Dickinson joined British heavy metal icons Iron Maiden in 1981, making his first impact with their 1982 classic ‘The Number of the Beast’. Since then, his powerful singing voice and legendary high-pitched wails have been heard on all their most famous tracks across 13 albums and five decades, including ‘Run to the Hills’, ‘2 Minutes to Midnight’ and ‘The Trooper’. Maiden’s last album was 2021’s ‘Senjutusu’, but the group have continued to sell out stadiums and festival slots around the world since.

Dickinson’s solo career began when he wrote ‘Bring Your Daughter to the Slaughter’ for 1989 horror flick A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child. Though his solo version won a Golden Raspberry Award (or commonly a ‘Razzie’) and was lambasted, when it was released with Iron Maiden on 1990 LP ‘No Prayer for the Dying’ it became the band’s first and only UK Number One single.

After releasing debut solo album ‘Tattooed Millionaire’ in 1990, Dickinson left Maiden in 1993 to concentrate on his solo career. He released four more albums in the ‘90s before rejoining Maiden in 1999, and then released solo album ‘Tyranny of Souls’ in 2005. After a 19 year break, he returned with the cross-media experience of ‘The Mandrake Project’ in 2024, which launched with an accompanying adult comic book series.

Dickinson is back at a creative peak now in 2026 continuing work on the prospective 2027 album. In an interview with VSX at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, he explained the explosive sound of the material as “heavy as shit”, as well as discussing the next move on from ‘The Mandrake Project’, – “It’s kind of standalone. There’s one song that has a bit of something to do with ‘Mandrake’.” He added that he had no desire to write a sequel to ‘Mandrake’, saying “I try to not repeat – not because it’s bad. You want to move on and put different nuance on things. It’s like, I would say, if you have an amazing girlfriend and you start thinking, ‘Yeah, I’m getting a little bit bored,’ or something else like that, just turn the lights down and turn it a different way, and you see a side that you think, ‘Oh, my God, she’s absolutely incredible.’ Just the red light there or the green or whatever, and you see, you see the same person in a different day, in a different light.”

Blabbermouth report that a majority of the album was tracked this January and February at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 base in Northridge, California, and Dickinson told Rolling Stone in April that he’d recorded 16 songs during the sessions. Though it has not been confirmed, the new album looks likely to be the first without contribution from long-term co-writer and producer Roy ‘Z’ Ramirez, who worked on all of Dickinson’s albums since 1994’s ‘Balls to Picasso’ – Brendan Duffey has been brought in for mixing and mastering on the new LP.

Bruce Dickinson’s new album is due for release next year through BGM. It follows up a wild 2026 which saw Iron Maiden refuse to appear at their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction this coming November, as well as host their own fledgling festival. Eddfest 2026 was a breakout success which saw the band celebrate their storied history with a cohort of massive support acts, before a monstrous live show covering a wide mix of their catalogue.

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Formed in LA in 1992, Weezer are a difficult band to label – over their storied careers they’ve bounced between pop rock anthems, grunge-tinged alternative rock and more than a few bizarre cover singles. In the UK they’ve enjoyed one Top 10 hit with ‘Beverly Hills’ in 2005, as well as other Top 40 entries with ‘Buddy Holly’, ‘Hash Pipe’ and ‘Island In The Sun’.

With The Gathering tour starting in the US and Canada this September with support from The Shins and Silversun Pickups, Weezer have today announced the next stages of the tour. The first leg is five nights in Japan next February, before the European run begins in May, opening in Dublin. From there, they’ll play Newcastle, Manchester, Leeds, Glasgow and Birmingham, before ending with London’s Alexandra Palace and Cardiff’s Utilita Arena. After that, the mainland Europe shows hit Paris, Amsterdam, Oslo, Stockholm and Helsinki. Support on all European and UK dates comes courtesy of US emo rock outfit Taking Back Sunday, who are reportedly building up to a 20th anniversary tribute to their classic 2006 album ‘Louder Now’. Full dates and venues are on the poster below:

With ‘Weezer (The Gold Album)’ due for release on August 21, the group released new single ‘C.E.O.’ and a star-studded music video for it today. ‘The Gold Album’ is their 20th studio LP and their 7th self-titled one, with all of them distinguished by the colours of their album covers. ‘C.E.O.’ is a classic Weezer jam, packed with smothering, fuzzy guitar tones and the video celebrates frontman Rivers Cuomo’s awkward, geeky charm alongside a cast including skateboarder Tony Hawk, actor Giovanni Ribisi, and Obsession director Curry Barker. It follows up earlier singles ‘Shine Again’ and ‘We Might As Well Be Strangers’.

Tickets for The Gathering tour release next week, with an early pre-sale available from purchasing the new album from Weezer’s official site – these go live at 10am BST on Tuesday August 11. General sale opens at 10am BST on Friday August 14. ‘Weezer (The Gold Album)’ releases on August 21 via Reprise and Warner Records.

Born in 1975 in Seine-Saint-Denis, France, Kavinsky – real name Vincent Belorgey, began his musical career in 2005 releasing French house music and leading the wave of the ‘80s action movie-inspired ‘synthwave’ subgenre. After releasing his first song ‘Testarossa Overdrive’ and his debut EP ‘Teddy Boy’ in 2006, his biggest success came after releasing the single ‘Nightcall’ in 2010 – a slow, pulsating synthwave track with old-school keyboard effects that absolutely drips with 80s vibes, produced by Daft Punk’s Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. ‘Nightcall’ was picked up for the opening credits of the 2011 Ryan Gosling-led action drama Drive, and became one of the most memorable components of the flick.

Kavinsky released two albums – ‘Outrun’ in 2013, which included both ‘Testarossa Overdrive’ and ‘Nightcall’, and ‘Reborn’ in 2022, before returning to the spotlight when he was invited to perform at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. During the festivities at the Stade de France, Kavinsky appeared on stage with glowing red sunglasses piercing through the blue smoke that filled the stadium, playing a live mix of ‘Nightcall’ with the French band Phoenix and live vocals from Belgian singer Angèle. In the wake of the show, NME reported that ‘Nightcall’ broke the record on music-indentifying app Shazam for the most searched song in a single day, being scanned nearly 7 million times.

Belorgey was found dead at his home in Paris by French authorities at around 10:30pm yesterday, Tuesday July 28, according French paper Le Figaro. They report that the cause of death is not being treated as suspicious and is believed to be a stroke, as he had told those close to him that he was experiencing severe headaches in the days before his death.

Tributes have been paid by numerous French officials, including President of France Emmanuel Macron – he wrote in a post on his official Facebook account that Kavinsky was a source of “French pride forever.” French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard wrote on social media site X that “With the sudden passing of Kavinsky, France has lost one of its most unique voices.” She continued “From the film Drive to the Paris Olympics, the whole world was moved by Nightcall. Both danceable and nostalgic, his music will continue to transcend generations and borders.” Emmanuel Gregoire, the Mayor of Paris, remarked “A child of Paris, he carried the colours of the French electronic scene high across the world, establishing a unique musical universe imbued with both nostalgia and modernity.”

Past collaborators have also sent their regards, including Canadian pop star The Weeknd, also known as Abel Tesfaye, who worked with Kavinsky on a 2013 remix of his track ‘Odd Look’. The Weeknd wrote “So heartbreaking to hear the news. An inspiration to so many, including myself. I will continue to honor your name and your music. Rest easy Kavinsky”. Angèle also posted a photo from the Paris Olympics with a caption that read “Thank you for letting me experience that unforgettable moment on stage with you, and the entire adventure that followed.” Fellow French DJ David Guetta posted a sweet message on X – “Just learned about Kavinsky’s passing. A true icon of French electronic music. Thank you for creating a sound that was entirely your own and for leaving us with music that will continue to inspire. Thank you for your kindness and simplicity. My thoughts are with his family, friends, and loved ones. Rest in peace.”

The first iteration of Latitude was held at the Henham Park site near Southwold, Suffolk in 2006, with a billing that included Snow Patrol, The Zutons, Mogwai and Paolo Nutini. As it’s grown into a major festival, it’s hosted massive acts like Florence + The Machine, Pet Shop Boys, The 1975 and The Killers. The 20th anniversary event ran last weekend with around 40,000 attendees from July 23 to 26, and had  former Talking Heads’ maverick leader David Byrne, current US chart-topper Teddy Swims and loveable Scottish singer-songwriter Lewis Capaldi as its main attractions.

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This past Sunday, Melvin Benn, the founder and organiser of Latitude and Managing Director of Festival Republic, made the announcement that the festival had extended its lease at Henham Park for a further 20 years. He broke the news during an on-stage discussion with Professor George McKay of the University of East Anglia. According to NME he said “I have signed a new 20-year lease with the Rous family. Latitude will call Henham Park home until 2046. I could not be prouder to make that commitment, or to announce it in front of our audience on the festival’s 20th anniversary. Henham Park is not just where Latitude happens. It is part of what Latitude is. The lake, the woods, the parkland. You cannot separate the festival from the place.”

Permission to extend the lease was granted to Festival Republic by Hektor Rous, whose family owns the Henham Park estate. In a statement published by the BBC, Rous wrote “Latitude Festival has been an incredible and pivotal event for Henham Park and we couldn’t be more pleased to have agreed another 20 years with the brilliantly creative and passionate team at Festival Republic led by Melvin Benn.” He also spoke of the unique benefits of holding a festival at the estate, saying “Latitude has very much enabled us to continue the restoration and care of Henham Park which is not only my life’s work, but the work of generations before and after. It has supported the restoration of several at risk buildings and aided us in the catching up on many years of forestry and landscape recovery and maintenance works critical to maintaining an estate like this.”

In preparation for Latitude 2027, the organisers have opened a loyalty scheme, which will reward returning attendees with money off their tickets for next year. Registration for the scheme is open now, before it closes on Sunday August 2 at 11:59pm. The loyalty tickets will then go on sale at 10am on Wednesday August 5, while early bird tickets hit the market at 10am on Thursday August 13.

The garage collective are the product of BBC mockumentary sitcom People Just Do Nothing, which followed the crew of pirate radio station Kurupt FM and its operation out of a tower block flat in Brentford, West London. Headed up by the overbearing MC Grindah and his naive best friend DJ Beats, the cohort also included DJs Steves and Decoy, and their inept manager ‘Chabuddy G’. People Just Do Nothing won accolades for Best Comedy at both the BAFTAs and Royal Television Awards, and yielded a full-length movie in People Just Do Nothing: Big In Japan.

The lead cast, who also created the series, wrote and produced several authentic UK garage tracks for the show, including songs ‘Get out the Way’ and ‘Heart Monitor Riddem’. In 2015, they burst onto the scene as fully-fledged musical performers with their Sixty Minutes Live set on MistaJam’s BBC Radio 1 Xtra broadcast, and started to perform live in clubs and warehouses. Kurupt FM have played international shows and appeared at Reading & Leeds, Boardmasters and Glastonbury Festival, as well as playing a massive headliner at London’s Printworks venue. In 2021, they released their debut album ‘The Greatest Hits (Part 1)’ as a companion to the movie Big In Japan, featuring artists like General Levy and Craig David.

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In May, the group posted a comedy skit, announcing in character that MC Grindah had returned to making music and production had begun on new EP ‘Grindah Decided We’re Doing Music Again’ – or ‘GDWDMA’ for short. After collaborating with drum n bass duo Sigma and others on the track ‘Legendary Status’ in April, Kurupt FM have released two singles due to appear on ‘GDWDMA’, ‘Feelings’ and ‘Tek Time’. Last week, they released new single ‘Reload’, which sees them link up again with Australian DJ Young Franco, who they worked with on ‘Feelings’.

The 2026 UK tour in support of ‘GDWDMA’ was announced this morning on the band’s social media, with a message that read ‘GRINDAHS DECIDED WER DOIN A UK TOUR’. The four-date run across England hits Bristol, Manchester and Birmingham before ending in a big finale at the Roundhouse in London. Tickets for the GDWDMA UK Tour go on pre-sale (with access here) on Wednesday July 29 at 10am, while general sale begins on Friday July 31 – check the full dates on the poster below. Before that, they’re supporting their friend Craig David at New World 2026, taking place at Chelmsford’s Central Park on August 30.

The song is a “is a fusion of two songs that never felt all the way complete,” says frontman Noah Learmonth. The verse and the chorus are from two respective unreleased tracks, and were put together in this new-wave anthem. 

Learmonth explains the song: “At its core, it explores the feeling of being confused by the culture around you, and the isolation that often comes with that confusion.” Radio Free Alice worked with previous collaborators Ewan Pearson and Peter Katis on the track. Katis’ previous collaborations include The National, Interpol and Bloc Party. While Pearson is celebrated for his work with Depeche Mode, Metronomy and more.  

Rolling Stone said of the Melbourne newcomers, “Paying homage to bands of the ’80s like The Smiths and The Cure, their brand of post-punk is energetic and playful, prioritising hooks and fun over dark atmospherics. It’s a nostalgic sound which never comes off as pastiche.” 

‘Kick in the Shins’ is the band’s second single of 2026, the first being last month’s ‘Lunch Money.’ ‘Lunch Money’ was also Radio Free Alice’s first track released since signing with Atlantic Records. The release also coincided with the band’s slot at New York’s Governor Ball and a sold out headline show in the same city. 

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More music is still to come from one of Melbourne’s most exciting new bands. Speaking to WRSU 88.7 FM in February, Learmonth revealed that after releasing an EP each year over the least three years, Radio Free Alice’s debut album is on the way. Learmonth says the record is “overdue” but “that we were forced to wait so long is cool, too, because we feel very ready.” The singer describes the album as “eclectic” saying “on one end, you’ve got indie punk banger vibe, and then you’ve got slow, kind of Lou Reed ‘Coney Island Baby’ vibe. It’s just very broad.” They have been putting together songs for their debut for a long time and because of that, Learmonth “[doesn’t] feel pressure” for its release. “I’m pretty confident that we’ve got it,” he said. 

The band joined breakout hits Geese on their sold-out Australian leg this February. And most recently have continued their UK/Euro Festival tour, appearing at Belguim’s Rock Werchter Festival and France’s Main Square Festival. Still to come are slots at Tramlines and Truck Festivals as well as one at Reading this August. 

Radio Free Alice UK/Euro Festival Tour 2026 Dates: 

24/7 – Tramlines Festival – Sheffield, UK 

25/7 – Truck Festival – Abingdon, UK 

31/7 – Y Not Festival – Derbyshire, UK 

08/8 – Boardmasters Festival – Newquay, UK 

21/8 – Frequency Festival – Saint Pölten, Austria

23/8 – Babylon Soundgarden Festival – Istanbul, Turkey

27/8 – Into the Great Wide Open – Vlieland, Netherlands 

29/8 – Reading Festival – Reading, UK 

As twin festivals Reading & Leeds adapt to new challenges of the British live music landscape, their format has evolved significantly in the last 5 years. The festivals, which take place on the August bank holiday weekend every year, moved to a new site layout in 2021 following the global COVID-19 pandemic, which set up two main stages with 6 full-fledged headliners over the three days of music. Last week, it was announced that following Leeds’ expansion to a Thursday line-up of music headlined by Kasabian, Reading followed suit by applying for licenses to do the same for next year’s edition.

Unfortunately, Festival Republic’s continued evolution for the events has led to new collateral in the shape of the BBC Introducing Stage – a platform which has given public auditions for hundreds of young, unsigned acts since 2008 and served as a launchpad for 2026 headliners Florence + The Machine, Charli XCX, Dave and Raye. Also counted among its graduates are Ed Sheeran, Little Simz, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Glass Animals and Royal Blood. The BBC estimate that 70% of all UK artists on the bill for this year’s Reading & Leeds Festival have performed on the Introducing stage in the past.

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Festival Republic Managing Director Melvin Benn spoke to IQ Magazine about the incoming changes which will take effect this August, describing a full reset with six new stages, all with distinct identities. The Grid will be the new main stage, hosting all of the headliners and the biggest acts of the weekend, while The Gallery will become the new secondary host of bands and louder live acts. With electronic music becoming one of main draws to the event, The Warehouse will be the new venue tailored to all things dance, and The Ballroom will be an exciting stage for defining acts of the current sounds.

The Canopy will be the replacement destination for the up-and-comers, which Benn explained as Festival Republic taking the developmental wing of the festivals in a new direction – “historically we’ve had the BBC Introducing stages for the emerging acts, and it was a really inexpensively presented stage. We want to create something that’s significantly better and stronger and has a great feel about it.”

Tommy Longhurst, lead singer of Reading-based indie group Only The Poets, described the move as “sad news” for the ambitions of future musicians, saying the BBC Introducing Stage “really does a lot for new artists.” Talking to BBC Radio Berkshire, he said “for me I think we’re taking a huge opportunity from up and coming artists,” and explained how his own experience shaped his opinions now – “we hold those memories so highly and it was such a poignant moment for us to get to play a festival that inspired us to start the band.”

A BBC spokesperson has clarified that the decision was solely undertaken by Festival Republic, and that the BBC Introducing platform would continue their activities at other top UK festivals this year with “line-ups including some fantastic up-and-coming artists”.

Reading & Leeds 2026 run from August 27 to 30 at Reading’s Richfield Avenue and Leeds’ Bramham Park, with select tickets still available.

The late, great Ozzy Osbourne was an icon of British music and culture, co-founding Black Sabbath in 1968, with whom he defined heavy metal, breaking out with a wildly-successful solo career in the ‘80s, before becoming a globally-renowned celebrity through his magnetic personality and his family’s MTV reality show The Osbournes. Last July, struggling with his Parkinson’s Disease, he called time on his incredible music career with one last home town show – the ‘Back To The Beginning’ concert at Birmingham’s Villa Park football stadium, which saw an all-star list of support acts open proceedings before Ozzy’s final sets with Sabbath and as a solo performer. Three weeks after the show, Osbourne passed away on July 22, aged 76.

Ozzy was laid to rest following a massive funeral procession through Birmingham, with thousands of grieving fans lining the streets. Since then, the city has paid tribute to him with an exhibition at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and awarded him a posthumous Lord Mayor’s Award, with him also receiving national plaudits including a BRIT Lifetime Achievement Award this February.

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Yesterday, Birmingham’s Central Business Improvement District (BID) and events group Outdoor Places Unusual Spaces (OPUS) announced the first ever ‘Ozzy Day’. The event will run in partnership with Birmingham City Council, Birmingham New Street and Westside BID. The announcement by the Central BID reads “Ozzy Osbourne fans will enjoy a free programme of live music, public art, special performances and shared moments celebrating the life, legacy and Birmingham roots of the Prince of Darkness.”

Among the list of attractions are pop-up performances of Ozzy’s music around the city by Bostin Brass, the brass band who played during the funeral procession, and a special lunchtime performance by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra at the Bullring shopping centre. Another spectacle will be Ozzy the Bull, the gigantic mechanical bull sculpture built to commemorate the city’s 2022 Commonwealth Games and named after Osbourne, “dressed up for the occasion” at his home in Birmingham New Street station.

OPUS have commissioned a series of short films following the people of Birmingham and the varied ways they’ve honoured Ozzy, while the Birmingham Music Archive will be at New Street to invite fans to share their stories and pay tribute to the man and his legacy. A commemorative limited-edition t-shirt has been produced to remember the occasion, featuring an image from ‘Back To The Beginning’, and will be on sale in Selfridges from July 22.

Speaking on the initiative, the Central BID’s Chair Sam Watson says “Ozzy Day is a fantastic example of Birmingham working together to celebrate the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. By bringing together businesses, cultural organisations and public spaces, we’re creating a city centre wide experience that encourages people to celebrate the legacy of a truly global, Birmingham-born icon.”

The inaugural Ozzy Day will take over Birmingham on July 22 – fans looking to keep up with the day can download a map here from the Central BID, or follow the tag ‘#OzzyDay’ on social media.

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Originally released 2 September 1996, ‘Coming Up’ marked a turning point in the band’s career. A then 18-year-old Richard Oakes was added to the recording lineup, and at the same time, the band pivoted their sound towards glamorous anthemic pop. The band remembers the album as their proving ground. Oakes says, “You’re at your most creative in a band if you’ve got something to kick against and ‘Coming Up’ was us doing that. It was like, ‘No, we’re not done. Just you watch.’” The reinvention of the band’s sound on the album was meant to assert Suede as an unforgettable and influential force to the masses. Keyboardist Neil Codling says, “That was always part of what Brett [Anderson, lead singer] was trying to do. He’s trying to poison the mainstream.” 

For their efforts, ‘Coming Up’ earned Suede their second Mercury Prize nomination. The Guardian gave the album 4/5 stars and it peaked at Number 1 on the Official UK Albums Charts when it released. Singles ‘Trash,’ ‘Beautiful Ones,’ ‘Filmstar,’ Saturday Night’ and ‘Lazy’ were all featured in the UK Top 10 and would become staples of Suede’s live sets for years to come. All of these tracks (and more) are to be featured on the forthcoming, ‘Coming Up’ 30 release.

‘Coming Up’ 30 will include a rare recording of ‘Beautiful Ones (Radio 1 Evening Session 29th August 1996)’ originally performed live at the BBC for Mark Radcliffe’s show. Additionally, the music video for ‘Beautiful Ones’ has been remastered to celebrate the anniversary, watch it below. 

Also getting restored are the iconic original artworks and designs for the album. The restoration has been lovingly done by the original design team in collaboration with Peter Saville and photographer Nick Knight. Additional content in the ‘Coming Up’ 30 release includes new sleeve notes by famed music journalist and biographer, Miranda Sawyer. 

Release formats for the album will include half-speed black vinyl, Pink and Blue blended coloured vinyl (as an indie exclusive), 5CD deluxe box set and digitally.

Suede will also be going on tour this autumn, co-headlining UK arenas with Manic Street Preachers. The tour begins on 28 October at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro Arena. From there they will visit Cardiff’s Utilita Arena, London’s O2 and the Bournemouth International Centre. Any remaining tickers are available here. 

Co-headline 2026 Tour with Manic Street Preachers 

28/10 – OVO Hydro – Glasgow, UK 

30/10 – Leeds First Direct Bank Arena- Leeds, UK 

31/10 – Manchester Co-op Live – Manchester, UK 

3/11 – Cardiff Utilita Arena – Cardiff, UK

4/11 – Cardiff Utilita Arena – Cardiff, UK

6/11 – The O2 Arena – London, UK 

7/11 – Birmingham Utilita Arena – Birmingham, UK 

11/11 – Nottingham Motorpoint Arena – Nottingham, UK 

12/11 – Bournemouth International Centre – Bournemouth, UK 

 ‘Coming Up’ 30 Full Tracklist:

Vinyl

1. Trash
2. Filmstar
3. Lazy
4. By the sea
5. She
6. Beautiful ones
7. Starcrazy
8. Picnic by the motorway
9. The chemistry between us
10. Saturday night

CD1 2026 master

1. Trash
2. Filmstar
3. Lazy
4. By the sea
5. She
6. Beautiful ones
7. Starcrazy
8. Picnic by the motorway
9. The chemistry between us
10. Saturday night

CD2 Steven Wilson mix

1. Trash
2. Filmstar
3. Lazy
4. By the sea
5. She
6. Beautiful ones
7. Starcrazy
8. Picnic by the motorway
9. The chemistry between us
10. Saturday night

CD3 The B-sides

1. Europe is our playground (original single mix)
2. Every monday morning comes
3. Have you ever been this low?
4. Another no one
5. Young men
6. The sound of the streets
7. Money
8. Sam
9. W.s.d
10. Jumble sale mums
11. This time
12. Saturday night (original demo)

CD4 The B-sides / bonus tracks 

1. These are the sad songs
2. Feel full-length (single version)
3. Saddle
4. Digging a hole
5. Graffiti women
6. Duchess
7. Rent (live)
8. Saturday night (live)
9. Asda town
10. Together
11. Bentswood boys
12. Shipbuilding

CD5 Coming Up at the BBC

1. Trash
2. Filmstar
3. Lazy
4. By the sea
5. She
6. Beautiful ones
7. Starcrazy
8. Picnic by the motorway
9. The chemistry between us
10. Saturday night

Ryan, aged 43, who is a founding member and has been the de-facto lead singer of Blue since 2000, had reportedly drunk a bottle of port before boarding the British Airways flight from Glasgow to London City Airport on 31 July 2022. The court heard his speech was slurred and he was staggering, and when he requested more alcohol aboard the plane, the air steward refused the request and asked him to sit down. He is alleged to have described the victim, a black woman, as like a “sweet chocolate chip cookie”, and physically restrained her by grabbing her wrists.

In January 2023, Ryan was found guilty of racially-aggravated common assault and behaving in an abusive way towards a member of cabin crew in a trial held at Ealing Magistrates’ Court. A further charge from the incident of assaulting a police officer by biting was dropped by the Crown Prosecution Services (CPS) in July 2023 after a plea that Ryan had followed “poor advice from his solicitor”. After receiving a 12-month suspended sentence in 2023, Ryan pursued an appeal at Isleworth Crown Court in 2024, which allowed an appeal on accusations of threatening a member of aircraft crew, but a refusal to contest the assault charges.

Dissatisfied, Ryan’s legal team challenged the Crown Court’s decision and attempted to push the case through to the High Court, but this was rejected and called “frivolous”. They then opened a new appeal at the High Court to contest this refusal, which was dismissed on Tuesday July 14 by Lord Justice Holgate and Mr Justice Johnson, citing inconsistencies between Ryan’s recounting of the incident on separate hearings. The Independent have referenced a quote from the High Court judges which reads “It was a case where the defendant had given one account at interview – an admission that he had grabbed Ms Gordon’s wrists, albeit without menace – but then gave an inconsistent account at trial – a denial that he had grabbed her wrists. His explanation for the inconsistency was rejected by the court.”

The BBC also published comments from the two justices referring to the judgment over clashing remarks from both Ryan and the victim – they read “The essential reasoning of the court was that it believed Ms Gordon, who had been sober at the time and who was a consistent and compelling witness, and they disbelieved Mr Ryan who had been drunk at the time and had been inconsistent.”

As the High Court have reinforced the decisions of the Crown Court, Lee Ryan will now await a further trial for sentencing.