The festive concert is set to take place on Sunday November 21st 2021 at the magnificent London Palladium. Sande and Arthur will be joining the previously confirmed acts Will Young, Rag’n’Bone Man, Mica Paris and Jazz legend Jamie Cullum. The event will be presented by Harriet Scott and former Boyzone member Ronan Keating, the “Life Is A Rollercoaster” singer will also be joining the musical acts on stage. Scott and Keating announced the event’s new additions on Monday 8th November 2021 via an appearance on the ‘Magic Radio Breakfast Show’.

The radio station took to Twitter to post a hint at the radio show’s announcement

This morning on Magic Breakfast:

Tell us it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, without telling us it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas pic.twitter.com/nDajJZEe9Q

— Magic Radio (@magicfm) November 8, 2021

In other news, next week will see a possible return to the charts for Keating. The Irish singer’s new album Songs From Home is set to be released on 12th November 2021. The 44-year-old pop veteran has carefully chosen a dozen tracks that celebrate and honour his heritage. The release consists of the chosen twelve songs as well as one original recording. The album will be released via Deca Records, the British record label which has become an institution within the music industry after nearly a century in the business.

A press release for the album has given the following statement, “The album toasts Ronan Keating’s love for Irish music, as well as its continued significance in his life. Celebrating traditional poetry and folklore alongside contemporary pieces, ‘Songs From Home’ forms the ultimate soundtrack to Ronan’s personal story. Masterfully, Ronan weaves between unheard tales of his youth to artists embedded in Ronan, and Ireland’s, substantial musical heritage.”

The Dublin born singer’s new album features collaborations with many celebrated artists. On the track “No Frontiers”, Keating duets with Irish singer Mary Black. Black started her career in 1975 and has become a key figure and icon within the folk music genre. Within the album, Keating also pays homage to late American Irish singer Mic Christopher on the late singer’s track “Heyday”. Christopher is known for his solo work as well as the founding member of the band The Mary Janes, the group disbanded in 1999 after 9 years together.

The singer became a solo artist and his first solo EP Heyday was released after a motorcycle accident. In support of the new release, Christopher joined The Waterboys on tour in 2001. After a performance on tour, Christopher was found unconscious after he accidentally fell and struck his head on a step. The 32-year-old singer was taken to hospital but tragically lost his life after lapsing into a coma due to swelling in the brain. The album also features the track ”Summer In Dublin” which sees Keating reflect on the summer of 1990, an era which the singer remembers fondly, as it was just before Boyzone catapulted into fame.

Tickets for Magic Of Christmas are reportedly sold out, but there are tickets available to win on Magic Radio and online at Magic.co.uk

Click here to win tickets.

The singer took to his Instagram to share the news with fans.

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The famous baritone singer has worked with the Essex rockers on his new collaboration. Known for their second studio album Broken Machine, the group have lent their unique rock sound to Rag’nBone Man’s single. Consisting of members Conor Mason on lead vocals and guitar, Joe Langridge-Brown on backing vocals and guitar, Dominic Craik on guitar, keys and backing vocals, Philip Blake on bass and James Price on percussion the band have achieved critical and commercial acclaim since their formation in 2012.

The newly remixed single starts with the original release’s mellow melodic guitar licks but bring more of an electric appeal to the beginning verse. Accompanied by the artist’s classic strong vocals, the “Alone” remix also features the stirring backing vocals heard in the original. Much like the original single the remix firmly cements the song’s lyrical themes by a strong musical presence and is accompanied by a meaningful music video featuring overlapping black and white photos of the performers.

Born as Rory Charles Graham, Rag’n’Bone man had this to say concerning his new collaboration. Within his statement, the singer expresses his process with previous remixes and states how he knew he wanted to work with Nothing But Thieves. “Most singles I’ve released so far come with remixes and sometimes it’s a bit difficult to imagine what it’s going to be like – especially if it’s dance or drum and bass. With ‘Alone’, I felt like that wasn’t going to be possible and I had to think outside the box. I remember seeing Nothing But Thieves at some festivals previously and thinking how amazing they were – I love their sound. I think they’ve done a really interesting version of this song and it’s a real honour to have them on the track.”

The 36-year-old artist first achieved success with his single “Human”, the track was released on 21st July 2016 and was taken from his debut album entitled Human. The singer’s debut album was released on 10th February 2017 and sired the artist in both commercial and critical success. Debuting at number one within the UK album charts, the album would become the fasted selling debut album within the 2010s for a male artist. Graham received multiple accolades for his first studio album, including two Brit Awards in 2017 for Critics Choice Award and British Breakthrough Act.

Rag’n’bone’s original version of “Alone’ was released as the third single from the artist’s second studio album Life by Misadventure. Much like his debut studio album, Life by Misadventure debuted at number one within the UK Album Charts. The album also features the singer’s collaboration with American artist Pink, the track entitled “Anywhere Away from Here” was released as the album’s second single on 9th April 2021 via Sony Music. The track was released as a charity single alongside the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Choir, profits made from the sale of the record were given to the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust and the encompassing NHS charities.

Rag’n’bone man will be embarking on his UK tour in the autumn of this year, full dates can be found below.

Rag’n’bone man UK tour dates

04/09/2021 – Highest Point – Lancaster
10/09 – The Cambridge Club – Cambridge
17/10 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
18/10 – Olympia Theatre – Dublin
19/10 – Waterfront Hall – Belfast
21/10 – O2 Academy – Leeds
22/10 – O2 Academy – Bristol
23/10 – O2 Academy – Bournemouth
25/10 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
26/10 – Edinburgh Corn Exchange – Edinburgh
28/10 – Pavilion – Plymouth
29/10 – O2 Apollo – Manchester
31/10 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
01/11 – UEA – Norwich
03/11 – O2 Academy – Newcastle
04/11 – Liverpool University – Liverpool
06/11 – Eventim Apollo – London
09/06/2022 – Westonbrit Arboretum – Gloucestershire
10/06 – Cannock Chase Forest – Staffordshire
16/06 – Thetford Forest – Suffolk
17/06 – Delamere Forest – Cheshire
02/07 – Live in the Wyldes – Bude
15/07 – South of England Showground – Ardingly

The live performances will take place starting from 19th July 2021 within Grassroots music venues alongside the Music Venues Alliance, 19th July also marks the date in which the Government has issued for Grassroots music venues to fully reopen. The scheme’s tour entitled ‘The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour’ boasts a roster of talented artists and promises over 300 live performances. The array of other music artists joining the pair on their crusade include English singer-songwriter James Arthur, Mahalia, 27-year-old singer Sam Fender and Irish post-punk band Fontaines DC. All artists involved in the ‘Revive Live’ scheme will be working alongside Music Venue Trust and the National Lottery. Both organisations founded the campaign to bring back lost revenue and to support new artists, musicians and the nation’s live music scene.

The National Lottery injected a sizeable donation of £1 million into the scheme which will cover all touring and production costs occurred during the tour and further events. The donation also means that with upfront costs already paid, the grassroots live music industry can start promoting and producing tours and live shows. Along with the donation to the scheme, the organisation is also offering 30,000 tickets for lottery and scratchcard players to win. The 30,000 tickets up to win will make up half of the tickets available, the other half will be on sale to the public.

Nigel Railton, the Chief Executive of National Lottery, part of the Camelot Group has spoken on the organisation’s excitement to be working with the Music Venue Trust within the scheme. “The National Lottery is very excited to be working with Music Venue Trust in what we believe is a truly ground-breaking initiative. The last year has been incredibly challenging for many industries and we hope The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour will help kick start the return of grassroots live music. With every ticket having a built in plus-one, we hope The National Lottery can bring friends back together this summer to once again share the experiences we’ve all missed, while thanking players for the amazing things they make happen just by buying a ticket.”

Sir Tom Jones will be performing for a limited audience of 800 at one of the three performance spaces within the Cambridge Junction. Ran’n’Bone Man will play for an even smaller crowd of 250 ticket holders, the gig will take place in Kent. The venue, Tunbridge Wells Forum, is famed within the county as the performance space was once a public toilet.

The ‘Sex Bomb’ singer has spoken on how proud he is to be part of the scheme and the importance of the campaign. He also talks about how grassroots venues are a key part of a new artist’s career and states the importance of support for such venues. “Musicians can record in their bedrooms, but they can’t learn to perform in public without a place to play, without that, there is no way you can communicate directly to people. It’ll be tough to hone your skills and you’ll never have the thrill of feeling their feedback. Without a grassroots music venue, the neighbourhood won’t have a place where people can come together to discover and support a new talent”. So, support your local pub, club, gym or church or wherever someone has the guts to bring in some entertainment, it makes all the difference both to budding artists and the community, I’m delighted to be able to perform a special show as part of The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour and to be celebrating the return of live music.”

Mark Dayvd, the CEO of Music Venue Trust has also provided the following statement concerning the new campaign. “It’s so important to get artists and crew back out and working, to get our grassroots music venues back up and running, and to get friends, families and communities back together enjoying live music. Grassroots music venues play a crucial role in the development of British music, nurturing local talent, providing a platform for artists to build their careers and develop their music and their performance skills, These venues also play a vital role in the cultural and economic vibrancy of any village, town or city. The National Lottery’s Revive Live Tour is a fantastic initiative which will kickstart the return of great events across the country. We can’t wait to get started!”

The Music Venue Trust has been combating the negative effects in which COVID-19 has held over live music and the industry itself since March 2020. They aim to safely reopen all venues using various campaigns and schemes. Their most successful campaign was # Save Our Venues, which saw support and money given to help infuse revenue and business into Grassroots venues. Now with the new scheme, tour of live performances and #ReviveLive, the trust is on a mission to bring live music back.

We are sorry to announce the cancellation of Rag’n’Bone Man, Inhaler, Alfa Mist and Yussef Dayes Trio’s concerts at the MJF. Zucchero, Woodkid, Benny Sings & Athletic Progression will remplace them.https://t.co/Ds3rCwQ4uD#MJF21

— Montreux Jazz Festival (@MontreuxJazz) June 25, 2021

The Montreux Jazz Festival is one of the few that will take place this year. Other famous ones, St Gallen Open -Air and Bern’s Gurten festivals have been cancelled for the second time in a row, due to the ongoing and unstable situation with the Covid-19 virus.
More than half of the UK’s festivals and world festivals have been already cancelled or postponed until next year. Reading and Leeds festival will still go ahead this August with Queens of the Stone Age and Post Malone as headliners, also All Points East has a green light for this year with Little Simz, Kano and Jamie xx included in the bill.

“Festival organisers have been talking for several months about alternative line-ups and what they might look like for the obvious reasons of travel restrictions. The general sense out there is that it won’t really matter to audiences this year in terms who headlines and who’s playing“.

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‘Crossfire’ is the fourth single from the British singer-songwriter’s upcoming album. Previous singles included ‘All You Ever Wanted’, ‘Fall In Love Again’, and ‘Anywhere Away From Here’ featuring pop icon P!nk. The release of ‘Crossfire’ was accompanied by a live video of Rag’n’Bone Man performing the track live. On the emotional song, the singer said: “‘Crossfire’ as a concept came to me in a really mad dream. I wrote it with Ben JC (my keys player and co-writer for the album) and Bill (my amazing bass player) and I’m so excited to play this one live.”

“I had some mental dream. It was kind of like God was real in a physical form. Everything’s gone to shit in the world, and he basically just turned the switch off and was like that’s enough, let’s start from the beginning again”. pic.twitter.com/tqh1Qe3wHT

— Rags (@RagNBoneMan) May 2, 2021

Rag’n’Bone Man and Pink are due to perform their duet with the Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust Choir at the 2021 BRIT Awards.

‘Life by Misadventure’ will be released on Friday May 7.

Life By Misadventure Tracklist:

1. Fireflies
2. Breath In Me
3. Fall In Love Again
4. Talking To Myself
5. Anywhere Away From Here
6. Alone
7. Crossfire
8. All You Ever Wanted
9. Changing of the Guard
10. Somewhere Along The Way
11. Time Will Only Tell
12. Lightyears
13. Party’s Over
14. Old Habits

Writing on Instagram, the English singer-songwriter posted: “It’s an honour to have P!nk on this record and I’m so glad she is able to be a part of it… ‘Anywhere Away From Here’ with @pink is out now.” 

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Pink commented on the collaboration: “… I had already fallen in love with his voice, and when we met in person I quickly learned he has a beautiful soul, too. Since then, I knew I wanted to work with him one day. ‘Anywhere Away From Here’ couldn’t be a better song for us to sing together. I’m so honoured to be a part of this collaboration.” 

A music video for the track has also been released. It was directed by Joe Connor, who has directed videos for Sam Smith, Biffy Clyro, and Coldplay. The video shows Rag’n’Bone Man and Pink in a theatre which has been taken over by nature. Rag’n’Bone Man described the song as “an honest reflection of wanting to disappear from uncomfortable situations – about the vulnerabilities that we all face.” 

Real name Rory Charles Graham, Rag’n’Bone Man rose to fame after the release of single Human in 2016. His debut album of the same name hit number one in the UK Album Charts and won the BBC Music Award for British Album of the Year. He has previously collaborated with artists such as Bastille, Calvin Harris, Gorrilaz, and Kae Tempest. 

Rag’n’Bone Man is scheduled to tour the UK and Ireland in October and November 2021. He is due to visit cities including Brighton, Dublin, Belfast, Leeds, Bristol, Bournemouth, Glasgow, Manchester and Plymouth. He is also set to play a string of three dates at the Jazz Café in London in June. 

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UK & IRELAND TOUR

Pre-order any album format from the Official Store by 23rd March to get early access to tickets https://t.co/Sb0lqiETHO

PRE-SALE – 24th March – 9am
GENERAL ON SALE – 26th March – 9am pic.twitter.com/wh5m0gkT8M

— Rags (@RagNBoneMan) March 15, 2021

Rag’n’Bone Man – real name Rory Graham – is set to release his second studio album, Life By Misadventure, on April 23rd via Columbia Records. The new LP will arrive four years on from his critically-acclaimed debut Human, which shifted over 1.2 million copies in the UK and topped charts around the world. At the time, NME described the album as “…at once modern and classic, fusing blues, hip-hop and vintage sounds with a pop attitude.” That bluesy vibe came to the fore on the record’s huge titular single, which scooped a Brit Award and has racked up over 1.1 billion views on YouTube. Its follow-up single Skin was also a top 20 hit in the UK.

The Sussex baritone enjoyed further chart success in 2019 with non-albums single Giant, a collaboration with Dumfries’ one-man hit machine Calvin Harris. The gospel-fused dance ditty went double-platinum in the UK – becoming the fifth best-selling single of the year – and topped the lucrative US Billboard Dance chart.

In January the singer released Life By Misadventure‘s punchy lead single All You Ever Wanted, an up-tempo, guitar-driven number that represented a marked sonic shift for the Uckfield-born troubadour. In a press release accompanying the track – which Graham said had been inspired by changes to the urban environments of London and Brighton – the vocalist hinted that the feel of the song would chime with the new album as a whole. He said “It’s very different to the last record. I was influenced by Sam Fender coming out with a bit more of a rock n roll style. I really love bands and going back to my love of The Beatles and Beach Boys. I wanted to explore new avenues and sounds. As Beyoncé says, ‘The songs are key.’”

In a further unexpected twist, today Rag’n’Bone Man followed in the footsteps of fellow musicians Robbie Williams, Rick Astley, George Ezra – as well as the likes of Tom Hardy, Orlando Bloom, Strictly‘s Oti Mabuse and Bridgerton‘s Regé-Jean Page – by appearing in an installment of CBeebies’ Bedtime Stories. As part of the teatime segment, the singer read from Keith Negley’s My Dad Used To Be So Cool.

The full schedule of dates for Rag’n’Bone Man’s 2021 Life By Misadventure tour is as follows:

17/10/21 – Brighton Centre – Brighton
18/10 – Olympia Theatre – Dublin
19/10 – Waterfront Hall – Belfast
21/10 – O2 Academy – Leeds
22/10 – O2 Academy – Bristol
23/10 – O2 Academy – Bournemouth
25/10 – O2 Academy – Glasgow
28/10 – Pavilions – Plymouth
29/10 – O2 Apollo – Manchester
31/10 – O2 Academy – Birmingham
03/11 – O2 Academy – Newcastle
06/11 – Eventim Apollo – London

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The new single is an upbeat classic rock song which talks about the places Rory grew up in. The release of All You Ever Wanted is accompanied by a music video which depicts these places in model versions. Speaking about the meaning of the song, Rory said; “I’d felt sad looking around Brighton and London where I grew up… remembering all those cool places that aren’t there anymore.”

Life By Misadventure was produced by Mike Elizondo, who has previously worked with Eminem, Fiona Apple and Alania Morissette. The album has features from Daru Jones and Wendy Melvoin and was recorded in a similar way to a live album.

Speaking about the album, Rory said; “We had quite a time to live with the songs this time around. Too often, how I’d done things before, was that we’d written a song and I had to sing it the same day, and that was the version we’d use on the album. This way, it was far easier to get real emotion into the music.”

This will be Rag’n’Bone Man’s second album following the immense success of his debut album Human in 2017. Human was the fastest-selling debut album by a male artists of the 2010s. He won a BRIT award for British Breakthrough Act.

Life By Misadventure will be out on the 23rd of April, the tracklist is below. All You Ever Wanted is out now on all platforms, you can watch the music video below.

The organisers of the festival released a statement to apologise for the cancellation and the disappoint they have caused for those who looked forward to. Read the full statement below.

We are sorry to have to inform you that we have cancelled all Forest Live 2020 events to keep everyone safe in line with current government guidance on the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

You can read the full statement on our website: https://t.co/sVwAqq5VjI pic.twitter.com/dlv0wV3Sdr

— Forest Live – Forestry England (@fcforestlive) April 3, 2020

“We are sorry to disappoint the Forest Live fans who were hoping to see bands in the nation’s forests this summer but we have cancelled Forest Live 2020 to keep everyone safe in line with recent government guidance on the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak.

“We really hope that everyone’s support to fight COVID-19 means the situation will have improved by the summer however, as well as our valued customers, we work with a large number of volunteers, artists and contractors, to make these concerts happen and have taken this decision in the interest of safety for everyone involved.

“Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to reschedule our concerts. Ticket holders will be contacted by their point of purchase and will be automatically refunded. We ask for your patience and understanding at this busy time.”

Forest Live 2020 was scheduled to take place in Bedgebury National Pinetum and Forest, Kent for three days from June 12 to 14. Former Oasis member Noel Gallagher was booked to bring his band High Flying Birds to perform. Among the line-up also appear Jack Savoretti, Keane, Kaiser Chiefs, James Morrison, Will Young, Madness, and Rag’n’Bone Man. English pianist Jools Holland was also planned to perform at the gig along with Blues Orchestra.

Rag’n’Bone Man, real name Rory Graham, played only with a piano to 600 attendees in the town where his father (Tony Graham) lives. He was asked by Howard Marshall, event organiser, to be the mystery guest for The Room’s annual show and Mr Graham has said that the performance is a way to “payback” everyone who supports the local music scene. Marshall has known Rag’n’Bone Man for years, and spoke to him at a festival in 2019 about potentially making an appearance.

A mix of hits and new songs were played, including breakout song ‘Human’ and 2019 Calvin Harris collaboration, ‘Giant’. Marshall said that it had “always been an ambition to get a really big star” and guests were, of course, very pleased. This one will be hard to top! One audience member, Johnny Saggs, said “Rag’n’Bone Man is cool and his is so powerful when he is playing live”.

The event was seen across five stages which held the other acts: The Coronation Kings, Riddle, The McGuilty Brothers, and The H-Gang. While usually put on every year, The Room has three shows set up for this year, Saturday being the first, followed by one in June and one in September. Prior to the performance date, a mystery guest had been teased, but not formerly announced; some attendees had a feeling that the guest might be Rag’n’Bone Man as his father lives in the area, but many were none the wiser.

Rag’n’Bone Man began as an MC for a drum and bass group in Uckfield and Brighton, before working with both writers and producers to find his own sound as he supported artists, including Joan Armatrading. When he released his single ‘Human’ in 2016, it went to number 2 on the UK singles chart and received an astounding reception from listeners, video now at 1 billion views. The artist has recently returned from Nashville where he has been writing and recording new music, which we can hope to hear soon.

The singer-songwriter, whose musical style has evolved from hip-hop to neo blues and soul, only has one full length studio album at present, ‘Human’, titled after his single. The album was released under Columbia records, though he had previously released several EPs. His father, mentioned earlier, was his inspiration when starting out in music at a young age.

Fans will be excited to hear that Rag’n’Bone Man has been announced as the headliner for PennFest 2020 as well as having four other UK gigs planned and a festival in Barcelona, Cruïlla. The Gorleston crowd was lucky enough to hear new songs, which may be performed on these occasions.