Latest news with #SisterSledge
Hamilton Spectator
24-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
The Trews, Sister Sledge, Sugarhill Gang, Brett Kissel headline 49th annual Festival of Friends
The Festival of Friends isn't so much turning 50 next year as feeling forever young this year, its 49th, and on into the future. Forty-nine, 50 — the fun is just starting. Since 2017, Rob Rakoczy, as general manager, has been bringing up the baby, the late Bill Powell's 1976 love child of music and arts. And he and his team are keeping the treasured Hamilton summer celebration fresh, with lively mixtures of genre, generation and genuine musical gems. 'It's the 49th for the festival this year, and we're excited about our lineup and the plans for this year, which are going to lead us on into our first half century and a huge anniversary next year,' says Rakoczy. It's going to go like this — The Trews, the inimitable Hamilton-based rockers with multiple Juno nominations and a big following, are headlining on the Friday night (Aug. 1 at 9:30 p.m.), capping off an opening day with the musical tuning set at indie/rock. Saturday night sees a massive hip-hop/soul lineup with an appearance by no less an act than the historic Sugarhill Gang of 'Rapper's Delight' fame — the first rap single to become a Top 40 hit on Billboard. They're coming to the stage to 'hip hop, the hippie to the hop and you don't stop the rockin' to the bang-bang boogie, say up jump the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat.' 'It's a big coup for us to get them' Rakoczy says of The Sugarhill Gang. 'We're very excited about it.' When Friday, Aug. 1 to Sunday, Aug. 3 Where Gage Park, 1000 Main St. East, Hamilton Who Performers include The Trews, Sister Sledge, The Sugarhill Gang, Brett Kissel, Peter Elkas Band, Dan Mangan, Honey Luck, The Wild High, Tep No, Chris Chambers Band, Alfie Smith, Florin Clonta, Max Paxton & The Pintos, Blood Roses, and Banned From Heaven. There will also be a kids stage, midway, pony rides, arts and crafts demonstrations, and more than 125 vendors. Tickets As always, admission is free. For more see The Sugarhill Gang will be joined by Melle Mel and Scorpio of Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five. But that's not even the biggest news yet. The headliner of headliners, on Saturday's main stage at 9:30 p.m. Is — wait for it, as they say — ready? — Sister Sledge. The Festival of Friends and … Fam-i-ly, as in 'We Are Family.' 'It's part of a whole idea we have,' says Rakoczy, 'of bringing to the people, to Festival of Friends, iconic songs and the artists who did them. We had the B-52s doing 'Love Shack' a few years ago, and also people like Eric Burdon, Don MacLean ('American Pie') and The Village People.' Sister Sledge's 'We Are Family' is certainly one of those songs. And not to be outdone, Sunday night brings what is probably equally good news for those with an ear under their cowboy hats for country music. Brett Kissel, one of Canada's biggest country music stars, will close out the festival at 9:30 p.m. on the main stage on Sunday, Aug. 3. Kissel says Rakoczy is the biggest country star the festival has hosted since Tanya Tucker, winner and nominee of several Juno and Canadian Country Music Association awards 'People are very excited about Brett Kissel coming,' says Rakoczy. 'I know a couple who always miss the Sunday because it's their daughter's birthday, but this year they're coming just for Brett Kissel.' Presumably, they'll bring their daughter along. Why not? The festival is not to be missed. And there are many other great acts on the main stage beyond the headliners. It all starts on Friday at 6 p.m. with the Peter Elkas Band, kicking off the indie/rock portion of the weekend. They will be followed at 7:30 p.m. on the Friday by two-time Juno winner Dan Mangan. Mangan's indie, folk alt-rock and experimental music has won widespread acclaim over more than two decades. 'They (Peter Elkas Band and Dan Mangan) are the perfect fit' for a night that culminates with The Trews, says Rakoczy. '(The Trews) headlined in 2019 (at Festival of Friends) and people loved it. The Trews have that effect — such an unstoppable train ride of energetic sound and variety.' On the Saturday, opening acts include Tep No, a Hamilton DJ/electronic artist who has appeared on Ryan Seacrest's radio show and who has millions of streams. On Sunday, Country Day, The Wild High (a new band from former Monster Truck lead singer Jon Harvey) will come on at 6:30 p.m., and will be followed at 8 p.m., before Kissel, by Honey Luck from Austin, Texas, back by popular demand after last year's smash show at the festival. One of Honey Luck's lead singers, says Rakoczy, was a contestant on 'The Voice' and ended up on Blake Shelton's team. The band just recorded with Christ Stapleton's people.
New York Times
23-06-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
The MTV Reality Star in Trump's Cabinet Who Wants You to Have More Kids
Sean Duffy would like you to watch his family making pancakes. They have cooked breakfast together twice on national television, once just last month — man, wife, and children, gathered around a stovetop as a Fox News host prompts them to describe this most wholesome of Saturday morning pastimes. 'For us, it's not just eating the pancakes. It's actually making the pancakes,' Mr. Duffy said in a 2017 segment, bouncing a baby on his hip as the rest of his kids smiled uncomfortably at the camera. 'It becomes somewhat of a family affair.' The Duffys, who had eight children at the time and would go on to have a ninth, were proud to highlight their unusually large family. Mr. Duffy's wife rattled off the kids' names before mixing the batter, noting that two were away at Catholic camp, praying the rosary. When it came time to fire up the burner, she stepped aside. In this all-American household, the roles were clear: Mom whisks and Dad mans the griddle. As the camera panned out to Sister Sledge's 'We Are Family,' Mr. Duffy wrapped up another segment in what has essentially been an ongoing reality TV show showcasing much of his adult life. Over three decades, Americans have watched him evolve from a sex-hungry 25-year-old on MTV's 'The Real World,' gyrating with a woman on a pool table, to Secretary Duffy, a devoutly Catholic husband and father at the helm of President Trump's Transportation Department, pushing young Americans to have families as large as his own. Mr. Duffy and his wife, the Fox News host Rachel Campos-Duffy, like to call themselves 'the longest-lasting (and most fertile) couple in the history of reality TV,' a title they trace to a mid-2000s issue of TV Guide. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Calgary Herald
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Calgary Herald
Review: SIX stellar reasons to see the musical based on Henry VIII's wives
Article content The musical SIX is an ode to sisterhood. Article content Call it the Tudor version of The Eurythmics' Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves or Sister Sledge's We Are Family, as the six wives of Henry VIII discover they are strongest when they are singing with each other, and not against each other. Article content The thin plot line of this rock concert disguised as a musical is that Henry's six wives are forming a band, and the lead singer will be the wife who suffered the most at the hands of the controversial monarch. Article content Article content Henry tried to annul his marriage to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, so he could marry one of her ladies-in-waiting, Anne Boleyn. However, the Catholic Church didn't recognize divorce. Henry threatened to send Catherine to a convent, but instead formed his own church that would give him the divorce he wanted. Catherine sings No Way, a big, brassy number, that lets Henry and the audience know she is a formidable woman, but, alas, Henry got his way, so her protest is in vain. Article content Article content Chani Maisonet, who plays Catherine, uses Beyonce as her diva inspiration, which means she exudes confidence and style. There is a sense that she knows she's special and that her stature is earned. As is the case with most of the songs in the show, Maisonet is supported by the other wives in what becomes a wild, frenzied number, but Maisonet is always front and centre. Article content Article content As Anne Boleyn, Hailey Lewis is pretty certain she will win the contest. After all, Henry had her beheaded. Her overconfidence is not only on display in the lyrics of her song, Don't Lose Ur Head, but in her quips to the other wives. She's a little vixen, always ready with a wisecrack, and always ready to play the headless card. Article content After Ex-Wives, which is the opening number, and Maisonet and Lewis's fully supported songs, it's a treat to have Kelly Denice Taylor's beautiful solo torch song, Heart of Stone. She literally takes the spotlight and brings as much heart as soul to the number. Article content Henry's fourth wife, Anna of Cleves, jokes that when Henry had run out of English women, he looked to Germany for her and she has the other wives join her in two techno-inspired numbers, Haus of Holbein and Get Down. The strong thing about SIX is that the songs are very specific to the wives. They use different styles and influences. There is a real cheekiness in the way Danielle Mendoza attacks these numbers as Anna.
RTÉ News
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RTÉ News
Inside Forest Fest - meet the man bringing rock royalty to Laois
Phillip Meagher is the founder of Forest Fest, the popular music bash returning to Emo, Co. Laois for its fourth edition this July - below, he remembers his journey from solicitor to creating a 'celebration of music, good company, and good vibes'. If you'd told me a few years ago I'd be running a music festival, I'd have laughed. I'm a solicitor by trade – usually found in a courtroom, suited and booted – not in a field figuring out campervan layouts or booking bands! But music's always been a big love of mine, and over time, I found myself craving a different kind of festival experience – something more laid-back, less hassle, and built for people like me who adore live music but can do without the chaos. Watch: Forest Fest 2024 revisited That's where Forest Fest came from. I'd been to loads of festivals that just felt like too much – overcrowded, uncomfortable, long queues, dodgy loos, nowhere to sit with a proper pint. I remember thinking, There has to be a better way. I started dreaming up something smaller and more chilled – great music, decent facilities, short strolls back to your tent or van, a local restaurant nearby where you can sit down for a hot meal and a pint or a glass of wine. That vision became Forest Fest. Emo's charm doesn't go unnoticed. Artists love it here. I started putting plans together in 2019 while on a break abroad. I'd organised a few local events before, so I reached out to some contacts – and within hours, I had a chunk of the line-up sorted. Then the pandemic hit. Everything paused, but that break gave me time to refine the idea, bring in the right people, and figure out how to make it work. By 2022, Forest Fest was real – and the response blew us away. We hold it at Emo community grounds, right beside the beautiful Emo Court. The whole village gets involved – from the Gate House pub to Batoni's restaurant. There's something special about being able to grab a bowl of fresh pasta or a proper burger, sit with a cocktail in the garden, and stroll back to catch a band playing just down the road. Emo's charm doesn't go unnoticed. Artists love it here – the warm welcome, the scenery, the relaxed vibe. It's not just another gig; it's something they remember. We've hosted some serious legends – Sister Sledge, The Proclaimers, Nik Kershaw – and we always aim for a great mix of big names and brilliant Irish acts. For 2025, we've got five stages: the Forest Stage, Village Stage, Perfect Day Stage, Forest Fleadh Stage and the Ibiza Rewind tent. There's something for everyone – from indie and trad to proper dancefloor bangers. This year's headliners are Manic Street Preachers (their only Irish show this summer!), Franz Ferdinand and Travis. The rest of the line-up is stacked: Orbital, The Stranglers, Tom Meighan, The Dandy Warhols, Bad Manners, Tony Hadley, Billy Bragg, Peter Hook & The Light, Reef, Kula Shaker, Therapy?, Teenage Fanclub, The Farm, Alabama 3, The Magic Numbers, Nick Lowe, Robert Finley, Pillow Queens, Hermitage Green, Something Happens, Mary Coughlan, Sharon Shannon – and loads more. Getting here's a breeze – just an hour from Dublin, 5km from Exit 15 on the M7. There's free parking and shuttle buses running between the festival site and nearby towns and hotels. We've also got regular trains to Portlaoise and Portarlington, plus day return buses from places like Dublin, Tullamore, Kilkenny, Portlaoise and Cashel. We're also passionate about keeping Forest Fest as green as possible. We're continuing our brilliant partnership with Native Events, who are expanding their Smart Waste Management programme after a great run with Emo GAA last year. From uniforms made from old camping gear to a full-on waste hub that helps people get stuck into sustainability, we're proud to make it part of the experience. Forest Fest has grown into something I could never have fully imagined – a celebration of music, good company, and good vibes. Whether you're dancing under the stars or relaxing with a pint and some great food, it's a festival built around comfort, connection and joy. I'm incredibly proud of what we've built.
BBC News
14-03-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Olly Alexander and Leigh-Anne to perform at Manchester Pride
Brit Award winner Olly Alexander and former Little Mix star Leigh-Anne will be among a host of musicians performing at the Manchester Pride festival this will be joined by Broadway star Billy Porter and the bands Sister Sledge and B*Witched for the event, which will run from 22-25 festival is also introducing its first Mardi Gras shows at Mayfield Depot alongside the Gay Village executive Mark Fletcher said: "Each year we're challenged to respond to the diverse needs of our communities." He continued: "With the introduction of the new Mardi Gras event we needed to make sure that we stayed true to what Pride is about in this city."Our communities were clear that they wanted to see LGBTQ+ performers front and centre and we're thrilled to announce a line-up which serves."Tickets for Mardi Gras and Gay Village Party will be available for presale from 17 March, with more performers set to be announced over the coming months. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on BBC Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram, and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
