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Lauryn Hill postpones tour with Fugees due to “serious vocal strain”

Lauryn Hill has postponed the remaining dates of her tour celebrating the 25th anniversary of ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’, citing a “serious vocal strain for the past month”. The announcement was made in an Instagram post made by Hill on November 22, which depicted a performance of ‘The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill’ standout cut ‘Ex-Factor’, presumably from the ongoing tour, her voice audibly strained and hoarse. Advertisement The lengthy caption detailed that she had been “battling serious vocal strain for the past month”, performing recent shows while on prescribed medication. “I made it through each show by taking prescribed prednisone,” she wrote. “In order to prevent any long term negative affect on my voice and my body, I need to take time off to allow for real vocal recovery so that I can discontinue the medication completely.” She also explained that though the remaining shows of the tour would be postponed, the November 26 date at Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Arena will proceed, stating: “We already had to move this show once and being so close to New Jersey, it’s basically hometown for us—so we’ll close out the year with one final show amongst friends and family!” Her North American… Read More →

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Drake surpasses Kendrick Lamar for highest-grossing rap tour ever

Drake has surpassed Kendrick Lamar with his recent ‘It’s All A Blur’ tour becoming the highest-grossing rap tour ever. Last year, Lamar toured the world in support of his Grammy Award-winning fifth album ‘Mr Morale & The Big Steppers’. The ‘Big Steppers tour’ ended in September 2022 and earned $110.9million (£89,248,704.66) from 929,000 tickets sold across 73 shows – making it the highest-grossing rap tour at the time. This summer, Drake team up with fellow rapper 21 Savage to tour North America in support of their Grammy Award-nominated collaborative album ‘Her Loss’. According to Touring Data, the ‘It’s All A Blur’ tour grossed $129.7million in 30 out of the 72 shows Drake did this year. It is believed that the official figure will double once all money made on the remaining 42 shows is accounted for. .@Drake‘s “It’s All a Blur” becomes the highest-grossing tour by a rapper in history with $129.7 million in 30/72 shows, surpassing @kendricklamar‘s “The Big Steppers” (2022). — Touring Data (@touringdata) November 16, 2023 Advertisement This news comes shortly after Drake and J. Cole announced their own joint arena tour, ‘It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As What?’. The rap juggernauts will tour North… Read More →

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Diddy didn’t return publishing rights to all Bad Boy artists, say B5

B5 have said they didn’t receive any publishing royalties despite Diddy saying he returned all rights to Bad Boy Records In September, it was reported that the New York rap mogul was in talks with his former signees to return their publishing rights to them. This included the catalogues of Notorious B.I.G, Faith Evans, Ma$e and more. Sitting down with The ShadeRoom, the 2000s R&B boyband B5 were asked if they “benefitted” from Diddy’s decision to return the rights to artists. Dustin Breeding said “that’s a discussion” that he and his brothers need to have with him. Carnell Breeding added: “We didn’t hear anything. We didn’t get no calls or nothing like that from them”. Advertisement Eldest brother Dustin continued: “Puff, Diddy, yeah, we all want our publishing too. We were so young at the time, we didn’t understand the business of it. But looking back now, damn, why our names wasn’t on the credit? You know what I mean? Where the percentages at? Where the pub[lishing credits] at?” Kelly Breeding added: “There was really no one to step in place and be like, ‘Yo, where’s the split sheets at? Make sure he gets this percentage.’” At the end of the… Read More →

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Post Malone covers The Proclaimers and Sublime with New Zealand bar band

Post Malone has covered songs from The Proclaimers and Sublime with a local bar house band while performing in New Zealand. This past Sunday (November 19), the rapper – who currently touring Australia and New Zealand – made a special appearance at Doolan’s Irish Pub in Auckland, where he surprised patrons with covers The Proclaimers and Sublime. For his special performance, Post Malone covered The Proclaimers’ ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ and Sublime’s ‘What I Got’ with the house band at Doolan’s Irish Pub. See fan-filled footage of the covers below. @sydneyeady I met posty last night in my bar Danny Doolans in Auckland, asked him if he could get on stage and he actually did it!!! Legend ❤️ @Post Malone #nz #aucklamd #DannyDoolans #postmalone ♬ original sound – Sydney Eady Advertisement @ninnynka @Post Malone #auckland #dannydoolans #postmalone #500miles ♬ original sound – Jana The cover comes after Post Malone most recently performed a cover of Alice In Chains’ ‘Them Bones’ during a recent radio session on The Howard Stern Show last month. Speaking with Howard Stern during that same interview, the American rapper and singer remembered a backstage encounter with Taylor Swift, who revealed she was a fan of… Read More →

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G-Dragon takes legal action against “malicious comments” amid drug investigation

South Korean musician G-Dragon says he will pursue legal action against “malicious comments about him” amid his ongoing drug investigation. G-Dragon’s lawyer, Kim Su-hyeon, said today (November 22) that the K-pop star would be “taking legal action against those who posted malicious comments about him, including defamation, insults, sexual harassment, spreading false information and malicious slander”, per Yonhap News Agency. Kim added that they have a “zero-tolerance policy” and are preparing to file complaints with investigative agencies using evidence they have collected through self-monitoring and reports from fans. Advertisement The move comes just a day after South Korean news media reported that G-Dragon’s hair and nails have tested negative for drugs. The tests were carried out by the police at the request of the K-pop idol, after his urine had first tested negative for drugs on November 6. The Big Bang member had initially been booked by South Korean police for suspected drug use in October 2023. A day after news broke, G-Dragon denied the allegations in a statement, which was released through his lawyer, saying that he has “never used drugs”. Last week, G-Dragon broke his silence on his ongoing drug investigation with an appearance on the South Korean news network Yonhap… Read More →

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Suge Knight criticises Eazy-E’s widow for allegedly ruining billion-dollar Dr Dre deal

Suge Knight has called out Eazy-E‘s widow for allegedly ending a “billion-dollar” lifetime deal where she’d earn money from Dr Dre‘s every career move. The former Death Row Records owner spoke about the moment on the most recent episode of his podcast Collect Call With Suge Knight. Knight explained that he made a deal with Eazy-E “where he gets a dollar off of anything that Dre does”. He continued: “In other words, if he do a movie, if he do a beat, if he promote some type of merchandise, if he do a commercial, if he produce — off of his part, [Eazy] gets a dollar.” Advertisement [embedded content] The pivotal hip-hop figure estimated that the deal would have been worth a billion dollars if still in place, following Eazy-E’s death in 1995 of pneumonia and HIV/AIDS. Since the offer, ‘The Chronic’ rapper launched his premium headphones brand Beats By Dre (which was sold to Apple for $3 billion (£2,394,540,000) in 2014), as well as producing albums for Eminem and 50 Cent, and releasing his second and third solo albums, ‘2001‘ and ‘Compton‘. When Eazy-E died, the rapper’s widow Tomica Woods-Wright took over his estate. Knight claimed that Interscope Records… Read More →

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Spotify to pull out of Uruguay after bill demanding fair pay to artists

Spotify has confirmed it will no longer provide its services in Uruguay following the country’s copyright law that would require “equitable remuneration” for artists. The plan to end service in the Latin American country was confirmed on Monday, November 20 by a Spotify spokesperson (per Music Business Worldwide). The spokesperson confirmed that the music streaming service will begin to “phase out” its service in Uruguay on January 1, 2024 and cease operations fully by February. “Changes that could force Spotify to pay twice for the same music would make out business of connecting artists and fans unsustainable, and regrettably leaves us no choice but to stop being available in Uruguay,” added the spokesperson. Advertisement According to Mixmag, “Rendición de Cuentas,” the name of a bill that was approved by the country’s parliament, was introduced earlier this year by the Uruguayan Society of Performers (SUDEI) and proposed to amend both 284 & 285 of the Uruguay copyright law. The amendment will also introduce a requirement for “fair and equitable remuneration” for artists in regards to their recorded material. A laptop keyboard and Spotify logo displayed on a phone screen are seen in this illustration photo taken in Krakow, Poland on May… Read More →

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Joe Biden confuses Britney Spears with Taylor Swift during Thanksgiving speech

US President Joe Biden has mistaken Britney Spears for Taylor Swift during his Thanksgiving turkey pardoning speech. READ MORE: Taylor Swift – ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ review: still her best album On Monday (November 20), while giving his turkey pardoning speech ahead of Thanksgiving – which falls on November 23 – President Biden spoke about two turkeys, named Liberty and Bell, sharing that they were pardoned after traveling thousands of miles – meaning they will not be killed and cooked for the typical Thanksgiving dinner. Biden jokingly likened the turkeys’ “difficult journey” to fans’ struggles to secure passes to Beyoncé‘s latest tour: “You could say it’s harder than getting a ticket to the Renaissance tour”. Advertisement The President then confused Britney Spears of Taylor Swift, the latter of whom is currently touring in Brazil, which is facing record-breaking heatwaves that has resulted in the death of one fan this past weekend. “Britney’s tour – she’s down in… it’s kind of warm in Brazil right now,” Biden said following his remarks on Beyoncé’s tour. See the moment unfold below. Joe Biden mistakes Taylor Swift for Britney Spears while pardoning turkeys. pic.twitter.com/y5gRd4tVHN — Pop Base (@PopBase) November 20, 2023 Swift’s concerts in Brazil have been… Read More →

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Stray Kids score first Billboard Hot 100 entry with ‘LALALALA’

K-pop boyband Stray Kids have scored their first entry on the Billboard Hot 100 with their new single, ‘LALALALA’. Today (November 21), Billboard confirmed Stray Kids’ new achievement in a tweet through its official Billboard Charts account. ‘LALALALA’ makes its debut on the Hot 100 at Number 90 this week. Notably, this makes Stray Kids the second-ever K-pop boyband to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, following BTS. Other male Korean musicians to enter the chart include Big Bang‘s Taeyang, Psy, as well as all seven members of BTS. .@Stray_Kids are officially #Hot100-charting artists! The group lands it’s first-ever entry on the chart this week, as “LALALALA” debuts at No. 90. 🎶🔥📈 — billboard charts (@billboardcharts) November 20, 2023 Advertisement This milestone comes just a day after Stray Kids topped the Billboard 200 albums chart for the fourth time with their latest mini-album, ‘ROCK-STAR’. The project’s lead single is ‘LALALALA’. The group’s first Billboard 200 Number One record was the March 2022 mini-album ‘Oddinary’, which featured the hit single ‘Maniac’. They would also top the chart again in October 2022 with ‘Maxident’, and June this year with ‘5-Star’. The K-pop boyband were also awarded the Top K-Pop Album for ‘5-Star’… Read More →

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Courteeners announce their only “North of England” show for summer 2024

Courteeners have announced that they will head to Lytham Festival in 2024 for their one and only North of England show of the summer. READ MORE: Courteeners talk Glastonbury history and new music: “It’s like Mac Miller covering Leonard Cohen” The Manchester-based band – comprised of Liam Fray, Michael Campbell and Daniel Moores – are the first headlining act to be announced as part of the five-night festival, with their set slated to take place on Friday, July 5. The Kooks and indie pop singer Nieve Ella have been announced as opening support for the show date. Tickets for the festival date are set to go on general sale on Friday, November 24 at 9:30am local time. Visit here to purchase tickets. Advertisement Speaking about their headlining slot in a press release, Courteeners frontman Liam Fray said: “We are very much looking forward to making our debut and joining the illustrious list of acts that have performed at the Lytham festival. We made the short pilgrimage from Manchester last year to watch The Strokes and were blown away by the buzz of the locals and the beauty of the scenery. What a Friday it’s going to be on July 5th. See… Read More →

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Snoop Dogg hasn’t given up weed – but he’s in a new advert for a smokeless stove

Snoop Dogg revealed he is not giving up weed but is “giving up smoke” in an advert for a smokeless stove. The advert comes days after the ‘Gin And Juice’ rapper – who is known for his love for weed – announced that he will be giving up smoking. The rapper took to his official social media accounts to share a statement that read: “After much consideration and conversation with my family, I have decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time.” No additional details were immediately provided. I’m done with smoke. I’m going smokeless with @SoloStove. #ad pic.twitter.com/RwF8wnk1wp — Snoop Dogg (@SnoopDogg) November 20, 2023 Advertisement In the newly released advert, shared on his official X/Twitter account, Snoop is seen sitting in a chair and says: “I have an announcement, I am giving up smoke.” he added: “I know what you’re thinking ‘Snoop, smoke is kinda your whole thing’, but I’m done with it. Done with the coughing and my clothes smelling all sticky-icky. I’m going smokeless.” The rapper then goes on to promote the brand Solo Stove, the smokeless woodburning machines, which he has collaborated with: “Solo Stove fixed fire. They took out the… Read More →

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Taylor Swift debuts ‘Suburban Legends’ in Rio de Janeiro

Taylor Swift debuted the fan-favourite track ‘Suburban Legends’ during her ‘Eras’ tour concert in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil last week. READ MORE: Taylor Swift – ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ review: her best album will never go out of style Performing at the Estádio Nilton Santos in Brazil on November 17, Swift performed the ‘From The Vault’ track off her recently re-recorded ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’, marking the first time she has ever performed the song. Swift also performed ‘Stay Beautiful’ off her debut album. It was the first time she has performed the song since 2008. Watch Taylor Swift perform ‘Stay Beautiful’ and ‘Suburban Legends’ below. Advertisement [embedded content] The November 17 concert in Rio de Janeiro was supposed to be the first of three concerts in Brazil as part of Taylor Swift’s ‘Eras’ tour. However, the joyful first date would soon be struck by tragedy as a fan in attendance died before the show took place after collapsing from the extreme heat. The fan was identified as Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23. She was attended to by paramedics at the concert venue, before being taken to hospital, where she passed away an hour later. It has been reported by Brazilian newspaper Fohla de… Read More →

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Watch NewJeans perform ‘Super Shy’ and ‘OMG’ at the 2023 Billboard Music Awards

NewJeans have made their first Billboard Music Awards appearance with a special medley performance of their hit songs ‘Super Shy’ and ‘OMG’. The K-pop girl group kicked things off with an energetic performance of ‘Super Shy’, dressed in schoolgirl outfits, reminiscent of Britney Spears‘ iconic ‘…Baby One More Time’ music video. Following a quick consume change, NewJeans returned to the stage with a funky remix of their viral hit single ‘OMG’. Watch the K-pop girl group’s 2023 Billboard Music Awards performance below: Advertisement [embedded content] In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily prior to the performance, NewJeans member Hanni said that the quintet had “practiced a lot and made sure we were all on the same page regarding the type of energy and the performance we wanted to portray”. Speaking of their schoolgirl stage outfits, Hyein said that they “highlight each member’s individuality”. Meanwhile, Hanni added that it “it represents [our] personality and image on stage. All while keeping us in line with the same theme and vibe of clothing as a group”. Elsewhere during the night, NewJeans also took home the award for Top Global K-Pop Artist, besting the likes of Stray Kids, TXT, TWICE and BTS’ Jimin. Minji said… Read More →

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Father of fan who died before Taylor Swift concert pays tribute to daughter

The father of a fan who died before a Taylor Swift concert in Brazil this week (November 18) has paid tribute to his daughter. READ MORE: Taylor Swift – ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’ review: her best album will never go out of style Swift released a statement yesterday saying she was “devastated” after hearing a fan had died before her concert show in Brazil. Ana Clara Benevides, 23, reportedly fainted at the show and suffered a cardiac arrest. The cause of death is yet unknown. Temperatures in Brazil reached over 100 degrees (38 Celsius) and videos later circulated online of Swift pausing her show to make sure fans received water. Benevides father, Weiny Machado, 53, has spoken to Folha de São Paulo newspaper praising his “happy and intelligent” daughter. He said: “I lost my only daughter, a happy and intelligent girl. She was about to graduate in Psychology next April, saving money. I have no words to express my pain. She left home to fulfill a dream and came back dead.” Taylor Swift paying tribute to the fan on Instagram – CREDIT: Instagram Stories/Taylor Swift Machado went on to say how he wanted an investigation into what happened amid reports that fans were… Read More →

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Christopher Nolan on the “danger” of streaming-only films: “It will need to be fixed”

Christopher Nolan has spoken about the “danger” of films only being available via streaming platforms, stressing that he believes in the ongoing importance of physical media. Speaking to The Washington Post, Nolan expanded on recent comments he made while introducing a screening of his film Oppenheimer, when he urged fans to buy the Blu-ray version, “so no evil streaming service can come steal it from you.” In the new interview, he clarified that he was joking in describing them as “evil”, but he did elaborate that the susceptibility of films disappearing from streaming platforms does concern him. Advertisement Christopher Nolan and producer Emma Thomas attend a special screening of OPPENHEIMER on July 17, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Universal Pictures) “There is a danger these days that if things only exist in the streaming version, they do get taken down,” he said. “They come and go — as do broadcast versions of films, so my films will play on HBO or whatever, they’ll come and go.” “But the home video version is the thing that can always be there, so people can always access it. And since the 1980s, as filmmakers, we’ve taken that… Read More →

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Steam Next Fest winner ‘Enshrouded’ announces early access date

Enshrouded, a survival action role-playing game that won scores of fans in Steam Next Fest, has announced when it will enter early access. The game is set in the fictional fantasy land of Embervale which is being slowly yet surely poisoned by the rise of the Shroud. Inside this cloud of corruption, life is twisted into a terrifying imitation of what it was before. As a Flameborn, the player awakens and must survive in this mesmeric yet treacherous world. Offering “near limitless sandbox and building potential”, they will build bases that attract artisans who then let them forge powerful swords, shields, staffs and bows. Advertisement However, developer Keen Games hoped that the inspirations from The Legend Of Zelda: Breath Of The Wild and Minecraft would conjure a “more welcoming” image of its survival game for curious players, and it appears to have worked. [embedded content] Enshrouded was the most played game in Steam Next Fest, and managed to secure the title of the most wish-listed title and saw enormous daily active player counts through the event. The game also has a community that has been cultivated in and since Steam Next Fest. Enshrouded supports up to 16 players exploring and… Read More →

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Taylor Swift postpones Rio de Janeiro show due to extreme heat

Taylor Swift has been forced to cancel today’s (November 18) show in Rio de Janeiro due to extreme heat. The announcement comes in the wake of the tragic news that a fan died yesterday (November 17) before her previous show in the city. Writing on Instagram, Swift said: “I’m writing this from my dressing room in the stadium. The decision has been made to postpone tonight’s show due to the extreme temperatures in Rio.” Advertisement “The safety and well-being of my fans, fellow performers and crew has to and always will come first.” Taylor Swift at Estadio Olimpico Nilton Santos on November 17, 2023 in Rio de Janeiro (Photo by Buda Mendes/TAS23/Getty Images for TAS Rights Management ) Temperatures in the Brazilian city have broken records this week, with a daytime peak of 39.1C recorded on Friday. The fan who died on Friday has been named as Ana Clara Benevides Machado, 23. She was attended to by paramedics at the concert venue, before being taken to hospital, where she passed away an hour later. It has been reported by Brazilian newspaper Fohla de S Paulo that she collapsed at the show and had a cardiac arrest. Swift wrote on Instagram… Read More →

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Rio’s Christ the Redeemer statue lights up for arrival of Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift was given a special welcome in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday (November 16) when the iconic Christ the Redeemer statue was lit up to honour her arrival. The personalised projection incorporated images and symbols associated with Swift’s career, including a bow and arrow, in tribute to her song ‘The Archer’, and a scarf that recalls the ‘Red’ song ‘All Too Well’. The statue was also adorned in a giant white shirt bearing the names of Brazil’s states, in reference to the shirt Swift wears in the video for ‘You Belong With Me’, which was covered in the names of her school friends. 📷| Closer look at Taylor’s projection on Christ the Redeemer in Rio 🇧🇷 pic.twitter.com/W2YmlqXKkd — The Swift Society (@TheSwiftSociety) November 17, 2023 Advertisement The mayor of Rio de Janeiro, Eduardo Paes, has also spoken about her arrival: “We will properly honour Taylor Swift and her arrival to Carioca territory tonight. Welcome, Taylor Swift.” Swift’s trip to Brazil has already been touched by tragedy, after a fan died before a show in Rio de Janeiro today (November 18). The individual has been named by Brazilian media as Ana Clara Benevides, 23, noting that she fainted at the… Read More →

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Kanye West asks ‘How I’m antisemitic?’ on new song ‘Vultures’

Kanye West has returned with a new song, ‘Vultures’, featuring Ty Dolla $ign, Lil Durk and Bump J, marking his first new song since a raft of antisemitism allegations last year – and he appears to be doubling down on his sentiments. The song has not yet been released on streaming but was debuted on the radio station WPWX Power 92 Chicago last night (November 17) and sees West directly address the accusations before potentially adding fuel to them – “How I’m antisemitic,” he raps, “I just fucked a Jewish bitch.” It is yet to be seen whether or not the track will appear on West and Ty’s forthcoming joint album, which Ty recently said was set to arrive “real soon”. Ty’s update arrived just days after a “multi stadium listening event” for their joint album had reportedly been cancelled. Advertisement Accusations of antisemitism were first levelled against West in October 2022 after he said that he would go “death con 3 on JEWISH PEOPLE”, whom he claims have a link with Black people. An ex-staffer at TMZ has also claimed that the rapper once praised “Hitler and the Nazis” during an interview with the site. Kanye West. Credit: MEGA/Getty More recently, it… Read More →

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Bill Bailey says he’s “well up for” making another heavy metal album

Bill Bailey has said he’s got enough material to make a second heavy metal album with. The comedian, who is particularly well-known for his love of metal, released an album called Bill Bailey In Metal in 2011, following an appearance at the now-defunct festival Sonisphere that same year. “I was thinking about it the other day while I was archiving a load of old stuff,” he told Metal Hammer. “There’s a whole bunch of new songs I’ve written that would suit the metal treatment. When that album was made, it was very much a response to Sonisphere and in my head there could be another metal one, or another style completely. Advertisement “There might be a rock one, or blues, but there’s definitely some more metal versions of songs, so when I accumulate enough of them I think there may well be another In Metal release. I’d love to do a follow-up.” Reflecting on the experience of recording the album, he added: “It was so much fun! We did it in a studio down in Wandsworth, with these amazing old microphones with the brilliant ambience of the studio. I really loved the production job on it, so full of these rich sounds, and… Read More →

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Loyle Carner confirmed as first headliner for London’s All Points East 2024

Loyle Carner has been confirmed as the first headliner for London’s All Points East 2024. READ MORE: Loyle Carner – ‘Hugo’ review: an honest, unflashy storyteller The festival organisers took to social media to announce the first act for next year’s edition of the annual London festival which will take place in its usual home of Victoria Park. To announce the South London artist and rapper as a headliner, All Points East shared a clip of two men playing chess on top of a car that was parked in the middle of Victoria Park in front of the main stage. Advertisement “Your first 2024 APE headliner…@LoyleCarner is back in his hometown for his biggest show ever at Uber One presents All Points East on Saturday, August 17,” read the caption attached to the video announcement. Your first 2024 APE headliner… 💥@LoyleCarner is back in his hometown for his biggest show ever at Uber One presents All Points East on Saturday 17 August. Sign up now for APE presale access at https://t.co/LtCtB98xa8 #AllPointsEast #LoyleCarner pic.twitter.com/40n3khiY59 — Uber One presents All Points East (@allpointseastuk) November 17, 2023 Carner also shared the clip onto his official X/Twitter page with a caption that read:” Checkmate…. Read More →