UK to lose 10 per cent of grassroots venues in 2023, as calls grow for rest of industry to invest

The death of Sen. Dianne Feinstein last week at age 90 has left the longtime California politician’s Senate seat vacant, and rumours are swirling that Meghan Markle is among those in contention to become the state’s next Senator.

given the royal titles of prince and princess.Now, one expert on the Sussex saga is speaking out — saying that King Charles, even if well-intentioned, made the absolute wrong decision.Tom Bower, author of “Revenge: Megan, Harry and the War Between the Windsors” told the Express recently that Charles’ made a “terrible mistake” by throwing the royal lifeline to his California-dwelling grandkids — saying that the move could well end up embarrassing and even damaging the sovereignty.By decree, Archie, 4, and Lilibet, 2, are now sixth and seventh in line to the British throne, despite the Duke and Duchess of Sussex making the noisiest of exits from the Firm, back in 2020. “Harry and Meghan have undermined the monarchy,” Bower said.

As temperatures begin to drop, many UK households will be tempted to turn on the central heating - but there are a few things you should check first.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor After premiering at the Venice Film Festival, Netflix’s awards season pony “Maestro,” the Leonard Bernstein biopic from sophomore director Bradley Cooper, in which he also stars, is gearing up for its next major stop at the New York Film Festival on Monday. Ahead of its New York bow, the streamer invited a small group of journalists and friends of the Bernstein family to the Academy Museum on Tuesday night in Los Angeles. The famed composer’s daughters, Jamie Bernstein and Nina Maria Felicia Bernstein, introduced the screening, followed by an intimate discussion with some of the filmmaking team, including Oscar-nominated producer Kristie Macosko Krieger (“The Fabelmans”) and three-time nominated sound mixer Steven Morrow (“La La Land,” “A Star is Born” and “Ford v.

Take That fans were given their first opportunity to secure tickets to the band’s eagerly-awaited 2024 tour as part of a presale this morning - but it didn’t go to plan for everybody.

Prince Harry is reportedly desperate to be able to frequently stay in the UK for visits, while Meghan Markle is not as keen. According to a royal source, Harry desires to return to his homeland regularly, particularly for charity work, while Meghan is less inclined.

NME about how the situation is “as dire as it can be” with more than one grassroots venue closing in the UK every week.Last week NME reported that the UK stood to lose 10 per cent of its grassroots music venues in 2023, as calls grew louder for the “major leagues” of the music industry and larger venues to do more to pay into the ecosystem and save them.Now, the MVT has doubled down on that call as well as shared an open letter to demand that the UK Government extends business rate relief for its members after 78 music venues closed their doors over the last 12 months, with many more set to follow.“Between us finishing our report at Friday at 5pm and coming back at 10am on Monday morning, two more venues closed,” MVT CEO Mark Davyd told NME, paying tribute to Jimmy’s in Liverpool and The Brass in Hastings, which both announced their closure on Saturday (September 23) and Sunday (September 24) respectively.A post shared by Jimmy's (@jimmys)Davyd continued: “Our report shows that we’ve gone from 960 venues in October of last year to 835 that are actually operating. That’s 125 less and a 15.7 per cent decline.

Empress Of has collaborated with Rina Sawayama on a new track, ‘Kiss Me’.Per a press release, the track is set to be taken from Empress Of’s upcoming fourth album, which will be the follow-up to 2020’s ‘I’m Your Empress Of’ and her 2022 EP ‘Save Me’.The track is a piano-led love song in which Empress Of expresses her desire for another person – “Just touch my lips and pull my hair/To come with you, I’d go anywhere,” she sings.The pair appear together in the song’s music video, which finds them “in an angelic setting in the English countryside with their hair blowing in the wind”.Check out ‘Kiss Me’ below:Empress Of is currently opening for Sawayama on her US tour, after which she will perform a headline show at Los Angeles’ Masonic Lodge on October 4.You can see Sawayama and Empress Of’s remaining tour dates below and buy your tickets here.SEPTEMBER26 – Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium28 – Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre 30 – San Francisco, CA – WarfieldOCTOBER6 – Bentonville, AR – The Momentary9 – New Orleans, LA – House Of BluesSpeaking about her ‘Save Me’ EP last year, Empress Of said: “One of the biggest key things for me making music is being out of my comfort zone.“I think a lot of artists relate to that. Because when you’re out of your comfort zone that’s when innovation happens.

Queens Of The Stone Age have announced more tour dates across North America this December – see the newly announced dates below.Earlier this week, the band took to social media to announce their new show dates, which will see them close out their 2023 run of shows in North America this December.The newly announced North American leg of the band’s The End Is Nero tour will see them perform eight shows across the United States of America between December 5 and December 16. Shows have been confirmed for Phoenix, El Paso, Austin, Houston, Irving, Albuquerque, San Diego and Los Angeles.See the full list of tour dates below.A post shared by QOTSA (@queensofthestoneage)A Live Nation pre-sale for the new dates begins on September 21 at 10am local time using the code STUDIO, while general sales start on September 22.

One of Britain's largest building societies has launched a £200 switching offer as well as a linked savings account paying 8 per cent interest.

pic.twitter.com/rJeT1g1rjQ— tomberlin (@tomberlin) September 18, 2023She also explained the situation further on Instagram this morning (September 20), providing a longer statement which detailed how they tried to enforce “the most aggressive merch cuts I’ve seen”.“They had the most aggressive merch cuts I’ve seen so far with a forced venue sell (meaning my seller I pay each day could not sell for me and we could not use our own square account),” she wrote. “The cuts: 30% of soft merch (anything that is not music), 10% on recorded merch, a 5% card fee, and a 6% tax (which they retain).“I felt it was an extremely unfair rate and that altogether a merch cut is an archaic rule and truly a made up model by the heads of these venues and [companies] to continue to profit off of the labour of those [whose] labour is already undervalued.“That is why we have to go on tour and become a Walmart and sell you t-shirts.

A woman who owns an XL bully dog has called on the government not to ban the breed, saying that she trusts her pet '100 per cent'.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Dominic Cooper (“Mamma Mia”) and Sarah Gadon (“A Dangerous Method”) are co-starring in “Cry From The Sea,” a Canadian-Irish movie directed by cinematographer-turned-helmer Vic Sarin (“Cold Comfort”). The movie, which is currently shooting, is represented in international markets by Cinema Management Group, with WME and Laura Rister handling U.S.

Olivia Rodrigo has cancelled her publicity tour in Australia days before it kicks off due to “unforeseen circumstances”.The pop star was due to host a Q&A with fans on September 22. She was also booked for a number of media interviews in promotion of her new album ‘Guts‘.A spokesperson from Universal Music Australia said [via MusicNews]: “Olivia is devastated that she won’t be able to make it, however she’s so excited to see her Australian Livies [fans] in 2024.”Rodrigo recently announced her ‘Guts World Tour’ for next year, which opens in Palm Springs, California on February 23, 2024.The singer-songwriter was set on a promo tour of Australia following her record-breaking success in the country.

Thomas Markle issued another public plea to his estranged daughter. While Meghan Markle hasn't spoken with her father in years, Thomas is desperate to meet his grandchildren – Archie and Lilibet, the two children Meghan shares with Prince Harry.

Amid the onslaught of criminal sexual assault and abuse accusations against Russell Brand, a past interview from his ex-wife, Katy Perry, is now making rounds on social media.

“You’re Gonna Die Alone (& Other Excellent News)” (Blackstone) stands out. “You might think it is a trite, unimportant, vacant collection of barely-thoughts from a sad, narcissistic internet clown,” she writes of this collection of personal stories designed to address a wide range of issues and emotions.

Ezra Collective have been experiencing a nearly 900 per cent increase in album sales and streams since winning the 2023 Mercury Prize.The London-based jazz group – consisting of drummer and bandleader Femi Koleoso, bassist TJ Koleoso, keyboardist Joe Armon-Jones, trumpeter Ife Ogunjobi, and tenor saxophonist James Mollison – won the award with their second LP ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’, beating Loyle Carner, Olivia Dean, RAYE, Shygirl, Jockstrap and more.As The Line of Best Fit reports, according to BPI analysis of Official Charts Company data, ‘Where I’m Meant To Be’ has seen 859 per cent increase in its combined sales and streams. The jump occurred between September 8 -10.A post shared by Ezra Collective (@ezracollective)Physical album sales and downloads also saw an impressive jump with 6,012 per cent hike compared to the same three day period the week before and audio streams seeing a 1,960 per cent increase.Following the band’s win, Koleoso gave a passionate speech while accepting the award.“Most importantly, Ezra Collective represents something really special because we met in a youth club.

More than 90 per cent of University of Manchester students were given £170 cost of living payments, according to a new report. Researchers at a higher education think tank called the move an 'innovative intervention'.

Pop star Olivia Rodrigo has announced she's visiting the UK on her world tour next year - including a huge gig in Manchester.