Viaplay Sells UK Biz & Announces Equity Injection

Richard Ashcroft has announced details of a huge outdoor show, set to take place in London next summer.The announcement comes as the singer-songwriter has been revealed as the latest addition to the upcoming Kew The Music live music event, held in South West London.Set to take place over the summer, the week-long event will return to the UNESCO World Heritage site, Kew Gardens, between July 8 and July 12, 2024.For his appearance at next year’s instalment, Ashcroft will appear as the final headliner at the event and is set to take to the stage on the last day, Sunday, July 14.The upcoming set follows the two-time Ivor Novello winner’s work with The Verve over the years, as well as his run of solo albums, the most recent of which was his sixth solo LP, ‘Acoustic Hymns Vol. 1’, which arrived back in 2021.As well as Ashcroft, other artists set to appear as headliners for the 2024 edition of Kew The Music include pop singer Mika, who will headline the event on Tuesday, July 9, and Passenger who will take to the stage on Thursday, July 11.Following the recent completion of their 2023 reunion tour, JLS will also be taking to the stage at the London live music event on Friday, July 12, and the upcoming instalment will be opened by British horticulturist, broadcaster, and writer Monty Don, who will be taking part in an ‘Evening In Conversation’ event on Monday, July 8.The headliners for Wednesday (July 10) and Saturday (July 13) are set to be revealed at a later date, as are the guests set to join Ashcroft on the final night of next year’s edition.Tickets for the Richard Ashcroft show will go on pre-sale from tomorrow (December 19) at 10am GMT.

Strictly Come Dancing's Kai Widdrington has announced a huge career move just hours before the BBC dance show's grand final as the 2023 series comes to an end.The professional dancer, 28, will return to the ballroom floor on Saturday's live final alongside his former partner Angela Rippon, but it seems Kai has other future plans away from TV once Strictly ends. Kai and Angela dazzled on the dancefloor all the way through to Blackpool before they were eliminated after facing the dance off against Bobby Brazier and Dianne Buswell.

I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! star Jack Maynard has shared the wonderful news that he's gotten engaged to his girlfriend Lily Mackie. Lily, who is the niece of Pippa Middleton, looked overjoyed as she posed in an adorable snap with her YouTube star fiancé, and rocked her brand new diamond engagement ring.

Noel Gallagher has announced an intimate show in Portsmouth for next year – you can find all the details below.The former Oasis musician will take to the stage with his High Flying Birds at the 2,500-capacity Guildhall venue in the Hampshire port city on Wednesday, March 20. He’ll be joined by some yet-to-be-confirmed “special guests”.Tickets are due to go on general sale at 9am GMT tomorrow (December 15) – you’ll be able to buy yours here.Check out the official gig poster in the announcement post here:A post shared by Noel Gallagher’s HFB (@themightyi)The news comes ahead of Gallagher kicking off his 2023 UK arena tour tonight (December 14) at the OVO Arena Wembley in London.

Teezo Touchdown has announced a 2024 tour in support of his debut album ‘How Do You Sleep At Night?’ – find all the details below.The Texas rapper/singer-songwriter is due to hit the road next year, kicking off with European headline shows in Amsterdam (March 21), Zurich (22), Paris (25) and Berlin (26).He’ll then head to the UK for a gig at Village Underground in Shoreditch, east London on March 29. A run of North American dates is scheduled to begin in late April, continuing throughout May and into early June.Teezo is set to stop off in Boston, Philadelphia, Toronto, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Houston and more cities as part of his tour of the US and Canada.Tickets for the upcoming London concert will go on general sale at 9am GMT tomorrow (December 15) – you’ll be able to buy yours here.

Clara Amfo, the host of BBC Radio 1's Future Sounds show, has announced she will be stepping down next year to focus on new projects with the network. Jack Saunders, who currently presents Future Artists and The Official Chart shows, will take over from April 15.

Nicki Minaj has announced her ‘Pink Friday 2‘ 2024 world tour in support of her LP of the same name.Kicking off in the US on March 1, 2024 at the Oakland Arena in California, the ‘Roman’s Revenge’ rapper will make her way through North America, making stops in major cities such as Denver, Las Vegas, Seattle, Phoenix, Atlanta, Orlando, Newark, Philadelphia, New York City, Washington D.C., Brooklyn, Boston, Montreal, Toronto, Detroit, Chicago, Houston and Dallas. The US leg of the tour will wrap up on May 12, 2024 at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas.From there, Minaj will make her way across the pond to the UK to play shows in Manchester, Birmingham and London.

Bryan Adams has announced a series of outdoor UK shows for 2024, adding to his previously announced tour and Royal Albert Hall residency.The Canadian rock icon will be headlining a number of summer outdoor gigs in the UK, including Dreamland Margate’s Summer Series on June 13, Plymouth Summer Sessions (14) and Forest Live shows at Delamere Forest, Dalby Forest and Thetford Forest (16, 20, 21).The musician will also perform at Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfodand on June 18 the Piece Hall in Halifax on June 23.Tickets for the Plymouth show, UK tour and London shows are on sale now, while general sale for the remaining dates starts Friday (December 15) from 9am GMT from here. Alternatively, fans can find pre-sale options between Tuesday-Wednesday (12-13) via the same link.The newly announced dates will extend the artist’s UK run for his global ‘So Happy It Hurts’ tour, which will see Adams visit Coventry (May 17), Sheffield (18) and Cardiff (19) directly after a residency at London’s Royal Albert Hall from May 13 to May 15, 2024.The tour also includes a show at Dublin’s 3Arena on May 21 and The SSE Arena in Belfast on May 22.A post shared by Bryan Adams (@bryanadams)The ‘Summer of ’69’ musician is due to perform one album in full each night at the iconic London venue – ’18 Til I Die’, ‘Reckless’ and ‘So Happy It Hurts’ – along with his greatest hits.“Our last visit to the Royal Albert Hall was such a great series of shows, it was a no-brainer to want to come back and do it again,” Adams said in a press statement.

American indie singer Noah Kahan has announced a huge gig in Manchester next year, which will take place at the city’s newest venue Co-Op Live.

Aldi has announced a strict rule for customers ahead of the supermarket slashing the price of one of its popular alcoholic drinks.

Omid Scobie must not be happy right now…

Max Richter has announced a new audio workshop, SRM Sounds, created in collaboration with his multimedia production studio, Studio Richter Mahr.SRM Sounds offers musicians an opportunity to harness the sound of Richter’s personal collection of instruments and sonic explorations at Studio Richter Mahr in the English countryside and to compose their own songs with them.Working with ex-Spitfire Audio CEO Will Evans and his new venture Song Athletics – to bring the instruments in his studio to digital life – the first product to be released is SRM Sounds #001 which is a Steinway grand piano.With Richter’s distinct musical signature meticulously captured and transformed into digital format, creators will be able to immerse themselves in the tones and intricate nuances of the revered instrument.Essentially, once SRM Sounds #001 has been purchased and downloaded, any composer around the world can use that sound, and ‘play’ as though Richter himself was there.“For composers, sound is an incredibly personal and very emotional thing. For many of us, the experience of falling in love with the physical and tactile aspects of sound is what got us into music in the first place, so working with sounds that aren’t quite right is really disturbing.

Olly Murs has announced he is expecting his first child with wife Amelia, five months after the couple got married. The 39-year-old singer surprised his fans and followers with the joyous news on Wednesday (December 6) as he took to Instagram to share a sweet photo showing off his wife's blossoming baby bump.

Jake Bugg has announced a 2024 headline tour that will see him perform in smaller towns and venues across the UK and Ireland. Find all the details below.The Nottingham singer-songwriter is due to hit the road in March for a run of intimate gigs, which includes stop-offs in Warrington, Holmfirth, Grimsby, Worthing Coventry, Frome, Cork and Galway.Bugg will play two sets per night – one acoustic, one electric – showcasing his biggest hits as well as tracks from his fifth and most recent studio album, 2021’s ‘Saturday Night, Sunday Morning’.“I can’t wait to get out and play tons of tunes to people in their hometowns,” Bugg said in a statement.Per a press release, the upcoming tour is the musician’s bid to help save independent and grassroots venues that are under threat of closure.Tickets are scheduled to go on general sale at 10am GMT this Friday (December 8) – you’ll be able to buy yours here.

Electric Castle has announced the first acts for its 2024 festival – check out the line-up so far below.The event is set to host its 10th anniversary edition at Bánffy Castle in Transylvania, Romania between July 17-21. Tickets are on general sale now – you can buy yours here.Today (December 6), it’s been confirmed that Massive Attack, Bring Me The Horizon and Queens Of The Stone Age will headline Electric Castle next summer.They’re joined on the bill by Chase & Status (live), Khruangbin, Sleaford Mods, Bonobo (DJ set), Nina Kraviz, Eats Everything, Jayda G and more.

Pete Tong has announced new details of his ‘Ibiza Classics’ UK arena tour for 2024.The BBC Radio 1 DJ released the ‘Ibiza Classics’ compilation album back in 2017, where iconic dance songs were covered by Jules Buckley and The Heritage Orchestra. The album features renditions of The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack, and Armand Van Helden.

Ja Rule has announced details of UK and Ireland for 2024. Check out dates and ticket information below.The last headline show the seminal ’00s star had in the UK was 10 years ago when he, Fat Joe and Twista performed at the Indigo At The O2 in 2014.

Potter Payper has announced that he will tour the UK and Europe next year in support of his debut album ‘Real Back In Style’. See full dates and tickets below.The Barking-raised star announced on his Instagram that he will be going on a 14-stop tour next year, promising fans that the shows are “going to be a crazy experience like you’ve never seen before.”It will start in Dublin on February 25 before hitting cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and his hometown of London.

Limp Bizkit will be performing at next year’s Download Festival.Following the nu metal band’s huge show at Gunnersbury Park this summer, the band will be returning to the UK for their first performance at Donington Park in Leicestershire since 2013.“Known for their high-energy performances and ground-breaking fusion of rock, hip-hop, and metal, Limp Bizkit are set to bring their infectious sound and electrifying stage presence to the hallowed grounds of Download Festival,” the festival commented, per Metal Hammer.“Returning to the festival after ten years with their string of hits spanning nearly two decades, Limp Bizkit are set to show audiences why they’ve rightly cemented their place as one of the most influential and enduring acts in the rock genre.”Limp Bizkit join a line-up featuring headliners Queens Of The Stone Age, Avenged Sevenfold and Fall Out Boy. Other acts playing include Royal Blood, The Offspring, Machine Head, Pantera, Bad Omens, Corey Taylor, While She Sleeps, Sum 41, Billy Talent, The Used, Babymetal, Bowling For Soup, Heilung, Polyphia, Thy Art Is Murder, The Black Dahlia Murder, Biohazard, and Fear Factory.

Morrissey has announced that he will be playing a pair of shows in the US in 2024 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of his album ‘You Are the Quarry’. The first concert will take place at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California on January 26, followed by a show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles on January 27. Tickets will be available from 10am local time on Friday December 8 here.