of the track and its wide range of instruments really shouldn’t work, but it does and ‘Slow’ is easily one of their strongest tracks to date.

The drumming is a real highlight, Morgan Simpson absolutely shines. He is able to fit complex fills into gaps that seem too small and keeps the frenetic rhythm rumbling on. He’s clearly an exceptional talent, Simpson is one of the many factors that make Black Midi such an interesting prospect.

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There is an accompanying music video, which continues the erratic and chaotic themes. Flicking between animated and live action, the crescendo of the video is planets colliding amongst kaleidoscopic, psychedelic imagery.

The band have also announced details of a huge list of shows. There is a two-legged UK & Ireland tour, taking them the length and breadth of the country. From here, they go on to play numerous dates across Europe plus a long US tour.

Before they hit the road in the winter, Black Midi will play two socially distant shows at Hackney Church next month. The grandiose venue will doubtlessly suit BM’s gothic, colossal sound.

Black Midi’s upcoming tour dates are:

31/08/2021 – BRISTOL Trinity
01/09 – BRISTOL Trinity
02/09 – MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
05/09 – BIRMINGHAM Mill
06/08 – GLASGOW QMU
09/10 – DUBLIN Vicar Street
11/10 – LONDON Alexandra Palace Theatre
14/10 – BATH Komedia
15/10 – CAMBRIDGE Juction
16/10 – SHEFFIELD Corporation
17/10 – NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE Wylam Brewery
21/10 – LEEDS Brusenell Social Club
22/10 – LEEDS Brusenell Social Club
23/10 – LEEDS Brusenell Social Club
24/10 – BRIGHTON Chalk
25/10 – PORTSMOUTH New Theatre Royal