Latest news with #LUNCH
Metro
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
I wasn't a Billie Eilish fan until her London gig completely changed my mind
It's funny how something as simple as moving the stage can completely transform an arena into an intimate venue, but Billie Eilish did just that. Two years on from being the youngest ever Glastonbury headliner, my expectations were high for the opening night of a five-night run at London's O2 Arena. After that one gig, I have gone from a sceptic to a full convert into the cult of Billie. I'm unsure why the magnitude of her stardom has passed me by for so many years, but her Hit Me Hard and Soft Tour managed to reignite my love for forgotten tracks and emotionally connected me to others, which I never paid enough attention to. That's what good live music should do. Hard and soft couldn't be a more perfect name for this tour as she opened with huge hits CHIHIRO and LUNCH, immediately getting the energy up and everyone dancing. While she has plenty of big dance hits, it was the soft core of the show that really stood out, with those undeniably incredible vocals taking centre stage. By placing said stage in the middle of the O2 — with no viewing restrictions other than the occasional floating speaker — the 23-year-old star made a 20,000-person venue feel downright cosy. Fans were within touching distance without even trying, and coupled with her selfie camera streamed onto the screens, it felt like Billie was reaching back out. It's impossible not to warm to her with her beaming smile and emotional message to the audience that this was a 'safe space' for everyone. Such a stripped-back show is not what I expected from a former Glastonbury headliner's entire tour, but it all feels effortless. Billie was made for this. While her rendition of her Barbie hit, What Was I Made For?, was a particular highlight, the standout moment was by far When The Party's Over. Created by looping vocals, Billie boldly asked the audience for complete silence for one minute. Having seen Beyoncé's mute challenge, I was apprehensive, but the crowd obliged, resulting in a haunting moment with Billie's harmonising filling the O2 arena. It's no surprise her show was a hot ticket, with ticket exchange and resale platform, Viagogo, revealing the number of searches for her shows could have filled Wembley Stadium 12 times over. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video By far the most popular night was Thursday, July 10, with fans desperate to be the first to see their idol. Of course, Billie's popularity has been helped (as if it needed to be) by viral tracks like Bird of a Feather and her appearance on Charli XCX's Guess remix — both of which feature on the setlist. In fact, when she opened her tour and played Guess for the first time in September, it became Charli XCX's fifth highest-viewed day on Viagogo that year. That's the power of Billie. In a way, I was thankful for the lack of a Charli special guest cameo, although she is projected on screens. This was not her moment. Instead, it proved what the entire hour and a half set had emphasised from the start – a true icon needs no stunts. Yes, Billie floated on a platform a few times, but ultimately this was about the raw talent of the Lunch hitmaker and her band. More Trending I'm still emotional thinking about her rendition of What Was I Made For, sung while kneeling in front of an adoring crowd. Or her shortened version of Happier Than Ever, a song I wish had been given five extra verses rather than cut down. This is where Billie shines; she is in a league of her own among the pop girlies when it comes to sheer vocal talent. I might be so bold as to say that the star delivered the perfect gig. Visually stunning in its simplicity, pitch perfect vocals, dance numbers and a prompt finish at 10pm – I was on the tube home by quarter past (a real win in my books). In a world where more is more and big-name cameos are what make a show memorable, Billie Eilish proved that sometimes just being a strong performer is enough. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Judge eviscerates singer suing Grammy winners for copying song 'played 670 times' MORE: Singer Ethel Cain admits she is 'not proud' of disturbing posts after backlash MORE: Grammy-winning star battling cancer fears 'cruel' deportation under new Trump law
Time Out
30-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Time Out
You can get the Hampton's most famous lobster roll in Tribeca this summer
If you've been to out east even once, you know where to lunch in the Hamptons: The Lobster Roll Restaurant, fittingly also known as LUNCH, which opened in 1965 as a small roadside seafood shack on the Napeague stretch of Long Island's East End and has grown into a bit of a status stop for locals, visitors and celebrities craving both cold and hot lobster rolls during their New York summer. And while there's certainly coastal charms to be found out at the original location, as well as its Southampton sibling, the LUNCH crew is making your lobster roll procurement a hell of a lot easier, with no Jitney or LIRR involved: You can conveniently get the restaurant's famed crustacean sandwiches at American Cut in Tribeca this summer. The freshly-cracked summer collaboration features that lobster roll in two forms: as a classic, full-sized LUNCH lobster salad roll served on a brioche bun with a lemon wedge and house-made slaw (available in American Cut's main dining room for $36) or as a "Hamptons Happy Meal (served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the bar, lounge and outdoor dining area for $28), featuring two mini lobster rolls, your choice of truffle fries or a Caesar salad, with a Ketel One Vodka or Tanqueray Gin Martini. Both seasonal offerings will be available through Labor Day. 'We're thrilled to partner with American Cut to bring the spirit of summer in the Hamptons to Tribeca,' says Andrea Anthony, President of Lobster Roll Inc. 'This collaboration captures the essence of coastal indulgence with a city edge.' And they're not leaving you Hamptons-based folks out of the fun, either: Those out east can join the collaboration on July 18 or 19 at 7 p.m. for an American Cut Dinner Party at The Lobster Roll Restaurant's Southampton location (32 Montauk Hwy). The family-style feast will feature greatest-hit dishes from American Cut, including starters, steaks, sides and dessert paired with an open beer-and-wine bar. Tickets are available on SevenRooms.
Metro
11-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Billie Eilish, JoJo Siwa, and Fletcher are dating men and the internet hates it
We just lived through a sapphic-pop renaissance – but a dark age is upon us. Last summer was soundtracked by queer femme pop songs, including Chappell Roan's glittery chaos, Billie Eilish's sultry LUNCH, Megan Thee Stallion's Like a Freak, and Kehlani's After Hours. The vibe was bold, defiant, and rooted in joy that didn't centre cishet men – a welcome break from the norm. Now, as summer 2025 looms, barely 10% into Donald Trump's second presidency and amid a global surge in far-right ideology, the queer pop girlies seem to be suddenly dating men, with JoJo Siwa and Billie Eilish as two much-talked-about examples. Then there's Fletcher, a pop artist who built much of her fanbase on overtly sapphic themes and whose dramatic love life has been a consistent source of fascination. She's returned with a new single, Boy, ahead of her album Would You Still Love Me If You Really Knew Me? The song is confessional and oddly sombre, as if heterosexuality is a scandal: 'I kissed a boy, I had no choice,' she sings. Rather than feeling empowered, the track – dropped on the first day of Pride Month, no less – is steeped in guilt. Its release, timed with the news that Fletcher is dating a man, sparked an enormous wave of backlash that, ironically, seemed to prove her fears right. Many fans insist the issue isn't that she's with a man, but how the shift was framed. As @SoberSaturn put it: 'She made her career off of sapphics and developed a fanbase of queer women, just to play the victim with this new album…' Fletcher has never claimed to be a lesbian. In 2021, she stated in an Instagram story: 'I would say I identify as queer. It's about energy. But I am attracted to strong feminine energy, which just so happens to more likely than not be women.' With thousands of members from all over the world, our vibrant LGBTQ+ WhatsApp channel is a hub for all the latest news and important issues that face the LGBTQ+ community. Simply click on this link, select 'Join Chat' and you're in! Don't forget to turn on notifications! Still, for some, this shift felt like betrayal, not nuance. @itsmeconnor_ summed it up: 'Let's make sure we're dragging Fletcher for the correct thing • she's dating a man ❌ • she released a mid song about being in a heteronormative relationship acting like she's going to be persecuted for it, during Pride Month in Trump's America ✅.' @dykezadi agreed: 'Fletcher had the opportunity to make a really fun uplifting bi/pan anthem for Pride Month but instead she went with 'coming out as being in a socially acceptable heteronormative relationship is so scary.' In response, some fans pushed back, arguing that the criticism was inherently biphobic, regardless of the excuses people offered for their outrage. @sapphic_idiot wrote: 'It's so f****d up that Fletcher who has always only ever identified as queer has had to apologize for being with a guy. Let her live 😭😭😭' @sadlyundrunk added: 'The biphobia Billie and Fletcher are experiencing this Pride Month is vile.' This isn't happening in isolation. JoJo Siwa recently faced similar backlash after appearing on Celebrity Big Brother UK and subsequently dating Chris Hughes. Formerly identifying as a lesbian, JoJo now identifies as queer and attracted to all genders. Her sapphic fans weren't thrilled, reading praise of her 'softer, feminine side' emerging in her relationship with Chris as a rebranding campaign that leaned into palatable heteronormativity. What might be a natural evolution of identity is instantly reinterpreted as marketing, strategy, or betrayal. And frankly, maybe it is a brand pivot. But how can anyone be surprised that JoJo's identity might be for sale when they so enthusiastically bought the old brand? If queerness is treated like a product, then of course the product will evolve to stay sellable. the biphobia directed at fletcher after she just dropped her new song is disgusting especially during pride month?? it's not cute — m☆rie (@iflukecouldtalk) June 5, 2025 fletcher had the opportunity to make a really fun uplifting bi/pan anthem for pride month but instead she went with 'coming out as being in a socially acceptable heteronormative relationship is so scary' — emma (@dykezadi) June 6, 2025 That's where capitalism comes in. In a world where identity is monetized, queerness is no longer simply lived; it's branded. The music, the merch, and the imagery are all sold to LGBTQ+ fans like rainbow water bottles at a corporate Pride booth. And once identity becomes product, any deviation is treated like a brand malfunction. Fletcher dating a man? That doesn't just challenge social norms, it disrupts a profitable narrative and makes fans feel like they aren't getting what they paid for. The same can be said of Billie Eilish, who was recently seen kissing Nat Wolff (a male actor) after coming out as queer last year – a moment that sparked similar discourse about whether queerness can be real if it isn't always visibly subversive. Fans' discomfort with their bi pop queens dating men comes from two sources: ingrained biphobia and capitalism's hatred of ambiguity. about she's bisexual, then absolutely good for her. She made her career off of sapphics and developed a fanbase of queer women, just to play the victim with this new album… a woman has feelings for men, so groundbreakingdo y'all realize how weird is that? — lima 🩻 (@SoberSaturn) June 5, 2025 Queerness refuses tidy packaging while a 'lesbian' brand is legible and profitable because it feels stable. A queer woman who occasionally dates men? That's harder to market, harder to rally around, and much harder to convert into merch. As @seatt1edina put it: 'IDGAF if Fletcher has a BF but making a song where she is so 'scared' of telling people she's dating a MAN????????' accompanied by a meme of a woman cringing. But doesn't the backlash prove Fletcher's fear was valid? If she'd joyfully announced her relationship, would she really have been met with celebration – or just a different flavor of disdain? @poet_department's post – 'Fletcher kissing a boy and releasing the song during Pride Month is homophobic' – might sound absurd, but it captures how deeply brand logic has saturated queer discourse. When your queerness is your market niche, any shift feels like a PR stunt, not a personal truth. Capitalism doesn't know what to do with nuance. It wants stories that are clear, identities that are fixed, and artists who behave like products. When someone does do a brand shift – say, a Taylor Swift 'era' – it's done with PR polish that fans can easily follow. Queerness, by its very nature, resists that polish, so fans read it as a deviation from an unspoken contract. This is why identity politics, when filtered through capitalist incentives, become dangerous, because they stop being about liberation and start being about legibility. More Trending Queer people, particularly bisexual women and nonbinary people, often bear the brunt of this because the moment their desires don't align with the marketable version of their identity, their authenticity is questioned. However, to be clear, Fletcher isn't a passive victim. She capitalised heavily on her queer image, including public drama with exes like Shannon Beveridge. Her fans feel lied to, not because she changed, but because the product did, and products aren't supposed to change. It's what you get when you make something as personal as sexuality your whole brand, and Fletcher should have seen it coming. And yet, underlying all of this fan reaction is a deeper fear that shouldn't be dismissed: With the rise of fascism and the rollback of LGBTQ+ rights, are some queer women gravitating toward hetero-presenting relationships for safety, consciously or not? Is queer visibility shrinking again, right when we were promised liberation? Still, the backlash Fletcher faces reveals more about us than about her. We've been trained to see queerness not as a lived truth, but as something to buy into or opt out of, and in a system where queerness is monetised, fluidity will always be read as betrayal. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: I came out 10 years ago — this is what your teen daughter needs to hear MORE: A year ago Hawk Tuah girl went viral – Metro catches up with Haliey Welch to find out what happened next MORE: Tom Daley partners with Reiss on exclusive Pride Collection – with all profits going to charity
