Latest news with #livePerformance
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
"It's all about gut feeling" – IW Festival boss on what makes a true headliner
Isle of Wight Festival promoter John Giddings has revealed that when it comes to booking headline acts, social media clout comes a distant second to old-fashioned instinct. The long-time organiser of the Island's biggest music event says a performer's ability to connect with a real crowd is what truly matters – and no number of TikTok views can replace that. 'It's gut feeling, really,' said Mr Giddings. 'I've learned the hard way in my years in the music business that some people might have sold a lot of records, but they're useless when it comes to performing.' Crowd scene at the main stage at Isle of Wight Festival 2024 (Image: Paul Blackley / IWCP) Recommended reading: Isle of Wight Festival 2025: Main Stage and Big Top schedule revealed! "We're levelling up": Co-op adds second Isle of Wight Festival store for 2025 While he appreciates the appeal of digital fame, he's seen its limits. "I do know artists who've had a million views on TikTok, who can't sell 300 tickets at a club in London. "Just because all these people want to watch them on socials, doesn't mean they're going to pay money to go and see them in a field," Mr Giddings added. The 72-year-old, who has brought the festival back to life since its relaunch in 2002, knows a thing or two about putting on a show. From U2 and Madonna to Phil Collins and Blondie, he's worked with some of the biggest names in music. Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Giddings explained that picking the right acts for Seaclose Park is about more than numbers. 'You want to book acts that have a catalogue that's going to entertain an audience for an hour, hour and a half,' he said. 'And someone who's capable of performing to an audience of 50,000 people in a field, because they need to be able to project, to entertain." Crowd scene at the main stage at Isle of Wight Festival 2024 (Image: Paul Blackley / IWCP) Mr Giddings, who runs his music agency Solo out of London, says finding fresh talent is a vital part of the job. 'Because I'm older, we book acts from past, present and future,' he said. 'There's a discussion in the office as to what new bands are coming up, and you're projecting as to what they're going to be doing in the year's or nine months' time.' There's also room for fresh ideas from all corners of the operation. 'If the truck driver comes up with a good idea and it's a better idea than mine, then go for it,' said Mr Giddings. 'We've got 15 stages on the Isle of Wight, so whatever stage you're at in your career, you can play one of those stages.' Jay-Z, who headlined Friday night at the Isle of Wight Festival in 2010 Looking back on the magic moments over the years, one in particular stands out – Jay Z. 'I remember thinking 50,000 people couldn't go wilder, and then Kanye West walked on with them, and it exploded. 'I turned to my left, and there was Beyonce standing there – I thought 'It couldn't get better than this'.' Now, with more than two decades of organising the modern incarnation under his belt, his passion is undimmed. 'I absolutely love it, which is my downfall because I work all the time, I never think I've actually had a job,' he said. 'It's the most satisfying thing ever to provide entertainment for people.'
The Guardian
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Daryl Hall review – despite strained vocals, this 80s pop legend isn't totally out of touch
Hall & Oates sold a gazillion records and deserve every dollar. Their songs of the 1970s and 80s are pure pleasure; sun-kissed, smooth and mellow. It is a music of high noon, no shadows. But what happens when twilight comes? Daryl Hall is 78. The partnership with John Oates, 77, has reached a messy end, with lawyers involved. Now he is on the road, under his own name, playing the songs of his gilded youth in a more tarnished age. He strolls on to the Glasgow stage in a broad-brimmed hat and spends much of the set seated at a grand piano. His voice is not what it was in the same way as the Colosseum is not what it was: what remains is an interesting ruin. Where once his singing was a wonder of clarity, stamina and control, he now struggles. Sometimes, trying for high notes, he places a hand at the top of his chest, as if the effort is a strain. His slick six-piece band do a lot of heavy lifting on backing vocals. He has made an addition to the lyrics of Sara Smile that feels telling: 'After all these years … time is talking to me.' Yet there is beauty in this brokenness. Everytime You Go Away is a highlight because the feeling of bruised experience in his voice suits the subject of the song – a sad letting-go. The big feelgood moments come from his sidemen. Shane Theriot's guitar solos on Private Eyes and Rich Girl are undeniably cool, though not as cool as Charlie DeChant, a glitzy wizard with long white hair and a gold-sequined jacket who started playing with Hall & Oates in 1976. To see him shuffle forward and perform the insouciant sax break on Maneater is to witness a little moment of pop magic. Such virtuosity magnifies rather than hides the diminishment in Hall's voice. It feels at times like he is the weak link in his own great music. Perhaps he should do a Dylan: rework the songs radically so that he can do them justice. But would his fans go for that? Daryl Hall plays Royal Albert Hall, London, 19 May. Then tours the UK until 25 May
