An announcement was made in January stating that the festival would not be going ahead this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the festival organisers, father-daughter duo, Michael and Emily Eavis have now obtained a license to put on a later event, Eavis had revealed to NME that the September event will be called ‘Equinox’. The September event will be held at the festival’s iconic location, Somerset’s Worthy Farm.

Organiser Emily Eavis has spoken to NME providing further news for music fans concerning the event, stating that it will be “a large[r] version of the Pilton Party”

The Pilton Party is a ‘thank you’ gig held each year for those involved within the festival, this includes the workers and the area’s residents.

Eavis continued to discuss the event. “We do that every September, but it will just be bigger and the public can come down, We’ll call it Equinox if we do it. We’ve got a licence hearing and we’re working with the authorities to see what we can do, but it’s just one step at a time, really.”

The license has been obtained from Mendip District Council, the organisation in charge of such approvals after ensuring that proper consultations and reports have been made with local authorities and the area’s residents. The committee met on 12^th May in order to converse over the application and approved the proposal.

The license comes with over 50 conditions in which must be followed and abided by, the agreement encompasses many rules involving live music. One of which involves the famed Pyramid Stage, any live music must be staged on the specific stage. Although attendees will not be able to camp overnight, the license does allow for up to 50,000 lucky ticket holders entry. The application was for a two-day event, but due to the current COVID restrictions certain aspects of the event are yet to be fully confirmed and at this time the event may just be one day long.

The chair of licensing at Mendip District Council, Councillor Sam Phripp, has provided an explanation to the Somerset County Gazette concerning the licensing process as well as discussing the measures in which COVID still entails.

“Whenever a licence application is considered, Mendip rightly assesses the impact of an event on local people and seeks to find a decent balance. With regard to Glastonbury Festival Events Limited holding a concert in September, we’ve heard concerns from residents, and those concerns are reflected in more than fifty conditions that have been added to this licence. We believe they’re sensible measures and match the perceived risk of the event. With a view to Covid-19, of course, any event would have to be Covid-safe, and Mendip will work with other organisations and the organisers to make sure that’s the case.”

Councillor Phripp continued to discuss the event.

“It’s in everybody’s interest for events like these to be a success, but as chair of licensing at Mendip, I’m clear that we’ll keep our ears and eyes open and take on board feedback from residents in Pilton, just as we would with any other event. We hope that, Covid-depending, this event will be a success, and we look forward to welcoming music lovers back to our corner of Somerset this autumn.”

Fans will not have to wait until September to catch a Glastonbury event, a very special Livestream will be held on Saturday 22nd May direct from the Festival site. The Livestream will feature performances from HAIM, Coldplay and Bristol rockers IDLES.

Click here to watch the stream.

Razorlight were one of many British bands that emerged out of the garage rock revival scene in the early to mid-2000s. Their 2004 debut album ‘Up All Night’ is currently certified as 4x Platinum, whilst their 2006 self-titled sophomore album is certified as 5x Platinum. The music that the group made during the noughties is undeniably iconic. Tracks like ‘America’, ‘In the Morning’, and ‘Golden Touch’ provided the soundtrack for a generation of British millennial’s teenage years.

After a 10-year hiatus, Johnny, Carl, Björn and Andy are back together in Razorlight.

To celebrate we are hosting a one off streamed concert broadcast worldwide on the 2nd June. Grab tickets here https://t.co/PdUIOtnNBb
#razorlight pic.twitter.com/VD1LCdEQsL

— Razorlight (@Razorlight) April 29, 2021

When Razorlight returned in 2018 with their fourth album ‘Olympus Sleeping’, only Borrell remained from the original quartet. Reflecting on the group’s recent reunion in a statement, Burrows said, “It feels incredible. We’ve spent the past week or two rehearsing. Playing these songs has been an absolute joy.The emotions that were going through me when we started playing ‘America’, I forgot to play the first half of the song – it was totally nuts. It’s been amazing. It’s so powerful playing these old tunes. It’s very very special.”

He added, “I’m really enjoying reconnecting with Andy and Carl, it’s like getting to know people again. I’m enjoying it because you never want to lose friends. It’s a horrible thing to think. It doesn’t really make sense. It definitely feels good to me on a personal level. On a creative level – amazing. We’ve been in the studio rehearsing and recording. As soon as the four of us are in the room, it just sounds amazing, straight away.”

Although the indie rockers now have just over a month to re-establish their musical chemistry, it sounds like they will have no problem doing so. What this reunion means for the band long-term? We do not know. However, judging by Burrow’s statement, the four artists are “recording” as well as “rehearsing”, suggesting that perhaps new material is on the way. Whilst we will probably not hear any new material as soon as June, 2021 could perhaps stage the start of another one of Razorlight’s renaissances.

Tickets for Razorlight’s live online concert are available to purchase here.

The show will highlight the artist’s feelings towards the silence we’re experiencing on the empty streets and venues during the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic. The show, which was organised by Sinéad Gleeson and Gary Sheehan, will be available to view for free on the National Concert Hall’s YouTube and social media channels this Saturday, March 6, at 8pm.

Announcing the event on their Instagram, The National Concert Hall said; “As International Women’s Day approaches, Notes from a Quiet Land, supported by Arthur Cox, invites some of Ireland’s most exciting female voices in music and word to reflect and respond to the silence of empty streets, venues and lives led inside, as we collectively navigate our current way of living.”

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Speaking to Hotpress about the event, Robert Read, CEO of the National Concert Hall said; “An important part of the NCH’s remit is to encourage and engage artists in the presentation of new music and works, whilst also providing a platform for it to be performed and heard. At this time of crisis, the NCH is pleased to have the opportunity to offer a platform to support new and leading female voices, particularly as we approach International Women’s Day, to offer their musical and literary response to the times we live in.”

There has been a welcomed spotlight shone on the Irish music industry this last year as it has become apparent that there is not an equal representation for women. The gender disparity report issued by Why Not Her in November highlighted the huge disparity among the Irish music charts. The report was done by Cian Sullivan, under the supervision of Linda Coogan Byrne and used data from December 7th 2018 to November 6th 2020.

The report stated that in the Official Irish Albums Chart over the last two years, 73 Irish acts entered the charts and only 17 of them were female. It also showed that no female artist has entered the Top 10 Irish Single Chart since 2016, whereas five male acts have spent 51 weeks in the Top 10 with 12 singles over the last two years alone.

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Why Not Her have also created an Action Plan to guide radio stations on how to be more inclusive in their radio play. The action plan is full of statistics for the stations as well as changes that can be made to change the way the industry is treating women, this includes ensuring that the leaders of these companies actively make the commitment to give women more airplay and to set diversity and inclusion targets for the company to follow. The action plan also encouraged the stations to take a look at the research and use this data to diversify teams and create a space for women on their airwaves. The action plan also stated that real change is possible. Since the release of the first gender disparity report, RTÉ 2FM now has 40% parity, SPIN 1038 has 45% parity and BEAT 102 103 has achieved 35%

Watch Notes From A Quiet Land on Saturday, March 6th, at 8pm – streamed on the National Concert Hall YouTube and social media channels.

The singer also included some artwork for the single and a short snippet of the song which features him singing the title of the song in the line ‘look at what you’ve gone and done, baby baby now i’m numb.’ Pre-saving the track, the singer announced, will also give fans early access to tickets for an exclusive, virtual live performance which will feature tracks from his upcoming album. With 2018’s ‘Jubilee Road,’ the last studio album released by Odell, fans have been waiting two long years for a follow up and finally now it has been confirmed that his fourth is coming very soon.

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A post shared by Tom Odell (@tompeterodell)

Tom Odell, who’s debut album ‘Long Way Down,’ reached number 1 on the UK official album charts is known for his simple yet effective combination of piano and vocals to deliver his potent songwriting. However, the clip which he has provided us to preview new song ‘numb,’ features rich production with thumping kick drums and synth sounds added to the simple keyboard and vocal lines which are reminiscent and familiar of the sound he is known for. This suggests a much greater time being spent in the studio experimenting with different sounds, perhaps inspired by the additional time he was able to spend in there throughout lockdown, and gives fans hope for an album which is both original and breaking new ground but also nostalgic and familiar for fans who fell in love with ‘Long Way Down.’

With the UK sill in a full national lockdown and live music in person still of the cards for the foreseeable future, it is only right that British artists like Tom Odell continue to make use of the possibilities of live streaming to create interactions with fans and also to generate an income for themselves in these difficult times. While vaccine passports may bring some hope for the return of live music sooner than expected, with the UK government’s focus entirely being on vaccinating the population and generally refusing to answer any questions regarding when things might be reopening, it may be wise of all of us to settle in to another long few months of live streamed entertainment.