politics: Celebs Rumors

Scowl, Speed and Zulu have become the latest bands to pull out of Download 2024 over its partnership with Barclays and the bank’s ties to Israel.The news follows a similar move from Leeds hardcore band Pest Control who announced they would be pulling out earlier today (June 10), saying that they would not “take part in an event whose sponsor profits from facilitating a genocide.”In a statement posted to their social media, Scowl wrote: “We will not be playing Download fest this year due to Barclays Bank sponsorship of the event and Barclays’ connection to Israel and the genocide Israel is committing in Palestine.“Free Palestine!”They directed fans to the Bands Boycott Barclays campaign for more information and thanked Pest Control “for bringing this to our attention”.Meanwhile, Speed wrote on their social media accounts: “SPEED will no longer be playing Download Festival this Friday June 14 due to the recent news of Barclays Banks sponsorship of the event and their involvement in the war in Gaza.”Zulu announced they would be dropping out shortly after. In their statement, they said: “We will not be playing Download Festival as we just got word about Barclays Bank and their sponsorship of the fest.

6-3 decision along partisan lines the right-wing justices on the U.S. Supreme Court once again targeted the landmark 2015 Obergefell same-sex marriage decision, leading liberal Justice Sonia Sotomayor to sound “alarm bells” on marriage equality in her dissent a legal expert says, warning that they may try to “roll it back.”The case involves Sandra Muñoz, a U.S.

Enter Shikari’s Rou Reynolds has spoken to NME backstage at Download 2024, and told us how the upcoming general election could be vital in the survival of the UK’s grassroots music venues.The frontman caught up with us while at this year’s edition of the Donington Park Festival, shortly before Enter Shikari kicked off their first performance on the Apex Stage (barring the post-COVID pilot edition).The set came following the hugely positive response to their latest album ‘A Kiss For The Whole World’, and ahead of the band’s upcoming run of UK live shows – which will be a much more intimate affair after their recent arena tour.The band have been vocal champions of grassroots gig spaces and the Music Venue Trust. Last year, various figures from the UK grassroots live music scene told NME about how 2023 was the “worst year for venue closures” – with 125 grassroots venues shutting down.

NME about why getting young people engaged matters.Just Vote recently launched their Crash The Party campaign, encouraging people aged 18-34 to step up and make their voices heard. They’ve also enlisted over “50 music industry” including artists, record labels and festivals to help spread the message – with the added opportunity of being able to win tickets to Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds.Ahead of the UK’s General Election on July 4, people have until 11.59pm tonight to register to be eligible to vote.

Serj Tankian has criticised Imagine Dragons for going ahead with their controversial gig in Azerbaijan, stating that he has “zero respect for those guys”.The dispute came over a show that Imagine Dragons had plans for in the country’s capital city, Baku, which some perceived as being an endorsement of Azerbeijan’s authoritarian President Ilham Aliyev.Last summer, the System Of A Down frontman reached out to the band and wrote them a “kind” personal letter, urging them to pull out of the Baku Olympic Stadium show. In the letter, he stated that proceeding with the gig “would help whitewash the dictatorial regime’s image” (via Louder).“I really feel that performing in Azerbaijan would have a negative impact on your brand as well,” his letter added, also making a nod towards a news report which stated that the country was preparing genocide against ethnic Armenians in its Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Prior to this week, it had been a relatively sleepy few months for the RICO trial of Young Thug and YSL. The Atlanta rapper has sat in a Fulton County jail since May 2022, alleged by the state of Georgia to be the ringleader of a criminal street gang (six additional felonies connected to gang, drug, and firearm violations were added in August 2022).

System Of A Down‘s Serj Tankian has weighed in on the current situation in Palestine and the movement to boycott companies with ties to Israel.Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 in response to its occupation of Palestinian territories, killing 1,189 people. Israel’s ongoing operations in the interim have killed 37,702 Palestinians [via Al Jazeera].Recently, record labels, promoters and more have called for a cultural boycott of Israel through the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), an offshoot of Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Movement (BDS) which was behind the huge wave of drop-outs from The Great Escape, Latitude Festival and Download Festival this year.In an interview with NME about his new autobiography Down With The System, Tankian has given his take on current world events and the ongoing boycotts.

Download 2024 yesterday (June 10) over its partnership with Barclays Bank – which has ties to Israel – have announced a show together in Birmingham to raise money for Palestine.Pest Control were the first band to pull out of the Donington Park festival, saying that they would not “take part in an event whose sponsor profits from facilitating a genocide.” Later on, Scowl, Speed and Zulu all followed suit, with Scowl revealing that Pest Control had alerted them to the issue.This Friday! A benefit for Palestine

Fleet Foxes ended up being brought into Hunter Biden’s ongoing trial in Delaware when it emerged he had played the band from his phone while receiving a lap dance.The son of the US President has been on trial for allegedly lying about his drug use when purchasing a firearm in 2018. He claimed to be sober at the time despite reports suggesting he was in the throes of a cocaine addiction.Several of Biden’s ex-girlfriends have testified during the trial, including the exotic dancer Zoe Kestan.

Richard Hawley had some choice words for prime minister Rishi Sunak at a show in London on Saturday night (June 8).The Sheffield musician was headlining the Eventim Apollo, and before launching into his 2007 classic ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’, he shared some thoughts on the current UK General Election campaign.“You know, I’m 57 years old and I’ve seen some fucking arsehole politicians, but Sunak takes the fucking piss,” he said.The Conservative leader called the surprise early election on May 22, which will be held on July 4.“The thing that slaughters me is the fact that literally probably about a week ago, he came up with a stupid fucking idea to enlist teenagers for a year or two years or whatever, poor fuckers, you know what I mean?” Hawley continued.“That bastard couldn’t even manage a day, you know what I mean?”Hawley appears to be referencing the recent Tory pledge to introduce 12 months of mandatory national service for 18-year-olds, should they win the election.

Radiohead‘s Jonny Greenwood has defended being part of a musical project with Israeli musician Dudu Tassa and spoken out against “silencing Israeli artists for being born Jewish in Israel”.Greenwood performed with Tassa in Tel Aviv on May 26. The day before, he reportedly participated in protests calling for hostages held in Gaza to be released and new elections to be held.They played material from their collaborative album of Arabic love songs, ‘Jarak Qaribak’, which was released last year.Greenwood’s performance was criticised by pro-Palestine activists who accused him of “artwashing genocide”.The Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI), a founding member of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement called for “peaceful, creative pressure on his band Radiohead to convincingly distance itself from this blatant complicity in the crime of crimes, or face grassroots measures.”PACBI also pointed out that at the same time that Greenwood’s concert was taking place, Israeli forces were bombing displaced Palestinians sheltering in tents in Rafah, Gaza, which had prompted a large outcry on social media in the last week.

full report into the state of the sector for 2023, showing the “disaster” facing live music with venues closing at a rate of around two per week. Presented at Westminster, the MVT echoed their calls for a levy on tickets on gigs at arena size and above and for major labels and such to pay back into the grassroots scene, arguing that “the big companies are now going to have to answer for this”.The Music Venue Trust has pushed for this system to be introduced as a way of safeguarding the UK’s talent pipeline, similar to how the Premier League funds local football clubs.

D:Ream have banned Keir Starmer from using their 1993 New Labour anthem ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ in his election campaign.The song enjoyed a resurgence in popularity after it was played through a loudspeaker by protester Steve Bray, with the aim of drowning out Prime Minister Rishi Sunak as he called a surprise General Election for July 4. Within 24 hours, the song had gone viral on social media and entered the iTunes Top 10.The Northern Irish band have previously said that they never enjoyed ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ having a political association.“My first reaction was ‘not again, please let me move on’,” singer Peter Cunnah told NME.

Eric Clapton has shared his stance on Roger Waters‘ outspoken political views, saying that it “takes a lot of guts” and has seen him “suffer from it terribly”.The Pink Floyd icon has made headlines countless times in the past for his often-unfiltered political opinions – namely his criticism of the State of Israel.Just a matter of months ago, he faced multiple accusations of anti-Semitism after speaking out on the Israel-Hamas war.

Sunak v Starmer: The ITV Debate – will be moderated by presenter Julie Etchingham, who also hosted debates in 2015, 2017 and 2019.ITV said it also planned to broadcast an interview programme with other party leaders and a multi-party debate.Michael Jermey, ITV’s director of news and current affairs, said: “Millions of viewers value the election debates. They provide a chance to see and hear the party leaders set out their pitch to the country, debate directly with each other and take questions from voters.“ITV is pleased to be broadcasting the first debate in this year’s election campaign.”Other broadcasters, including the BBC, Channel 4 and Sky News, have not yet announced plans for any televised debates.

James Blunt has shared his thoughts on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s mandatory national service plan, saying it’s “not a bad idea”.The Conservative Party have said that 18-year-olds would be required to participate in a scheme involving military or civilian service, if they win the UK general election on July 4.“This modern form of national service will mean that young people get the skills and the opportunities that they need, which is going to serve them very well in life,” Sunak explained at a recent campaign event (via BBC News).“It is going to foster a culture of service which is going to be incredibly powerful for making our society more cohesive, and in a more uncertain and dangerous world it’s going to strengthen our country’s security and resilience.”In a video on TikTok, the PM said: “As is the case in other countries, we will provide a stipend to help with living costs for those doing the military element alongside their training.“Meanwhile, on the civic side, we will make sure organisations have funding for training and administration.”Singer-songwriter Blunt – who served in the British Army before he got signed as a musician, and was an officer during the Kosovo War – recently spoke about the controversial move at the 2024 Hay Festival.This will change lives #nationalservice #generalelection #uk #rishisunak ♬ original sound – Conservatives “We all know it’s not going to happen, but I think the concept – to understand a bit about serving your community – is not a bad idea,” the ‘You’re Beautiful’ singer reasoned (via the Standard).“The greatest thing about the Army is that we worked together as a team, people from all corners of the UK, and that was a huge benefit.”Blunt continued: “I’m a posh twat and these

Dua Lipa has shared her support for #AllEyesOnRafah, advocating for an end to Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinian people.The pop star expressed her support for Palestine in a new update on Instagram, making a nod to the viral image spearheaded by activists and humanitarian groups. The AI-generated image shows tents at a camp arranged to read ‘All Eyes On Rafah’ – and comes in a bid to gather support for those forced to live in cramped refugee camps in the southern city of the Gaza Strip with no humanitarian aid.The slogan gathered momentum in light of Israel’s intensified military operations in Rafah.

Eurovision 2024 nearly pulled out of the song contest, just 25 minutes before the live final.The grand final of the competition took place in Malmö, Sweden – the home of 2023 winner Loreen – on Saturday May 11. However, the show was mired by widespread political backlash over the inclusion of Israel amid the Hamas-Israel conflict.Many of the contestants, including Ireland’s Bambie Thug and UK representative Olly Alexander, faced pressure to boycott the event in solidarity with Palestine.

Paul Weller has expressed his support for Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Gaza war.The soloist and former Jam frontman’s recent live shows have seen him perform onstage with a Palestinian flag draped on his guitar amp.When asked about this during a new interview with The Guardian, Weller responded: “Am I against genocides and ethnic cleansing? Yes, I am, funnily enough.”He continued: “I can’t understand why more people aren’t up in arms about what’s going on. We should be ashamed of ourselves, I think.

tragically lost their lives after an explosion happened at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.Her campaign is for Martyn’s Law, and would require venues and local authorities across the country to have training requirements and preventative plans against terror attacks. She met with the Prime Minister just hours before he called a general election on Tuesday (May 22) for July 4 after she completed a 200-mile walk to Downing Street to discuss the law.Following the meeting with the PM, Ms Murray said he had promised her he would introduce Martyn’s Law to Parliament before summer recess but could not guarantee the legislation would be passed before the next election.Her conversation with Sunak came at the same time Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer wrote to the PM promising his support to ensure the bill becomes law.He wrote [via Manchester Evening News]: “If time is allocated after the upcoming recess, we will work constructively with the government to ensure this bill is passed swiftly.

BBC on Wednesday. The decision was made after UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced a surprise general election set for July 4.Buckingham Palace said that the royals cancelled visits “which may appear to divert attention or distract from the election campaign.”“Their Majesties send their sincere apologies to any of those who may be affected as a result,” the statement read.The Post reached out to Buckingham Palace for comment.The king, 75, had outings planned for Thursday, May 23, and Friday, May 24, including visits to Bentley Factory Crewe and St Paul’s Community Centre in Cheshire.William, 41, had planned engagements for Thursday that also had to be called off.Due to the July 4 election, it’s unclear if the royals will still take participate in events in June like Trooping the Colour and Order of the Garter Day.

Rishi Sunak announced the summer general election.Yesterday evening (May 22), the Prime Minister confirmed that the UK would be going to the polls on Thursday July 4. Addressing the nation outside 10 Downing Street, Sunak said it was “the moment for Britain to choose its future”.The PM delivered the speech as he stood in the heavy rain, and was drowned out by the sound of D:Ream’s 1993 single ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ – which was the election campaign song for Labour in 1997.Famous physicist Cox – who is known for his space and science programmes on TV – played keyboards for the pop/dance band in the ’90s.

Griswold v. Connecticut established the precedent for the right to privacy, laying the foundation for the right to contraception, abortion, same-sex intimate relationships, and same-sex marriage.Two years ago next month, the right-wing justices on the U.S.

tragically lost their lives after an explosion happened at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester.Fans were leaving the show when a bomb was detonated by a suicide bomber in a public foyer. The lone attacker died in the explosion from what is said to be a homemade bomb.

Neil Young’s ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’. Find footage of the moment below.The unexpected performance took place on Tuesday night (May 14), following the Secretary Of State being in the city for a number of high-level meetings and pronouncements promising US military aid for Ukraine.Taking place at Barman Dictat – a well-known bar in central Kyiv – Blinken drew the night to an end by picking up a guitar and joining the Ukrainian band 19.99 on stage for a rendition of ‘Rockin’ In The Free World’.“Your soldiers, your citizens – particularly in the north-east, in Kharkiv – are suffering tremendously,” Blinken said before playing (as per The Guardian).

Channel 4, also showed that a similar disparity is present in the music and performing arts sector, with just 16 per cent coming from working class communities, as opposed to almost 65 per cent from middle or upper class backgrounds.A lack of diversity has also been reported in other categories, with data showing that 90 per cent of those working in the arts are white, and nearly 70 per cent of people in managerial positions are men, with only 1 per cent of those being Black.The study reveals that although such class-based patterns are not new, they actually show a decline in working class people making a living in the entertainment industry.A spokesperson for the UK government responded to the report, saying they are committed to “growing a creative sector with opportunities for all, creating new pathways into the industry through training and education.”Labour, meanwhile, announced last month that they would reform the school accountability framework in an effort to ensure that arts subjects are considered of comparable value to sciences and humanities.Keir Starmer, the party’s leader, vowed to place culture “at the core” of his government if he were to win the forthcoming general election.

Eurovision bosses of handing a “win” to “enemies of Europe” with the decision to ban EU flags at the 2024 final.News broke earlier this year that the song contest would be banning any flags being held up other than those of the countries competing in the competition. This included the show of Palestinian flags – amid the conflict in Gaza – and EU flags.Now, speaking with Politico’s Brussels Playbook after Saturday’s finale (May 11), Schinas has described the move as “mind-blowing”, and criticised it as being ill-timed given next month’s European election and amid thousands of Georgian protesters gathering in Tbilisi in support of the democratic values the EU represents.“I cannot find the logical explanation for why the EBU is doing this.

Kayal and Company” on Friday, Trump compared LGBTQ+ protections to a “cuckoo’s nest.”“A lot of things don’t make sense, having to do with what they’re doing, from the border to all of the men playing in women’s sports. I mean, the world is like a cuckoo’s nest right now with what they do,” Trump declared.One of the hosts alleged President Joe Biden has engaged in “manipulation” of Title IX, the federal civil rights law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in schools that receive federal funding. She claimed parents now have to “pinch some pennies” to be able to afford private Christian schools for their children, to remove them from the enhancements that go into effect this summer.“Many schools are grappling with what they’re going to do,” she said, “because as of August 1, as you know, because of Biden’s manipulation of Title IX, these kids, the school boards, have no choice, they’re meeting right now they, many of them perplexed, and they don’t know what to do, Mr.

Eurovision final following days of protests in support of Gaza.Eden Golan, Israel’s entrant in the songwriting competition, qualified for the final following a public vote. Her win into the final came shortly after thousands of pro-Palestinian protesters gathered in the streets of Malmö, Sweden, where the contest is being held, to show their support for Gaza.The singer was booed during dress rehearsals and was booed again, this time with a mix of cheering as well, during the semi-finals on Thursday (May 9).

Eurovision entry has been booed by the audience during a dress rehearsal, but vowed to continue with the performance.The moment took place at the dress rehearsal for the second wave of semi-finals yesterday (May 8), with the live performance set to take place tonight.In footage captured of the performance, Israel contestant Eden Golan is seen performing her entry song ‘Hurricane’ on the stage in Sweden, while numerous members of the crowd start to boo.The backlash to the performance comes amid controversy about Israel being allowed to compete in the 2024 edition of the song contest in light of the ongoing conflict in Gaza, and the footage also shows an audience member shouting “Free Palestine”. Because of the inclusion, there have been a number of calls to boycott the competition from various countries.Over 1,000 Swedish artists, for instance, called for Israel to be banned this year, including Robyn, Fever Ray, and First Aid Kit.

Hamilton, oldest sister Angelica sings, “I’m a girl in which, my only job is to marry rich.” None of them would live long enough to experience the painstaking efforts assumed by their female successors for a woman’s right to vote.Fortunately, their descendants and current audiences are hearing a completely different song just a few blocks away in New York’s theater district, thanks largely to Shaina Taub.An Obie Award-winning singer/songwriter, Taub has written the book, a winning score, and lyrics for the completely original, historically based Suffs, which tracks the decades-long struggle for fair and equal treatment of women to be treated as equally as men. The show educates, inspires, and persuades — all while being incredibly entertaining.Taub also stars in the show as Alice Paul, an activist considered one of the major architects of the twentieth-century suffragist movement.

Olly Alexander reportedly broke down in tears during an interview when addressing the current controversies relating to Israel’s participation in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.Alexander will represent the UK with his song ‘Dizzy’ at the grand final of the contest in Malmö, Sweden next Saturday (May 11). However, he has been subject to strong calls to boycott the competition over Israel being allowed to compete due to its ongoing war with Gaza, in the name of showing solidarity with Palestine.In a new interview with The Times, Alexander admitted he had been struggling after the interviewer noticed that he seemed out of sorts during his performance at a Eurovision pre-party in London.“Yes, I struggled that day,” he said. “I was holed up in a room trying not to have a breakdown.

Eurovision organisers have confirmed that they reserve the right to remove Palestinian flags and pro-Palestinian symbols during the contest in Malmö, Sweden next week.The contest’s communications head has said that ticket buyers will only be allowed to display the flags of competing countries – including Israel – and the Pride flag. In a message to the Associated Press, they also said that “clothes, items or posters that can be used as instruments to be shown on television screens” featuring pro-Palestinian symbols may also be banned.Pro-Palestinian demonstrations are expected to take place in protest of Israel’s controversial participation in the contest following the current tensions with Hamas that have been ongoing since October.

Dua Lipa has shared that she feels “very close to” the people who are suffering from war, injustices and inequality.Lipa was born in 1995 in London as the eldest of three children in a Kosovar-Albanian family. Three years prior to her birth, her father Dukagjin and her mother Anesa fled Kosovo and sought refuge in the UK due to the political instability in Kosovo at the time.Dukagjin – who sang and played guitar in a band called Oda – and Anesa – who studied law – settled in Camden Town where they raised the pop singer to speak Albanian at home and English at school.

The Guardian, a lecturer at Columbia Law School called Bassam Khawaja said that he was “horrified to see Columbia invite police onto our campus for the second time this month to arrest our students”.Since the arrests, both faculty and non-resident students have been prevented from entering campus, and the scenes at the university have sparked a new sense of anger among UK students – with a shared sense of solidarity leading to more protests being planned.Speaking with The Guardian, David Maguire – the vice-chancellor of the University of East Anglia (UEA) – explained how protests at UK universities have been generally peaceful, but could easily escalate into scenes similar to those in the US.Among those planning demonstrations are students, staff and alumni from the universities of Sheffield and Sheffield Hallam, who form a group called the Sheffield Campus Coalition for Palestine, and have already begun an encampment in solidarity with the people in Gaza.An encampment is also being held at the University of Warwick, which has been going on since last week, as well as one in Newcastle, which is said to include over 40 students.For the latter, organisers stated that students were left outraged after the university reportedly signed a partnership with Leonardo SpA – a defence and security company which they claim is responsible for the laser-targeting system used in the Israel Defense Forces’ F-35 fighter jets.Elsewhere, there was a May Day student walkout in Leeds in solidarity with Palestine, students in Bristol established an encampment in Royal Fort Gardens, and the University of York revealed that it “no longer holds investments in companies that primarily make or sell weapons and defence-related products or

Donald Trump is said to be looking for rappers to help him get more Black voters ahead of this year’s presidential election.Over the weekend, a news report by The Boston Herald suggested that Trump wants to put on a campaign fundraising event at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The 45th president wants rappers and athletes in attendance to encourage more Black and Latin voters to vote for him and the Republican party this November.