Glastonbury Time - The 1975, Neil Young and US pop star Olivia Rodrigo will headline this year’s Glastonbury Festival which opens on Wednesday. Rod Stewart will also be performing on Sunday afternoon in the ‘legend slot’, 23 years after his last appearance at the festival.
Other notable acts on the line-up include Charli XCX, Wolf Alice, The Libertines, Wet Leg, Biffy Clyro, Franz Ferdinand and The Prodigy. There will also be debut Glastonbury performances by Alanis Morisette, Noah Kahan, Gracie Abrams, Lola Young and Doechii.
Glastonbury is known for unpredictable weather so festival-goers are advised to pack for all conditions, including wellies, waterproof clothing and sun cream. There is also a list of prohibited items to ensure the safety and security of everyone on site. Banned items include - but are not limited to - fireworks, Chinese lanterns, drones, glass containers, flares, animals and kites.
At Risk - A ‘significant’ number of theatres are at risk of insolvency, according to a new report from Society of London Theatre and UK Theatre, which predicts that a third of theatres will run at a deficit this financial year. Entitled The State of British Theatre in 2025, the report warns that high attendance disguises a number of mounting challenges, including rising staffing costs that producers anticipate will get even higher.
Regional theatres were flagged as particularly at risk of bankruptcy, with the closure of "even a modest proportion of venues" projected to be "devastating" for the culture sector at large. "The strain is showing," SOLT and UK Theatre co-chief executives Claire Walker and Hannah Essex said. “We are seeing world-class organisations forced to cut programmes, delay maintenance and scale back outreach."
The report draws on insights from across its membership and aims to offer a "comprehensive overview" of the theatre sector in 2025.
Heavy Metal - Metallica have announced a six-date run of shows in the UK and Ireland next summer as part of the band's long-running M72 world tour. The metal icons will play at Glasgow's Hampden Park stadium on 25 June 2026, after playing two dates in Dublin on 19 and 21 June.
The band will then move on to Cardiff's Principality Stadium on 28 June and the London Stadium on 2 and 5 July. It will be their first UK performances since headlining the Download festival in 2023. The M72 tour has been going for four years across Europe and North America with dates in Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East planned later this year.
Studio News - U2 are back in the studio making new music, after a gap of eight years. The four-piece had been on an extended break, as drummer Larry Mullen Jr recovered from neck surgery. Prompted by years of onstage damage to his "elbows, knees and neck", it stopped him recording new material (2023's Atomic City aside) and saw U2 hiring Dutch musician Bram van den Berg for last year's Las Vegas residency. "It was difficult being away because of injury," says Mullen Jr, "so I'm thrilled to be back in a creative environment, even if I'm not 100% there.”
The band were speaking backstage at the Ivor Novello Awards, where they've just become the first Irish group to be given fellowship of the Ivors.
More Metal - Three live acts dubbed "the future stars" of heavy metal are to perform in Birmingham as part of a special BBC celebration of Black Sabbath. Cherrydead, Gans and Meatdripper, all from Birmingham, will take to the stage at the city's town hall for BBC Radio WM Celebrates Metal in the Midlands on 2 July. The event, presented alongside B: Music and Home of Metal, will also feature a film screening and industry panel discussion. It will be held in the city just days before Black Sabbath reunites for a final show at Villa Park on 5 July.
Tour News - Billy Joel has cancelled all forthcoming tour dates after being diagnosed with a rare brain condition. The 76-year-old singer-songwriter - known for classic hits like Piano Man, Uptown Girl and We Didn't Start the Fire - is receiving "excellent care" and is "fully committed to prioritising his health", a statement said.
He has Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH), which is caused by a build-up of fluid in the brain and causes problems with his hearing, vision and balance. After being told by doctors to stop performing live, he has called off 17 dates in 2025 and 2026, including stadium shows at Murrayfield in Edinburgh and Anfield in Liverpool next summer. "I'm sincerely sorry to disappoint our audience, and thank you for understanding," he said.
(Jim Evans)
