Syd Barrett: Pink Floyd’s lost prophet

It’s 14 years ago today that the original creative force behind legendary British progressive rock band Pink Floyd passed away, his life cut short by an excessive lifestyle that saw only glimpses of his immense talent appear to the world. Syd Barrett, who joined the world on 6 January 1946, provided 10 of the 11…

Motown classics on the road

Based on the autobiography of the record label’s founder Berry Gordy, Motown: The Musical premiered on Broadway in April 2013 and has been playing at London’s Shaftesbury Theatre since February 2016. Featuring classic hits by the likes of Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye, the production tells the story of the man who broke down barriers…

Portstock on Parade in June

Portstock Festival will return to Newport this summer following its successful launch last year. A one-day music event with a diverse selection of local food traders, stalls and workshops, the festival is organised by St David’s Hospice Care to raise funds for palliative treatment for people facing life-limiting illnesses. The hospice also provides care and…

Applications open for 2020 Voice

The 2019 version of the hit ITV series The Voice is the eighth, with this year’s contestants about to embark on the ‘knockout stages’ having already survived producers’ auditions, blind auditions and the battle phase. Next up are the knockouts when judges Jennifer Hudson, Will.i.am, Sir Tom Jones and Olly Murs have to pick their…

Top acts about to Hit The North

Now into its third year, Hit The North takes places across 12 venues around Newcastle city centre from 3-5 May 2019. With the main festival taking place on the Sunday, ‘opening parties’ on the Friday are ticketed separately and only valid with a Hit The North wristband. The Friday-night parties see Metronomy playing at the…

Cosmic Puffin spotted near Colchester

It has to be one of the most memorable names for a music festival, but its root stems from the charity gig in 2008 that first inspired it. Now into its second decade, the Cosmic Puffin Festival started out as a fund-raising event for a charity at Basildon and Thurrock Hospital that enables parents of…

Biggest indoor electronic music festival in Scotland

Scotland’s biggest indoor electronic music festival gets underway in Edinburgh in April, when Terminal V Festival returns to the Royal Highland Centre. Taking place on Saturday, 20 April 2019, the 11-hour music extravaganza will feature a carefully curated line-up of legends and emerging international acts over multiple indoor stages in the vast warehouse complex in…

Metronomy to headline Handmade

Metronomy, The Futureheads and The Sherlocks are among the bands lined up for the Handmade Festival, which descends on Leicester over the May bank holiday for a seventh year in 2019. Set across 10 stages, Handmade is an independent music and arts festival that takes place at the O2 Academy Leicester, the Attenborough Arts Centre…