Yesterday, Wednesday 19th August, it was announced that registration is now open, and those who sign up will gain access to pre-sale tickets, as well as being in with a chance to win four Weekend VIP tickets. Ticket-holders for the 2020 festival can hold on to their tickets and carry them over to this upcoming event.

Are you ready for the games to begin?

Registration for Parklife 2021 is now open, sign up for early access to tickets and be a chance of winning x4 Weekend VIP tickets – https://t.co/SFyDoElIW3

Save the date : Heaton Park, June 12 & 13 2021 pic.twitter.com/lOm0gMlifA

— Parklife 2021 (@Parklifefest) August 18, 2020

Taking place in Heaton Park on 12th and 13th June 2021, there is more news to come in the next few weeks. Organisers have said next year will be “an unrivalled party weekend filled with the best names in modern music,” while fans were told to “expect more surprises, bigger names and memories that’ll last a lifetime. There’s only one place to dance again.”

2020 had planned to have acts such as Lewis Capaldi, Skepta, Georgia, Joy Crookes, Mahalia, and Tyler, The Creator. Sunday tickets sold out completely, and the other options were close to selling out as well, but it was at this point that the event was cancelled, as were many others.

The band shared the news on social media, saying, “Being able to perform is the reason we do this.” There are unlimited raffle tickets available, priced at £5 each, but only 6 prizes to be won. Each prize is the same: There is the incredible opportunity to spend a day as a Bring Me The Horizon tour tech, meet the band, watch the show from backstage, and win a bespoke merchandise bundle. There is no limit to the number of times one person can enter, giving an even better chance of winning, and offering the crew more financial support.

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being able to perform is the reason we do this. enter the raffle, help support our incredible crew and win the chance to spend the day as a bmth tour tech, meet us, and watch the show backstage. raffle closes wednesday 6pm. link in bio. #letthemusicplay

A post shared by ʙʀɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ʜᴏʀɪᴢᴏɴ (@bringmethehorizon) on Aug 7, 2020 at 8:33am PDT

Many bands and other industry workers have shared their concern for the future of the music business, both in the UK and around the world. Bring Me The Horizon’s raffle is yet another creative way in which support can be shown, and live music can continue as we know it. Artists including James Bay, Ben Lovett (Mumford & Sons), and Blossoms, have all spoken out about this issue and suggested ways in which their fans can help. But, without urgent Government support, it is unlikely that live events will be able to continue after the Covid-19 pandemic has eased.

Bring Me The Horizon’s announcement follows the release of their latest single ‘Parasite Eve’ at the end of June, as well as four part projects entitled ‘Post Human’, which will feature an upcoming collaboration with Yungblud. It is likely that, despite the time they’ve enjoyed creating four new records during lockdown, the band are eager to start performing live again, and potentially hold a tour to bring ‘Post Human’ to their fans. Currently, Bring Me The Horizon have seven festival dates planned for 2021, which are listed below and can be found on the official website.

02/06/2021 – Nova Rock – Nickelsdorf, Austria
03/06 – Greenfield Festival – Interlaken, Switzerland
17/06 – Vox Heavy Rock Festival – Oeiras, Portugal
18/06 – Southside Festival – Tuttlingen, Germany
20/06 – Hurricane Festival – Scheeßel, Germany
24/06 – Tons of Rock – Oslo, Norway
13/08 – Highfield Festival – Grosspösna, Germany

Neil spoke to Music Week about the urgency of protecting them, saying, “If venues disappear, we’re losing a generation, if not more, of talent.” He continued, “The music that comes from this small island is, across the board, astounding. There’s generations of kids that are going to lose opportunities from study to job opportunities, we cannot fucking rip the culture away from them as well. All they have is this expression.”

Neil, like so many bands and artists, began his career playing in small music venues with Biffy Clyro, and is not only saddened, but angry to think that future musicians could be deprived of that opportunity. There is also something to be said about the cultural effects of this; “One of the few things to admire about our country is the culture and most of these fuckers in the government won’t have been to a gig or a show ever.”

Biffy Clyro are on the cover of this week’s @MusicWeek magazine – read the full interview here: https://t.co/ReWERnovPX pic.twitter.com/Oi2oe3vqKl

— Biffy Clyro (@BiffyClyro) July 23, 2020

While the government finally announced that they would be putting £1.57 billion into all arts industries, this offer comes too late for many. However, thanks to the charity of owners and artists, some have struggled through. Just yesterday, it was announced that Manchester venues Gorilla and The Deaf Institute have been saved from closure.

Numerous other artists have also spoken out about this issue – most recently, James Bay and Mumford & Sons’ Ben Lovett discussed it via video chat and offered fans links to donate to #SaveOurVenues.

Biffy Clyro is made up of members Simon Neil (guitar and lead vocals), James Johnston (bass), and Ben Johnston (drums). The band has released numerous albums, with four reaching the top 5 in the UK Albums Chart and one album, ‘Opposites’, claiming number 1. Formed in 1995, they are currently signed to 14th Floor Records and have headlined many big UK Festivals including Reading & Leeds in 2013. Biffy Clyro have won four NME Awards and received nominations for two Brit Awards. Their hit song ‘Many of Horror’ was covered by X Factor winner Matt Cardle in 2010, gaining it much success.

The band’s new album ‘A Celebration Of Endings’ will be released on 14th August and they are planning to tour later this year, depending on Covid-19 safety advice. Check out the full dates below and find tickets on their website.

25/09/2020 – P&J Arena – Aberdeen, UK
26/09 – The SSE Hydro – Glasgow, UK
27/09 – Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham, UK
29/09 – Utilita Arena – Newcastle, UK
30/09 – Utilita Arena – Birmingham, UK
01/10 – O2 Arena – London, UK
03/10 – Manchester Arena – Manchester, UK
04/10 – First Direct Arena – Leeds, UK}
06/10 – SSE Arena – Belfast, UK
07/10 – 3Arena – Dublin, Ireland
09/10 – Motorpoint Arena – Cardiff, UK
11/10 – BIC – Bournemouth, UK

Since the spread of Covid-19 called for social distancing and isolation measures around not only the country, but the world, the arts industries have suffered, with many grassroots venues closing permanently. As musicians themselves, Lovett and Bay feel passionately about this issue, but they also worry about their teams who might not be as well off, and other artists, such as new aspiring acts.

On this topic, they reminisced about their early careers, which both began as so many do, playing in small music venues. Lovett described this, saying it’s “a place to build up a bit of a fan base but it’s also a place to make mistakes.”

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Caught up with Ben Lovett of @mumfordandsons, @communionmusic and @omearalondon to discuss the current music venue crisis we’re facing. Hopefully this helps to give you a bit of insight into the effects of Covid-19 on the music industry. If you want to help, you can watch my free online gig from Omeara a few nights ago and donate to Save Our Venues! x

A post shared by James Bay (@jamesbaymusic) on Jul 19, 2020 at 12:52pm PDT

After expressing the urgency of supporting music venues, the pair looked at how to remain positive during this time, and what artists and fans can do to help. Bay recently performed a solo show at Omeara which followers watched via livestream, and he explained that although it feels strange playing without an audience, it’s important for venues to have the business. Although Bay’s gig was free to watch, and is still available on his YouTube channel, he is donating all the income from the video to the #SaveOurVenues campaign. So far, over £4k has been raised.

Taking place on 16th July, the singer played his famous hits along with new single ‘Chew On My Heart’, and included a message to viewers in the description box of the video. He wrote, “We must never live in a world where live music venues don’t exist. They are as important for the artist as they are for the countless visitors and of course the dedicated staff that devote themselves to running those rooms like clockwork.”

Fans are encouraged to watch the video back, and to donate to the campaign themselves, or to Lovett’s Crowdfunder page which was set up in May to fund the workers at Omeara and prevent its closure. Furthermore, Lovett opened his new venue, Lafayette, in February, which the campaign will also support.

Despite the worry that both Bay and Lovett are feeling, they did bring up a hopeful element in their video chat, with Lovett saying, “I think hope is important and we’ve been through a lot as human beings, and through everything music has come through the other side of it.”