JOHN BOYNE - 'Kate Bush's music helped me through some dark times'
Award-winning author John Boyne has just brought out the 4th and final novella, 'Air', in his 'Elements' series of books. He talked about the book and chose five songs that have meant something special to him throughout his life from Backstreet Boys to Kate Bush to Drake.
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The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- The Irish Sun
Drake UK and Europe tour 2025: How to get tickets — plus Manchester's Co-Op Live seating plan
Canadian superstar Drake has officially announced his 2025 UK tour — $ome $pecial $hows 4 UK. Marking his first 3 Following on from his Wireless Festival performances, Drake will headline four nights in the UK 3 Drake will be joined by some very big name guests Credit: Getty In the summer of 2025, following on his headline appearances at the These shows will take place at two iconic venues — Birmingham's Utilita Arena and Manchester's Co-op Live: July 20, 2025 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham July 21, 2025 – Utilita Arena, Birmingham July 25, 2025 – Co-op Live, Manchester July 26, 2025 – Co-op Live, Manchester He's then going on a massive European tour: read more on drake July 30, 2025 — Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands July 31 — Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam, Netherlands August 7, 2025 — Sportpaleis, Antwerp, Belgium August 11, 2025 — Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland August 15, 2025 — Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany August 16, 2025 — Lanxess Arena, Cologne, Germany August 21, 2025 — Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden August 22, 2025 — Avicii Arena, Stockholm, Sweden August 24, 2025 — Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark August 25, 2025 — Royal Arena, Copenhagen, Denmark August 29, 2025 — Unipol Forum, Milan, Italy August 30, 2025 — Unipol Forum, Milan, Italy September 7, 2025 — Accor Arena, Paris, France September 8, 2025 — Accor Arena, Paris, France September 11, 2025 — Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany September 12, 2025 — Uber Arena, Berlin, Germany September 16, 2025 — Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany September 18, 2025 — Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany September 22 and 23 at Barclays Arena in Hamburg, Germany Joining him on tour is special guest PartyNextDoor, a longtime collaborator and fellow OVO Sound artist, adding extra excitement for fans. Sharing the news on Instagram, Drake said: "FOR THE FIRST TIME IN 6 YEARS, DRAKE PERFORMING THE HITS, OLD AND NEW, ACROSS THE WATERS." This announcement set the stage for what promises to be a memorable summer of music, with fans eager to secure tickets as soon as they become available. Most read in Music Ticket information Tickets for the $ome $pecial $hows 4 UK tour will go on general sale on Friday, June 6, 2025, at 12 pm. They will be available through major platforms including Live Nation, Ticketmaster and AXS. Alexander Volkanovski Breaks 'Drake Curse' With UFC 314 Win To get ahead of the crowd, fans should ensure they have accounts set up on these sites before the sale begins. Presale Presale opportunities are available, starting Wednesday, June 4 at 12 pm via Live Nation, There's another presale starting on Thursday, June 5 at 12 pm through SeatUnique. These presales offer fans multiple chances to grab tickets before the general public sale. Ticket prices Ticket prices have yet to be confirmed, but are expected to align with typical arena concert pricing for an artist of Drake's caliber. For those seeking a premium experience, VIP ticket packages will be on offer. These include benefits such as faster entry through VIP entrances, premium seating in the best sections of the venue and access to hospitality lounges before and after the show, with certain VIP packages also featuring food and drinks. Fans interested in VIP tickets can register their interest via Seating plan Manchester's Co-op Live, where 3 Manchester Co-op Live seating plan Credit: Ticket Master The venue features a large standing floor area near the stage, tiered seating in lower and upper sections, accessible seating options and VIP areas. The stage is positioned at one end, providing excellent sightlines throughout the arena. Co-op Live is located on the Etihad Campus, approximately a 25-minute walk from Manchester Piccadilly Station, with frequent tram services to the nearby Etihad Campus stop. On event days, Metrolink travel is often included with tickets for four hours before and after the show. Parking is available, but must be booked in advance. Top tips Don't wait until the morning of the sale to register — set up accounts with suppliers ahead of time Don't leave accounts unverified — a phone number and passcode may need to be set up Avoid assuming old accounts are active — if you already have an account, check that it's still working, your billing info is accurate and saved, and ensure you know the password Poor internet connection — ensure your internet signal is strong Low batteries — check devices you use are plugged in and/or fully charged Avoid refreshing the page while in the waiting room — ticketing sites use queuing systems where the page updates automatically, so once in the queue it's a good idea to just wait and keep your fingers crossed Drake's 2025 tour is shaping up to be a landmark event, combining his classic hits with new material and supported by PartyNextDoor. Fans should act quickly to avoid disappointment.
Irish Times
5 days ago
- Irish Times
Air by John Boyne: Superb, at-times harrowing, still questioning
Air Author : John Boyne ISBN-13 : 978-0857529855 Publisher : Doubleday Guideline Price : £12.99 In The Irish Times in 2023, Dubliner John Boyne , a multimillion selling author thanks to 2006's The Boy In The Striped Pyjamas, wrote about how he was sexually assaulted while in school . Facing up to this trauma, and reporting it, inspired him to write a quartet of novellas to, in his own words, 'focus on sexual abuse from four different perspectives'. Consequently, Water, Earth and Fire, all published over the past two years, made for uneasy reading. That's not to say they weren't well written, they certainly were, but Fire was particularly harrowing and Boyne said he found that book, narrated by a female paedophile, 'the most difficult and emotionally draining to write'. No one who has been following along with Boyne's elemental suite will, then, be expecting Air to be a light read. As before, he takes characters from previous books and moves them centre stage. Aaron Umber, one of the victims in Fire , is flying from Sydney to Ireland with his teenaged son Emmet. Aaron has split from Emmet's mother Rebecca, a daughter of the Vanessa who in Water temporarily moved to an island off the west coast to grasp at some kind of recovery after her first husband's crimes were revealed. READ MORE Aaron and Rebecca's marriage was a sexless one as both parties were understandably 'completely broken' when they met. Aaron dislikes being touched and recalls a random sexual encounter that shows how damaged he is. He naturally fears that the sins perpetrated on the father might be repeating themselves on the son when he finds semi-naked photos on Emmet's phone. Rebecca is so scarred that her own mother warned Aaron off her the night before their wedding, and has seemingly abandoned her only child. [ John Boyne: How I wrote The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas Opens in new window ] Boyne's main characters are masterfully realised ordinary people trying to move beyond the weight of the past ('It's not fair, is it? Life. You'd wonder whether it's all worth the bother.'). That past continually elbows its way back into the present, such as when Vanessa's second husband Ron, who seems like a perfectly decent fellow, well and truly puts his foot in it. The question Boyne appears to be asking in this superb series is whether anyone, and he might even be including himself in that number, can ever fully escape from such horrific history.
Irish Times
28-05-2025
- Irish Times
The Music Quiz: Which Queen song recently broke one billion streams on Spotify?
American bourbon whiskey brand Virginia Black is a business collaboration with which high-rolling pop star? The Weeknd Snoop Dogg Drake Kid Rock On Sharon Corr's 2010 debut solo album, Dream of You, which rock guitarist is featured on her version of Seán Ó Riada's Mná na hÉireann? Jimmy Page Mark Knopfler Brian May Jeff Beck Which Queen song recently joined Spotify's 'Billions Club', streamed over one billion times? Radio Ga Ga We Are the Champions Somebody to Love Killer Queen Find El Dorado, the forthcoming covers album by Paul Weller, sees the Modfather cover Christy Moore's...? Ride On The Wicklow Boy The Voyage One Last Cold Kiss The title of David Bowie's Thursday's Child (1999) was inspired by the same title of which singer's first autobiography? Eartha Kitt Shirley Bassey Nina Simone Peggy Lee In 1980, at the height of their commercial success, The Specials released a live EP called Too Much Too Young, the B-side of which featured the reggae-ska medley Skinhead Symphony. The medley's three songs are Long Shot Kick de Bucket, Skinhead Moonstomp and...? Prince Buster The Liquidator 007 (Shanty Town) You Can Get It If You Really Want Who is the second-wave 'Oi' punk band heard in the opening scene of Made in Britain, the 1983 BBC drama famously starring young Tim Roth as a 16-year-old racist skinhead? Angelic Upstarts The Exploited UK Subs Cockney Rejects Abel Makkonen Tesfaye is better known as...? Adamski A$AP Rocky The Weeknd Bad Bunny In Bon Jovi's Livin' on a Prayer (1986), where did Tommy (one of the song's two characters) once work? Bar Docks Cafe Casino Three slices of which fruit feature on the cover of The Stone Roses' 1989 self-titled debut album? Lemon Lime Orange Banana
