Latest news with #HydePark
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Olivia Rodrigo leaves crowd stunned as she welcomes surprise superstar guest Ed Sheeran on stage and duet one of his mega hits at BST Hyde Park
the BST crowd stunned when she welcomed surprise superstar guest Ed Sheeran on stage during her set at Hyde Park set on Friday. The American songstress, 22, sent fans wild and joined the singer songwriter, 34, in a duet of his mega 2011 hit The A Team. Together the pair played their guitars while belting out the iconic lyrics while the 65,000 audience cheered in delight.
The Sun
15 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Olivia Rodrigo sends fans wild as she brings out Ed Sheeran at huge sold out BST gig ahead of Glastonbury slot
OLIVIA Rodrigo sent her fans wild tonight when she surprised them by bringing out Ed Sheeran at her sold out BST gig in Hyde Park. Just two days before she closes Glastonbury Festival, Olivia proved why she's one of the best pop stars on the planet with a set jam-packed with catchy, angsty anthems. 5 5 5 And superstar Ed's cameo was the icing on the cake of a glorious sunny day in the capital. Drivers License singer Olivia, 22, dressed to impress for her huge headline show, kicking off in a black sequined leotard. Ahead of the performance, she was able to unwind in her own private sanctuary with organisers adapting the backstage area with wildflower planters. And it was much needed as Olivia used up every ounce of energy in a lively set split into three parts. It was in the final part that Ed came out for a rendition of his early hit The A Team, having watched the show from the side of the stage. Olivia introduced him as "one of the best songwriters of all time". There were famous faces in the crowd including James Corden, who stood beside Olivia's boyfriend Louis Partridge, and Sabrina Carpenter, who will perform on the same stage next week. Ed's no stranger to guest appearances, having stepped on stage with everyone from Limp Bizkit to Stormzy and Taylor Swift. And his acoustic anthem lent itself perfectly to California girl Olivia's meteoric rise to fame has taken her from Disney Channel starlet to 46million monthly listeners on Spotify, 14 Grammy nominations and collaborations with David Byrne and Lily Allen. Olivia Rodrigo praised for her 'iconic' FireAid performance - but fans all have the same complaint In 2016, Olivia was cast in Disney's Bizaardvark and three years later she starred in High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, a mockumentary that sees a bunch of teens putting on a stage production of the hit. Between High School Musical takes, the young actress worked away on her guitar, writing more music, until eventually Disney bosses invited her to create an original song for her character to sing in the show. The piano ballad that emerged — All I Want — went viral, and she was soon in line for a record deal. But unlike others who went from Disney favourite to superstar, such as Miley Cyrus and Selena Gomez, Olivia shunned the in-house label and decided to do things her own way. Everything changed overnight in January 2021 when Olivia released her debut single Drivers License in the middle of winter lockdown. It became the first song on Spotify to hit 80million streams in just seven days. The tune also shot straight to No1 on charts globally and propelled her into what she called a 'crash course in adulthood'. 'That was the craziest time of my life,' she said back then. 'I was sitting in a grocery store parking lot, and I called my A&R guy. 'It had just gone No 1 on Apple music, which is hard for a pop act to do. 'We were looking at each other on FaceTime, speechless. 'That was the moment I knew that it was going to be something bigger than I expected.' Her second single, Deja Vu, was certified four times platinum in the States, then May 2021 saw the release of her debut album Sour, with pop-punk hit Good 4 U going six times platinum in the US. She earned rave reviews from critics, while artists including Taylor Swift and Avril Lavigne heaped praise upon her. Her first live performance in the UK was at the Brit awards in 2021, while her festival debut here was at Glastonbury the following year. In just a few short years, she's now at the very top of the pile, holding her own beside fellow headliners The 1975 and Neil Young. 5 5
Telegraph
19 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
The anti-colonial ‘witch' behind Palestine Action recruitment drive
An anti-colonial artist whose work is inspired by 'folklore, witchcraft and mythology' can be unmasked as a ringleader behind Palestine Action 's recruitment drive. Gamze Sanli was the speaker at a 'direct action workshop' in which new members were instructed on how to attack targets across the country, including RAF bases. During the workshop, which was accessed by The Telegraph, Ms Sanli told recruits they would be part of a new, sustained wave of attacks on military sites and discussed tactics such as attacking machinery with a 'sledgehammer'. Ms Sanli said that plans to proscribe Palestine Action as a terrorist group were 'draconian and dangerous' and the organisation would 'continue to operate' even if designated as a terror group. It can now be disclosed that the Turkish-Cypriot activist is a graduate from King's College London and holds an MA in human rights from University College London. In a biography on her website, Ms Sanli, who describes herself as a multidisciplinary artist and performer, says that 'her craft weaves folklore and mythology, abolition and political resistance, death and witchcraft'. The biography adds: 'Moving through different mediums, including experimental film and performance, documentary, illustration, embroidery, poetry and music, she reimagines and reframes the world with a queering, anti-colonial lens.' Ms Sanli, who is thought to have lived in an expensive central London neighbourhood near Hyde Park, also says she is the founder of 'Scattered Seeds', a collective of diasporans, migrants and internationalists focusing on anti-colonial, abolitionist, feminist resistance with radical pedagogy, archiving, and art. She works on projects within the intersection of migration and queerness in Belgium as part of a project called 'Queers on the Move'. During the meeting for new recruits, Ms Sanli discussed tactics for breaking into factories and urged people to hit 'everything you can find with a sledgehammer'. She advised them on how to set up autonomous cells able to target military bases without detection. A slide in the call identified three RAF bases most suitable for attack: RAF Cranwell and RAF Barkston Heath, both in Lincolnshire; and RAF Valley, in Anglesey, North Wales. The Telegraph has passed details to police. In 2022, Ms Sanli was one of two Palestine Action protesters who squirted tomato ketchup onto a statue of Arthur Balfour in the members' lobby of the House of Commons. The protest was timed to coincide with the 105th anniversary of the Balfour Declaration – the controversial declaration by the British government in 1917 that became a core component of the British mandate for Palestine. As the protesters sprayed the ketchup, which the group described as fake blood, one said: 'Palestinians have suffered for 105 years because of this man, Lord Balfour – he gave away their homeland and it wasn't his to give.' The two protesters glued themselves to the statue after squirting the ketchup, before revealing a miniature Palestinian flag and shouting 'free Palestine'. Ms Sanli was charged with criminal damage but, following a week-long trial at Southwark Crown Court, she was found not guilty in a unanimous verdict on Dec 18 2023. Speaking at the time, Ms Sanli said: 'We wanted to show that this is not a faraway geopolitical conflict. 'We're talking about apartheid and settler colonialism, violations of the human rights of a whole people, and we need to see that through the lens of British complicity.' During the workshop, Ms Sanli also gave legal advice to new recruits on what they themselves should do if they were arrested. Recruits were warned that if they were arrested, Palestine Action would not pay their legal fees but would offer 'support'. An 'arrest support group' would be on hand to help those detained and recruits were told that if they did not have enough money to pay legal costs, they could rely on legal aid. Ms Sanli also advised them on what potential sentences they would likely get for a range of offences, including criminal damage, trespass and burglary. She did not mention the fact that if Palestine Action is proscribed, anyone who is a member of the group or expresses support for it would face sentences of up to 14 years in prison. Outlining the various strategies for attacking targets, Ms Sanli said that the plan for new recruits was to carry out sustained, serious disruption. In the past, the group had focused on carrying out 'accountable' attacks with the aim of getting caught and raising publicity. The focus for the new cohort was on carrying out covert actions and escaping undetected. They were told not to take phones on raids and to hand over their belongings to neighbours in case their homes were searched if they were arrested. On Friday, four people were arrested by counter-terror police in connection with a break-in at RAF Brize Norton last week. A woman, 29, of no fixed abode and two men, aged 36 and 24 from London, were arrested on suspicion of the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism, contrary to Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000. Another woman, 41, of no fixed abode, was arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender. Footage posted online by Palestine Action following the incident showed two people inside the RAF base in Oxfordshire. The clip showed one person riding an electric scooter to an Airbus Voyager air-to-air refuelling tanker and spraying paint into one of its jet engines. Two planes were damaged. The Metropolitan Police has been contacted and asked to confirm if it is investigating the direct action workshops and whether those delivering them may have committed any criminal offences.
The Independent
21 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
This year's Pride in London headliner unveiled
Pride in London 2025 has announced its full line-up, featuring headliner Chaka Khan, as well as Eurovision winner JJ, Miriana Conte, and Ru Paul's Drag Race UK star La Voix. The annual event, celebrating 53 years of Pride in the capital, is one of the UK's largest, drawing over 1.7 million attendees and expecting 33,000 participants. The parade is scheduled for Saturday, 6 July, starting at 12pm from Hyde Park Corner and proceeding through central London to Whitehall Place, led by Mayor Sadiq Khan. Performances will take place across six main areas including Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Golden Square, Soho Square, Dean Street, and a Family Stage at Victoria Embankment. The event will be hosted by Will Njobvu and Asifa Lahore, with guest hosts including Frankie Grande, and full details and a parade map are available online.
BBC News
a day ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Chaka Khan to headline Pride in London 2025 at Trafalgar Square
Singer Chaka Khan has been revealed as the headline act for Pride in London's Trafalgar Square as the Queen of Funk, Khan is known for her powerful voice and trailblazing appearance will see her belt out hits including I'm Every Woman, Ain't Nobody and I Feel For in London's six stages - Trafalgar Square, Leicester Square, Golden Square, Soho Square, Dean Street, and a family stage in Victoria Embankment Gardens - will host more than 100 performers including icons from the LGBTQ+ community. The main parade is scheduled to start at 12:00 BST and finish at 18:00, running from Hyde Park Corner, through Piccadilly Circus, down Haymarket along Cockspur to Trafalgar Square, culminating at Whitehall Place. More than 500 groups, made up of LGBT+ community groups, businesses, and partners, forming together to make a total of over 33,000 participants. Sir Sadiq Khan will be leading the cavalcade in his role as mayor of London. The Trafalgar Square stage will also feature speeches from LGBTQ+ activists and community in London 2025 will take place on Saturday 5 July.
