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The Herald Scotland
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Fringe may have to live with Murrayfield clashes after Oasis
The two tourists waiting patiently behind me to get into a late night comedy show at the Banshee Labyrinth - where Richard Gadd performed before his Golden Globe, Emmy and Bafta success – are sporting garb that has become increasingly familiar sight around the Fringe in recent days: black t-shirts emblazoned with the logo of the band Oasis. Read more: It is almost a year since the Britpop icons confirmed their comeback was definitely on and would be heading to Edinburgh at the height of its festival season. At that time, I was not alone among those involved in Edinburgh's festivals in feeling a sense of despair that much of the next 12 months would be dominated by the three instantly sold-out shows. The questions began to pile up almost immediately across the post-festival landscape which had barely had chance to draw breath after the 2024 season had drawn to a close. Who agreed to that? How on earth will Edinburgh cope? Where will everyone stay? Who is going to be able to afford to come to the Fringe? The levels of excitement about Edinburgh landing some of the biggest reunions shows in the history of British rock music were almost drowned out by the groans about their potential impact on the city's annual cultural fixtures, particularly the Fringe. On the final day of the festivals, the then Fringe Society chief executive Shona McCarthy published a bleak open letter warning that emerging artists, risk and ambition were being 'squeezed out' of the event due to the impact of a 'relentless rise in the cost of everything' and an unhelpful policy environment. Within days, the Fringe was facing the prospect of three Oasis shows sending accommodation prices soaring, not just on the days of the band's concerts, but across the board in Edinburgh. In February, it was confirmed that a fourth Murrayfield concert would be clashing with the August festivals, this time involving rock legends AC/DC playing their only UK show in Murrayfield. By then, Ms McCarthy was in her final weeks in the job, her impending departure, announced in early October, seeming to herald a new, perhaps more uncertain, era for the festival. If those Murrayfield concerts and the rise in hotel prices have undoubtedly dampened demand from some artists and performers to come to Edinburgh this August, there is little evidence of it in how its programme has taken shape in recent months. Published in early June, the final printed programme boasted 3352 shows, the fourth biggest in the 78-year-old history of the event, with 49,512 shows across 265 venues. Remarkably, the festival has grown significantly in the space of the last two months, despite widespread reports over the crippling cost of accommodation in the city. The Fringe Society tell me their latest figures have grown to 54,921 performances of 3913 shows – the highest tally on record - across 308 venues. The big question, as ever, is how ticket sales have gone, especially given the single biggest new addition to the festival calendar since the first events were staged in 1947. As I waited to get the tram home from the city centre on Sunday night, it suddenly struck me that Edinburgh was winding down from what must have been its busiest ever weekend of live events in the city. As far as I could tell, things could not have gone better at Murrayfield. Just three reports were reported from the two concerts – all on the first night – and the vast operation to get almost 70,000 fans in and out of Murrayfield, and in many cases in and out of the city, seemed to go smoothly. Just one Fringe venue operator, Assembly founder William Burdett-Coutts, was prepared to discuss the impact of the Murrayfield concerts on their box office performance, suggesting that the Oasis effect was not as bad as some had feared or predicted. However, tellingly, the Fringe Society has made it clear that it would not be keen on any future Murrayfield concerts clashing with the Fringe in 2026 and beyond, telling The Herald that this year's run has been 'unnecessary pressure on an already busy city.' DF Concerts, the promoters of the Oasis shows, are acutely aware of the biggest issue, the cost of accommodation, which has clearly impacted on fans of the band, who have of course paid eye-watering prices for their tickets, and many of those who have been working on the gigs. So what are the prospects of any similar happening in future years? Pretty strong, I reckon. Senior officials at Scottish Rugby, the game's governing body, was discussing ambitions to host up to 12 concerts a year at Murrayfield in future. There would have been six this year had Billy Joel not cancelled his planned show due to illness. DF Concerts told me the weekend shows and gone 'incredibly well on all fronts.' It will be no surprise if they are inundated with more approaches to use the stadium throughout the year and August is prime time for large-scale outdoor shows. I suspect that everyone involved in the Fringe, the other festivals and the city council will have to live with a new reality of having to grapple with the impact of the Murrayfield concerts, which are nowhere near any other venues hosting events. This will, of course, do nothing to reverse the trend of Edinburgh becoming an increasingly expensive place to visit, especially during its festivals. The need to come up with imaginative, viable solutions, as would happen during major sporting events, seems more pressing than ever, especially given their 80th anniversary is looming in 2027. The Herald has teamed up with to make the purchase of tickets for the Edinburgh Festival Fringe so much easier. To buy tickets, please click here.
The Herald Scotland
17 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Fringe urges Murrayfield rethink over impact of Oasis shows
Speaking ahead of the final Oasis concert at Murrayfield and an AC/DC show next week, chief executive Tony Lankester said the festival wanted to do everything possible to 'protect the Fringe experience' in August. Read more: The Fringe Society has also questioned claims that the three Oasis shows will have a significant spin-off for Edinburgh's economy. The longest-running venue operator at the Fringe has claimed they lost almost £150,000 worth of on-the-day sales over the weekend compared to the same three days in 2024 due to the staging of the 68,000-capacity Oasis concerts on Friday and Saturday. Oasis sold out three reunion shows at Murrayfield this month. (Image: Newsquest) However the promoters of the Oasis concerts said it was 'undeniable' that many of the band's fans have also been taking in 'multiple' Fringe shows while they are in the city. They have called for affordable accommodation to be 'ringfenced' for Fringe performers in future years as they warned that the cost of visiting the city had become 'very high' in August. The announcement of the Oasis shows last August – the first ever Murrayfield concerts to coincide with the Fringe - sparked immediate concern from venue operators about their impact on the costs of bringing shows to the city. The one-off show by AC/DC, which is the only UK date on a European tour, was announced in February. However this year's Fringe is still expected to be one of the biggest staged in the history of the event. A record 3853 shows have now been registered to date, compared to the previous record-breaking year in 2019, the last festival before the Covid pandemic forced the cancellation of the event. The number of individual performances is lagging behind 2019, with 54,474 registered to date compared to 59,600 six years ago, when there were 323 venues in the programme compared to 265 in this year's line-up. Both the Edinburgh International Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival have reported a year-on-year rise in ticket sales. Mr Lankester told The Herald: ''Having large concerts staged at the same time of the Fringe is not something we would actively encourage. 'We don't believe it results in an optimal experience for either concertgoers or Fringegoers, putting, as it does, unnecessary pressure on an already busy city. 'One consequence is that it results in massively increased demand for travel and accommodation which drives up the prices for everyone, including the concert organisers and fans. 'However decisions around the timing of large touring concerts are largely outside of the control of the Fringe, the city and even the concert promoters. 'If concerts are planned during August in future we will do what we can to protect the Fringe experience, and find ways of working with all stakeholders, including the concert organisers, to make the experience as positive as possible.' William Burdett-Coutts, artistic director of Assembly, which he founded in 1981, said on-the-day ticket sales at his venues were down by more than 9000 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday compared to the same weekend last year, with ticket sales down 16, 15 and six per cent on each day. He told The Herald: 'I think the drop in on-the-day sales over the weekend is totally down to Oasis. 'Prior to this weekend, our advance and on-the-day sales have been up for every day of the festival so far. 'Our venues were a lo quiet than normal over the weekend. We would normally sell out every show on a Saturday night and we didn't. 'I think a lot of people who would normally go to see Fringe shows went to see Oasis. But I think a bigger number of people were deterred from coming into the city because Oasis were on. 'One element was the price of accommodation going mad. The other was transport. People were concerned that it would be much hard to get in and out of town. It like a week day at the Fringe, not a weekend, on Friday and Saturday, to be honest.' Speaking ahead of the third Oasis gig, Geoff Ellis, chief executive of promoters DF Concerts, told The Herald: 'The shows have gone incredibly well on all fronts. 'The band are sounding better than ever with the loudest, most passionate and euphoric audiences that I have ever seen. 'It is also an undeniable fact that many Oasis fans have attended multiple Fringe shows too. 'I've seen it myself walking around the city before and after the concerts. 'I have talked to people who have come to Scotland for Oasis and are also taking in the fringe and EIF too – including personal friends of mine from Manchester who have never attended the Fringe before but will be back again. 'There is a great atmosphere in the city with all the visitors mixing well and enjoying Edinburgh. 'I agree the accommodation cost is an issue. Our hotels are double what we paid last year and the prices are very high in August for all visitors coming to the city, whatever the reason. 'There probably needs to be a solution for Fringe performers to get some accommodation ringfenced at reasonable rates. 'At the end of the day, fans of culture are not all in their own silos, many are interested in - and go to - various events, not just one artform. 'It would actually be cheaper for major artists to come to Edinburgh outwith August due to the higher costs of staging concerts in the city in August. 'however Edinburgh and Scotland has to fit in with international tours. 'It's amazing that Scotland (and Edinburgh) got 3 Oasis shows, the only AC/DC show in the UK, the only headline concerts with Chappell Roan in Europe and Sam Fender into the bargain too.' The benefits of staging the Murrayfield concerts in Edinburgh have been hotly debated by tourism and festival leaders in recent days. Marc Crothall, chief executive of the Scottish Tourism Alliance, shared details on social media of research which suggested the three-night run by Oasis in the city would be worth £136m to the city. Novuna Personal Finance predicted fans would spend £32m on food and drink, £6.2m on accommodation and £27.5m on 'shopping and leisure' while they are in the city. Susan Russell, head of marketing and communications at the Fringe Society, said: 'Project economic spend doesn't take into account potential diverted spend from long-standing major events already happening in Edinburgh during this month's gigs. 'It's misleading to say that it's 'new' impact when significant economic benefit (likely higher to the city as the average length of stay for the festivals is four nights) was already here. 'Music promoters would drive much more economic benefit to the city (and Scotland) if these were scheduled outwith August.' However Jo Buckley, chief executive of the Dunard Centre, the project to create Edinburgh's first purpose-built concert hall for a century, said: 'Setting aside inflated accommodation prices, the economic impact tells a powerful story. 'But this is also 200,000 people sharing in the joy of live music over three days, something whose benefits are hard to measure but I believe are just as powerful.'
Edinburgh Live
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Fringe comedian fumes as she cancels two shows 'due to Oasis gigs'
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Comedian Kate Smurthwaite has pointed the finger at Oasis for her decision to cancel two shows at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, taking to social media to express her frustration, stating, "Oasis should be more considerate". The band's reunion tour has hit Edinburgh with three gigs on August 8, August 9, and August 12, coinciding with the world-renowned arts festival. The British stand-up noticed a stark drop in foot traffic while promoting her act in the city centre and subsequently pulled the plug on two performances due to poor turnout. She lamented: "Big groups of people in Oasis shirts are not interested in my show or anybody else's. "I'm also aware of performers losing their accommodations because landlords have suddenly realised they can make more money by renting the space out to Oasis fans. "It's absolutely heartbreaking to be cancelling shows for the first time in ten years at the Edinburgh Fringe." At 49, Kate expressed her dismay: "I'm pulling shows because no one turned up. I think the Fringe Society should have seen this coming and done more about it, and a band like Oasis should be more considerate of their fellow performers when they decide where and when to put their shows on." Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages She further captioned her post: "The Oasis Effect. Cancelled 2/3 of my shows so far today. Please if you're local or able to get to Edinburgh come and support Fringe acts as the city gets turned into an Oasis-only zone and we all suffer.", reports the Express. Her followers had a mixed reaction to the cancellations, with some suggesting she shouldn't point fingers at Oasis. One individual commented: "Cmon, you can't blame Oasis. It's one of the biggest musical comebacks of our generation, but you really think Oasis or any band, for that matter, won't put a show on because the fringe is on? "That's laughable. Completely different crowds, too. If anything, it'll bring more people to the city!". Another added their two pence worth: "Gonna be honest mate, there were plenty of people at Rizzle Kicks on the night of the first Oasis date at Heaton Park. Rizzle Kicks! I think the problem might not be Oasis." Nonetheless, several fans expressed solidarity with the comedian. A supportive comment read, "Dearest Kate, I am so so sorry... I really hope to get to see you. Sending so much love and support." Another supporter shared similar sentiments: "I agree! I don't understand why Oasis couldn't have come at a different time. What were they thinking?".
Scotsman
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Edinburgh festivals diary: the divided Fringe means we must celebrate the weird and wonderful grassroots
Guest diarist Kate Copstick is exasperated at the divided Fringe but eventually finds her happy place Sign up to our Arts and Culture newsletter, get the latest news and reviews from our specialist arts writers Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... More than ever the Fringe is, it seems to me, dividing. I only have to take a stroll along Infirmary Street, past the imposing edifice that will soon become several hundred thousand pounds' worth of new Fringe Society headquarters, to see exactly what is going wrong. And it is angering and depressing in equal measure. However, down on the Cowgate, I am flyered by an absolutely charming elderly man who encourages me to 'come and see my daughter's Shit Show', points me at the venue and hands me one of the Free Fringe's Wee Blue Books. And I am at the Fringe again. Talking of which, by the time you read this the Fringe Society's AGM will have considered Peter Buckley Hill's motion to level the playing field by making the £2000 grants which they award (for the reasons only known to their chosen team of adjudicators) means tested in some way. Fingers crossed. The Fringe Society will move to new offices on Infirmary Street next year | Supplied But it is great to see that, despite everything against them, to say nothing of on top of them, grassroots manage to keep growing and the weird and the wonderful keep weirding and filling us with wonder. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Make sure you keep up to date with Arts and Culture news from across Scotland by signing up to our free newsletter here. The tome of the brochure doesn't really tell their story – you have to go native and even talk to strangers in strange places, something which might be a new experience to Londoners, but it works. And it is the Fringe, where you really should be seeing more than 'him off the telly' doing work in progress. I have found that avoiding any show with the word 'journey' in the description helps narrow the field considerably this year. Similarly the self-diagnosed victims of acronymic conditions and anyone predicating their comedy hour on their 'struggle'. The rest of my year is spent in Kenya rescuing women and girls from unimaginable abuse, and so my bar for 'struggle' is set quite high. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad As I sit writing this in a pleasant venue cafe, however, I am given a stark lesson in quite how fragile the soul of a comedian can be, as I am informed that the performer I have come to review 'would not be comfortable' with me in his audience because I gave him a bad review last year. But, such is the Fringe, there are always other shows. Pay What You Want does not make you a second-class comedy fan The advent of Pay What You Want in some places which now also offer normal ticketed seats, while the word 'Free' in still in the title of the organisation running the venue, is messy at best. Those of us in the PWYW queue are frequently treated very much like second-class comedy fans on the way in and instructed by the comedian that 'this show is worth £15' (I am quoting from one particular show) on the way out. The PBH Free Fringe is, of course, still free. Peter Buckley Hill - founder of PBH Free Fringe -has been campaigning for Fringe Society grants to be means tested | Contributed
The Herald Scotland
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Vital support for Fringe stars of the future under threat
The UK and Scottish governments will be asked to secure the future of the Keep It Fringe Fund before the end of the year. Read more: However it is understood the at-risk initiative may have to be scaled back dramatically or could be shelved completely unless significant funding can be found. The Fringe Society, the arts charity which oversees the event, has been inundated with more than 2275 applications to help meet the costs of putting on shows at the last three festivals but has only had funding to approve support just over 400 to date. The Edinburgh Festival Fringe has been running since 1947. Picture: Jess Shurte The fund was launched in 2023 by Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge - a former award-winner at the festival - when her charity donated £50,000 for a pilot. At the time said she wanted to support acts who would not otherwise have the chance to bring work to the festival. The first year of the initiative, which was match-funded from donations to the Fringe Society, supported an initial 50 bursaries. Phoebe Waller-Bridge launched the Keep It Fringe Fund three years ago. (Image: 2019 Invision) The Fringe Society was able to extend the fund for another two years after securing permission from the UK Government to transfer £1m it had been pledged for a project to create a new headquarters in a former school building. At the same time, Succession star Brian Cox launched a dedicated US Keep It Fringe Funding to help bring American artists and companies to the event. The initiative is aimed at acts who do not have an existing profile at the Fringe and face financial 'barriers' to taking part in the event. Acts demonstrating 'the greatest need and the boldest ideas' are said to have been prioritised by the panels of independent assessors who score the applications. The Fringe Society has seen growing demands for the bursaries, with an initial 677 applications in 2023, 749 last year and 850 for this month's festival. There is uncertainty over whether the UK Government will continue its support of the fund, even though it has just unveiled its first official partnership with the Fringe Society. The deal is expected to raise the global profile of the Fringe, which is featuring more than 3800 shows from 63 countries this month, and see the festival take part in efforts to promote 'the best of Scotland' at future trade missions, ministerial visits and other overseas events. The Fringe Society has struggled to secure Scottish Government funding in recent years after having applications to arts agency Creative Scotland rejected. However it is hoped that a one-off Scottish Government grant of £300,000 announced earlier this year will lead to further investment being secured by the society. Fringe Society chief executive Tony Lankester said: 'The Keep It Fringe Fund is a work in progress at the moment. 'We are going to be talking to all of our funders, donors, patrons and corporate partners to see how we can replenish the fund. 'The beauty of the Keep It Fringe Fund is that there is a simple, straightforward, transparent process. There's no smoke and mirrors. 'We are putting together an ask to the Scottish and UK government, which will include the UK Keep It Fringe Fund. We would like to secure funding for at least the next three years. 'It's hugely important that it continues. We know the difference it is making to individual artists. For a lot of them, it really has made the difference between them being here and not being here.' Scottish Secretary Ian Murray told The Herald: 'The Keep It Fringe Fund is a really important initiative and has been really successful. 'It has put money straight into the pockets of artists to be able to bring their shows here. That is something we want to support. 'A key part of the new strategic partnership we have signed with the Fringe Society is to make sure we can make the festival as accessible as possible. 'It is hugely expensive to put on a Fringe show and those costs are going up all the time. 'The beauty of the Fringe was to allow fledgling artists to come to Edinburgh and show the world what they could do. 'If the costs of doing the Fringe becomes so expensive for fledgling artists and means they cannot bring their shows here it will mean the big guys just clean up. 'There is a real Fringe that it would turn the world's best cultural ecosystem event into just another place to see the top shows. That's the main thing we have to guard against. 'It's really important to make sure that the Fringe is affordable and accessible. 'There are big discussions to be had about housing, rents, travel and how much it costs to put on a Fringe show. They are all things that will be having discussions with the Fringe Society about.'
