Latest news with #MusicVenueTrust
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Man runs from Leeds to London to see Sam Fender
There are a number of methods of travelling to a concert, but the chances are, the average music fan hasn't considered an ultra-marathon. That's how Andy Hobson, 34, is planning to reach the London Stadium next Friday. He is running from his hometown of Leeds to London to see Sam Fender in concert. His journey will start outside the Brudenell Social Club on Saturday, and will end on the 6 June in the Olympic Park in east London, where Fender is performing. The 252 mile (407km) journey will be in support of the Music Venue Trust, a charity which acts to protect UK grassroots music venues, and which Andy believes he "owes his life to" during struggles with his mental health. Andy, who works in the emergency services, was not originally planning the marathon fundraiser when he bought tickets to see Fender play in London, as part of his People Watching tour. He said: "I bought the ticket and instantly I thought, I wonder if I can run from Leeds to London?". Andy is using the challenge to raise money for grassroot music venues "to help make a difference to that sector". "I loved going to music venues, especially small independent ones, when I was struggling with my mental health," he said. "On a particular day, when I wasn't feeling too great, I would book a tickets for the most random gig. "I knew I would go into those places and feel a sense of community, so I wanted to create a fundraiser to help make a difference to that sector - which I felt like, at the time I was struggling, I owe my life to it" he said. In addition, Fender is donating £1 from every ticket sale sold for the UK dates to the charity, something which "reinforced" Andy's decision. During the week-long journey, Andy will start and end each leg at a different music venue, including the Leadmill in Sheffield which recently announced it is leaving its current venue. Friends, music and podcasts will power Andy through the challenge, which he plans to break into 10-hour running shifts. He said the financial outlay he has spent on equipment will be another incentive to complete the challenge. "Once I get stuff like the clothing and branding - being a Yorkshire man - it gets me thinking, I have paid for it now - so I have to do the job now. I have got to see it through. "Even in the difficult bits, I will think, I have paid for this top - I have to do it now!" So which Sam Fender songs will provide Andy with inspiration on his journey? "Seventeen Going Under will feel like such a big song. But recently, off his latest album, Nostalgia's Lie has been quite a good song for me. "It feels very relevant to this journey. I'm sort of looking towards my future self, if that makes sense?" Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North. Why Leeds' independent venues are struggling Indie bar announces closure after 16 years 'I like to think that me running is saving someone's life'
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Man runs from Leeds to London to see Sam Fender in concert
There are a number of methods of travelling to a concert, but the chances are, the average music fan hasn't considered an how Andy Hobson, 34, is planning to reach the London Stadium next Friday. He is running from his hometown of Leeds to London to see Sam Fender in journey will start outside the Brudenell Social Club on Saturday, and will end on the 6 June in the Olympic Park in east London, where Fender is 252 mile (407km) journey will be in support of the Music Venue Trust, a charity which acts to protect UK grassroots music venues, and which Andy believes he "owes his life to" during struggles with his mental health. Andy, who works in the emergency services, was not originally planning the marathon fundraiser when he bought tickets to see Fender play in London, as part of his People Watching tour. He said: "I bought the ticket and instantly I thought, I wonder if I can run from Leeds to London?". Andy is using the challenge to raise money for grassroot music venues "to help make a difference to that sector"."I loved going to music venues, especially small independent ones, when I was struggling with my mental health," he said."On a particular day, when I wasn't feeling too great, I would book a tickets for the most random gig."I knew I would go into those places and feel a sense of community, so I wanted to create a fundraiser to help make a difference to that sector - which I felt like, at the time I was struggling, I owe my life to it" he addition, Fender is donating £1 from every ticket sale sold for the UK dates to the charity, something which "reinforced" Andy's decision. During the week-long journey, Andy will start and end each leg at a different music venue, including the Leadmill in Sheffield which recently announced it is leaving its current music and podcasts will power Andy through the challenge, which he plans to break into 10-hour running shifts. He said the financial outlay he has spent on equipment will be another incentive to complete the challenge. "Once I get stuff like the clothing and branding - being a Yorkshire man - it gets me thinking, I have paid for it now - so I have to do the job now. I have got to see it through."Even in the difficult bits, I will think, I have paid for this top - I have to do it now!" So which Sam Fender songs will provide Andy with inspiration on his journey?"Seventeen Going Under will feel like such a big song. But recently, off his latest album, Nostalgia's Lie has been quite a good song for me."It feels very relevant to this journey. I'm sort of looking towards my future self, if that makes sense?" Listen to highlights from West Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Manchester WILL get tallest tower after council approve it second time
Manchester WILL get a new tallest tower after the council approved a 76-storey skyscraper for the second time. Developer Salboy sought the green light for its 246m-tall 'Nobu Manchester' tower last month, with the skyscraper taking its name from the luxury hotel it will house along with 452 apartments. It was set to become Manchester's tallest tower when it secured planning permission on April 10, overtaking Renaker's Plot D tower, which will be 213m tall when construction finishes. READ MORE: Girl, 13, 'topples into reservoir in front of her dad while taking photo' READ MORE: Boy, 13, beaten up by 'five men' with 'bats and weapons' on busy Manchester road But 'changes to access' to the buildings made during the planning process meant a 'perhaps overcautious' Manchester council decided to 'reconsult' neighbours, according to Dave Roscoe, a senior figure in the council's planning department. That meant the application was re-assessed in full on Thursday (May 29). After opening for consultation again, the Music Venue Trust said 'further acoustic testing should be undertaken' on nearby music venue Rebellion, which feared complaints from new residents. 'It is a long-established Mancunian cultural space, being a home for live music since 2013 and hosting in excess of 220 events annually,' a council report prepared before the meeting said of the Trust's objection. Mr Roscoe said at Thursday's town hall meeting both Rebellion and convention centre Manchester Central — which initially opposed the development — would undergo more acoustic testing to assess the effects of noise from the venues would have on Nobu Manchester. Councillors again voted to approve the development. Simon Ismail, Salboy boss, said: 'As the location of not just the tallest tower outside London but a large number of high quality affordable homes, Viadux has the potential to become a symbol of this city's aspirations and confidence in itself. Viadux now promises to shape not only Manchester's skyline for years to come, but the city's sense of identity on the global stage.' A similar situation unfolded with another apartment block nearby, set to be built on Whitworth Street West. The £118M, 44-storey tower is also near Rebellion, and the Music Venue Trust said its 'operators must be actively included, and venue operations appropriately surveyed' the same report added. 'Without consideration of the venue this proposal would have an adverse impact on the cultural organisation's ongoing viability and would result in homes with unacceptable amenity and quality,' it went on. Applications to keep restaurant, performance venue, and bar Diecast open permanently on Store Street, and a new SEND pupils' unit as William Hulme's Grammar School in Whalley Range were also approved.
BBC News
26-05-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Plans for Manchester's tallest tower hit by admin setback
Plans to build what would become Manchester's tallest tower have suffered a setback after an administrative error left the council needing to re-assess planning permission it granted last 807 ft (246m) high Nobu Manchester would stand higher than the nearby Deansgate Square South Tower and under-construction "Plot D" block.A similar error has also affected plans for another skyscraper on Whitworth Street West, near Deansgate Locks, which was also approved at the same 10 April applications will be heard again on Thursday, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said, and both are again recommended for planning approval. Nobu Manchester would become the UK's tallest building out of London."Viadux has the potential to become a symbol of this city's aspirations and confidence in itself," said developer Salboy's Simon Ismail, after obtaining planning permission for the 76-storey tower, behind the Manchester Central convention centre, would feature 452 flats and a 160-bedroom a council report said an administrative error meant that a key body - the Music Venue Trust (MVT) - was not properly consulted and submitted an "objection which presented new information" after which is a charity, said the building could affect Rebellion, a nearby gig venue. The council report said Rebellion is "a long-established Mancunian cultural space" hosting live music since 2013 and more than 220 annual events is an important hub of grassroots music and cultural activity, the report report also said Rebellion's operators "must be actively included, and venue operations appropriately surveyed" as the plan "would have an adverse impact on the cultural organisation's ongoing viability".Developer Glenbrook also has to resubmit an application for the £118m 44-storey skyscraper on Whitworth Street report said MVT should have been consulted, which meant "key factors such as worst-case noise scenarios, audience attendance numbers and venue operation timings, which include live music and DJ events throughout the week" had not been Utilities also objected to the application "as it appears to be located above their combined sewer, which they will not permit building over" the document continued, but said Glenbrook was working with UU to resolve that objection. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Metro
23-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
'Gigs don't have to cost £400 - the next Taylor Swift could be down the road'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video For music fans hoping to see the next global superstar before they hit stadiums, or simply find your new favourite band, grassroots venues are the answer. For singer-songwriter Frank Turner, who spent years honing his craft in independent venues all around the world from London to Louisiana, they're the lifeblood of the music scene, as well as being an affordable way for fans to experience art. He exclusively told Metro: 'It's all very well going to see Taylor Swift play to stadium, and good luck to her. I think she's phenomenal. But it's just like, you know that going to a gig can also cost 15 quid or 10 quid or whatever? 'It doesn't have to cost 400 quid, and it can be at the end of your road, and it can be a thing where you meet the band afterwards, and you stand in the front row. 'It's just a different cultural event. And you might end up encountering a band who go on to become the next Taylor Swift or whatever. But even if they don't, they might just be great in and of themselves.' Frank, typically flanked nowadays by his backing band the Sleeping Souls, has long being a champion of organisations like the Music Venue Trust and the work they do to support the scene. 'The culture that is my both professional and personal and social life is a noisy one, and it needs a space in which to exist. And if those spaces don't exist, the culture cease to exist,' the 43-year-old folk punk musician warned. Ticketing app DICE has put together a list of their 25 grassroots artists you need to see in London over the next six months. With tickets ranging from free to £27.50, these shows will ensure a great night to suit all tastes and budgets. Click HERE to catch the full list. It's not just the next Taylor – British institutions like Ed Sheeran, Adele, Radiohead and recently-reformed Oasis all came up through the independent venue circuit, as well as rising stars (and Frank's occasional tour mates) The Lottery Winners. 'If those places hadn't existed, none of those bands would exist,' he added. 'We'd still probably have Simon Cowell's contribution to music, which is fine, but it's not everything.' It's why Frank has continued to voice his support for London's grassroots scene, after Metro helped launch of the London Grassroots Music Tube Map. The new campaign is being run alongside the Mayor of London, Transport for London and organisations including the MVT, Featured Artist Coalition, Outernet and Universal Music. For Frank, it all started in those small rooms, which are constantly at risk. He's played more than 3,000 shows to date (under his own name, there are many more in other projects like newly-reformed post hardcore act Million Dead), and the journey started 30 years ago. 'I went to my first gig at Indie venue in 1995 onto the Joiners Arms, and it was a really important moment for me. I was a very alienated, isolated kid. And then I found a punk crowd and I found my tribe,' he smiled. He also recalled his time at venues like the Camden Barfly and the legendary Nambucca, with the likes of Libertines, Marcus Mumford, Laura Marling, The Libertines and Frank himself championing an almost mythical scene from the old Holloway Road venue. In those rooms – and other 'wonderful, strange little places' across London and beyond – musicians are able to hone their skills, build an audience, and discover something even more profound. Recalling an early gig at The Bridge House in Copsale, Surrey in 2007, when Frank was roughly 300 shows into his now-3,043 (and counting) run of gigs. 'It's in the middle of nowhere, at a road junction. I was skeptical in the extreme, and I went down, and it was rad,' he beamed. 'Ryan, the guy who ran the place, was a diamond, and end up playing accordion with me on stage that night. I stayed over at the bar, stayed up all night and made friends for life.' These places are at risk, with MTV's establishment in 2014 being a turning point to give some 'consideration' and support to venues battling everything from 'changes in planning laws' to 'increases in business rates'. He added: 'If you look at the kind of funding that goes towards opera and classical music and stuff like that – which is fine, I'm not objecting to it in principle – but there's just gallons of public money that gets flushed around that world.' As Frank himself pointed out, in the UK he's outgrown the independent venue circuit (despite occasional ventures back into that world), but his current US tour is almost taking his act back to its roots as just a man and his guitar. 'Load in takes about three minutes, which is a nice,' he laughed. 'I get to play with the set list a bit more and be more conversational and all that. But ultimately, if you put a gun to my head, I would choose band shows. But thankfully, no one's doing that!' He's currently on another leg of his Undefeated world tour, promoting the 2024 album of the same name. Despite usually being immediately critical of his most recent work, he's 'oddly' content. More Trending 'I'm as happy with Undefeated today as I was on the day when I finished it, which is unusual for me,' he smiled, acknowledging that his typically blunt self-assessment generally helps him push on with his next album. 'It's slightly paralyzing the fact that I feel as good about it because I'm not quite sure what comes next,' he admitted. 'Having said that, I've got a few new songs in the bank at the minute that I'm more pleased with than the other ones I've written recently.' It's too soon to know what his 11th studio album could sound like – he joked he probably won't revisit any old idea of making 'a white soul album' – but for now, he's content to go with the flow. 'I'd be quite happy for this to be a two, three year album cycle. I'll do another record when I'm ready,' he promised, as well as teasing another to-be-announced European run. 'But for the time being, I love being on tour. I love these songs, and I'm enjoying myself.' Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. 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