Unlike most weekend-long festivals, The Estate Festival spans a whole month, with tickets available every weekend in June. Partygoers can buy a weekend ticket or a one-day ticket for a smaller dose of everything the festival has to offer. This is a relaxed festival making up the perfect kick-off for what promises to be a slightly subdued festival season after the announcement of the delayed lockdown restrictions easing.

The website describes the event as:

“A boutique socially distanced VIP festival with hexagonal plots, each large enough for a social bubble of six and equipped with sofas, deck chairs, umbrellas and tables, perfect to relax, socialise and dance.

The Estate is located in Turvey, a 20 min cab from Milton Keynes, which is a 30 min train from London Euston.

Table service will be a key component, with designated bars bringing delicious food and drink directly to festival-goers.

No queues. No crowds. Just music.”

As well as its hexagonal dancing and lounging area, The Estate Festival features a ‘boutique glamping village’ with a swimming pool, swim-up bar and luxury spa, making the festival a relaxing getaway as well as a celebration of music – it capitalises on the idea of staycations so popular during the pandemic.

As we reach the end of June and the end of the festival, this festival is a heartening sign that social distancing, which may be with us for a while yet, doesn’t have to be a death sentence for the UK festival scene. Tickets for the festival’s last weekend are available here.

This morning, organisers posted to the O2 website to reveal that the event will now go ahead on 27th March because of the new lockdown in place currently in the UK. Despite its supposed end on 2nd November, government advice suggests that it will not be safe to hold a large gathering, even with the strict rules which would be in place.

Squeeze, the first socially distanced live music event due to take place at The O2 on Saturday 5 December, has been rescheduled to Saturday 27 February 2021. Tickets remain valid for the new date. Read more >> https://t.co/3yVYX2is1J pic.twitter.com/AYvecLyKh4

— The O2 (@TheO2) November 19, 2020

Tickets are on sale now, selling in groups of two, three and four to ensure safety. Any tickets already purchased will remain valid for the new date.

O2 General Manager Steve Sayer commented, “Our arena is the beating heart of The O2 and we hugely miss the live experiences that we’re used to sharing with our fans. It’s disappointing to have to delay this show but I would like to say how grateful we are for the support we’ve received from the industry, fans and our partners and we look forward to Squeeze performing in the arena next year.”

Also postponed are Gary Barlow’s two tour dates at the O2, which have now been rescheduled along with the rest of his tour to winter 2021. The future of live music is still very uncertain, but it is hoped that by next year it will be able to go ahead again. Many artists and venues have already managed to hold live gigs throughout the summer, with the successful outdoor set-up of the Virgin Money Unity Arena. For the moment, musicians are continuing to hold live-streams with the help of platforms such as Bandcamp Live and Melody VR, who are collaborating the Brixton’s O2 Academy.

As a result of the cancellations, it has left the company operating at a loss of 504 million, compared with the 260 million profit they benefitted from in 2019. Although the profit has increased slightly  thanks to the help of live streams, virtual shows and drive-ins, the firm have told IQ Magazine that they are, “Working on a roadmap to get back to live safely,” in order for them improve the financial picture for the company next year.

To check the status of your event, visit https://t.co/Z2tDfiI4ju pic.twitter.com/4epk26clhg

— Live Nation (@LiveNation) March 18, 2020

In speaking to IQ Magazine, CEO Michael Rapino has said that fans can, “expect shows at scale next summer,” after putting in the relevant safety measures in place due to Covid-19. He confirmed that, “From venue sanitation procedures to fan-friendly policies and on ticket purchases and the latest testing options, we are setting standards that will give the fans, crews and artists peace of mind before, during and after the show.”

Due to the uncertainty of when things will return to normal due to the current crisis, Rapino told IQ Magazine that they can, ““expect shows at scale next summer,” but he added that the, “exact timeline of this return will vary by region, and so we continue to focus on remaining flexible.” Last month ticketmaster also laid out their plans for the future and explained how fans can be assured that they will remain safe during live shows. Their new ‘Smartevent Technology’ enables organisers to easily distribute tickets for Covid-19 protected shows.

In talking to Kerrang in June, Live Nation promoter Andy Copping talked about the impact that the Corona virus has had on the ‘live music scene’ saying, “The concern is that we might not see gigs as we know it this year, certainly in the bigger rooms. I’m hoping that some of the smaller venues will be up and operating towards the end of this year, and that will hopefully energise the live business and we can get back to some kind of normality in early 2021.”

He spoke about the affects this has had on artists, bands and their fans by saying “We’re frustrated about not going to shows, but the bands themselves are super-frustrated about not being able to play – that’s what they do for a living! Yeah, they’re writing songs and just spent the past three-and-a-half months sat in their houses, but most bands make their money being on the road so they wanna get out there. I’m hoping we see some kind of light at the end of this hideous tunnel and we get back to live music sooner rather than later.”

There is no doubt there is a lot of angst when it comes to the future of live music but Rapino remains optimistic by saying to IQ Magazine that Live Nation, “will maintain flexibility and focus on innovating,” and looking forward to the future of live music.

The performance date will be Saturday 5th December, and will be the first in nine months. Opening the show will be Leon Tilbrook – son of Glenn Tilbrook who is the frontman of Squeeze – as well as The Wilhelm Scream. Tickets go on sale this Friday, 9th October at 10am, and will be sold in groups of two, three and four to ensure safety.

Organisers announced the news on Twitter, explaining what they’ll be doing to create a safe gig for attendees, artists, and crew. A one-way system will be in place, and everyone must wear a mask when in the venue, unless they are seated in their assigned area.

We’re excited to announce that after 9 months without events, our first socially distanced gig will be held on 5 December 2020 with London band Squeeze

Find out what we’re doing to keep you safe here https://t.co/sMleqfsUb0

Tickets on sale Friday 10am https://t.co/brBYPVFBPA pic.twitter.com/dhT3Z7wVos

— The O2 (@TheO2) October 5, 2020

Fans had mixed reactions, understandably given the circumstances and the regularly changing Government guidelines. General Manager of The O2, Steve Sayer, expressed his thoughts, saying, “At the moment, we’re only able to host under a quarter of our capacity in the arena, so this is not a long term solution for us or other venues and we continue to press the government for targeted support and guidance to get the live events industry and its supply chain back on its feet.”

Many other venues have held socially distanced live shows, which were successful, but not financially viable in the long-term. Virgin Money were able to set up a new outdoor venue for the summer, which maintained health and safety guidelines. However, smaller grassroots venues are suffering greatly from the loss of business and income.

Sayer continued, “The O2 was designed to give artists and fans the best live music in the world and we look forward to doing that again with Squeeze. As The O2 returns to live, it’s really fitting that a band from the local area are the ones to reopen our doors to the public once again. The whole team are excited to see them on our stage for the first time.”

The venue is Virgin Money’s new Unity Arena, located at Newcastle Racecourse in Fender’s hometown, holding a total of 2,500 attendees – while social distancing, of course. Fans were spread out by two metres, standing on viewing platforms in groups of five. Tickets sold out in minutes, costing £32.50 per person, plus an additional £20 per group of five to reserve the viewing area.

View this post on Instagram

Let’s go again tonight! #letthemusicplay @afishout0fwater

A post shared by Sam Fender (@sam_fender) on Aug 13, 2020 at 5:50am PDT

Fender played songs from his popular debut album ‘Hypersonic Missiles’, as well as some new tracks, which are said to be from his next album, coming soon. These are speculated to be titled ‘The Kitchen’ and ‘Seventeen Going Under’, leaving one unnamed song.

Fans gave mixed reviews of the event, while Steve Davis, managing directer of SSD Concerts who helped put the event together, gave his thoughts: “Since all of our scheduled concerts have been postponed to later in the year and all venues in the city closed, the staff at SSD had a willingness to continue. We can’t be without music during these times so our only thought has been how can we bring music back to the British public safely and responsibly.”

This gig marks the beginning of a series of shows at the arena, co-created by the This Is Tomorrow Festival team. Acts to follow include Van Morrison, The Libertines, Two Door Cinema Club, and Supergrass. Sam Fender will also be taking to the stage again tonight for another sold out show.

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Buzzing for round 2 tonight!! Doors 6pm @heidi_music_ 8pm @sam_fender 9pm

A post shared by Sam Fender (@sam_fender) on Aug 13, 2020 at 3:38am PDT

With audience members following a one-way system and wearing face coverings whenever they left their viewing areas, the show seems to have gone extremely well. This could offer a new way of holding live events for the foreseeable future, however it still does nothing for any small grassroots venues or festivals. Last month, on 29th July, Frank Turner held his own socially distanced gig at the Clapham Grand. Unfortunately, it was deemed an unsuccessful and unsustainable business model by the venue’s manager, with Turner raising similar concerns.

Tickets for the show are going on sale at 10am on Friday, July 31 here and cost £32.50 per person, plus a surcharge of £20.00 per booking  to reserve the viewing area. “Absolutely buzzing for this, getting the band and crew back together for probably our only gig of the year”, the 26-year-old took to Twitter on Wednesday (July 29).

“Apparently this is the first socially distanced show of its kind and it’s amazing to see the northeast leading the way, it’s huge for the area. There’s a few hundred platforms with 5 people on each. Grab a few mates and let’s have a platform party!!”

Absolutely buzzing for this, getting the band and crew back together for probably our only gig of the year. Apparently this is the first socially distanced show of its kind. There’s a few hundred platforms with 5 people on each. Grab a few mates and let’s have a platform party!! pic.twitter.com/mjbYJaF5Bo

— Sam Fender (@samfendermusic) July 29, 2020

He also announced that he was going to play some new songs. “We’re going to play a couple of brand new tunes too”, a follow-up tweet reads. In February, Fender confirmed that he finished writing his second album. His debut album “Hypersonic Missiles” got released last year, and ever since, the North Shields-born musician has gained a proper amount of hype.

Naturally, fans were devastated to find out that his UK-tour, which was set for April this year, got postponed to next year, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. But luckily now there’s one show in the near future to look forward to.

The venue, which was designed by Newcastle’s This Is Tomorrow Festival and SSD Concerts has a series of individual viewing areas which are all at least two meters apart from one another. Concert-goes will be able to pre-order food and drinks, whilst a one-way system ensures safe use of the toilet facilities.

Don’t worry though if you can’t get a ticket to see Sam Fender, there are plenty more artists to see live at the new venue, such as Two Door Cinema Club, The Libertines, Van Morrison and many more. Check out the full line up here.