Capital News - A series of concerts by global stars is likely to benefit London's economy and showcase the city as "the undisputed capital of music", the mayor of London has said. International acts Beyoncé and Billie Eilish have played multiple dates here and home-grown performers Oasis and Coldplay are due to do the same. About 630,000 people are expected to attend Oasis' concerts at Wembley Stadium this summer - bringing a financial boost of nearly £500m.
According to UK Music, an estimated 7.5m people attended concerts and festivals in London last year, accounting for £2.7bn of the country's total £10bn revenue generated from the live music industry. The Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan said: "Our world-renowned venues are drawing more than 3.6m people to enjoy unforgettable experiences and boost our hospitality industry."
The organisation's chief executive Tom Kiehl said the Oasis reunion and Beyoncé tour made for a "spectacular summer" for fans. And Kate Nicholls, from UK Hospitality said the additional visits to pubs, bars and restaurants showed the impact live music can have on the wider economy.
Forever Young - At the age of 75, Stevie Wonder is still going strong. His latest UK tour, which wrapped up earlier this month received rapturous reviews, with critics calling the star "fresh and on form”, delivering "a riotously joyful celebration" of his music. And Wonder says he will never consider retiring.
"For as long as you breathe, for as long as your heart beats, there's more for you to do," he told the BBC. "I'm not gonna stop the gift that keeps pouring through my body. I love doing what I'm doing. An artist never stops drawing. As long as you can imagine is as long as you are going to be creative." The star also confirmed he was still working on a new album, titled Through The Eyes Of Wonder, which he first discussed in 2008.
Feeling Good - Billy Joel says he is feeling "good", two months on from announcing his diagnosis with rare brain condition Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH). Speaking on Bill Maher's Club Random podcast, the five-time Grammy winner said his condition was "still being worked on", and he was struggling with his balance. "I feel good, they keep referring to what I have as a brain disorder, so it sounds a lot worse than what I'm feeling," said the singer-songwriter. Joel was forced to cancel a series of concert dates in May this year, after his doctors told him that his condition had been "exacerbated by recent performances".
Revamp - A theatre believed to be the oldest still working in the UK is to undergo a £30.5m revamp, after councillors voted to approve its transformation. St George’s Guildhall in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, which is believed to have welcomed a visit from Shakespeare, is to be restored, alongside its neighbouring medieval outhouses and courtyard.
The venue, led by creative director and comedian Tim FitzHigham, will also gain an educational and museum space in works set to begin this autumn. FitzHigham called it a "monumental moment for the town as well as for British theatrical and cultural heritage", adding: "Shakespeare almost certainly performed on stage here, and now, more than 400 years later, the curtain rises on a new act.”
Sweet Charity - Nick Cave fans took some of his favourite books into their arms after the singer donated 2,000 from his personal collection to a charity shop in Hove, Sussex. Cave spent a number of years living in Brighton with his family, before moving to Los Angeles following the death of son Arthur in 2015. Maggie Rea, Oxfam bookshop's deputy manager, said the reaction to the donation had been "absolutely mad", adding: “We've been rushed off our feet, the actual Nick Cave phenomenon has landed in Hove.”
(Jim Evans)