The show was announced earlier in the week via social media, with tickets priced at just £22.50 and made available on a first-come, first-served basis. The 250-capacity venue Bush Hall offered fans the chance to see the iconic indie band in a setting far more personal than the festival stages and arenas they have been recently playing.

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Opening the night with a burst of energy, the band launched into a run of classics: ‘Up The Bracket, The Delaney’, ‘What Became Of The Likely Lads’, and ‘Boys In The Band’. The momentum continued as they dipped into deeper cuts and fan favourites including ‘Night of the Hunter’, ‘What Katie Did’, ‘Shiver’, and ‘Merry Old England’.

Later, the band delivered raucous renditions of ‘Death on the Stairs’, ‘Music When the Lights Go Out’, and ‘The Good Old Days’, before closing out the 16-song set with a trio of defining hits: ‘Time for Heroes’, ‘Can’t Stand Me Now’, and the rousing ‘Don’t Look Back Into the Sun’.

The performance not only celebrated their recent album but served as a nod to their early roots – a reminder of the raw energy and chemistry that made The Libertines one of Britain’s most beloved bands of the 2000s indie rock explosion.

The warm-up gig precedes the band’s much-anticipated Gunnersbury Park show, which will take place on Saturday, August 9, 2025. The concert marks the final date of their ‘All Quiet On The Eastern Esplanade’ tour, which celebrates the release of their fourth album. Joining The Libertines at Gunnersbury will be a handpicked support line-up that includes Supergrass, Soft Play, Hak Baker, Real Farmer, and Lambrini Girls.

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In a press statement teasing the London concert, the band shared: “The old white mansion in Gunnersbury Park is in one of our favourite films, ‘The Lavender Hill Mob’, so we thought we’d bring the Eastern Esplanade mob and some spiky guitars to that Arcadian glade in West London for a good ol’ homecoming knees up.”

“Look forward to seeing you there, along with our friends Supergrass, Soft Play, Hak Baker, Lambrini Girls and Real Farmer. Love Peter, Carl, Gary and John X”

In case you missed it, MXDWN’s earlier coverage of The Libertines’ Gunnersbury Park announcement is available here.

Adele announced her decision at the end of her tenth and final Munich show at the Messe München arena. The series of ten concerts, which was rearranged from last year due to illness, marked her triumphant return to mainland Europe, a stage she hadn’t graced since 2016. She told the crowd of her upcoming run of ten shows in Las Vegas, and explained: “After that, I will not see you for an incredibly long time.” The announcement was met with dismayed cries from the crowd.

Reflecting on her journey, Adele shared candidly with the audience, “I’m not the most comfortable performer, I know that, but I am very fucking good at it. And I have really enjoyed performing for nearly three years now, which is the longest I’ve ever done and probably the longest I’ll ever do.” “I have spent the last seven years building a new life for myself, and I want to live it now,” she added.

Throughout her Munich residency, Adele took moments to express her gratitude and admiration for her fans and fellow artists. She also praised rising star Chappell Roan, calling her “absolutely amazing” and noting, “She’s got, like, seven fucking brilliant songs.”

In a touching moment, Adele also confirmed her engagement to sports agent Rich Paul, sharing her joy with the audience. She even treated fans to a rare performance of her 2008 hit ‘Chasing Pavements,’ a song she hadn’t sung live in seven years. Her shows were filled with personal touches, including pausing a set to stream the Paralympic women’s 100m Olympic races.

Her debut album, 19, released in 2008, quickly catapulted her to fame with hits like “Chasing Pavements” and “Make You Feel My Love”. Adele’s soulful voice and earnest lyrics resonated with audiences worldwide. Her follow-up album, 21, released in 2011, became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century, featuring iconic tracks such as “Rolling in the Deep” and “Someone Like You”.

Adele’s success continued with subsequent albums 25 and 30, solidifying her status as one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Known for her powerful mezzo-soprano vocals and emotional depth, Adele has won numerous awards, including 16 Grammy Awards and an Academy Award

Way back in 2022, a study by Yard, a sustainable marketing agency, showed that the 34-year-old singer’s use of private jets was one of the worst contributors to climate change and CO2 emissions. People were quick to criticise and make jokes about Swift after speculation that this will be her mode of transport to watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers.

Taylor Swift on her way downstairs to grab her Door Dash order (which she also had delivered via private jet/helicopter)pic.twitter.com/CEPCxsECIM

— Stogna Bologna (@1000waystoRy) February 7, 2024

I will stop tracking taylor swifts private jet when she pledges to offset carbon emissions by paying off my student loan and credit card debt

— alexa (@mariokartdwi) February 7, 2024

There were some however who came to Taylor’s defence and supported her throughout the critiques. British singer-songwriter Adele publicly spoke out at one of her Las Vegas residency shows Weekends With Adele and told the haters to “get a f**king life.” The “Hello” singer went on to say “I want the 49ers to win but I also want the Chiefs to win. I think I want the Chiefs to win just because Taylor Swift goes for them…and all of you that are complaining about Taylor Swift being at the games, get a fucking life! It’s her fucking man! She’s actually made it a bit more enjoyable to watch, because like I said I have no idea what’s going on.”

| At her show tonight Adele shared she will be supporting the Chiefs tomorrow because of Taylor Swift;

“I think I want the Chiefs to win just because of Taylor Swift’s boyfriend and all of you that are complaining about Taylor Swift being at games get a f*cking life” pic.twitter.com/YQA446PCr5

— Taylor Swift Updates

Swift had also received backlash from NFL players Rob Gronkowski and Tony Dungy for appearing at games too frequently and being shown too often. Kelce’s brother Jason supported the American Sweetheart’s actions by saying: “She’s the quintessential artist right now in the world, singer-songwriter, immensely talented, unbelievable role model for young women across the globe. So I think that the NFL would probably be foolish not to show her and be a role model for all the young girls out there.”

The annual Mercury Prize awards ceremony took place this week on Thursday 7th September at the Hammersmith Apollo London. The ceremony acknowledges the best of British music with their prestigious award for Album Of The Year, alongside a £25,000 prize.

Previous winners of the highly-respected award include Wolf Alice, Dave, Skepta, James Blake, and Little Simz, who took home last year’s prize with the album Sometimes I Might Be Introvert.

This year’s winners were Ezra Collective, with their 2022 album Where I’m Meant To Be, however they faced some stiff competition being shortlisted with other UK acts such as Arctic Monkeys, Loyle Carner, RAYE and Jessie Ware.

The full list of nominees for the 2023 Mercury Prize were:

• The Car by Arctic Monkeys
• Where I’m Meant to Be by Ezra Collective
• Actual Life 3 by Fred Again
• Beautiful and Brutal Yard by J Hus
• That! Feels Good! by Jessie Ware
• I Love You Jennifer B by Jockstrap
• False Lankum by Lankum
• Hugo by Loyle Carner
• Messy by Olivia Dean
• My 21st Century Blues by Raye
• Nymph by Shygirl
• Heavy Heavy by Young Fathers

Jessie Ware was nominated for her 5th studio album That! Feels Good!, which was released on April 28th of this year. The album includes singles such as “Pearls”, “Begin Again”, “Freak Me Now”, and the LP’s debut single “Free Yourself”, which the 38 year old performed live at the Mercury Prize ceremony.

Many of the other shortlisted acts performed on the Hammersmith Apollo stage, including RAYE, Shygirl, and 2023 winners Ezra Collective.

That! Feels Good! saw Jessie Ware achieve her highest placement on the American Top Album Sales chart, with the record peaking at number 16 for one week. Moreover, in the UK Albums Chart, the London-born singer celebrated her second top 3 entry, with the first being 2020’s What’s Your Pleasure?.

In July, Ware delighted fans with a new version of her song “Freak Me Now” that featured pop singer Roisin Murphy. The single was produced by electronic musician and DJ Stuart Price, who has produced for many artists including Madonna, The Killers, Gwen Stefani and more.

Jessie Ware will be hitting the road at the end of this year to promote That! Feels Good!. You can purchase tickets for the upcoming tour here.

Tour dates:

10/11/2023 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK

11/11 – Victoria Warehouse – Manchester, UK

13/11 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow, UK

14/11 – Barrowland Ballroom – Glasgow, UK

17/11 – Alexandra Palace – London, UK

18/11 – Alexandra Palace – London, UK

The sixty-minute feature is set to bring the rooftop performance to the big screen, and will enjoy a global theatrical run from 11th-13th February 2022. IMAX took to their Instagram to post an announcement concerning the upcoming release.

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The feature’s global run will kickstart with a one-night event held within participating theatres. The exclusive screening will take place on 30th January 2022, the premiere screening of the feature marks 53 years since the famous gig. The very special screening will be broadcasted via satellite across selected IMAX theatres and will include a Q&A with the filmmaker. The director and creator Peter Jackson has provided the following statement concerning the upcoming feature, “I’m thrilled that the rooftop concert from The Beatles: Get Back is going to be experienced in IMAX, on that huge screen, It’s The Beatles’ last concert, and it’s the absolute perfect way to see and hear it.”

President of IMAX Entertainment Megan Colligan also has provided a statement regarding the theatre’s excitement to host the upcoming feature. “Ever since Peter Jackson’s beautiful and illuminating docuseries debuted, we’ve heard non-stop from fans who want to experience its unforgettable rooftop performance in IMAX, We are so excited to partner with Disney to bring ‘Get Back’ to an entirely new stage and give Beatles fans everywhere a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to watch and hear their heroes in the unrivalled sight and sound of IMAX.”

The concert which Jackson beautifully portrayed in his recent docu-series is cited as the band’s final live performance. The unannounced concert was held on 30th January 1969 on the rooftop of the Apple Corps headquarters located in London. The impromptu performance lasted for 42 minutes before the Metropolitan police marched to the Savile Row offices to request a sound reduction. Although unplanned, the performance was part of an ongoing preconceived project which aimed to return The Beatles to a live band. The iconic concert obtained its namesake due to the setlist, the single “Get Back” concluded the unusual performance. Along with the setting and subsequent law involvement, the concert inclusion within pop culture is cemented by John Lennon’s closing words. The artist and cultural figure ended the gig with the now infamous quote, “I’d like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we’ve passed the audition”.

Fans of the upcoming feature’s predeceasing release will be able to pre-order the docu-series on Blu Ray. Jackson’s complete series, ‘The Beatles: Get Back’ will be available on the format from 28th February 2022.

Click here to pre-order ‘The Beatles- Get Back‘ on Blu-ray.

Click here to purchase tickets.

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Jack White has opened the store venue ‘Blue Basement’ in style, performing for fans-only and followed by a balcony performance to the whole of Soho. 

White appeared with blue dyed hair to presumably mark the bar name – ‘The Blue Room’. He performed a set with Dominic‌ ‌Davis‌ ‌on‌ ‌bass‌ ‌and‌ ‌an ‌amazing Daru‌ ‌Jones‌ ‌on‌ ‌drums‌. They started with The White Stripes classics “Hello Operator” and finished with “Icky Thump”. The performance showed how complex of a musician White is with “his‌ ‌sweet‌ ‌and‌ ‌salty‌ ‌style‌ ‌creating‌ ‌an irresistible‌ ‌tangle‌ ‌of‌ ‌sweet‌ ‌melodies‌ ‌and‌ ‌heavy‌ ‌payoffs“. 

White finished the show by heading to the artist Damien Hirst next-door balcony and performing once more to gathered outside fans. London’s Carnaby Street turned into a rock’n’roll show. 

The new Third Man Records store has three physical spaces that combine two-level retail spaces, an intimate music venue and a European headquarter. “Its been personally designed by Jack White, who recently launched Jack White Arts & Design page showing off two decades of his creative work“.

You can find it in the heart of Soho, on 1 Marshall Street (W1f 9BA) and pop in between 11 am – 6 pm Monday to Sunday.  

Speaking about the new store, Jack White spoke to The Times last weekend and admitted that he feels “scare and confused” without any struggle in his life. “It is this disease I have and I don’t know what started it, but if there is no struggle involved in my life I get scared and confused” -he commented. “If art is not being made in some way, I start worrying. I wish I could pinpoint why this is necessary for me. I can’t get away from it“.

In the meantime, White’s and Alicia Key’s collaboration from the 2008 “Another Way To Die” from Bond movie, has been called “the strangest ever 007 themes“. Independent calls it “the bonkers and baffling “Another Way to Die” – or, as it really should be called, “Seven Nation Barmy”.

Higher Power, the new single, out Friday!

Pre-order / pre-save / CD single: https://t.co/f26MzzGUxO pic.twitter.com/z17r6cMSU8

— Coldplay (@coldplay) May 4, 2021

This will be the first time that Chris Martin and company will have performed live in over a year. They join the likes of Arlo Parks, Dua Lipa, Griff, Headie One, and Olivia Rodrigo who are also due to perform over the night. Rag’n’Bone Man and P!nk are also set to perform new single “Anywhere Away From Here” with the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Choir.

Tuesday, May 11: We are performing at the 2021 @BRITs. pic.twitter.com/Hh56iXPaUX

— Coldplay (@coldplay) May 4, 2021

Coldplay have recently been teasing the possibility of a new album rumoured to be called ‘Alien Radio’ through social media and a mysterious website alienradio.fm. This performance at the BRITs could give fans further insight into the band’s future releases. This is not the first time Coldplay have performed at the BRIT’s, the band shared the stage with The Chainsmokers in 2017 and also performed in 2016. Coldplay are in fact the most nominated group in the history of the BRIT’s with 28 nominations and nine wins in total.

The Brit Awards will be on 11 May, 2021. The ceremony will be one of the first major indoor and in-person live music events in the UK in more than a year as part of a government pilot scheme. The event will take place before an audience of 4,000 people, 2,500 of which will be key workers from the Great London area. Comedian Jack Whitehall is set to return as host. Winners this year will be presented with not one but two statuettes, with stars encouraged to share with someone important to them as an “act of kindness”.

I loved performing on @BBCRadio2 with the @BBCCO and @AnnieLennox on the @RealKenBruce show! Click here to watch us perform Wherever You Go!https://t.co/PgaPrK4he9 #orchestra #live #bbc

— Lola Lennox (@lola_lennox) April 15, 2021

The Scottish Eurythmics singer provided the backing vocals during the performance and also co-produced the track which was also co-created by her daughter. Lola has been working with songwriters Andy Stochansky and Hailey Collier on her new material and ‘Wherever You Go’ is part of a collection of singles by Lola, with a second track entitled ‘La La Love Me’. Wherever You Go’ tells the narrative of a long-distance relationship, a topic to which many of us can relate to during the current COVID pandemic and the restrictions in which have impacted the social and personal lives of many.

Lola had this to say to the Press Association about working with her mother and celebrated her mother’s legacy.

“I absolutely loved working on this orchestral version of Wherever You Go with my mum. We had a fun afternoon where I taught her the melodies and harmonies that she would be singing, it was great to hear her voice on the song and to sing alongside her. Her music and approach to artistry has always inspired me, and so I was very excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with her on one of my own tracks.”

Annie Lennox had this to say in return regarding working with her 30-year-old daughter.

“Suffice to say – I absolutely love working with Lola. It’s always a joy and a really wonderful place where we cease to be ‘mother/daughter’ but just two creative artists having fun with music together.”

It is no surprise that Annie Lennox’s daughter is also musical, Lennox rose to fame as part of the electronic outfit Eurythmics. After meeting Dave Stewart after she was part of the new wave band The Tourists, the duo formed the band which would go on to achieve worldwide success. The band’s most popular song is the 1983 hit, ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of this)’ which propelled the pair into stardom after the eye-catching music video showcased Lennox’s unique and androgynous style.

Lennox went on to have two daughters with her Israeli film and record producer husband, Uri Fruchtmann. Fruchtmann has had a very successful and varied career, producing such films as the 2002 release of ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ and the iconic 1997 ‘Spice World’. During their marriage, which lasted from 1998 until 2000, the pair had their two daughters, Lola and Tali. Tali did not follow in her mother’s musical footsteps like Lola but became a successful model and actress.

Click here to stream the single.

Super excited to announce a very special intimate‘Surrounded By Time’ album show @o2sbe. If you pre-order my album on my store by 13/04 you will receive a code, which will enable you to have access to the pre-sale on 14/04.Tickets go on general sale 16/04 https://t.co/fPTcMgRyC5 pic.twitter.com/tXxw8Qg6b9

— Tom Jones (@RealSirTomJones) April 9, 2021

The very special gig, held on 27th July 2021 at London’s 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, will give ticket holders a live performance of the new album in its entirety. This will not be Jones’ only performance this year, the Welsh crooner will also be playing the Hampton Court Palace Festival 2021 as well as Newmarket Nights on 23rd July 2021. The singer’s new album holds a track list of 12 songs, a press release for the new album has described the LP. “Surrounded By Time’ marks out new territory with a sonic landscape of outstanding musicianship and a vocal delivery that re-imagines a diverse set of songs of personal importance that have impacted the artist throughout a long, unpredictable but undeniably impressive career.”

The new album is to be released on 23rd April 2021 and will feature covers of songs by artists including Bob Dylan, Michael Kiwanuka and Rock and Hall of Fame inductee Cat Stevens. On the new album, Jones has covered Cat Steven’s 1970 hit, ‘Popstar’, as well as ‘One More Cup Of Coffee’ originally performed and released by Bob Dylan. ‘Surrounded By Time’, an EMI release was produced by Mark Woodward and Ethan Jones. Jones has worked with many other artists including Paul McCartney and The Vaccines and also produced ‘Long Lost Suitcase’, Sir Tom Jones’ 41st studio album.

The album’s lead single, ‘Talking Reality Television Blues’, written and originally performed by American Country singer Todd Snider, has especially inspired Jones. The 80-year-old singer has commented on the track and philosophizes on its meaning whilst reflecting on his own life. ”I was there when TV started – didn’t know I’d become part of it – but it could be that its power is to remind us how wonderful, crazy and inventive we are, but also how scary the reality it reflects can be.’’

The ‘Delilah’ singer has recently spoken out about his thoughts on the impact in which the current COVID pandemic has had on young artists, who have not had the opportunity to progress their career with live shows. ”I actually feel sorry more for young people who are trying to start off and get some experience from doing live shows. It’s all very well being in your front room making videos and then getting straight on to television – like sometimes it happens on The Voice, where they’ve never been onstage before. So this Covid thing, it’s really stifling singers and bands who want to get out there, and get some experience, and get the feedback from the people. And they can’t get that at the moment. I know what that feels like. At least I know what I’m missing … but some of these kids don’t know yet. They haven’t had the opportunity to experience it.’’

Tickets for the performance will go on sale 9 am 16th April 2021.

Click here to pre-order ‘Surrounded By Time‘.

Sir Tom Jones UK Tour dates

30/05/2021 – Botanic Gardens – Belfast
31/05 – Botanic Gardens – Belfast
02/06 – Live At The Marquee – Cork
12/06 – Hull College Craven Park – Hull
13/06 – Darlington Arena – Darlington
18/06 – Plymouth Hoe – Plymouth
19/06 – Haydock Park Racecourse – Newton-le-willows
27/06 – QE2 Arena – Telford
02/07 – Energia Stadium – Dublin
04/07 – The Hop Farm – Paddock Wood
23/07 – Newmarket Racecourse – Newmarket
25/07 – Bitts Park – Carlisle
27/07 – Tom Jones ‘Surrounded By Time’ – London
08/08 – Princes Street Gardens – Edinburgh
10/08 – Princes Street Gardens – Edinburgh
15/08 – Earlham Park – Norwich
23/08 – Hampton Court Palace – Surrey
24/08 – Hampton Court Palace – Surrey
28/08 – Haydock Park Racecourse – Newton-le-willows
17/09 – Isle of Wright Festival 2021 – Newport

The performance sees brandishing a yellow telecaster and his band are neatly co-ordinated in white in an image which is so very Beatles, with McKenna looking like Lennon, McCartney and Harrison all rolled into one and the band looking like something off the Abbey Road album cover. McKenna is also seen with a rather extensive pedalboard in front of him which he uses to achieve the exciting sonic experimentation which his latest album has benefitted hugely from. Where ‘What Do You Think About The Car,’ was appealing in its rawness and relative simplicity, ‘Zeros,’ is glamorously decorated with a whole pallet of sounds achieved by effects pedals which take McKenna’s neat guitar playing to the next level.

Declan McKenna has perhaps been more eager to engage with his fans on a direct level than other artists throughout this pandemic duet the raw nature and political content of his music, which is always relevant and always needing to be heard. Another advantage that McKenna may have other some of his competitors is his age. While being left behind in almost every arena throughout, young people have looked with mere bemusement as their elders struggled to get to grips with the tools of the digital age, scrambling onto social media and zoom calls after years of berating the importance of their children’s Skype calls and online communications.

A familiarity with digital technology must have been an unexpected blessing for McKenna and other artists his age who have found it much easier to continue with their music, and interacting meaningfully with fans as well despite the total ban on live music in person. Of course this is no substitute for real life but it must have been amusing for McKenna when the pandemic hit so see artists with many more years and experience in the industry struggling to find a way to continue, for McKenna it was simple, the tools to release music and interact with fans remotely were right there in front of him, and he had the advantage of already knowing how to use them.