Latest news with #BelleandSebastian
The Courier
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Courier
Snow Patrol star recalls playing Muppets theme tune to 50 people at Kirkcaldy fete
Snow Patrol lead singer Gary Lightbody has recalled playing the Muppets theme tune to just 50 people in Kirkcaldy. The 48-year-old says his performance at a fete in the Fife town was 'one of the most hilarious and tragic events I've ever had'. Speaking to comedian Shane Todd on his Tea With Me podcast, the Northern Irishman told of the horror gig in the band's early days. He said: 'We played this show in Kirkcaldy at a fete in Fife, it was set up for 2,000 people and 50 people showed up. 'We were playing and people were just not digging it. 'Mark, our bass player at the time, broke a bass string so we had to stop the show. 'We had Mick Cooke from Belle and Sebastian playing guitar… Mick had this trumpet so he started playing the theme song from the Muppets. 'This sent the crowd wild; everybody was up, they were dancing and singing along.' Lightbody said once the bass string was fixed he told the crowd they were going to play another song. This was met with a chorus of boos. A short time later, on the advice of Mick Brennan, their sound engineer at the time, the band called it quits. However, things went from bad to worse for Snow Patrol. On leaving the venue, Lighbody realised he hadn't closed the back of their van properly and all the band's equipment had fallen out. He added: 'There were people grabbing our guitars and running off into hedges; [but] nobody touched the merch! 'It's burned into my memory as one of the most hilarious and tragic events that I've ever had.' When two members quit the band in 2023, Lightbody recalled a near-death experience in Perth. Snow Patrol began when Lightbody linked up with Michael Morrison and Mark McClelland while attending the University of Dundee in 1994. During the singer-songwriter's time in Tayside, he also met their future keyboardist Tom Simpson, who is from Monifieth and quit the band in 2013. Speaking five years later on a visit to the City of Discovery, Lightbody said: 'I love Dundee, Dundee gave us a lot.'
Powys County Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
Belle and Sebastian singer Stuart Murdoch joins ME rally at Holyrood
Stuart Murdoch, the lead singer of Belle and Sebastian, has joined campaigners to call for urgent action on ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis). The singer and other people with the condition, which is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, held a rally outside the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday. The group ME Action Scotland is concerned new funding for the condition will not be allocated. Murdoch has previously spoken about how living with ME left him feeling 'invisible' and like a 'non-person'. While there is not a straightforward diagnosis for ME, symptoms can include feeling tired all the time and difficulty sleeping. On 14th May, 2025, #MEAction Scotland volunteers will be calling on the government to translate its promises into urgent, meaningful action. To find out more about how you can make your voice heard, read our website article — #MEAction Scotland (@meactionscot) May 2, 2025 Janet Sylvester, trustee at ME Action Scotland, said: 'We're raising a red alert and calling on the Government to get plans in place so that funding can start going out to health boards and begin to make changes to the dire situation in Scotland. 'We welcomed the budget commitment but it won't mean anything if the money isn't actually spent. Now that the budget year has started, the clock is ticking. 'Our major concern is that it will take so long to allocate the funding that the health boards will not have time to spend it in this financial year, as has happened with past long Covid funding.' The most recent Scottish Government Budget set aside £4.5 million for ME, long Covid and similar conditions. Public health minister Jenni Minto said: 'Supporting people with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, long Covid and similar energy-limiting conditions is an absolute priority. 'We want this money to have maximum impact and we are working closely with health boards across Scotland to allocate it as quickly and effectively as possible.'
STV News
14-05-2025
- Health
- STV News
Belle and Sebastian singer Stuart Murdoch to join ME rally at Holyrood
Stuart Murdoch, the lead singer of Belle and Sebastian, will join campaigners to call for urgent action on ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis). He and other people with the condition, which is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, will hold a rally outside the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday. The group ME Action Scotland is concerned new funding for the condition will not be allocated. Murdoch has previously spoken about how living with ME left him feeling 'invisible' and like a 'non-person'. While there is not a straightforward diagnosis for ME, symptoms can include feeling tired all the time and difficulty sleeping. Janet Sylvester, trustee at ME Action Scotland, said: 'We're raising a red alert and calling on the Government to get plans in place so that funding can start going out to health boards and begin to make changes to the dire situation in Scotland. 'We welcomed the budget commitment but it won't mean anything if the money isn't actually spent. Now that the budget year has started, the clock is ticking. 'Our major concern is that it will take so long to allocate the funding that the health boards will not have time to spend it in this financial year, as has happened with past long Covid funding.' The most recent Scottish Government Budget set aside £4.5 million for ME, long Covid and similar conditions. Public health minister Jenni Minto said: 'Supporting people with ME/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, long Covid and similar energy-limiting conditions is an absolute priority. 'We want this money to have maximum impact and we are working closely with health boards across Scotland to allocate it as quickly and effectively as possible.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Glasgow Times
14-05-2025
- Health
- Glasgow Times
Frontman of huge Scottish band to join Holyrood rally
Stuart Murdoch, frontman of Belle and Sebastian, will join campaigners to call for urgent action on ME (Myalgic encephalomyelitis). READ NEXT: Popular indie rock band formed in 2000s coming to Glasgow He and other people with the condition, which is also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, will hold a rally outside the Scottish Parliament on Wednesday. Murdoch has previously spoken about how living with ME left him feeling 'invisible' and like a 'non-person'. (Image: Image: Newsquest) It comes as the group ME Action Scotland is concerned new funding for the condition will not be allocated. The most recent Scottish Government Budget set aside £4.5 million for ME, long Covid and similar conditions. READ NEXT: American podcaster hails new Glasgow restaurant as 'best she's ever been to' Janet Sylvester, trustee at ME Action Scotland, said: 'We're raising a red alert and calling on the Government to get plans in place so that funding can start going out to health boards and begin to make changes to the dire situation in Scotland. 'We welcomed the budget commitment but it won't mean anything if the money isn't actually spent. Now that the budget year has started, the clock is ticking. 'Our major concern is that it will take so long to allocate the funding that the health boards will not have time to spend it in this financial year, as has happened with past long Covid funding.' While there is not a straightforward diagnosis for ME, symptoms can include feeling tired all the time and having difficulty sleeping. For more information on the condition, visit
Edinburgh Reporter
14-05-2025
- Health
- Edinburgh Reporter
Red Alert for ME rally at parliament on Wednesday
Red Alert for ME: Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch will join campaigners at The Scottish Parliament on Wednesday calling for urgent action on pledged funding Campaigners living with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) fear vital, long-awaited funding could be lost because of delays in allocating money to deliver specialist support projects. The 2025-26 Scottish Budget included – for the first time – £4.5m to fund work across the country to support people with ME, Long Covid, and other similar conditions. But campaigning group #MEAction Scotland is concerned that decisions between the government and health boards over the way the funding will be spent is not moving fast enough – and that could mean nothing moves forward in the budget year, or worse still, the money goes unspent. #MEAction Scotland is to hold a rally outside the Scottish Parliament during ME Awareness Week to demand that funding pledged for people with the condition is spent urgently. One of the speakers will be Stuart Murdoch, lead singer of Scottish indie band Belle and Sebastian, who lives with ME himself and is a long-time advocate, publishing an autobiographical novel about his experience with the illness last year. Janet Sylvester, Trustee, #MEAction Scotland, said: 'We're raising a red alert and calling on the government to get plans in place so that funding can start going out to health boards and begin to make changes to the dire situation in Scotland. 'We welcomed the budget commitment but it won't mean anything if the money isn't actually spent. Now that the budget year has started, the clock is ticking. 'Our major concern is that it will take so long to allocate the funding that the health boards will not have time to spend it in this financial year, as has happened with past Long Covid funding.' The rally is taking place on 14th May during ME Awareness Week and is part of the Millions Missing movement – events organised by the ME community to draw attention to the millions of people around the world missing from society. #MEAction Scotland supporters have been contacting their MSPs and asking them to support the rally at Holyrood. ME is a complex, energy-limiting disease affecting multiple systems in the body, which affects approximately 58,000 Scots. However, there has been a frustrating lack of recognition and support to help those with the condition. The Scottish Government's first outline for ME services was published by the Chief Medical Officer in 2002, just three years after The Scottish Parliament was formed. Subsequent reports were published in 2010 and 2020, which reinforced previous recommendations and found that little progress, if any, had been made. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, numbers living with the condition have grown due to overlaps with Long Covid, and an increasing number of people with Long Covid are now also being diagnosed with ME. Karima Rahman, an #MEAction volunteer who lives with the condition, said: 'We've had 20 years of reports on ME which haven't led to change. Sadly, we saw previous funding for Long Covid services go mostly unspent by health boards – that can't happen again. 'Scotland has no ME medical specialists, despite there being more people ill with it than other conditions such as MS and Parkinson's. The government's warm words must turn into urgent action.' Protesters have asked MSPs from all parties to join them outside parliament this ME Awareness Week to listen to those affected and show their support for swift investment in services. Many people with ME will be too ill to join in person and will instead show their support online. Photos below show scenes from a similar rally in 2022. Like this: Like Related
