Live Aid promoter hits out at “busybodies and woke people and do-gooders” who have an issue with Band Aid single
Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984 and sought to raise money for the Ethiopian famine. Since then, two other versions of the track have been released in 2004 and 2014.A new, 40th anniversary mix of the original song was unveiled today, bringing together all of the voices from all three versions, including Sting, Boy George, Sam Smith, Harry Styles, Chris Martin, Elbow‘s Guy Garvey, Sugababes, Bananarama, Seal, Sinéad O’Connor, Rita Ora, Robbie Williams, Kool and the Gang, Underworld and more.However, the leadup to the release of the ‘Ultimate Mix’ of the charity single has been mired with controversy, after Ed Sheeran – who featured in the 2014 version – said that he had not been asked for his permission for the 2024 edition, and if he had been, he would have respectfully declined.In a statement shared on Instagram, Sheeran referenced Ghanaian-English artist Fuse ODG’s refusal to be part of the track’s 2014 edition.