Luke Littler, 18, shares surreal footage of what it's like to be a darts star with thousands of screaming fans
The 18-year-old was joined by the likes of
2
Luke Littler shared his view from the stage at a darts event in Norwich
2
The 18-year-old played at an exhibition event in Norwich
Credit: Getty
And he played in front of a capacity crowd at Epic Studios.
Before one of his games,
He posted the clip on Instagram and wrote: "Last session in Norwich yesterday afternoon. Some fans."
However, the Nuke's day took a turn when the
READ MORE IN DARTS
At the weekend, Littler shared a photo of the damage on his Instagram story.
He commented: "Just trying to do an exhibition in Norwich and this happens absolute scum of the earth."
The teenager is next in action on Thursday for the penultimate week of Premier League Darts in Sheffield.
Littler has guaranteed his place at the top of the table going into the finals night.
Most read in Darts
He will be joined by
The fourth semi-final spot will be claimed by
Luke Littler and Luke Humphries play out 'best darts match ever' as Wayne Mardle says 'even they're finding it funny'
Whoever wins Premier League Darts will take home £275,000.
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The Irish Sun
25 minutes ago
- The Irish Sun
I just knew one day people would finally get Nick Drake, says legendary producer Joe Boyd
Drake died aged 26 in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime, never knowing how much he would be appreciated. TROUBLED SOUL I just knew one day people would finally get Nick Drake, says legendary producer Joe Boyd 'I REMEMBER the moment I first saw Nick. He was very tall – but kind of apologetically tall.' Legendary producer Joe Boyd is casting his mind back to January 1968, to the day 'very good-looking but very self-effacing' Nick Drake dropped a tape off at his London office. 5 Nick Drake died aged 26 in 1974, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime Credit: Getty - Contributor 'He stooped a bit, like he was trying not to seem as tall as he was. Advertisement 'It was wintertime and there were ash stains on his overcoat. He handed me the tape and trundled off. 'My first encounter with Nick's music was, most likely, that same evening or possibly the following one.' Boyd, an American who became a central figure in the late Sixties British folk-rock boom, was 25 at the time. Drake was 19. He cut a striking figure — lanky with dark shoulder-length hair framing his boyish features. Advertisement Through his company, Witchseason Productions, Boyd came to helm stellar albums by Fairport Convention (with Sandy Denny), John Martyn, Shirley Collins and The Incredible String Band. But there was something indefinably mesmerising about those three songs passed to him by the quiet teenager who studied English Literature at Cambridge University. As Boyd switched on his 'little Wollensak reel-to-reel tape recorder', he was captivated by Drake's soft but sure tones, allied to his intricate fingerpicking guitar. 'I think the songs were I Was Made To Love Magic, Time Has Told Me and The Thoughts Of Mary Jane,' he says. 'From the first intro to the first song, I thought, 'Whoa, this is different'.' I'm speaking to Boyd to mark the release of a beautifully curated box set, The Making Of Five Leaves Left, a treasure trove of demos, outtakes and live recordings. Advertisement Rounding it off is the finished product, Drake's debut album for Chris Blackwell's fabled Island Records pink label. Bob Dylan biopic is an immaculate portrayal of the grumpy singer's rise to fame - shame his women feel like complete unknowns In 2025, the singer's status as one of Britain's most cherished songwriters is assured. A troubled soul, Drake died aged 26 in 1974 from an overdose of antidepressants, never enjoying commercial success in his lifetime, never knowing how much he would be appreciated. But Boyd, now 83, had no doubts about the rare talent that he first encountered in 1968. He picks up the story again: 'Ashley Hutchings, the Fairport Convention bass player, saw Nick playing at The Roundhouse [in Camden Town, North London] and was very impressed. Advertisement 'He handed me a slip of paper with a phone number on it and said, 'I think you'd better call this guy, he's special'. 'So I called and Nick picked up the phone. I said, 'Do you have a tape I could hear?'. He said, 'Yes'.' Boyd still didn't hold out too much hope, as he explains: 'I was very much a blues and jazz buff. I also liked Indian music. 'White middle-class guys with guitars were never that interesting to me — Bob Dylan being the exception that proves the rule. 5 John Boyd holding The Making Of Five Leaves Left, a treasure trove of demos, outtakes and live recordings Advertisement 'But Nick was something else. He wasn't really a folk singer at all.' Boyd describes Drake as a 'chansonnier', a French term for a poet singer who performs their own compositions, often drawing on the themes of love and nature. He says: 'I'm always a bit bemused when I go into a record store — one of the few left — and see Nick filed under folk. He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures.' To Boyd, Drake's enduring appeal is also helped 'by the fact that he didn't succeed in the Sixties'. 'He never became part of that decade's soundtrack in the way Donovan or [Pentangle guitarist and solo artist] Bert Jansch did. Advertisement 'So he was cut loose from the moorings of his era, to be grabbed by succeeding generations.' Drake was born on June 19, 1948, in Rangoon, Burma [now Myanmar], to engineer father Rodney and amateur singer mother Molly. His older sister Gabrielle became a successful screen actress. When Nick was three, the family moved to Far Leys, a house at Tanworth-in-Arden, Warks, and it was there that his parents encouraged him to learn piano and compose songs. I'm always a bit bemused when I go into a record store — one of the few left — and see Nick filed under folk. He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures. Joe Boyd Having listened to the home recordings of Molly, Boyd gives her much credit for her son's singular approach. He says: 'When you hear the way she shaped her strange chords on the piano and her sense of harmony, it seems that it was reverberating in Nick's mind.' Advertisement When Drake gave him those three demos, recorded in his room at Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, Boyd 'called the next day and said, 'Come on in, let's talk'.' During the ensuing meeting, Drake said: 'I'd like to make a record.' He was offered a management, publishing and production contract. Just as importantly, he had found a mentor in Joe Boyd. What you hear on the box set is the musical journey leading up to the release of Five Leaves Left in July 1969. The set was sanctioned by the Estate Of Nick Drake, run on behalf of his sister Gabrielle by Cally Callomon, but only after two remarkable tapes were unearthed. Advertisement His first session with Boyd at Sound Techniques studio in March 1968 — found on a mono listening reel squirrelled away more than 50 years ago by Beverley Martyn, a singer and the late John Martyn's ex-wife. A full reel recorded at Caius College by Drake's Cambridge acquaintance Paul de Rivaz. It had gathered dust in the bottom of a drawer for decades. Boyd says: 'I have never been a big enthusiast for these endless sets of demos and outtakes — so I was highly sceptical about this project. 'But when my wife and I were sent the files a few months ago, we sat down one evening and listened through all four discs. 'I was tremendously moved by Nick. You can picture the scene of him arriving for the first time at Sound Techniques. 'This is what he's been working for. He's got his record deal and here he is in the studio. I was stunned.' 5 Five Leaves Left was released in 1969 Advertisement In pristine sound quality, the first disc begins with Boyd saying, 'OK, here we go, whatever it is, take one.' Drake then sings the outtake followed by some of his best-loved songs — Time Has Told Me, Saturday Sun, Day Is Done among them. It's just man and guitar, recorded before musicians such as Pentangle's double bass player Danny Thompson and Fairport Convention's guitarist Richard Thompson (no relation) were drafted in. Boyd continues: 'The trigger for those recordings, that first day in the studio, was wanting our wonderful engineer John Wood to get a feel for Nick's sound. 'Nick was wide awake and on it. He was excited about being in a studio and he wanted to impress.' Advertisement All these years later, one song in particular caught Boyd's attention — Day Is Done. 'He takes it more slowly than the final version. This gives him time to add more nuance and the singing is so good.' Back then, as Five Leaves Left took shape, Boyd witnessed the sophisticated way Drake employed strings, oboe and flute. Inspired by subtle orchestrations on Leonard Cohen's debut album, Boyd had drafted in arranger Richard Hewson but it didn't work out. 'It was nice, but it wasn't Nick,' he affirms. Advertisement When Drake suggested his Cambridge friend Robert Kirby, a Baroque music scholar, everything fell into place. Boyd says: 'Nick had already been engaging with Robert about using a string quartet but had been hesitant about putting his ideas forward.' SUBTLE ORCHESTRATIONS The producer also recalls being 'fascinated by the lyrics — the work of a literate guy'. 'I don't want to sound elitist but Nick was well educated. British public school [Marlborough College] and he got into Cambridge. 'Gabrielle told me he didn't like the romantic poets much. But you feel that he's very aware of British poetry history.' Advertisement This is evident in the first lines of the opening song on Five Leaves Left — 'Time has told me/You're a rare, rare find/A troubled cure for a troubled mind.' 'When I think about Nick, I think about the painting, The Death Of Chatterton,' says Boyd. 'Chatterton was a young romantic British poet who died, I think, by suicide. You see him sprawled out across a bed.' I ask Boyd how aware he was of Drake's struggles with his mental health. 'It's a tricky question because I was aware that he was very shy,' he answers. 'Who knew what was going on with him and girls?' Boyd believes there was a time when Drake was better able to enjoy life's pleasures. Advertisement 'When you read of his adventures in the south of France and in Morocco, it seems he was more relaxed and joyful. 5 Drake at home with mother Molly and sister Gabrielle 'And when I went up to Cambridge to meet Nick and Robert Kirby before we did the first session, he was in a dorm. 'There were friends walking in and out of the room. There was a lot of life around him.' Boyd says things changed when 'Nick told me he wanted to leave Cambridge and move to London. Advertisement 'I agreed to give him a monthly stipend to help him survive. He rented a bedsit in Hampstead — you could do that in those days. 'Nick started smoking a lot of hashish and didn't seem to see many people. I definitely noticed a difference. 'He'd been at Marlborough, he'd been at Cambridge and suddenly he's on his own, smoking dope, practising the guitar, going out for a curry, coming back to the guitar some more. He became more and more isolated and closed off'. Boyd describes how Drake found live performance an almost unbearable challenge. He says: 'He had different tunings for every song, which took a long time. He didn't have jokes. So he'd lose his audience and get discouraged.' Advertisement 'It still haunts me that I left the UK' For Drake's next album, Bryter Layter, recorded in 1970 and released in 1971, Boyd remained in charge of production. Despite all the albums he's worked on, including REM's Fables Of The Reconstruction and Kate and Anna McGarrigle's classic debut, he lists Bryter Layter as a clear favourite. It bears the poetic masterpiece Northern Sky with its heartrending opening line – 'I never felt magic crazy as this.' Boyd says: 'I can drop the needle and relax, knowing that John Wood and I did the best we could.' However, he adds that it still 'haunts me that I left for a job with Warner Bros in California after that. I was very burnt out and didn't appreciate how much Nick may have been affected by my leaving'. Advertisement Drake responded to Boyd's departure by saying, 'The next record is just for guitar and voice, anyway'. Boyd continues: 'So I said, 'Well, you don't need me any more. You can do that with John Wood'.' When he was sent a test pressing of 1972's stripped-back Pink Moon, he recalls being 'slightly horrified'. 'I thought it would end Nick's chances of commercial success. It's ironic that it now sells more than his other two.' Then, roughly a year after leaving the UK, Boyd got a worried call from Drake's mum. 'Molly said she had urged Nick to see a psychiatrist because he had been struggling,' he says, with sadness, 'and that he had been prescribed antidepressants. Advertisement 'I know Nick was hesitant to take them. He felt people would judge him as crazy — a typically British response.' Boyd again uses the word 'haunting' when recalling the transatlantic phone call he made to Drake. 'I said, 'There's nothing shameful about taking medicine when you've got a problem'. I know Nick was hesitant to take them [antidepressants]. He felt people would judge him as crazy — a typically British response Joe Boyd 'But I think antidepressant dosages were way higher in those days than they became. 'Doctors didn't appreciate the rollercoaster effect — how you could get to a peak of elation and freedom, then suddenly plunge back into depression. Advertisement 'Who knows but it might have contributed to the feeling of despair Nick felt the night he took all those extra pills.' 5 Boyd says of Drake: 'He's unclassifiable and that's one of the reasons he endures' Drake died at home in Warwickshire during the early hours of November 25, 1974. As for Boyd, he made a lasting commitment to the singer who had such a profound effect on him. He says: 'When I left, I gave my company to Chris Blackwell because there were more debts than assets — and he agreed to take on the debts. 'But I said, 'I want it written in the contract that you cannot delete Nick Drake. Those records have to stay. Advertisement 'I just knew that one day people would get him.'
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
Harry Redknapp knows just how Eddie Howe is feeling… he lived the Alexander Isak transfer saga nightmare at Tottenham
YOUR best player is being wooed by a ruthless rival club. He wants a pay rise. He wants big trophies. He claims promises have been broken. 7 Alexander Isak is desperate to leave Newcastle United Credit: GETTY 7 The Swedish striker has refused to play for the club again in order to force through a move to Liverpool Credit: GETTY 7 Former Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp found himself in a similar situation with Luka Modric Credit: GETTY Harry Redknapp has been there and done that with Luka Modric. Now, Alexander Isak is at war with Newcastle as he tries to force a move to champions Liverpool. In the summer of 2011, Modric wanted Chelsea — only to end up staying at Tottenham for another year. Many in the Toon Army will hope the Isak saga has the same ending — but the stars have behaved differently. READ MORE FOOTBALL NEWS ISAK'S BACK! Glum Alexander Isak seen training alone at Newcastle as transfer row goes on And Redknapp is not the only one who thinks it is inevitable Isak will end up at Anfield by September 1. But 14 summers ago, it felt certain Modric was off to Stamford Bridge. In his third season, Spurs finished fifth, six points off Champions League qualification. Chelsea, who came second, had just appointed Andre Villas-Boas as boss and sensed an opportunity. SUN VEGAS WELCOME OFFER: GET £50 BONUS WHEN YOU JOIN 7 Chelsea were desperate to add Luka Modric, Harry Redknapp's star midfielder, to their squad Modric later revealed in his autobiography, he was on a speedboat with his management team heading for the yacht of Blues owner Roman Abramovich. Modric wrote: ''Do you think Tottenham will resist your transfer? Are they going to put up a fight?' Abramovich asked. 'That bothers me' - Jamie Carragher tells Liverpool NOT to sign £150million Alexander Isak from Newcastle ''I think the negotiations are going to be tough,' I replied because I knew the clubs were not on good terms.' Redknapp, 78, joked: 'I didn't know about the yacht thing at the time. 'I'd have asked if could if I could have a week on it, too!' Modric's fears proved well-founded. Chelsea offered £22million. Spurs supremo Daniel Levy said no. The Blues came back with £27m. No deal. Modric's problem was that he had signed a new six-year contract 12 months earlier. So, like Isak, he went public with his desire to leave. Modric cited Chelsea's ability to compete for the Champions League and Premier League and said he had a 'gentleman's agreement' with Levy that he could leave for a 'big club'. Shades of Isak there, but Modric took a less aggressive approach. The Croatian added: 'I don't want to fight and argue with Tottenham. I want to go in a good way, a friendly way so I can stay friends with them. 'I love them and they love me but that's the way it is and I have to think what is best for my career.' Although Redknapp was disappointed, he could see Modric's point of view. Redknapp said: 'He wasn't earning anywhere near what average players at other clubs were getting. Harry Redknapp on Luka Mordric 7 Luka Modric didn't go to such extremes to try to force through a move away from Tottenham 'He had a chance to play Champions League and double his money. I couldn't sit there and go, 'It's wrong.' 'I loved my time at Portsmouth, but I left and went to Tottenham. That's football.' The tug-of-war over Modric went on through the summer. But Modric was on the plane for Spurs' pre-season trip to South Africa. Unlike Isak, who missed Newcastle's tour of the Far East because of an alleged injury as rumours of Liverpool's intentions grew. Modric remained professional for most of the summer but asked to be left out of the season opener against Manchester United, saying his 'head was not in the right place'. He also requested to miss the next match, at home to Manchester City. But Redknapp persuaded him to play in what turned out to be a 5-1 defeat and what Modric called 'one of my worst performances'. Chelsea made a £40m bid on deadline day, but Levy stood firm. Redknapp said: 'I told Luka I understood, but said, 'Come on, let's have another year, I think we can do something good'.' 'Luka could have easily thrown the toys out the pram and said, 'I'm not playing, I'm not training, I'm injured'. 'But he is an incredible person as well as an incredible player. 7 Harry Redknapp ended up getting one more season out of Luka Modric Credit: TIMES NEWSPAPER LTD 'That's probably why he's still at the top level now, at nearly 40.' Redknapp made Modric captain and he had an excellent season for Spurs. He earned their player of the season award despite the previous summer's intrigue. Redknapp's side finished fourth in the Premier League and would normally have qualified for the Champions League. But Chelsea, having ended up sixth after another tumultuous campaign, became European champions for the first time under caretaker boss Roberto di Matteo . . . and so snatched Spurs' place off them by virtue of being the holders. Redknapp left Spurs soon afterwards — and urged Sir Alex Ferguson to buy Modric for Manchester United. He recalled: 'What's funny is that the Chelsea manager who had been ringing Luka all the time, Andre Villas-Boas, ended up replacing me at Tottenham. 7 Alexander Isak will have a tough job getting the St James' Park faithful back onside if he doesn't join Liverpool Credit: PA If he plays and scores a goal, there will be 50,000 Geordies singing his name." Harry Rednkapp on Alexander Isak "Sir Alex spoke to me about Luka and I said, 'Take him, take him, he's fantastic'. But Luka ended up going to Real Madrid. 'And that didn't turn out too bad for him, did it?' Real paid £30m for Modric, £10m below Chelsea's final bid of the previous summer. But Spurs had refused to be bullied by the Blues and got one more season out of their midfield maestro. So, if Isak does not get his move to Liverpool, could he win back his Newcastle team-mates and the fans? Redknapp said: 'If he plays and scores a goal, there will be 50,000 Geordies singing his name. The game has been like that forever. 'As long as you're winning, fans soon forget. That's how stupid it all is, really.'
The Journal
3 hours ago
- The Journal
'This is all I want to do': Meet the Dubliner documenting Ireland's marine life
IRELAND'S MARINE LIFE may appear underrepresented compared to our wildlife – there is much talk of our flóra agus fána , but perhaps slightly less about our ainmhithe agus éisc mhara . Joey Batt, a 32-year-old health and safety and operations coordinator at Dublin Port, thinks so anyways. That's why he's taken to sharing his hobby documenting marine life off Ireland's west coast online to his tens of thousands of followers. The Journal / YouTube Batt was born and raised in Sheriff Street in the north inner city of Dublin. He told The Journal that before Covid hit, he had left Dublin only twice: once to go to Spain and once to France on school holidays. 'We used to go to Balbriggan [in north county Dublin] every year,' he said. He bought his first drone roughly eight years ago to use as a hobby, and then began using it to take pictures. It was only during the Covid years that he began to take interest in what was going on in Irish waters. He and a friend set off in the car when restrictions lifted and decided to head somewhere. 'We just opened Google Maps and said, 'where will go we go?' and we just zoomed in on everywhere. We just found a place and there was blue water on the map, so we said we'd go there.' They drove four and a half hours to Keem Bay in Co Mayo. 'When you turn up around that bend on a sunny day you're just like, what even is this?' Batt said. There were dolphins there at the time. Now, Batt spends most of his weekends travelling the west coast and documenting marine life on his TikTok and Instagram pages, Dublin Drone, which have a combined following of almost 100,000. Dingle Bay's Humpback whale captured in full flight. Joey Batt / Instagram Joey Batt / Instagram / Instagram When he spoke to The Journal earlier this week, he hadn't long returned from five days at Loop Head in Co Clare where he observed basking sharks swimming in formations. 'This is probably one of the rarest events that sharks do,' he said. 'You have these basking sharks that arrive off the coast out of nowhere, and they all just come together in big formations.' It only happens once a year for around a week and there is not a set date to look out for – Batt received word that it had begun and he dropped everything to head straight to Clare. Advertisement 'They still don't exactly know what they're doing, but they're swimming in these beautiful formations,' he said. Tourists gathered to watch the occasion and in the evening times, locals would head down to observe the annual phenomenon. Joey Batt / Instagram Joey Batt / Instagram / Instagram Batt devotes enormous amounts of time to his documentation of these events, but makes no money from it. In Ireland, the only way to make money off social media is through sponsorships and paid advertisements, which Batt has decided not to attach himself to. His main focus is on raising awareness in Ireland of the vastness and intricacies of Irish marine life. 'The plan is to try to help highlight what's out there,' he said. 'That's all I want to do – to really highlight what's in Irish waters.' A grey seal colony relaxing on the edge of Bull Island. Joey Batt / Instagram Joey Batt / Instagram / Instagram He said that many people have no idea the extent of marine mammals close to the country's coast. 'I didn't even know we had dolphins,' he said, before he had travelled to other parts of the country several years ago. The Journal / YouTube For those interested in viewing more of marine life or travelling to various parts of Ireland, Batt recommends both Dingle Bay and Donegal Bay. Dingle Bay is a prime spot to view dolphins, basking sharks, fin whales, and minke whales, depending on the time of year, he said. 'You have the large colony of seals down in Dingle: Ireland's largest colony of grey seals is down in Dingle on the Blasket Island Beach.' And Donegal Bay? 'I'd call it the humpback central of Ireland. Every year they have so many humpbacks.' Next month, he's to begin a marine mammal course, having been put forward for it by Education for Sustainable Development (ESD). Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
