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Scotsman
04-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Nile Rodgers talks kilts, Kazakhstan and why CHIC belong to Glasgow
After a triumphant Glastonbury set the legendary band return to Scotland for more Good Times Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Nile Rodgers is buzzing to be playing Barrowland in Glasgow next month with his band CHIC as the Glasgow venue has a special place in the heart of the 72-year-old musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. Fresh from a triumphant Glastonbury performance and gigs elsewhere in the UK, the Netherlands, Ireland and Italy, Rodgers will be strapping on his signature hit-maker Fender Stratocaster with Chic as they lead the audience through a dance-fuelled set of hits such as Dance, Dance, Dance, Everybody Dance, Le Freak, I Want Your Love and Good Times. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Over Zoom from the US Rodgers is his usual smiling self, complete with hat and long locks, straight away telling me how much Chic love playing Barrowland, having played there multiple times. So what is it about Glasgow's legendary venue that gets the icon into the groove every time? Nile Rodgers and Chic perform at Glastonbury festival last month. | Getty Images 'It's the vibe of the Barrowland. It's all about the people. The reason I love coming back is because of the sense of appreciation and fulfillment we get. You can't really compare that to anything else. It's like when we finish a show we're basically done, we're exhausted at the end of our shows, but the crowd there, they're ready to go again, they wish we could do another one. It's insane.' 'We're spent but they're revved up and ready to go and that energy is incredible. I said last time we played there, 'man, you guys are louder than Concorde taking off!' The decibel level was just insane,' Like Barrowland Rodgers' has legendary status, his life and musical trajectory forged through his tough upbringing on New York's Lower East Side. His parents, an interracial couple, were hippies, high-functioning heroin addicts and music lovers and the extraordinarily musically talented young Rodgers became the family bread winner early, landing his first professional jobs as a guitarist in the Sesame Street band when he was 17 or 18 as well as playing in the house band at the famous Harlem Apollo. Having learned to play flute and clarinet in school, among other instruments, he loved jazz, classical music, rock and fully embraced the DJ and club culture of New York in the 1970s. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Chic was born in 1972, co-founded by Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards and their disco hits featuring the former's distinctive chop chord chucking style filled the world's dance floors. He also created songs for Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, David Bowie, Madonna, Daft Punk, Beyonce and many more with Chic's Good Times hit illustrating his musical reach by influencing The Sugarhill Gang's breakthrough hip hop single Rapper's Delight, Queen, Blondie, Captain Sensible and Daft Punk and beyond. Nile Rodgers performing with Chic during TRNSMT Festival at Glasgow Green, July 2022 . | Getty Images Given how many times Chic have played in Scotland does Rodgers have any tartan in his wardrobe. 'I do, obviously because I've been there too many times to not. But what was really interesting is that I'm doing a private party and they want me kilted up in their family garb, so I said 'well, whatever, I'm down, you know?'. Will he be donning a kilt? 'That's what they want me to do, so I said OK. Not at the Barrowland but yeah, we're doing a couple of private gigs.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Unfortunately Rodgers and Chic won't have any time to hang about in Scotland this time round as it's straight on to the next gig. 'This tour, almost every show is in a different city the next day. Typically, because of my charity work, I don't like to travel by private aircraft because that same money I could be spending on the kids in my programme, but it's the only way to do this tour because we're in one city and the next day in another country and the following day another. It's crazy. This is going to be the most cities that we've hit in one summer in my entire career,' he says. It's a schedule which is remarkable given that Rogers is now 72 years old. 'Yes, thank you for bringing that up,' he says and laughs, then I tell him he's in great company as Herbie Hancock, now 85, was in Scotland tearing up the Edinburgh Festival in 2022. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Yeah, he's a great friend of mine. I just saw him a couple of weeks ago,' says Rodgers. Both men have achieved legendary status that sees them revered across the whole music industry with their influence felt far and wide and down the generations. How does that feel? 'It's amazing but I don't think of it like that,' says Rodgers. 'I'm just doing my job. 'But as a composer, as a creator, as a producer, an orchestrator and arranger, whatever you want to call me, guitar player, to be able to create and have that creation become meaningful to other people's lives, that's an extraordinary feeling.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'I don't know how to explain it. Well… near the end of the first leg of this tour, at the last show, I said 'I want to do this for the rest of my life until I can't do it any more'. You know, that's just how I feel. I love the feeling that we're giving back because the crowd seems to be SO appreciative. My god, the last few shows we just did in South America were over the top!' Having been on the road for decades Rodgers has played 'every country in the world', some of them multiple times, but last year's visit to Kazakhstan made an impression. Nile Rodgers at the 2025 Songwriters Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony in New York. Rodgers was inducted in 2016. | Getty Images for Songwriters Hal 'Before we went I kept thinking to myself the only thing I know about Kazakhstan is the character Sascha Baron Cohen plays in Borat and that horrible song he sings all the time, and I get to Kazakhstan and people were awesome. We had so much fun. I couldn't believe the way that the vibe felt walking down the street. I didn't seem to look peculiar to people, even though I know that I don't typically dress like your average Kazakhstani but man, we had so much fun. 'And we were making a joke, me and the girls in my band, and I said you know, for the last couple of years of Prince's life he always played Le Freak, stuck it in the middle of a song, and I said we're going to stick in Jungle Love, and we started doing the dance and the client who brought us in jumped right in with us and started doing the Jungle Love dance. It was incredible. We were in Kazakhstan and he knew exactly where we were coming from culturally, and I thought to myself, that's the beauty of music and that's really what the world is. People are beautiful. Government's pretty much stink,' he laughs, 'but people are awesome.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Rodgers agrees that the beauty of music is that it transcends politics. 'When I go to a country that's supposed to be awful, the promoters say 'oh you don't want to go for a walk out there' and I hear 'Nile, ha ha, take off', because I love meeting people. I love other cultures and I'm fascinated.' He traces his love of travel right back to his early years when he had no money but explored anyway. 'When I was a kid it was very common for people like myself who were very poor to do what we call hostelling, and you go to these very, very inexpensive little, you can't even call them hotels, they were just little rooms, rooming houses set up for basically teenagers to go around and explore the world. I don't even know what's happened to that,' he says. No, hostels are still very much a thing, I tell him. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Oh, OK. I guess I'm not a teenager anymore! I'm 72 years old and I can actually stay in a real hotel. But that was like the thing. So meeting new people and going to different countries was a normal thing. I remember my girlfriend turned me on to this and there was no such thing as stranger danger. I never heard a bad story, like now it seems that's all we hear. And I know mathematically that there are no more bad people now than there were then, so I just take it as mostly people are good, and every now and then you meet jerks, but most of the time people are really cool.' With the extensive touring, producing, writing and charity work that Rodgers is involved in, is he ever able to go and watch other musicians play? 'Rarely. I love to, but it's rare. I saw Esperanza Spalding and Adam Lambert at the Polar awards [The 2025 Polar Music Prize ceremony in Stockholm last month], and that was great, that was cool and fun, but that's not my normal life. 'My normal life is I'm going from one place to the next. I rarely have leisure time because I'm working on other projects. Doing live gigs is not my life, that's just one small part of it.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad With Barrowland ready and waiting does Rodgers have the playlist ready for the gig, and is it a set or does it change? 'It changes all the time because we have an idea of the amount of time that we have on stage. As a person, I'm very cognisant of other artists and I never go over time. Chic is incredibly prompt. We're like a machine. And what's really interesting is that we're not a machine, we're a completely live band. Almost every band you see has click tracks and secret backing tracks and stuff like that, and believe me I know, because I know almost every band out there, but we're completely live. 'But we're very prompt. I have my stage manager saying 'OK, you've got five minutes, three minutes, two minutes, you've got to be on stage'. We're very, very, very cognisant of the other acts, and because we're live, we're not locked to a clock, so we have to be aware of how much time we're on stage because sometimes I'll talk and just go off the rails and start telling stories and that's not really what we're there for. We're there to play music. But sometimes you can't help it. The vibe is so great. And because I've been to all these countries so many times I have nothing but great memories that sometimes I want to share, so I tell them.' And will he be playing his trademark white Fender Stratocaster with the maple fingerboard? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'Of course. It's the only guitar I play. If I break a string the audience has to wait for me to change the string.' Does he not have a spare, or other guitars? 'I have tons of them, but I only play that one.' Nile Rodgers performing with Chic at TRNSMT Festival, Glasgow, 2022. | Getty Images Looking back over his lengthy career, of what is Rodgers most proud, some of the hits, his influence on other musicians, his longevity, his success, his charity work? 'That's really high on my list,' he says, referring to his We Are Family Foundation, set up in 2008 and which has funded schools in Malawi, Mali, Nepal and Nicaragua, created a diversity and tolerance curriculum that was sent to every elementary school in the US and is dedicated to create programmes that 'promote cultural diversity while nurturing and mentoring the vision, talents and ideas of young people who are positively changing the world'. 'What we're doing now, it's beyond anything I ever thought we could accomplish and now I know we gotta be doing SO much more because the people in my life now, and just what's going on in America now, it drives me to work in other situations and it opens my mind to developing programmes in other countries because now I really see that… God, you know, there's so much going on in the world that really governments don't address, and we really deal with young people who are addressing those problems and actually making a change. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad 'And when I was a kid, that's what my life was like. It was not only discovering the problem or becoming aware of the problem but it was actually working on the problem, helping to mend the problem, trying to fix it. On a previous occasion Rodgers told me how when he was a child he had fallen behind a sofa pushed against a wall in the family home and was stuck there for hours, unnoticed. What would he say to that child now, a scared little boy who has no idea how his life will unfold? 'It's going to be amazing.' He pauses and thinks back. 'I thought I was dying. I couldn't breathe. I had asthma. I can't believe that you know that story. Yeah, I fell behind the sofa, and I was a skinny, skinny, skinny little kid and had really bad asthma, and who'd ever have thought that I'd go on to make music for a living? 'Actually I thought that then, believe it or not, but I never would have imagined that it would get to this level, that I'd do songs and video games and theatre and pop records and classical records and jazz records, I mean just anything that artistically comes my way that I'm interested in. It's amazing.' Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Which just leaves time to wish him all the best for the Barrowland gig and the rest of the tour. 'Thank you. I hope I'll see you all at the show.'
Irish Daily Mirror
29-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Daily Mirror
Rod Stewart suffers awkward moment on Glastonbury stage as guest doesn't appear
Sunday is upon us at Glastonbury after an eventful weekend of music and mayhem. But the drama isn't over, with Glastonbury bosses this morning slamming Bob Vylan's 'Death to IDF' chants on stage, declaring the punk rap duo had "crossed the line". It comes as police confirmed yesterday that they are investigating the footage. Tonight, Rod Stewart is set to perform in the legends spot, with final headliner Olivia Rodrigo bringing an end to the festival. It comes at an awkward time for Rod after fellow singer Kate Nash lashed out at the legend on Saturday evening. He made some surprise comments back in 2023 about retiring, where he said: "I'm not retiring. But I want to move on. I had great success with The Great American Songbook, all-American standards, and I've just done a swing album with Jools Holland, which is going to come out next year, so I want to go in that direction. I just want to leave all the rock 'n' roll stuff behind — for a while, maybe." Nile has worked with many artists over the years and namedropped just a few as he reeled off some of their biggest hits. Diana Ross, David Bowie and Daft Punk were all mentioned as Nile and Chic sang I'm Coming Out and Upside Down. Of course, Nile Rodgers and Chic have opened with their song Le Freak. Even the security are all getting involved, as they dance to the song in their bright blue polo shirts. Nile then segues into Everybody Dance, their 1977 hit. Nile Rodgers and Chic will be next on the Pyramid Stage, with their set beginning in just over 10 minutes time. The group have been performing around the UK as of late and are heading to Glastonbury this afternoon for what promises to be an exciting set ahead! Sir Rod Stewart made sure to roll back the years to his adoring Glastonbury crowd on Sunday, but he had to let his backing singers take over midway through his set Straight after entertaining with his rendition of Do Ya Think I'm Sexy, Rod told the crowd: "The girls are going to do a song for you while I change my shirt." He swiftly made an exit leaving fans surprised. Read more here. Rod was due to finish at 5.15pm but he kept going a little over his time. "We have got to get off the stage soon, we are done," he tells the crowd before singing hit track Sailing. He also thanked all his celebrity guests. After that awkward moment, Lulu has appeared to sing with Rod. The pair headed out to see the crowd as they sang with one another, with Rod even stopping to help Lulu walking down the stairs. They sang Hot Legs together. Rod is now in a green suit as he welcomes Ronnie Wood and Lulu onto the stage. However, things turned a bit awkward when Rod stopped and said 'oh Lulu is coming on in a bit' as Ronnie grabbed his guitar and played for the huge Glastonbury crowd. As Rod promised, Mick arrived on stage for a duet of If You Don't Know Me By Now. Rod and Mick sang the hit song together, with Mick looking very casual in his dark blue t-shirt and light blue washed jeans compared to Rod's bright pink suit. Rod has decided to take a quick break to change his shirt. "The girls are going to do a song for you while a change my shirt," he told fans in the crowd as the band broke into a rendition of Lady Marmalade. Rod soon returned to the stage in a full pink suit. There was an emotional tribute to Christine McVie as Rod projected her face on the big screen at Glastonbury. He also teased there would be special guests on later before revealing that Ronnie Wood, Mick Hucknall & Lulu would be joining him in the final half an hour or so of his set. Rod made a bit of an error with his opening for Maggie May, coming in too early. But that didn't stop fans from singing along to Rod. With the biggest reaction so far, Rod's track Maggie May had the whole of the huge Glastonbury crowd singing along. Rod continued to thank fans for coming to his set and said he was really enjoying himself. He told fans: "There's been a lot of the Middle East recently quite rightly so. I want to draw your attention to Ukraine," before performing Love Train. He regularly pays tribute to Ukraine in his sets. The star - who has housed refugees from the country in the UK - usually dedicates his 1991 anti-war song Rhythm of My Heart to Ukraine but chose a different song today. After finishing his first song, Rod told the crowd that music brings us together. "Enjoy yourselves ladies and gentlemen, music brings us together, " he told the huge crowd. Yes, really! Rod Stewart has arrived on stage to huge cheers from the packed out crowd at the Pyramid Stage. He opened his set with Tonight I'm Yours. Rod wore a black jacket emblazoned with gold for his headline set as women danced in the background with red sequin dresses. Sir Rod Stewart will soon be gracing the Pyramid Stage. His comments back in 2023 about retiring had fans stunned. He said: "I'm not retiring. But I want to move on. I had great success with The Great American Songbook, all-American standards, and I've just done a swing album with Jools Holland, which is going to come out next year, so I want to go in that direction. "I just want to leave all the rock 'n' roll stuff behind — for a while, maybe." Singer Kate Nash lashed out at a number of people on Saturday evening in a series of brutal jabs. Among those she let rip at included JK Rowling, Rod Stewart, Denise Welch, Keir Starmer and Nigel Farage - an eclectic bunch! The Foundations hitmaker, who was headlining the Left Field tent at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday night, appeared to slam Harry Potter author Rowling on stage. She told the audience: "The loudest feminist voice in the UK is currently transphobic and that is something that I take very f****** personally, as a feminist and a feminist with trans friends in my life, trans people that I love and that are very important to me. "Dismantling systems of oppression lies at the very core of feminism, so transphobia is not f****** feminist. And just because you're a f******* millionaire and a f****** bully with an army of trolls on the f****** internet. "I don't give a f*** mate. I don't give a s*** about the hundreds, if not thousands of comments, that I've been receiving from trolls since I penned my essay, released it into a song. It's called Germ." Laying into music bosses next - and Denise Welch, who was at the festival supporting her son Matty Healy's band The 1975 - Kate continued: "The music industry doesn't know what to do with me. They tried to get rid of me, but they didn't. There is a record executive sweating their t*** off with Matt Healy's mum. "They're scared of me. I like that. But I was made of mother f****** Bricks. But they didn't believe me. I even gave them a second warning a few years later when I told them 'Do not underestimate the girl'. Is it my fault they didn't believe me? "I'm not going to give my third warning. It's too late for that. I'm taking my bricks and I'm throwing them through the f****** window.' Launching into her song D***head, she said: "F*** Rod Stewart. This one [Why You Being A D****head For] goes out to Keir Starmer, JK Rowling, Rod Stewart and Nigel f****** Farage.' Last week Rod announced his support for Farage in an interview with the Times. The Libertines were struck with technical issues this afternoon on the Pyramid set, sparking frustration from upset fans. For the first five minutes of the set, festival goers were treated to blank screens, meaning that most of the crowd were unable to see anything. A source told the Mirror: "It was so annoying - the screen was completely black for the first two songs so we couldn't see anything! They sounded really good though." Glastonbury bosses have issued guidance to festival goers on the likely busiest crowds today. Rod Stewart's Pyramid set at 5.45pm and Maccabees' Park performance at 10.15pm are cited as the most likely to attract big audiences. While other potentially busy shows today include Sub Focus at IICON (12.30am) and Marc Rebillet at Shangri-La Stage at 2am. The festival has warned that late-night areas will be popular again tonight, with organisers set to divert crowds at times to clear space. At tented venues, festival goers should expect a one in, one out policy. Loose Women star Penny Lancaster appeared to be having a ball ahead of Rod Stewart's Glastonbury set this eveninng. The 54-year-old happily mingled with friends as she took photos with fans dressed up as her husband with his iconic hairdo. She was later spotted with pal Davina McCall, who stood out in an eye-catching red dress next to husband Michael Douglas. Over the course of two and a half hours, the crowds at Bob Vylan and Kneecap's performances became a snarling cess-pit of hate, the Mirror's Tom Bryant recalls after Saturday's chaos. Glastonbury bosses had warned that morning that they may have to close off access to the West Holts area because of over-crowding. But as soon as Bob Vylan's set began, it became obvious that his act was exactly the aperitif that the febrile crowd craved. But given the levels of controversy it could easily have been the main course. 'We are live on the BBC, so we have to be careful what we say,' said Vylan. But being careful was not on the agenda as he began a spine-tingling chant calling for the murder of the Israel Defence Force. The face of the old lady next to me is contorted with rage as she chants along. Vylan then launches into a rant decrying the music industry figures who had written to Glastonbury bosses calling for Kneecap to be banned including his former 'bald headed c***' of a boss. 'Name him, name him,' menacingly chant the crowd back. The BBC has addressed airing the moment performer Bobby Vylan, of punk rap dup Bob Vylan, chanted "Death to the IDF" to a crowd at Glastonbury on Saturday. The scenes aired live on BBCiPlayer, leaving many viewers upset over the footage as Health Secretary Wes Streeting branded it "appalling". A BBC spokesperson has since responded to the incident in a statement. They told the Mirror: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' Glastonbury Festival said it is 'appalled' by the actions of rap punk duo Bob Vylan on stage on Saturday, saying it "crossed a line". It comes as footage of the set is assessed by police. Performer Bobby Vylan led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'Death, death to the IDF' on Saturday, before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' at his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance. A joint Instagram post from Glastonbury and Emily Eavis said: 'As a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism. 'We will always believe in – and actively campaign for – hope, unity, peace and love. 'With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share, and a performer's presence here should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs. 'However, we are appalled by the statements made from the West Holts stage by Bob Vylan yesterday. 'Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.' Olivia Rodrigo has blasted trolls as she gets ready to send out Glastonbury with a bang this evening as they final headlining act. Asked about how some of her exes and other pals have reacted to being mentioned in her songs, she said: 'Most people have been pretty cool. I just feel like that's a personal thing. It's just like this person to person one on one things. 'Songs are just songs. Lots of the times I write something and it's kind of like an amalgamation of lots of different people. Or I write a lot of songs that are of fantasy sometimes too. 'It's important for me to kind of keep my personal life private. I think I will dive as deep as I can into my songs, but I kind of just don't love talking about it. 'That's the boundary for me. It helps me feel healthy and good about my job and my privacy. I never think about a song coming out when I'm writing it. I'm always just trying to process the emotion and diving as deep as I can. And it's not until it's finished and produced where I'm really like, 'oh, how is this going to be in the world? How are people going to listen to this and interpret it?' 'But I try to keep the songwriting process very insular and just about me and the song.' Fatboy Slim will be performing today at 4pm at The Luna Bar under alias Sunday Service. The DJ just confirmed the news on Instagram accompanied by photos of his Saturday set. He wrote to excited fans: "A glorious Saturday afternoon at @glastofest Genosys. *Just announced* I'm back in Shangri La at 4pm today at Luna for a Kid-friendly Sunday session set." Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned that the BBC and Glastonbury have "questions to answer" after chants of "death to the IDF" were made on stage at the festival. The Labour MP branded the scenes - which aired on the BBC - "appalling" and a "pretty shameless publicity stunt". It comes after rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, on Saturday led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: "Free, free Palestine" and: "Death, death to the IDF", before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans "start a riot" outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance. 'I thought it's appalling, to be honest, and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens,' he told Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips. 'But I also think it's a pretty shameless publicity stunt, which I don't really want to give too much indulgence to for that reason.' He said what people should be talking about in the context of Israel and Gaza is the humanitarian catastrophe and the fact that Israeli settlers attacked a Christian village this week. He added: 'The fact that we saw that chant at a music festival, when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive, whether it's a Palestinian or an Israeli, whether it's a Christian, a Jew or a Muslim, all life is precious. 'All life is sacred. And I find it pretty revolting we've got to a state in this conflict where you're supposed to sort of cheer on one side or the other like it's a football team.' Asked if the BBC should have cut the live feed, he said the broadcaster has questions to answer, but that he did not know what the editorial and operational 'challenges' are of taking such action. The Israeli embassy has spoken out about chants of "death to the IDF" at Glastonbury, saying that it is "deeply disturbed" by the scenes. Police are investigating the incident after a member of Bob Vylan was seen shouting out the phrase to the crowd, with videos of the moment circulating on the internet. They had been performing on stage ahead of Irish act Kneecap, whose member Mo Chara as recently in court after brandishing a Hezbolla flag on stage during a gig. A statement from the embassy read: "The Embassy of Israel in the United Kingdom is deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival." They continued to say that such slogans "advocate for the dismantling of the State of Israel", adding: "When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence." Police continue to examine videos of comments made by acts Bob Vylan and Kneecap at Glastonbury as the festival enters its third day. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, on Saturday led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of: "Free, free Palestine" and: "Death, death to the IDF", before a member of Irish rap trio Kneecap suggested fans "start a riot" outside his bandmate's upcoming court appearance. According to BBC weather Glastonbury will consist of sunny intervals with light winds and reach highs of 27C. The pollen and UV levels are both seet to be high. 12pm-1pm - sunny intervals and light winds with highs of 23C 1pm-2pm - sunny intervals and light winds with highs of 24C 2pm-3pm - sunny intervals and light winds with highs of 25C 3pm-4pm - sunny intervals and light winds with highs of 26C 4pm-5pm - sunny and light winds with highs of 27C 5pm-6pm -sunny and light winds with highs of 26C 6pm-7pm - sunny and light winds with highs of 25C 7pm-8pm - sunny and light winds with highs of 24C 8pm-9pm - sunny and light winds with highs of 23C 9pm-10pm - sunny and light winds with highs of 21C 10pm-11pm - a clear sky and light winds with highs of 19C 11pm-12am - a clear sky and light winds with highs of 18C Festival-goers at Glastonbury will be basking in the glorious sunshine today, but organisers have urged attendees to '"be safe in the heat" and issued some important safety guidance surrounding consumption of alcohol. Read the full story here.
Belfast Telegraph
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Belfast Telegraph
Music legend Nile Rodgers stumps up £35k to help protect ancient NI woodland
Belfast-bound Chic star's enduring love of nature prompted Faughan Valley gift One of music's biggest stars is helping to protect a rare and ancient woodland in Northern Ireland. Nile Rodgers and his band Chic — famous for hits such as Le Freak and Good Times — are donating more than £35,000 to support the Faughan Valley in Co Londonderry.
Khaleej Times
04-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
Gen-Z: How social media redefines cancel culture in 2025
Picture this: It's 1981, and Nile Rodgers, the legendary musician behind hits like Le Freak and Good Times, is at a club with his girlfriend. When she behaves in a way he deems unacceptable, he doesn't just write a song about heartbreak—he writes Your Love Is Cancelled. The track, a sequel of sorts to his earlier hit I Want Your Love. The track didn't exactly top the charts, but it did something far more revolutionary: it introduced the concept of 'cancelling' someone for bad behaviour. Decades before hashtags and viral call-outs, Rodgers was already onto something. Fast forward to 2025, and cancel culture has become a defining feature of our social landscape, especially for Generation-Z. But what exactly is it, and why does it matter so much to this generation? Cancel culture refers to the practice of publicly calling out, shaming, or boycotting individuals, organisations, or even brands for behaviour deemed socially unacceptable. This could range from offensive comments and controversial beliefs to harmful or illegal actions. Social media platforms have become the battlegrounds where these cancellations play out, with hashtags and viral posts amplifying the outrage. The fallout from being 'cancelled' can be devastating. For influencers, the stakes are far higher than simply losing followers; it's about witnessing the community they've painstakingly built collapse overnight. A single misstep—whether it's offensive comments, personal scandals, or revelations of unethical behaviour—can unleash a ripple effect of repercussions. Prominent YouTubers like PewDiePie, Tati Westbrook, and Shane Dawson have all experienced the downfall of their communities in the past, as did Instagram star Nessa Barrett. More recently, Indian YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia faced a similar fate. For many, the path to redemption is daunting, if not entirely out of reach. For the ones cancelling, it's a necessary tool for accountability—a way to hold powerful people and institutions responsible for their actions. For others, it's a digital witch hunt that leaves little room for redemption. Gen-Z, the first true digital natives, have grown up in a world where social media is both a megaphone and a microscope. They've witnessed movements like #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter use collective outrage to drive real change. For many in Gen-Z, cancel culture isn't just about punishment—it's about justice. It's a way to challenge systemic inequalities and demand accountability in a world where traditional systems have often failed. 'We're not cancelling people—we're cancelling toxic behaviour,' says Sayeda Arif, a young professional working in a startup company in Dubai. But it is not all black and white. Gen-Z's relationship with cancel culture is complicated. On one hand, they've seen it work—celebrities, politicians, and corporations have been forced to reckon with their actions in ways that were unimaginable a decade ago. 'There have been instances where I have supported the idea of cancelling out of touch of reality influencers, and offensive and insensitive brand campaigns,' says Rajasi Shrestha, a Nepalese student. On the other hand, they've also seen it spiral into toxicity, with online mobs sometimes targeting individuals for minor missteps or misunderstandings. ' I have never cancelled anyone. Though it could be a positive view of holding people accountable in a social way. I also feel people took it too far away and started cancelling others over very trivial issues,' says Sara Alaa Abdelmagid, an Egyptian student studying in Dubai. While cancel culture can be a powerful force for good, it's not without its flaws. Critics argue that it often lacks nuance, leaving little room for forgiveness or growth. The speed and intensity of online outrage can sometimes overshadow the possibility of meaningful dialogue or education. Take, for example, the case of a young influencer who makes an insensitive comment. Instead of using the moment as a teaching opportunity, cancel culture can quickly shut down any chance for their learning or redemption. This raises an important question: Are we cancelling people to create a better world, or are we just feeding into a cycle of performative outrage? The challenge for Gen Z,and for all of us, is to find a balance between accountability and empathy. Cancel culture can be a tool for social change, but it shouldn't be the default response to every controversy. Open dialogue and a willingness to listen are just as important as holding people accountable. In a world where everyone has a platform, it's up to us to use our voices wisely. So, the next time you're tempted to type 'cancel', ask yourself: Is this about justice, or is it just about the drama? Because in the end, the goal shouldn't be to destroy—it should be to build a better, more inclusive world.
BBC News
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Love Supreme Festival: Nile Rodgers and CHIC to perform
Nile Rogers and CHIC are to perform at the Love Supreme Jazz Festival, organisers have will join stars including Smokey Robinson and Jacob Collier on stage at the event, which is held at Glynde Place, on the outskirts of Lewes, between 4-6 songwriter and producer has worked with artists such as Diana Ross, David Bowie and Rogers and CHIC produced some of the biggest disco anthems of all time, including Le Freak, Good Times, and Everybody Dance. Saturday headliner, six-time Grammy-winner Jacob Collier, will make his first major festival headline show at Love Supreme, his only performance this year. The Sunday headliner has been confirmed as Maxwell. Other confirmed acts include Smokey Robinson, En Vogue, Thee Sacred Souls, Branford Marsalis Quartet, Durand Jones & The Indications, Stanley Clarke, Aroog Aftab, War, Sampa the Great, Jamila Woods, Lakecia will be Robinson's first UK appearance in over 15 years.
