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…

Nottinghamshire venue for the Big Fake

Nottinghamshire’s Thoresby Park is the setting for one of the biggest gatherings of “fake” bands seen in the UK, with The Big Fake Festival bringing 24 unreal acts together for three days of the nation’s favourite hits from 30 August to 1 September 2019. The conclusion to a summer of “Fake Festivals” across the country,…

X Factor auditions underway for 2019

The X Factor Live Tour 2019 begins in Nottingham this week, with the stars of the 2018 series Dalton Harris, Scarlett Lee, Anthony Russell, Danny Tetley, Acacia & Aaliyah, Brendan Murray, Shan Ako and Bella Penfold going on the road to venues across the UK and Ireland until 6 March. And if the sight of…

Countdown to Melbourne revs up

The countdown to the start of the new Formula One season begins in earnest tomorrow as Toro Rosso and Williams launch their new cars for 2019, following on from Haas, who unveiled their VF-19 machine last week. On Tuesday Renault get in on the act, followed by Racing Point, Mercedes and Red Bull on Wednesday,…

All in all… another brick in the wall

The Milton Keynes Brick Festival… sounds like something that might attract staff from Redrow, Persimmon or Barratt… but actually it’s more likely to appeal to their children since it is, in fact, a celebration of brightly-coloured, interlocking plastic pieces produced by a certain Danish toy producer. Featuring some out-of-this-world displays, such as an incredible large-scale…

Drinking thinkers’ crawl continues

Award-winning drinks writers and comedy performers Ben McFarland and Tom Sandham have had a busy schedule since embarking on their bar crawl around the UK in October last year but after a break over the Christmas period they’re back on the road again later this month. As educational as it is entertaining, The Thinking Drinkers…

The Book of John

After a a six-year break from touring, Welsh comedian Rhod Gilbert is back on the road in 2019 with a new show, The Book of John. The tour kicks off on Saturday, 2 February, at the William Aston Hall in Wrexham and spans 52 venues over six months, with two nights at both London’s Eventim…

Togfest in Milton Keynes

The beautiful grounds of Bradwell Abbey, Milton Keynes, will come alive to the sound of music from 23-24 June when Togfest 2017 gets underway. An all-music festival, Togfest 2017 features top live original music from the UK and beyond and this year includes Manchester rockers Kyngs, Southbank Crows from London, Dan Plews, Holm, The Reluctants,…