Latest news with #BRITawards
Extra.ie
05-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Extra.ie
The Battle of Britpop lives on as Blur fire cheeky dig during Oasis reunion tour
No, you haven't transported back in time by 30 years — Blur have fired a cheeky dig at Oasis in 2025 after the latter kicked off their reunion tour. The Britpop bands were at odds at the height of their powers in the 90s, with people being asked which band they prefer and the chart battle between the bands, amid jibes between the Gallagher brothers' northern band and Damon Albarn's Blur, who were considered to represent the south. Tensions cooled between the two bands, with Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn becoming friends over the last few years; but as Oasis kicked off their reunion tour for their first gig in 16 years, Blur's official social media channels couldn't help but get a cheeky dig in by sharing a video of them performing The Narcissist at Wembley Stadium. The band shared the clip on YouTube, and announced that their entire Wembley show was available to stream online, on Twitter (X) — although some fans thought the timing was hilariously awkward. 'Not today lads, not today,' one person wrote, while another joked 'not today babe, not today.' Others thought the timing was hilarious — with one person writing 'big fan of the timing on this tweet,' with another sharing a video of the Gallaghers at the BRIT awards when they took a cheeky dig at Blur while accepting an award. Oasis and Blur were embroiled in a Britpop 'rivalry,' with the pair going on a chart battle in 1995 and a football match in 1996. Pic: Avalon/Getty Images Being the two biggest bands in the UK in the 1990s, Oasis and Blur engaged in cheeky jibes throughout 1995, with Oasis calling Blur 'Chas and Dave chimney sweep music,' while Blur compared Oasis to Status Quo. The rivalry, which was egged on by the British press, culminated in 'The Battle of Britpop' which saw Blur's song Country House beating out Roll With It by Oasis which sold 279,000 copies to the Manchester band's 216,000. The winners performed the number one single on Top of the Pops, with bassist Alex James wearing an Oasis t-shirt in a nod to their adversaries. However, things cooled down between the bands, and Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn have become friends; with Noel admittedly calling the faux-battle 's**t' and thinking that the bigger chart race should've been between Cigarettes and Alcohol by Oasis vs Girls and Boys by Blur. Oasis kicked off their reunion tour in Cardiff on Friday. Pic: Samir Hussein/WireImage After Oasis split in 2009 following the huge bust-up between Noel and Liam, Noel went on to perform with Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds — and even performed with Damon, who went on to found Gorillaz, at a Teenage Cancer Trust gig in 2013. As for Oasis, the brothers finally kissed and made up and announced a reunion tour; which kicked off in Cardiff's Principality Stadium on Friday (July 4).
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Is London really worried about Manchester having its moment?
When luxury French fashion house Chanel took over the Northern Quarter in late 2023, Manchester was said to be 'having a moment'. Since then, the city has hosted both the Michelin awards and MTV EMAs, cementing its place on the map when it comes to culture. This week, there was more good news. For the first time in its near-50-year history, the BRIT Awards will leave London and head north. READ MORE: 'I see mums who can't afford to feed their children - how can they afford this?' READ MORE: Person injured after car crashes into house as firefighters race to scene Days later, Rachel Reeves dropped hints that she would back plans that could capitalise on this momentum with long-lasting effects. Unveiling her long-awaited Spending Review on Wednesday (June 11), the Chancellor said she would soon be revealing plans to 'take forward' Northern Powerhouse Rail - a decade-old project for a new high-speed railway to connect cities across the north of England. It comes after the Manchester Evening News joined forces with the Liverpool ECHO to call for a new line connecting our two cities as part of mayor Andy Burnham's plans for a 'Northern Arc' which he says could help boost the economy by £90bn over the next 15 years. The M.E.N. understands that 'hundreds of millions' of pounds have now been set aside to develop plans for the Manchester-Liverpool railway over the next few years with details of other new lines and rail upgrades across the north set to be announced next week. Ms Reeves has also promised to 'rewrite the rules' so that government funding no longer favours London over projects elsewhere. But while the rest of the country welcomed the news, London's mayor Sadiq Khan complained that the capital was being left behind. In a statement issued after the Chancellor delivered the spending review, Sir Sadiq raised concerns about insufficient funding for the Met - something police chiefs in Greater Manchester have also expressed - and a lack of investment in new infrastructure for London. He said: "The way to level up other regions will never be to level down London. I'll continue to fight for the investment we need so that we can continue building a fairer, safer and greener London for everyone." Local leaders have dismissed suggestions that London is being 'levelled down', highlighting the capital's superior transport network. However, according to Rose Marley, who chairs the Manchester-based Beyond the Music, some in London are genuinely concerned. She said: "I've been in and out of Whitehall all week and whether it's the spending review, plans for the Northern Arc or even landing the Brits, I've consistently heard that 'London' is concerned about how much is going to the regions. I find that incredulous really." Last week, a think tank revealed a £140bn chasm between transport funding for London and the north under the last government. Independent analysis of Treasury figures by IPPR North has found that, in the 10 years up to 2022/23, the government spent £1,183 per person in London. During the same period, the north saw just £486 per person spent on transport projects across the whole region. Responding to claims that public investment in transport has favoured London in recent years, the mayor's office pointed to figures which show that the government spent less money on each public transport journey in the capital compared to the rest of Britain. A spokesperson for the Mayor of London said: "The Mayor has always believed that economic growth in the UK IS not a 'zero sum game' and we should not be pitting our towns and cities against each other. "He supports levelling up the entire country – but has been clear that this cannot be done by levelling down London. "London is the engine of our national economy – so restricting investment to the capital doesn't just limit our power and dynamism, but risks jeopardising growth, job-creation and new opportunities across the UK. "The Elizabeth Line created 55,000 new jobs and 1,000 apprenticeships across the country and investment in schemes like the Docklands Light Railway extension would also boost growth nationally. "The Mayor will always stand up for London and is determined to work with all regions of the country to deliver growth and prosperity."
Daily Mail
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Lola Young opens up on her sexuality with X-rated comment
Lola Young has opened up about her sexuality after she responded to a comment on her recent TikTok video. The Messy hitmaker, 24, who wowed fans with her performance at Radio 1's Big Weekend in Liverpool on Sunday, took to social media later that day and fans went wild for the post. Dancing and lip syncing to CMAT's track Take A Sexy Picture Of Me, viewers headed straight to the comments to share their love for the star. While one fan joked: 'no man deserves this' Lola unexpectedly replied as she confirmed she does not identify as straight writing: 'i like p***y as well u kno' [sic]. CMAT also loved the tribute to her song as she replied with a series of crying emojis and penned: 'i love u so much this is the best day of my life. ur so fit'. From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the Daily Mail's new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop. The lyrics of CMAT's new song go 'I did the butcher, I did the baker / I did the home and the family maker / I did schoolgirl fantasies / Oh, I did leg things and hand stuff / And single woman banter / Now tell me, what was in it for me?'. Lola, who is a Brit School alum, has soared to stardom this year after she went viral with her hit song Messy and was even nominated for two BRIT Awards. And earlier this month the star took to social media to promote her ADHD medicine, Concerta, because it makes her 'see mess now and clean things up'. Lola highlighted that there was an 'over glamorisation' of the hyperactivity disorder which has broken out among Gen Z with many 'jumping on the bandwagon'. But, she argued, the glorification of ADHD in recent years has also helped break down the stigma and made sure 'people are aware of what it's doing to your brain'. The Croydon-born pop singer said: 'Six months ago I started taking Concerta and it has genuinely changed my life, my thought processing and it's changed how I see mess and I can clear up, I feel genuinely a lot happier. 'My experience on Concerta has been incredible, and I would highly recommend it. I think it's super important to break down the stigma of taking medication for mental health because, right now, if you had a heart condition, you may take some. 'So we should make sure physical health and mental health are viewed on par.' CMAT also loved the tribute to her song as she replied with a series of crying emojis and penned: 'i love u so much this is the best day of my life. ur so fit' Lola also emphasised the importance of getting a diagnosis of ADHD can 'change your life'. She said: 'Getting a diagnosis can help you understand, but I would also recommend getting the medication I am on, which is Concerta.' Concerta is a drug that increases attention and decreases impulsiveness and hyperactivity in patients with ADHD. People taking the drug will feel a sense of euphoria, a higher energy level and better focus and concentration. It is estimated 230,000 people in the UK are taking the medication for ADHD. Lola revealed she wrote the hit single, Messy, in her bedroom and said: 'It's been speculated that it's about my parents. 'It's massively about some close family but it's a combination. 'It's more about myself, I am too messy. I've never held a broom in my life, everything in my life is a mess so it's a very fitting track.'
Daily Mail
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Lola Young reveals why she is no longer 'messy' and hits out against the over glamorisation of ADHD among Gen Z as BRIT Award nominee reveals her own diagnosis
She rose to global fame this year with her hit song, Messy. But now Brit School alum, Lola Young, has taken to social media to promote her ADHD medicine, Concerta, because it makes her 'see mess now and clean things up'. Lola, 24, who was nominated for two BRIT Awards, highlighted that there was an 'over glamorisation' of the hyperactivity disorder which has broken out among Gen Z with many 'jumping on the bandwagon'. But, she argued, the glorification of ADHD in recent years has also helped break down the stigma and made sure 'people are aware of what it's doing to your brain'. The Croydon-born pop singer said: 'Six months ago I started taking Concerta and it has genuinely changed my life, my thought processing and it's changed how I see mess and I can clear up, I feel genuinely a lot happier. 'My experience on Concerta has been incredible, and I would highly recommend it. I think it's super important to break down the stigma of taking medication for mental health because, right now, if you had a heart condition, you may take some. 'So we should make sure physical health and mental health are viewed on par.' Lola also emphasised the importance of getting a diagnosis of ADHD can 'change your life'. She said: 'Getting a diagnosis can help you understand, but I would also recommend getting the medication I am on, which is Concerta.' Concerta is a drug that increases attention and decreases impulsiveness and hyperactivity in patients with ADHD. People taking the drug will feel a sense of euphoria, a higher energy level and better focus and concentration. It is estimated 230,000 people in the UK are taking the medication for ADHD. Lola revealed she wrote the hit single, Messy, in her bedroom and said: 'It's been speculated that it's about my parents. 'It's massively about some close family but it's a combination. 'It's more about myself, I am too messy. I've never held a broom in my life, everything in my life is a mess so it's a very fitting track.' In the 2022 interview, Lola shared that she suffers from a rare schizoaffective disorder that had previously led her to manic episodes and hospitalisation. She made the discovery aged 17 after having suffered with what she thought was clinical depression and bipolar disorder. She explained that she had an uncle on either side of her family who also had schizophrenia and who had both tragically died. Lola believed that the condition may in part have been triggered by smoking cannabis as a way to manage childhood trauma, which she chose not to disclose the details of. She said she can usually sense an oncoming manic episode when she starts getting strange thoughts, but is usually able to medicate to keep things under wraps, though she has previously been taken by surprise and ended up being sectioned. Lola admitted the unpredictability of her illness makes touring difficult, and she sometimes has manic episodes that last a month and don't sleep for several days on the trot. Lola said that her illness can present her with a lot of guilt and shame, and that she often feels ostracised after incidents in which she has been unwell in front of people.
