Irish Connections - Singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran has surprised fans by playing a number of original songs and Irish tunes during a music and arts festival in Wexford town. The hitmaker played alongside Irish bands Amble, BIIRD, Beoga and Aaron Rowe in The Sky and The Ground pub as part of Fleadh Cheoil na hÉireann. Brought up in Suffolk, the Galway Girl singer's father hails from Belfast, and in June Sheeran announced that he identifies culturally as Irish. The festival will be held in Belfast in 2026.
Country Music - A new soundtrack has started to rumble across Britain's green and pleasant pastures. A number of dairy farmers have started to play music to their cattle in a bid to improve their welfare and, possibly, the quality of their produce. The trend has gone viral on TikTok, with videos - from across the world - fetching millions of views.
Dairy farmer Charles Goadby has embraced the new trend, and told the BBC: "We installed a robotic milking system and there was a lot of new harsh sounds and noises, so we wanted to drown that out and give them a constant sound. This was about 10 years ago and somebody suggested the cows like classical music - that was the trend back then - so I put a classical radio station on for the cows to listen to and it just helps them relax a little bit." While jazz music is the current flavour for the trend, Mr Goadby said he has tried a number of different genres and radio stations over the years.
MTV Nominations - Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar lead the nominations for this year's MTV Video Music Awards (VMAs). Sabrina Carpenter and Ariana Grande are also among the most nominated artists for the 2025 US award show. Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, who are tied for most VMA wins with 30 each, have received one nomination this year - both in the artist of the year category.
In total this year, Lady Gaga has received 12 nominations, Bruno Mars has 11, rapper Kendrick Lamar is next with 10, and Espresso singer Sabrina Carpenter has eight. Lady Gaga's nominations include artist of the year and best album for Mayhem. This year's VMAs includes two new categories: best country and best pop artist. The show will take place on 7 September at New York's UBS Arena.
Street Music - Musicians and street performers rallied in central London this week in support of a campaign for new busking pitches in Westminster to replace those lost in Leicester Square. The gathering came more than three months after busking was suspended in Leicester Square after a court ruling claimed the West End area was being subjected to "poor quality" performances that amounted to "a nuisance". Westminster Council have since enforced the court’s ruling, but appealed the decision in June, labelling it "too restrictive" and calling for a fairer solution that allows performers to continue working in the central London area.
Off Broadway - The original Broadway cast production of Hamilton is to be released in some UK cinemas this autumn as part of the hip-hop musical’s 10th anniversary celebrations. Walt Disney Studios announced that the filmed version of the production will open in select UK cinemas on 26 September. Screenings will feature recent interviews with the original cast members and creatives as they reflect on the impact the show has had on their lives.
Farewell - Bobby Whitlock, the keyboard player and guitarist who performed with Derek And The Dominos, Eric Clapton and George Harrison, has died at the age of 77. He passed in his home in Texas. Whitlock was born in Memphis in 1948 and cut his teeth at the city’s Stax Studios, watching sessions by the studio’s fabled house band. In 1967, he became the first white artist to be signed to the Stax label. RIP.
(Jim Evans)