Invada Films’ debut project is GAME, a thriller set in the British rave scene of 1993. Barrow co-wrote the film alongside screenwriter Rob Williams, with direction by John Minton, a longtime collaborator in Barrow’s music video and audiovisual work. The film stars Jason Williamson of Sleaford Mods and Marc Bessant; it follows the story of two men, a thief and a poacher, who must try to survive after a late-summer car crash in the woods.

Barrow describes GAME as a labour of friendships: many of the people involved are long-time collaborators, or connected through mutual creative networks in and around Bristol. Working together with John Minton, Marc Bessant, and others was part of the appeal. Barrow has said that after decades of music work, video work, and composing, he wanted to stretch into feature films.

Invada Films is an offshoot of Invada Records, the label Barrow co-founded which has a history of supporting soundtrack culture and releasing scores (including works Barrow himself did with Ben Salisbury). With this expansion into film production, Barrow is extending the label’s reach from music and soundtracks into full motion picture storytelling. Invada Films will be the means by which Barrow both produces and co-writes, taking more creative control over cinematic projects.

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Barrow has made clear that GAME is only the beginning. He already has two more film projects in development under Invada Films. This suggests that Invada’s new film arm is intended not as a one-off experiment, but as a long-term endeavour in filmmaking.

The film is set to premiere October 16, 2025 at the Mayhem Film Festival in Nottingham. A wider theatrical release across the UK and Ireland is scheduled for November 21, 2025. 

The Wembley Arena show has been curated by Brian Eno, Khaled Ziada, Khalid Abdalla and Tracey Seaward where they have aimed to enlist performances from “artists, musicians and people whom silence feels impossible”.

Due to take place on September 17, the first wave of artists was announced earlier this month with the likes of Damon Albarn, Bastille, Greentea Peng, King Krule and many more signing up to appear and perform at the benefit concert.

There was also a wave of Palestinian artists announced to be performing at the show, including Adnan Joubran, Faraj Suleiman and Nai Barghouti. 

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Legendary producer and organiser of the event, Brian Eno, said that “every penny donated” will go to supporting Palestinian partners through Choose Love, which is a UK charity aimed at “supporting local humanitarians in conflict zones”. However, Eno did also state that it is not only about the financial support, as it is all about “sending a message of love and solidarity to the people of Palestine – they haven’t been forgotten.”

Even more names have now been announced, ranging from a-list actors to trip-hop icons. The likes of Louis Theroux, Benedict Cumberbatch and Guy Pearce will appear at the event, with it currently unclear what performance they will be putting on. 

These massive celebrities may be outshone though by the appearance of Holocaust survivor, Stephen Kapos, who is sure to send a powerful message on September 17.

Perhaps the most exciting piece of music news coming from the event is the surprise inclusion of British electronic band Portishead. Although the trip-hop pioneers will not be appearing in person, they have recorded a special one-off performance of their 1994 single ‘Roads’ with a string quarter, which will be aired during the gig.

Many of the newly announced acts have released statements, sharing similar sentiments of horror and condemnation at what is happening in Palestine.

Portishead shared in a press release that they were “incredibly honoured” to stand with Palestine, whilst The Brutalist actor Guy Pearce stated: “I am utterly heartbroken every day witnessing the atrocities inflicted upon the innocent people of Palestine.

“It’s hard not to feel helpless. Being part of this concert will enable me to share my heart with others who also see the injustice in these horrific crimes. More importantly it enables me to show my support for and to the people of Gaza, and all those subjected to this brutal genocide. Hopefully this concert encourages more people to stand up and speak.”

You can find any remaining tickets for the gig on September 17 at OVO Wembley Arena here, with 100% of ticket sales going to the UK charity Choose Love.

The singer of the Bristol band took to the Gobi Stage at Coachella for her first performance at the festival since Portishead’s show in 2008.

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Coming off the back of her critically acclaimed debut solo album, ‘Lives Outgrown’, Gibbons 10-song performance consisted of mostly tracks from that EP, with ‘Glory Box’ and her 2002 collaboration with Rustin Man, ‘Tom The Model’, being the outliers. 

Check out the full setlist below: 

‘Tell Me Who You Are Today’

‘Burden Of Life’

‘Floating On A Moment’

‘Rewind’

‘For Sale’

‘Lost Changes’

‘Tom The Model’

‘Beyond The Sun’

‘Glory Box’

‘Reaching Out’

Gibbons has recently been touring North America to showcase her debut solo EP, which was last year nominated for the Mercury Prize along with the likes of Charli XCX, Nia Archives and English Teacher.

Although Gibbons couldn’t replicate Portishead, after they won the Mercury Prize in 1994 with their debut album ‘Dummy’, just being nominated must’ve been a moment of reflection and full circle with her debut solo album being nominated for the same esteemed award that she won over 30 years ago.

After finishing up at Coachella next weekend, Gibbons will head back to Europe to continue touring her album, including a show at the Roundhouse in London. Tickets for this gig and all her other upcoming shows can be found here.

The Roundhouse show will be one of only two performances in the UK this year for Gibbons, with the other coming on the same weekend at Glastonbury 2025. It will mark Gibbons’ fifth performance at Glasto’, following on from her solo slot on the Acoustic Stage in 2003 and Portishead’s three gigs in 1995, 1998 and 2013.

Glastonbury-goers will be hoping for a similar performance to what the ‘Sour Times’ singer gave to Coachella this weekend. The comments on this ‘Stereogum’ article show just how excited fans are by this upcoming era for Gibbons. 

User ‘beyondless’ said: “My Boyfriend and I were at the Denver show… she did Roads and Glory Box for the encore and I don’t know if I’ve ever heard and participated in such a long standing ovation for any artist I’ve seen previously! Her voice still sounds fantastic and it was a once in a lifetime show. She is truly incredible!”

Gibbons debut album earned a four-star NME review and was named as the 26th Best Album of 2024 in their list. 

Speaking in the review, NME writer Huw Baines said: “She cannily foregrounds the weather-beaten gravitas of her vocal at each turn, its familiarity holding us tight so that, in parallel, she can undercut that feeling of safety by continually pointing out the grains of sand falling into the wrong half of the hourglass.”

Gibbons will perform at the second weekend of Coachella next Saturday where you can catch the live stream on their YouTube. Tickets for her Roundhouse show in June are still available here.

The widely acclaimed singer has been described as a vital guide for today’s music, and was known for his unique sound that combined jazz and folk, with huge artists such as Eric Clapton, Portishead and U2 citing him as a influence in their own music. Over his four decade career, Martyn released a whopping twenty three albums, his most well known being ‘Solid Air’, and received an OBE award in 2009, only a few weeks before his passing. He is now survived by his second wife, Theresa Walsh, and his three children.

Alongside selling Martyn’s instruments and equipment that he used for recording and performing, the auction will also include personal items, such as pieces of clothing worn by Martyn.

Birkin rose to prominence after appearing in the 1966 film Blow-Up before heading to France to star in the 1968 satirical romantic comedy Slogan alongside Gainsbourg, performing with him on the film’s theme song. This was to be the first of many collaborations between the two, whose working relationship soon blossomed into a passionate love affair. 

Check out the trailer for Blow-Up:

The pair quickly won over the hearts of the public and became France’s most famous couple -  renowned for their work as much as their hedonistic and bohemian lifestyle. After their separation in 1980, Birkin branched out into more serious film roles, gaining three nominations at the César awards. She continued to work both as an actress and a singer until a few years prior to her death, appearing in various arthouse films and recording numerous albums, for which Gainsbourg would often pen a song.

Listen to the famous Birkin-Gainsbourg collaboration “Je T’Aime…Moi Non Plus” below:

Perhaps the British native’s most famous accolade however, is for her contribution to fashion as the inspiration for the Hermès Birkin bag, which was named after her following a chance encounter with the company’s chief executive on a flight to London. The Hermès Birkin continues to be an accessory staple amongst the rich and famous and remains one of the most expensive bags on the market to this day.

Following the news of Birkin’s death, both fans and celebrities haven taken to social media to pay tribute to the late pop icon. 

Marianne Faithfull, an old friend, wrote: “Dearest Jane has gone. I admired her as an artist so much and I’m very glad we got to work together. […] We first met several lifetimes ago – and from that day I always thought she possessed such beauty and style […] How I wanted to look like her and be like her! Her style will endure of course but she was a dear friend and I will always love her.”

Johnny Marr, who featured on Birkin’s 2006 album Fictions, described his collaborator as “a sweet and kind person with a heart for art”, while Beth Gibbons of Portishead lamented: “I’m so sad to hear that Jane Birkin has gone. She was such a beautiful, generous and kind soul. She was one of the nicest people I’ve worked with and always made me feel so at ease.”

I’m so sad to hear that Jane Birkin has gone. She was such a beautiful, generous and kind soul.
She was one of the nicest people I’ve worked with and always made me feel so at ease.
This is us rehearsing for a performance together in Francepic.twitter.com/Ep0VFhELjk

— Beth Gibbons (@realbethgibbons) July 16, 2023

Placebo’s Brian Molko shared a photo of the French icon alongside the caption: “I got a message for Jane. Soul beauty personified. I can’t begin to explain what a privilege it’s been to have you in my life. I loved you from the day we met and will continue to do so until it’s my time. Your grace and dignity were inspirations, your generosity a priceless gift. Sleep peacefully beautiful one.”

Portishead last made a live appearance at the Spanish Benicássim Festival in 2015 but sounded as great as ever last night. Playing their brand of seductive classics like “Wandering Star”, “Dummy”, “Magic Doors”, “Mysterons” and “The Rip”. Take a look at some of the footage from last night’s show in the videos below:

.@Portisheadinfo are LIVE right now for the first time since 2015! There’s still time to tune in. Donate £5 to watch > https://t.co/0AKyp8FJEu #WarChild @o2academybris pic.twitter.com/Dw9oRN7Hpg

— War Child UK (@WarChildUK) May 2, 2022

PORTISHEAD – Roads 02/05/2022 #Portishead #WarChild @Portisheadinfo @o2academybris pic.twitter.com/pi5CylhxAv — KID A (@KID_A_OK) May 2, 2022

Portishead pic.twitter.com/EyfkFcBoru

— Dan Grabham (@dangrabham) May 2, 2022

A very special performance from #Portishead Reunited for Ukraine Charity gig @WarChildUK @Portisheadinfo pic.twitter.com/QOkIj4gJtC

— Rhian Chase (@DrRhianFuge) May 2, 2022

The benefit gig, which was announced last month, gave people the opportunity to win tickets via a £10 donation prize draw, with the lucky winners selected at random. In this instance, all proceeds from the concert will go to help the children of Ukraine as the current conflict has led to 1.45 million people being forced to flee the country (the biggest mass migration of European people since World War II). The UK government has also matched the funding from the concert to go towards humanitarian efforts in Yemen.

In a statement made at the announcement of the show, Portishead said; “We are really pleased to be able to support the people of Ukraine by performing a few songs at this event in collaboration with the amazing War Child charity,”

Amid the current crisis at the hands of the Russian invasion, this benefit is the latest in a swathe of charitable endeavours that have been made by people across the music industry. In March, ITV hosted a Concert for Ukraine which was broadcast in support of the DEC’s (Disasters Emergency Committee) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. The star-studded lineup saw the likes of Ed Sheeran, Manic Street Preachers, Camila Cabello, Nile Rodgers (and many more) raise over £12 million for the cause, with the number expected to rise as donations continue to flood in.

One of the most notable instances of a band going above and beyond is Arcade Fire and the series of benefit concerts they have done in New York and New Orleans, most recently four gigs taking place in March raised over $100,000 for the PLUS1 Ukraine Relief Fund.

If you would like to help the plight of the people of Ukrainian people in their time of need, you can find links to relevant, registered charities down below:

https://www.concern.org.uk/donate/ukraine-humanitarian-appeal

https://www.warchild.org.uk

https://www.unicef.org.uk/donate/donate-now-to-protect-children-in-ukraine

PRIZE DRAW OPEN

HELP! We are collaborating with Cross Town Concerts and an incredible line-up of artists to bring a huge fundraising concert for our Ukraine Crisis appeal to Bristol.
Enter the prize draw here: https://t.co/Lp636ur7O7#Ukraine #Bristol #WarChild pic.twitter.com/ZBbhRvZY9u

— War Child UK (@WarChildUK) April 7, 2022

All donations and proceeds from the concert will be given to War Child UK to aid in their ongoing mission. Until 31st May 2022, any donation made will be matched by the UK Government as stated via the ticket site, “Your donation will help the unfolding crisis in Ukraine, and match funding from the UK Government will also go to Yemen where millions of children are still in desperate need of protection from conflict.”

Those billed to perform at the War Child benefit show include IDLES, Billy Nomates, Katy J Pearson, Heavy Lungs, Wilderman, Willie J Healey and British icons Portishead. The growing line-up also includes Boca 45 along with guest DJs and Raffle, further announcements will be made to confirm additional acts.

Head of War Child Records Rich Clarke has released a statement thanking all acts involved, within the statement Clarke also describes the organisation’s mission and how the benefit show will provide support, “We deliver life-changing services and support in communities affected by conflicts to keep children safe and help them to heal and learn for the chance of a better future. The impact of the situation in Ukraine will affect an entire generation and there will be acutely vulnerable children who need our help to stay safe. The money raised by this gig will make sure that we can respond quickly to children who need that support right now.”

The benefit show will mark Portishead’s triumphant return to the stage, the HELP! Concert will be the group’s first and only live performance in seven years. The British pioneers had this to say about their upcoming appearance, “We are really pleased to be able to support the people of Ukraine by performing a few songs at this event in collaboration with the amazing War Child charity”

Bristol rockers Idles will be performing at their only hometown show for 2022 at the War Child UK event. The band are currently on tour and will continue their European tour dates after the concert. Frontman Joe Talbot has also spoken concerning the one-off show, “We have been kindly invited to play this show for the benefit of War Child. Please donate or sign up to this charity. We believe that nobody should endure war, especially children. Thank you,”

We are very excited to be part of this lineup for @WarChildUK All funding goes to Ukraine. The government matches the amount. 2nd May pic.twitter.com/YRDAUD4b9s

— Heavy Lungs (@Heavylungsband) April 7, 2022

Fellow Bristol rockers Heavy Lungs will also be performing alongside Idles at the benefit show, the two groups’ connection runs deeper than matching hometowns. In 2018, IDLES released the single “Danny Nedelko”, named after the Heavy Lungs’ frontman. The single tells a story of strength and is regarded as a tribute to multiculturalism. Originally from Ukraine, Nedelko has given the following statement concerning the fundraising event, “Hailing originally from Odessa, this is a cause very close to my heart. It’s incredibly special being a part of this show. We are going to bring our absolute best.”

Music fans will be able to get their hands on tickets by entering the prize draw, there are 600 pairs of tickets up for grabs. The draw opened today and all winners are chosen at random, and the competition closes at midnight on 24th April 2022. You can enter for free or pay a £10 donation fee which supplies three entries, donations can be made online or through a postcard.

There is no limit to the number of times in which you may enter and winners will be notified by email from Ticketmaster on Monday 25th April 2022. Due to the limited number of seats, tickets are very exclusive but all entrees will receive access to watch a stream of the event.

Click here to enter into the prize draw.

The band first recorded the cover back in 2016 as a tribute to Jo Cox, the Batley and Spen MP who was tragically killed. The song served as an “honour of her tireless campaigning in support of refugees”. At the time they released a monochrome video featuring singer Beth Gibbons. The clip ends with Cox’s quote from her speech in Parliament: “We have far more in common than which divides us”. You can watch the video below. 
Yesterday, on the 8th of June, Portishead released the track for the first time for streaming in aid of mental health charity, Mind. Revenue from the stream will be generated through Soundcloud new fan-powered royalty program, launched in March.

“When we heard that SoundCloud switched to a fairer user-centric payment system of streaming music, we were happy to make it the only place to stream our unreleased version of ABBA’s ‘SOS’,” said the band’s Geoff Barrow in a statement.  “After recording it years ago for Ben Wheatley’s film High-Rise, we are excited to finally share it with the world, and we are even more excited that all streaming profits are going to a great cause” he added.

Portishead’s version of “S.O.S” became one of the high-profile releases on Soundcloud. “Portishead’s timeless sound has inspired countless artists and given rise to many emerging genres on SoundCloud. We are honored Portishead chose SoundCloud, the only platform where the artist to fan connection is directly rewarded, as the first place to exclusively release their cover of this iconic song” commented Michael Pelczynski, SoundCloud’s head of content and rights holder strategy. 

Hello.https://t.co/GyaCkEXzLj
@SoundCloud @MindCharity pic.twitter.com/T0ixGhdLW4

— Official (@Portisheadinfo) July 8, 2021

The new royalty concept introduced by Soundcloud came at the right time when artists started demanding more clarity and change from streaming companies like Spotify or Apple Music. Typically individual stream royalties don’t always go directly to the artist but to a bigger “pool which is then divvied up based on who has the most listens”. That option works well with major superstars but not with smaller artists. SoundCloud alternative model is set to help Independent artists. 

You can listen to Portishead “S.O.S” and contribute to Mind via SoundCloud here. Portishead and SoundCloud will also donate to Mind to mark the release.

On Instagram, Everything is Music commented – “Starting May 28, discover personalized stories and archive content from the people and places that make up the musical fabric of these cities.” The tour, both of Bristol and Bath, is free and includes more than 250 locations between the cities. Each location offers content which users of the app can experience at that location.

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The website offers which gives access to in-depth information on the Bristol and Bath music scene is being described as “a location-based digital museum project taking you on a musical journey through Bristol and Bath” Users can also access the musical history of whichever city they’re in, including information about historical venues.

In conversation with the BBC, Ben from Crack Magazine, stated that “people can walk around the cities and unlock amazing stories; it takes the idea of a museum out of four walls”. This tour, as stated on Instagram, is achieved by “250+ pins” which roam from Bath to Bristol “all with amazing content attached to them”.

Amongst the list of musical talents from Bristol and Bath that the app celebrates are Portishead, Tears For Fears, Gabrielle Aplin and IDLES. It has been made apparent that Portishead can even be seen revealing their memories from recording Dummy – their first album. The recording took place in Bristol.

You can find out more about Everything is Music here.