The Last Night of the Proms was a spectacle characterised by a sense of duality. Hong Kong born conductor Elim Chan took the podium, making her Proms debut, commanded the night’s arc with crispness and energy. In her hands, Mussorgsky’s ‘A Night on the Bare Mountain’ roared with an uncanny vivacity; Dukas’s  ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’ still conjured myth and menace; Shostakovich’s ‘Festive Overture’ erupted in a ‘Soviet Technicolor brilliance.’ It was orchestrally bold, emotionally jagged, and rather beautiful, which felt fitting for a night already stepped in global symbols: EU bunting, flags of many nations, and voices that refused to sit quietly. 

Taking the stage was British soprano Louise Alder, who in her cleverly restrained Union Jack dress delivered a performance that balanced vocal poise, emotional honesty, entertwined with a subtle statement around identity, motherhood, and what it means to belong. Alder’s rendition of ‘Rule, Britannia!’, was not just a simple performance characterised by tradition, but one that was acutely aware of what tradition carries, its exclusionary elements, and how voices like that of Alder’s can help re-shape existing narratives. In the words of Alder, who said: “It’s genuinely an honour for me to sing at the Last Night and be part of that and the history.”

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When ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ first exploded onto the airwaves in 1975, with its audacious structure of ballad, operatic interlude, rock-epic, it felt like a declaration, an anthem that took the world by storm. Fifty years later under the vaulted ceilings, at the Last Night of the Proms, the song returned not as a nostalgic relic, but as a piece reimagined featuring Brian May and Roger Taylor. The version reimagined by Stuart Morley, alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and the National Youth Choir, aimed to infuse new gravitas into the classic, as the flamboyance of the 1970’s was met with a classical poise. The Proms framed  Queen’s masterpiece as both heritage and experiment, showing that tradition need not calcify but can evolve, absorb and surprise. 

 

 

 

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The finale was a microcosm of the 2025 Proms season, reflecting its overarching themes and changing sensibilities. The spectacle of flags, anthems and ceremony offered comfort in the familiar, while new arrangements and unexpected voices suggested a country wrestling with change. Outside, the protests were a reminder that belonging here is still contested, that heritage can exclude as easily as it inspires. Yet in blending rock with symphony, global sounds with national symbols, the Proms hinted at a way forward by not erasing the past, but through recasting it, letting tradition breathe enough to carry more than one voice.

The number of protestors could be seen in a video Robinson uploaded to his X page. It was the choice of song ‘Sit Down’ that commanded the vocalist of said song, and James frontman Tim Booth to the same platform, later that day.

Booth co-wrote ‘Sit Down’, a tune known by most people you’d pass on the street and definitely a universally loved anthem in the UK.

The English 65 year old took to his X account to say:

“​​Disgusted to see the cynical use of ‘Sit Down’by @TRobinsonNewEra.

“No permission was granted, and we are looking into our options.”

“The song and most of our topical lyrics, make it very clear where we stand, and it’s the antithesis of this organization”

The James frontman has previously made his and the band’s political stance incredibly blatant. In 2018 he compared the rise of Trump to that of Adolf Hitler in Nazi Germany saying: “I see him as an incredibly dangerous man for the planet”

Disgusted to see the cynical use of ‘Sit Down’by @TRobinsonNewEra.
No permission was granted, and we are looking into our options.
The song and most of our topical lyrics, make it very clear where we stand, and it’s the antithesis of this organization

— Tim Booth (@RealTimBooth) September 13, 2025

James’s 2021 album ;All the Colours’ contains political and social criticism that supports an inclusive outlook. For instance, the work expresses opposition to discriminatory or exclusionary politics while addressing more general issues like racism, democracy, and authoritarianism.

The Independent has reported that : “If a band’s work has been copyrighted and is used unlawfully, they can initially issue a formal request in the form of a case and desist letter for the accused party to stop using their work, according to the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance (ICMP).”

“It can then file a lawsuit for copyright infringement if no appropriate action is taken, which can lead damages payments or prevent the infringing party from using their work in future if successful.”

Booth has since posted further on the issue today, sarcastically saying “It’s touching, and hopefully revealing, to see the measured kind tweets from Tommy Robinson followers.

Robinson has issued no response thus far.

The group played out their set in full despite pro-Israel, anti Kneecap protests within the crowd. Whistles and flags were amongst the methods used by to shortly disrupt the beginning of the gig. The protesters were identified and removed quickly by security, whilst being serenaded with chants of “free free Palestine” by a crowd largely stood in solidarity with Kneecap’s perspective. 

Moglai Bap, a rapper from the band, took the opportunity to speak at length on the matter. He said “They wanna try and stop us. They don’t want us to play the festival. We’re not going to allow them to get away. We’re not like them. We’re not like Israel. We’re not here to cause fights. We’re here to have a good time. If anyone blows whistles, let security know, we’ll get rid of them. No aggravation. It’s all love, all support for Palestine”

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The festival boasted a mammoth set of headliners with acts like Fontaines DC, Chappell Roan and Queens of the Stone Age drawing people back to the annual festival. However it was the inclusion of Kneecap on the lineup that caused the most conversation.  Rock En Seine stood with the group despite calls for them to do the opposite and in doing so the mayor of Saint-Cloud redacted €40,000 worth of funding for the festival. Mayor Eric Berdoati said in a public statement that this was because the festival was “no longer in line with their objectives.” This comes amidst the ongoing trial of group member Mo Chara who allegedly displayed a Hezbollah flag at a London show last year. Kneecap have constantly defended themselves on social media since the allegations, on one occasion labelling them a “carnival of distraction”

Kneecap will wrap their summer up on August 29, when they support Fontaines DC at a gig in their home city of Belfast.

The protestors filled fire extinguishers with orange paint, the signature colour of much of the groups distinctive branding and forced entry into the private airfield at 5am on Thursday morning and covered two jets with the paint. According to the Independent ‘Police sources said they had since been informed that the Shake It Off singer’s jet wasn’t at the private airfield.’ at the time of the attack. A similar demonstration took place at Stonehenge on Wednesday this week, where by protestors used the same technique of spraying paint onto the iconic structure.

The ‘Just Stop Oil’ website uploaded a post on the incident quoting one of the protestors Cole Macdonald, who is just 22 and from Brighton, saying “We’re living in two worlds: one where billionaires live in luxury, able to fly in private jets away from the other, where unlivable conditions are being imposed on countless millions. Meanwhile, this system that is allowing extreme wealth to be accrued by a few, to the detriment of everyone else, is destroying the conditions necessary to support human life in a rapidly accelerating never-ending ‘cruel summer’.” Quoting one of the international pop-stars most beloved songs to emphasise the state of affairs.

The pair also uploaded a series of photos with the targeted jets along with a video of the demonstration which you can watch below.

It has been virtually impossible to escape media coverage of the superstar behind the Era’s tour and discourse surrounding her carbon emissions. In an article by Newsweek, it is stated that between December 25 and January 30 swifts jet produced 77.8342 tons of carbon dioxide. The data comes from the twitter account @SwiftJetNextDay which tracks the jet on its various excursions. The mind man behind the account is Jack Sweeney, celebrity jet trader and University of Central Florida student. Sweeney faced legal action from Swift’s team earlier this year and has since ceased his updates on the jets movements however conversation around the singers trips has continued. In February a member of Swift’s publicist team told the BBC “she does use carbon offsets to compensate her private jet travel.”

The Independent article claims that Essex police were “on the scene within minutes and detained two people,”. They also claims that while they aren’t ani-protest they “will always take action where criminal acts take place.”

Despite the on-going discussions over Swift’s carbon emissions, seemingly, her popularity hasn’t taken a hit as she is due to play three sold out shows at Wembley this week, and another three in August. Fans from all over the word have flocked to venues across the UK to catch Swift’s infamous Eras tour which sees the star play various hits and lesser known songs alike across her entire 12 album discography.

Kneecap have claimed the UK government blocked the grant, or the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) funding award, worth £15,000 in a bid to “silence” them. The BPI has said it was “disappointed” with the decision made by the government in not approving the grant, despite funding under the Music Export Growth Scheme being recommended by an independent panel.

A letter from Phoenix Law seeking a judicial review of the decision made by Badenoch claims the action is “state-sponsored censorship“, adding that the decision contravenes the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. The law firm also states that the decision violates the Windsor framework, a post-Brexit trade deal that sets out Northern Ireland’s rights in regards to the UK and the EU.

Our team has assembled https://t.co/JhzjuQctZB

— KNEECAP (@KNEECAPCEOL) February 9, 2024

A spokesperson for Kemi Badenoch has said, “We fully support freedom of speech, but it’s hardly surprising that we don’t want to hand out UK tax money to people that oppose the United Kingdom itself.”

Kneecap, posting on X, has said in a statement, “We’ve been blocked from receiving significant music funding because a Tory Minister doesn’t like our art. F*ck the Tories.”

The leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party, an Irish nationalist party in Northern Ireland, Colum Eastwood, has called the decision by Badenoch to overturn the decision to grant the funding “highly irregular”.

He has said, “It would be unacceptable if the British Government had instituted a policy of defunding groups because they support Irish Unity, Scottish Independence, Welsh Independence or any other change to the constitutional status quo. Worse, in the context of Northern Ireland it may represent a breach of the British Government’s obligations under the treaty signed after the Good Friday Agreement which includes a commitment to exercise power on the basis of parity of esteem between communities in the North.”

He added, “Art is meant to be challenging. You don’t have to agree with an artist or group to understand the importance of funding creators who challenge the status quo and the establishment. I have submitted a number of Parliamentary Questions to establish what has happened here. If there has been a change of funding policy to make that more difficult then Kemi Badenoch needs to come clean about it.”

Kneecap, formed in 2017, frequently visit the topic of Irish nationalism in their music and sing in both Irish and English. They have released one album, 3CAG (2018), and plan on touring North America next month.

Listen to “Get Your Brits Out” below:

We’ve been a part of the Sheffield community for 43 years and we are not ready to say goodbye. Support us by turning up on Mon 18th September at 9am, Sheffield Town Hall. #wecantloseleadmill pic.twitter.com/7IU6yDBTUJ

— The Leadmill (@Leadmill) September 4, 2023

In March of last year, The Leadmill announced via their website that the landlords of the venue were trying to close them down by serving an eviction notice. Since then, artists throughout the UK, members of the local community and even Labour MPs have voiced their alarm and displeasure at the news.

Although the current owners The Electric Group have stated that they do not intend to close the venue down, management has claimed that they are, indeed, being forced out and that the venue’s future is in serious doubt. In response, The Leadmill has staged a rally to take place next week (18 September) called the Battle For The Soul Of Sheffield and the BBC have uncovered that the music spot has offered £40 vouchers for people who attend and post about it on social media.

The BBC has learned those running the Leadmill in Sheffield are proposing to pay people to demonstrate against the owners of the building “Electric Group” getting a licence. They’ve teamed up with a promotions company ahead of the council’s licensing hearing later this month. pic.twitter.com/WSkS8Zaox2 — BBC Radio Sheffield (@BBCSheffield) September 8, 2023

BBC News was in touch with the venue for a comment with management commenting, “we don’t know how many people will turn up and as The Leadmill staff will likely be in the hearing itself, we have teamed up with Gosh to ensure the rally is professionally and safely managed by some of their team outside. Gosh are a company that we use regularly and we have a strong relationship with. They are obviously being paid for their time to do so.”

The Electric Group have pointed to what they label a contemptuous move to curry undue support for a cause that they claim is very far from reality. Responding to the rally, The Electric Group CEO Dominic Madden said, “paying people £40 to stand outside of the hall is a move that reeks of cynicism, as it attempts to manipulate the licensing process and unduly influence Sheffield Council.

We’ve consistently maintained that we will invest in the Leadmill to ensure it remains an inclusive, vibrant music and arts venue of which Sheffield can be rightly proud for years to come.”

Such a brilliant venue. Let’s do all we can to stop The @Leadmill from closing https://t.co/0VeUfeBdMz

— Tim Burgess (@Tim_Burgess) March 31, 2022

#WeCantLoseTheLeadmill No way!!!!! The staple of many a night out. Closing the Leadnmill is unthinkable!!!!!! @ArcticMonkeys @KasabianHQ @oasis @coldplay @LewisCapaldi all played here. Save The Leadmill!!!!!

— Paul (@PaulH_THFC) March 31, 2022

If this is correct it would seem strange that they are “closing down” the Leadmill. Perhaps something more behind the scenes we don’t know about

— Andy (@muarh00) April 1, 2022

Very interesting, so Leadmill operators lease ends next year, they’ve been given standard notice, the owners have not yet commented on plans but are likely to refub & run themselves as a music venue, so “The Leadmill” may not be closing but under new day to day management…?

— E Hacky (@Ehacky) April 1, 2022

Madden also highlighted that the group has a genuine interest in the venue’s future and that exploiting a legal loophole, as The Leadmill management have claimed, is very far from the truth. Madden has stated that the lease is approaching its natural conclusion and that attempts to purchase the freehold were ignored by current operator Phil Mills.

Artists from the local Sheffield scene have, in the past, voiced support for The Leadmill. Oli Sykes of Bring Me The Horizon, Jarvis Cocker of Pulp and The Arctic Monkeys have all shared their feelings and have helped raise funds and awareness for the venue.

The ‘Shows Of A Lost World’ tour also broke the band’s previous attendance best of 402 000, a record set in 1992 during their Wish tour, with an impressive 547 000 tickets being sold for this year’s tour. And all this, incredibly, despite The Cure’s frontman Robert Smith’s campaign to keep concert ticket prices as low as possible.

Taking to Twitter to vent his obvious frustration at ever-increasing ticket prices in general but Ticketmaster in particular, Smith has previously and successfully obtained a discount on his fans’ behalf for their upcoming US and Canada tour, stating on twitter after the fact, “After further conversation, Ticketmaster have agreed with us that many of the fees being charged are unduly high, and us a gesture of goodwill have offered a $10 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for lowest ticket price (‘LTP’) transactions”

1 OF 2: AFTER FURTHER CONVERSATION, TICKETMASTER HAVE AGREED WITH US THAT MANY OF THE FEES BEING CHARGED ARE UNDULY HIGH, AND AS A GESTURE OF GOODWILL HAVE OFFERED A $10 PER TICKET REFUND TO ALL VERIFIED FAN ACCOUNTS FOR LOWEST TICKET PRICE (‘LTP’) TRANSACTIONS…

— ROBERT SMITH (@RobertSmith) March 16, 2023

Smith had more good news, adding, “And a $5 per ticket refund to all verified fan accounts for all other ticket price transactions, for all Cure shows at all venues; if you already bought a ticket you will get an automatic refund; all tickets on sale tomorrow will incur lower fees“.

Smith, who has had previous in letting his feelings known towards “sickening” high fees tacked on to ticket prices, and his beloved band therefore, we can all surely agree, wholeheartedly deserve these unprecedented levels of success. Three dates at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles alone grossed a staggering $4.9 million (£3.7 million) and sold 50 800 tickets, while three shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden amassed a figure of $4.1 million (£3.1 million), selling 44 300 tickets in the process.

Listen to “Killing An Arab” below:

Formed in 1978, The Cure, with frontman Robert Smith remaining the band’s only constant member, have become mainstays in the UK alternative rock music scene, having made distinct genres such as, originally, post-punk and later, new-wave, gothic rock and pop rock, their very own. The band garnered a significant cult following following the release of their first four albums (Three Imaginary Boys (1979), Seventeen Seconds (1980), Faith (1981), Pornography (1982)) but did not achieve mainstream success until the late 80’s and early 90’s, with Disintegration (1989) and Wish (1992) cementing their place in UK music history for good.

Watch the music video for “Boys Don’t Cry” below:

Woody Guthrie, in 1940, wrote “This Land Is Your Land“, critisising the uneven distribution of wealth in the US, and in 1979 American punk band the Dead Kennedys released “Kill the Poor“, a scathing satirical commentary on the same topic. In 1977, this time in Britain, and in the same year as Queen Elizabeth II’s Silver Jubilee, the pioneering punk band the Sex Pistols released “God Save The Queen“, also using satire to put their devastatingly clear point across, that the British people do not need the British Royal family, or, as Rotten sings, the “facist regime“.

Listen to “God Save The Queen” by the Sex Pistols below:

While the Pistols’ track is still, by some way, the best known and most successful anti-monarchist song, other artists have voiced their discontent with the royal elite of this nation. The Smiths, in 1986, penned “The Queen Is Dead“, while the Stone Roses, to the tune of the traditional English ballad “Scarborough Fair“, released the short, sweet and unmistakably direct “Elizabeth My Dear“, and then, in 1992, came the Manic Street Preachers with their brutally anti-royalist number “Repeat“.

Listen to “Elizabeth My Dear” below:

And now enter Scottish punk band Gutterblood, with special guest Bonnie Prince Bob, with their contribution to the topic at hand. They have released “Gardyloo“, possibly the most anti-royal, and certainly the most combative of the lot, on the eve of King Charles III’s coronation.

The track holds no bars in insults nor imagery, labelling the current king a “Royal fool”, an”inbred son“, and a “mollycoddled imbecile festooned in golden shite“. His supposed ills are called out as well, implicating that, because “Diana rode an Arab“, he “bumped her off in Paris“, and his ties to Jimmy Saville and Rolf Harris are explicitly mentioned.

Bonnie Prince Bob then lyrically reminds His Majesty just why, is his opinion, the royal family is disliked so much by the dispossessed of this country: “Your riches come from workers’ toil and that’s why you’re despised“. The king, in an ongoing scene within the song, has his royal entourage rushed and is then lead to the guillotine and promptly beheaded, thereby allowing Bonnie Prince Bob a triumphant sense of justice.

Watch the music video for “Gardyloo” below:

Our debut album NAILS is out on April 21st on Invada Records. Come see us play it live!
“Benefits are something different, something primal and essential that needs to be heard.” @NME
“An urgent combination of noise rock and spoken word fury.” @RollingStoneUK pic.twitter.com/vphuWXmj2x

— Benefits (@Benefitstheband) March 1, 2023

The scolding LP has already received a great deal of praise, with The Quietus describing it as a “work of volatile physicality and penetrating sincerity“.

Sincerity, indeed, comes to the forefront as the record progresses. In a prophetic mix of Mark E. Smith, John Cooper Clark and Sleaford Mods, Benefits frontman Kingsley Hall’s rageful and blistering attack on the British political and cultural status quo is a brutally honest one. But it is not only the governmental and monarchal oppressors of this country that are the targets of Hall’s indictment; the everyman, and their blissful unawareness of the corroding of the society that they live in, are too apprehended.

“Marlboro Hundreds“, the album opener, acts as a call of arms, of sort, to the ignorantly bliss, and a plea to engage with their problems (“Formulate your own ideas“, “Question everything“, “Don’t let them break you“). This optimistic rhetoric, however, is shrouded and enclosed in a bleak and decrepit setting; alongside the screeching sound of electronic industrial noise, Britain is made up of “industrial wastelands” in “Empire” and is a “prison island” in “Shit Britain“.

Watch the music video for “Shit Britain” below:

The futile and illogical love for nostalgia and past glories is another central theme to Nails. Flags are a recurring motif, and this “musty relic” (“Flag“) is a symbol of the patriotism that is being wielded as a weapon by the powers that be to keep its people in line, making them focus on past glories rather than their current woes. The album, then, is a picture painted by Hall, a picture that shows the disregard that we, as a society, have for our society’s well-being.

Watch the music video for “Flag” below:

Hall confirms this notion as he speaks to Louder Than War, stating that the album is “an attempt at a soundtrack for the times we live in. This difficult age and all that. Not sitting there with our fingers in our ears and an “everything is fine” meme plastered to our brains. I get baffled by people turning a blind eye to it all, to just carry on as if everything is normal, singing twee songs about fuck all.”

Purchase the album now here.

Benefits will also be touring the UK and Europe in support of the album’s release. You can get tickets here.

See below for tour dates:

21/04/2023 – The Rum Shack – Glasgow
22/04 – The Lending Room – Leeds
23/04 – Soup – Manchester
24/04 – Clwb lfor Bach – Cardiff
25/04 – Tunbridge Wells Forum – Tunbridge Wells
26/04 – Chalk – Brighton
27/04 – 100 Club – London
28/04 – Trades Club – Hebden Bridge
29/04 – The Hare and Hounds – Birmingham
30/04 – Cluny – Newcastle
04/05 – The Deer’s Head –  Belfast
05/05 – Kasbah Social Club – Limerick
06/05 – Workmans Club – Dublin
12/05 – The Great Escape 2023 – Brighton and Hove
17/05 – Supersonic – Paris
18/05 – Supersonic – Paris
19/05 – Benefits in Rotterdam – Rotterdam
20/05 – Benefits at London Calling, Amsterdam – Amsterdam
25/05 – Bearded Theory Festival – Walton
27/05 – Dot to Dot Festival – Bristol
28/05 – Dot to Dot Festival – Nottingham

Glastonbury, never shy to give free speech a microphone, has already seen many of it’s artists use their opportunity onstage to voice their anger and frustration. With Olivia Rodrigo, Lily Allen, Phoebe Bridgers and IDLES already stepping up to the plate, it’s likely that the remainder of the iconic weekend will be smattered with impassioned speeches of protest. Notably Olivia Rodrigo brought Lily Allen on stage for a fervent duet of the British singer songwriter’s 2009 song “Fuck You” addressed specifically to the 5 justices of the Supreme Court. Having invited Allen onstage, Rodrigo addressed the situation by saying “I’m devastated I’m terrified and so many women and so many girls are going to die because of this. I wanted to dedicate this song to the five members of the supreme court, who showed us that at the end of the day they truly don’t give a shit about freedom” as reported by the NME. She then introduced the hit song with “This song goes out to the justices, Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barret, and Brett Kavanaugh. We hate you.” You can watch the moment here:

olivia rodrigo: “so many women and so many girls are gonna die because of this” no sugarcoating at all! as it SHOULD BE! and then proceeding to call out the 5 members of the Supreme Court!! pic.twitter.com/rv3R6p39Cu

— caro (@jelousyliv) June 25, 2022

Watching their feverishly brilliant set back on iPlayer, the acclaimed Bristolion band IDLES also made a stand, with frontman Joe Talbot speaking out against the overturning of Roe vs Wade during their performance yesterday on the Park Stage. Dedicating the song “Mother” from their debut album Brutalism to the open minded, Talbot said “Of course, this is for every mother and every woman and her right to choose whether she is a mother or not. Long live the open-minded, long live my mother, and long live every single one of you.”

You can catch all of the performances from Glastonbury 2022 on BBC iPlayer here.