Latest news with #PolygonLiveLDN
Metro
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Surprising Victoria Wood documentary that inspired beloved 00s song
In 2004, a two-part documentary aired on Channel 4, which saw Victoria Wood investigating how different life can be for a plus-sized person. The innocuous miniseries would go on to inspire a Top 10 anthem for beloved singer Mika, released just four years later. 'It is one of my favourite tracks and brilliant to play live,' he once said of the track. 'Everyone sings along.' This was not your standard pop hit, though; it was a celebration of plus-sized women inspired by a unique nightclub that championed them, featured in the documentary. Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) peaked at number nine on the UK charts but has become a feel-good staple on the Grace Kelly hitmaker's setlists. Mika, 41, revealed he was inspired while watching a Victoria Wood documentary, which featured a 'size acceptance' club, The Butterfly Lounge. The Butterfly Lounge was a real nightclub in Costa Mesa, California, opened by Kathleen D by the side of a highway. It featured in Channel 4's Victoria Wood's Big Fat Documentary, a two-part series exploring weight, which aired in 2004. During the final episode, the late comedian visits the Butterfly Lounge after talking to some dancers who perform there about how it 'changed their lives'. 'Most of the women who come here are pretty big, but this is not about celebrating obesity,' Victoria explained. 'It's more that they're allowing themselves to be ordinary and have a good time.' Metro has teamed up to give away 20 pairs of tickets to Polygon Live LDN, a unique new festival taking place in London's Crystal Palace Park from 2-4 May 2025. Blending light and spatial sound, the 360° immersive festival has a stellar lineup including popular artists such as Max Cooper, Jon Hopkins and Tinariwen, as well as the likes of Arooj Aftab and Photay. For a chance to win an incredible day out at this UK-first festival for you and a friend, simply enter your details here. You have until midnight on 18 April 2025 to enter. Good luck! *Open to GB (excluding N. Ireland) residents aged 18 or over. Promotion open from 12:01 on 02/04/2025 and closes at 23:59 on 18/04/2025. 1 entry per person. 20 prizes of 2x General Admission Single Day tickets to attend 1 day of Polygon Live LDN 2025 at Crystal Palace Park, valid for either Friday 2 May 2025, Saturday 3 May 2025 or Sunday 4 May 2025. 1 entry per person. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Full Polygon T&Cs apply to entry and attendance, see here. In the documentary, Kathleen shared: 'It's about going to a club and not worrying about being accepted because of your size. Most clubs you go into, the women are a smaller size. 'A large woman goes in there and feels uncomfortable so I created a club that everybody could go into, no matter what size you are, and still have a good time.' She revealed that people would open up over time, going from sitting in the corner to dancing the night away in 'lingerie'. 'I'm telling people it's okay to be who you are and accept who you are and you can still be sexy and still be sensual,' Kathleen added. Sadly, the Butterfly Lounge shut down in 2021 after the business failed to stay afloat during COVID-19. However, Mika is determined to carry on the legacy every single time he sings Big Girl (You Are Beautiful) as he shared with the crowd at Brighton Pride in 2024. 'The Butterfly Lounge was a club that really existed,' he told the crowd as he donned a butterfly headband. Mika continued: 'It was opened by a woman who was sick of going to clubs and having people make fun of her or make nasty comments because they thought she was too fat and not thin enough.' He revealed he had been to meet Kathleen and her friends after seeing the Victoria Wood documentary. 'But Brighton, we've got a problem,' the Lollipop singer said. 'Because the Butterfly Lounge shut down and doesn't exist anymore. 'So I ask you all, my friends at Brighton Pride, at the count of three, we are going to recreate the Butterfly Lounge here tonight, together.' Four years ago, Kathleen responded to a patron asking if it would ever open again, to which she replied: 'I live in Vegas, so hopefully after the pandemic I can open out here.' So far, the lounge does not appear to have reopened. Mika has revealed that the song was written at 2.30am, when he was unable to sleep before a flight to Los Angeles the next day. In the introduction to the song on his Life in Cartoon Motion album, he wrote:'The women were amazing and I absolutely felt as if I had to write about them. 'I never expected it on the album, but a few weeks later we recorded it and it's now there.' Big Girl was not only inspired by the Butterfly Lounge but by the women who Mika grew up with, including his mum. More Trending Speaking about the track in a TikTok in 2023, he shared: 'It struck me seeing all these big girls, big guys, in this club that was very accepting of their size. 'My mother was big, I grew up with a big mom. My aunties were big. I saw how hurt they were when they didn't feel beautiful and how it was difficult for them sometimes. 'I always thought of them as beautiful, I saw them as perfect. So I just wanted to write a song that paid homage to them, that told them that they were beautiful. 'That my mom was beautiful. And that's why I wrote Big Girl.' 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. MORE: All the celebrities who 'refuse to touch' blockbuster Harry Potter TV reboot MORE: Richard Hammond makes rare comment about divorce in new Grand Tour special MORE: Jordan Peele's bloody new horror branded cross between The Substance and Midsommar
Metro
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Carlos Santana rushed to hospital after backstage medical emergency cancels show
Carlos Santana has been hospitalised in Texas following a preshow medical emergency that forced him to cancel a performance. The 77-year-old guitarist has been forced to postpone a gig at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday night after suffering a medical episode while preparing for the show. His manager Michael Vrionis later released a statement: 'It is with profound disappointment that I have to inform you all that tonight's show in San Antonio has been postponed. Mr. Santana was at the venue (Majestic Theatre) preparing for tonight's show when he experienced an event that was determined to be dehydration,' said Vrionis. 'Out of an abundance of caution and the health of Mr Santana, the decision to postpone the show was the most prudent course of action.' The manager assured fans that Santana is 'doing well and is looking forward to coming back to San Antonio soon as well as continuing his US Tour,' and said that the show would be rescheduled soon. Santana has upcoming shows scheduled in Sugar Land, Thackerville, Tulsa, and Nashville before heading to New Orleans at the beginning of May for its annual Jazz Festival. He is set to return to his Las Vegas residency on May 14, then will be heading on a European tour all summer. It remains to be seen if all of these shows will go ahead as scheduled. In January, the Smooth hitmaker postponed part of his residency at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas after breaking his finger in an 'accidental fall' at his home in Hawaii. Vrionis announced at the time: 'I am sorry to say that Carlos was out taking a walk at his vacation home in Kauai. He took a hard fall, and he broke his little finger on his left hand. 'He had to have pins inserted in the finger. Unfortunately, he won't be able to play guitar for approximately six weeks. Doctors do say that he will recuperate fully. Metro has teamed up to give away 20 pairs of tickets to Polygon Live LDN, a unique new festival taking place in London's Crystal Palace Park from 2-4 May 2025. Blending light and spatial sound, the 360° immersive festival has a stellar lineup including popular artists such as Max Cooper, Jon Hopkins and Tinariwen, as well as the likes of Arooj Aftab and Photay. For a chance to win an incredible day out at this UK-first festival for you and a friend, simply enter your details here. You have until midnight on 18 April 2025 to enter. Good luck! *Open to GB (excluding N. Ireland) residents aged 18 or over. Promotion open from 12:01 on 02/04/2025 and closes at 23:59 on 18/04/2025. 1 entry per person. 20 prizes of 2x General Admission Single Day tickets to attend 1 day of Polygon Live LDN 2025 at Crystal Palace Park, valid for either Friday 2 May 2025, Saturday 3 May 2025 or Sunday 4 May 2025. 1 entry per person. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Full Polygon T&Cs apply to entry and attendance, see here. 'Carlos is doing well and is anxious to be back on stage soon. He just needs to heal. Santana profoundly regrets these postponements of his upcoming performances, but accidents happen, and his health is our number one concern. 'He is looking forward to seeing all of his fans very soon.' More Trending In May 2022, the legendary guitarist collapsed during a show in Michigan due to heat exhaustion and dehydration. He wrote on Facebook following the incident: 'To one and all thank you for your precious prayers. Cindy [Santana's wife] and I we are good just taking it easy forgot to eat and drink water so i dehydrated and passed out blessings and miracles to you all (sic).' Six concerts were postponed following his collapse. Considered one of the most preeminent guitarists of all time, Carlos Santana has won 10 Grammy Awards and three Latin Grammy Awards, and was inducted along with his namesake band, Santana, into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. 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. MORE: Inside 'feud' between John Lennon's sons as Sean Ono speaks out MORE: Horror fans get 'chills' from brutal I Know What You Did Last Summer trailer MORE: George Clooney baffles fans over shock confession about marriage to wife Amal
Metro
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The truth behind the five craziest theories about The Beatles
A band as culturally influential as The Beatles was bound to attract its share of wild theories, urban legends, and even bizarre-but-true stories. Formed in Liverpool in 1960 and made up of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, The Beatles are often regarded as the most eminent band of all time. Their music evolved dramatically over the decade following their formation – from catchy pop hits like I Want to Hold Your Hand to groundbreaking albums such as Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and The White Album – and their cultural position changed along with their sound. As psychedelia, mysticism, and countercultural movements swept the UK and US, The Beatles' reputation became somewhat edgier and more shrouded in intrigue. As a result, rumours swirled around the band, some of which have persisted and become part of legend. Here are five of the craziest theories – and an honest estimation of whether there's any truth to them. The Beatles' original drummer, Pete Best, was sacked in 1962, a month before the Beatles became the biggest phenomenon in the world. Ever since, there have been rumours that Ringo Starr replaced Pete because of concerns that Pete was too much better looking than Paul, and would therefore take away from his draw as lead singer. As Ringo himself later recalled, he first joined the band when: 'I was playing with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes about eighteen months, two years [before I joined the Beatles]…One morning, I was in bed, as usual. I don't like getting up in the day because I live at night. So a knock came at the door, and [Beatles manager] Brian Epstein said, 'Would you play a lunchtime session at the Cavern with the Beatles'? And I said, 'Okay, okay, I'll get out of bed,' and I went down and played. I thought the band was good, and it was great for me to play.' Metro has teamed up to give away 20 pairs of tickets to Polygon Live LDN, a unique new festival taking place in London's Crystal Palace Park from 2-4 May 2025. Blending light and spatial sound, the 360° immersive festival has a stellar lineup including popular artists such as Max Cooper, Jon Hopkins and Tinariwen, as well as the likes of Arooj Aftab and Photay. For a chance to win an incredible day out at this UK-first festival for you and a friend, simply enter your details here. You have until midnight on 18 April 2025 to enter. Good luck! *Open to GB (excluding N. Ireland) residents aged 18 or over. Promotion open from 12:01 on 02/04/2025 and closes at 23:59 on 18/04/2025. 1 entry per person. 20 prizes of 2x General Admission Single Day tickets to attend 1 day of Polygon Live LDN 2025 at Crystal Palace Park, valid for either Friday 2 May 2025, Saturday 3 May 2025 or Sunday 4 May 2025. 1 entry per person. Full T&Cs apply, see here. Full Polygon T&Cs apply to entry and attendance, see here. He went on to say that he ended up playing with the band again because 'Pete was sick or something.' It would eventually come out that while George Martin was thrilled with The Beatles' debut session for EMI, he didn't think Pete was a good fit for their sound. Many have since claimed that the rumour that Best was 'too good looking' arose when The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein asked Cavern DJ Bob Wooler if it was a good idea to get rid of Best, and Wooler told him it wasn't because female fans loved the handsome drummer. Other sources have claimed that the reason was much simpler, and Brian Epstein simply got tired of Best's mother's meddling in the group's gigs around Liverpool. It has long been claimed that one of the most famous songs of all time, Yesterday, appeared fully formed to Paul McCartney while he was asleep. As the legend goes, he woke up, rushed to his piano, and followed the tune in his head. The truth of the matter isn't quite so black-and-white. In reality, the tune for the song did come to Paul while he was asleep, but he wrote the lyrics later. Our new series on the history of rock and roll will dig into the stories, myths, dramas, songs, people, and legendary events that have shaped the greatest music genre over the last 50 years. From the inspirations behind songs everyone knows to the antics and little-known drama of iconic bands, Metro is excited to offer readers informative content that allows them to revisit the golden days of rock. Paul lived in attic rooms at the top of the family home of his girlfriend, the English actress Jane Asher, in 1965. He later said: 'I woke up with a lovely tune in my head. I thought, That's great, I wonder what that is? There was an upright piano next to me, to the right of the bed by the window. I got out of bed, sat at the piano, found G, found F sharp minor seventh – and that leads you through then to B to E minor, and finally back to G.' While the story goes that Paul then hurrid to the studio to immediately record the song, George Martin remembers it differently. He later said: 'I first heard 'Yesterday' when it was known as 'Scrambled Egg' – Paul's working title – at the George V Hotel in Paris in January 1964.' While this may sound far-fetched to some, it's actually 100% true. In 1971, shortly after John went to New York on a visa and met up with anti-war activists – something that did not sit right with Richard Nixon – the FBI began to tail him. A year later, the Immigration and Naturalization Service even tried to deport him from the country. The FBI originally refused to release many of the documents, saying their release would endanger national security. But historian Jon Wiener's Freedom of Information case went all the way to the Supreme Court before the FBI agreed to settle. Eventually, the FBI files released in 2007 revealed Lennon was followed by the Bureau for over a year. A legend has circulated among the conspiracy-minded for years that Paul McCartney actually died at the height of Beatle-mania and was replaced by a stand-in who has been pretending to be him ever since. The wild legend is based on a story written by Fred LaBour and published in The University of Michigan's Michigan Today in October 1969. According to the piece, Paul McCartney was not only dead, but he'd been dead for years, killed in a 1966 car accident and susbequently replaced by a person of John Lennon's choosing. LaBour created around 24 'clues' that many people actually believed, lending staying power to the wild idea. In reality, Labour himself has readily admitted it was only ever intended to be a creative project. 'I wanted to poke fun at over-zealous critics who try to find endless meaning in every nuance of an art project,' LaBour told True West Magazine in 2008. 'I thought then, and in fact still do, that this was funny. Almost everybody else took it seriously.' The Beatles famously set ratings records when they performed in front of more than 70million people watching The Ed Sullivan Show in February 1964. More Trending As history remembers it, they had been relative unknowns before appearing on the evening show. In reality, they had done several other American TV spots prior to making it onto the US Billboard pop chart in April 1963 with From Me to You. While that earlier success did not compare to April 1964, when they held the top five spots on the list of most popular singles in the country, they had been slowly growing a fan base in the US for over a year. In fact, I Want to Hold Your Hand was already climbing the charts when the band appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. So while their appearance on the iconic program certainly cemented their stardom, they had already been on their way to the top. 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. MORE: The Who re-hire drummer Zak Starkey after issuing statement on 'personal issues' MORE: Rock's most bitter break-ups as The Who axe key member MORE: How 'underground sex' book dumped on street inspired name of iconic 60s band
Yahoo
14-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Line-up announced for ‘world's most immersive music festival' in Crystal Palace
The full line-up has been released for a unique festival in Crystal Palace, offering an 'immersive' experience using almost 200 speakers. Polygon Live LDN from May 2 to 4, 2025, in Crystal Palace Park features nearly four times the usual number of speakers, with different parts of the music coming from different parts of the stage in 360 degrees. Top DJs will make the most of this special soundsystem, including legend Jon Hopkins and composer Cosmo Sheldrake, with a mixture of genres. In alphabetical order, Acid Pauli, ANONM, me DJ, Kiasmos (UK exclusive), nimino and Red Axes will now perform in 360-degree spatial audio, powered by L-Acoustics. Acid Pauli will bring his combination of psychedelic, adventurous and musical techno to the Polygon stage. (Image: Polygon) ANONM's set meanwhile is defined by his complex style and unorthodox mixing, while Kiasmos duo Ólafur Arnalds and Janus Rasmussen will perform their only UK 2025 show. They bring ethereal, minimalist piano melodies and soul-penetrating beats. This festival is as much about the sound system as about what is playing through it - both combining to enhance one another. A spokesperson said: 'If you're passionate about music, about sound, and about having a first-of-its-kind experience that will blow your mind, Polygon Live LDN is for you.' 'For several years, we've been fine-tuning a proprietary design to make our spatial audio events possible,' said Polygon CEO Nico Elliott. 'The structure we've settled on prioritises a movement and fidelity in the music that truly has to be heard to be believed.' The stage design involves a huge hemispherical dome, 25m in diameter and 9m high, and rigged with almost 100 state-of-the-art L-Acoustics speakers that fully encircle the audience. (Image: Polygon) Polygon's sound engineers then 'spatialise' the artists' music around, above and through the audience. Throughout the sound, synchronised lighting is added to this enormous structure, and you have a fully immersive audiovisual experience. Happening in May, it will be covered in case of wet weather. Polygon, the London-based production company putting on the Crystal Palace festival, has previously hosted festivals internationally.
