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Daily Mirror
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
'I partied at Drake's three-day Wireless set - this moment was unmissable'
For its 20th anniversary, Wireless Festival made a bold choice in inviting Drake to headline all three days of the prestigious event. Despite receiving backlash for the never-before-done move, Drake didn't disappoint and brought out an all-star cast of surprise guests that had the crowd jumping and singing their hearts out the whole weekend. This year, each day had a different theme: Friday (old-school R&B), Saturday (UK rap), and Sunday (Afrobeats). I attended both Friday and Saturday, and I had the best time ever. On both days, I was in crowds of up to 50,000 attendees each day. According to Capital XTRA, there was a confirmed total of 150,000 people over three days. Knowing that the event would attract a huge crowd, my friend and I stayed at the back, and there was enough space for us to dance and see the stage, which quickly came to life with Drake's special guests. Friday was my favourite day, and Drake knew how to start his three-day run with a bang. Not only was the crowd all hyped up by Summer Walker and PARTYNEXTDOOR, but Drake also brought Bobby V, Mario, Giveon, Bryson Tiller, Lauren Hill, and even Kehlani made a small appearance during Kwn's set. So many iconic artists in one night. I wasn't expecting Mario and Bryson Tiller, two of my favourite artists, to come out and perform their biggest hits. It was the cherry on top, and one of the best moments of Wireless. Saturday was a celebration for rap fans. The flyer simply teased 'The Mandem' without any explanation, which left fans wondering if it was even worth it to buy tickets. Let me tell you, it had the biggest crowd of the weekend. Big names like Central Cee, Dave, J Hus, Skepta, Headie One, K-Trap, as well as some US rappers: Yeat, Sexyy Red, Latto, and 21 Savage. But what shocked me the most was a complete change of pace thanks to Vanessa Carlton's live-performance of 'A Thousand Miles' to wrap up the night - a moment no one saw coming. From the headliner himself, I loved how Drake blended old and new songs from his albums, changing up the setlist each day. To show his love for the UK, he flew - literally - around Finsbury Park as Whitney Houston's 'I Will Always Love You' as fireworks lit up the sky. Drake kept saying that the UK was his 'real home', also claiming UK rappers are better than the ones from the States. The rapper even took a shot from his cup when fans started screaming 'F*** Kendrick', as per his decade-long feud with rapper Kendrick Lamar. Over the years, Wireless Festival has received some negative reviews, especially concerning aspects such as organisation, last-minute cancellations, accessibility and value for money, which made me hesitant. For example, in 2024, four acts - including Tyla and Digga - suddenly dropped out. Also, Sunday's set had an early closure due to the Euros final between England and Spain. However, this year was a year of improvements. Wireless Festival 2025 came well-prepared. They had water stations, cooling areas, medical assistance regular updates through their app, and a lot of security. Famous brands, like Liquid IV, one of their sponsors, had a tent where festival-goers could visit and hydrate themselves with their latest electrolyte products. To help me with the scorching heatwave temperatures, I drank Liquid IV's newest electrolyte mix - and it was a lifesaver. Not only did it keep me well hydrated and energised throughout the day, but it also gave me a good night sleep, waking up refreshed the next day. My experience at Wireless Festival, as a first-time attendee, was quite positive. The experience was well worth it, thanks to the number of surprise guests. My friend and I sang our hearts out to each song, and woke up the next day with a raspy voice. In short: good music and good vibes all around. Was it worth it? Definitely. Would I go again? Maybe not during a 30 degree heatwave, but if the temperatures are cooler than yes - most likely.
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Drake And PARTYNEXTDOOR Announce Summer 2025 Overseas Tour '$ome $pecial $hows 4 U'
Drake and PARTYNEXTDOOR have one of the most popular projects of the year, and now they're bringing the function overseas. The duo recently announced a joint tour, $ome $pecial $hows 4 U, with stops in Europe and the United Kingdom. They let the world know they'll be hitting the road once again via Instagram in a collaborative post with the Drake Related page earlier this week. Their string of performances will kick off with the 6 God's three-night headlining set at Wireless Festival in London, England, from July 11th to July 13th. Drizzy will be joined by PND and Summer Walker the first night, 'The Mandem' on the second, and Burna Boy and Vybz Kartel on the final evening. Given his affinity for UK rappers and previous collaborations with Central Cee, Dave, Skepta, and more, it is easy to assume who will be part of 'The Mandem' joining him for the second Wireless Festival show. They'll then take a quick break before making stops in Birmingham, Manchester, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Copenhagen, Milan, Paris, and Berlin. The tour will end in September with two shows in Hamburg, Germany. Tickets go on sale this Friday (June 6) on either or This will be Drake's second tour of 2025, following his trek through Australia back in February. The Anita Max Win tour went viral several times for him sporting a hoodie with bullet holes that had smoke coming out of them, and him making several speeches about the fact that he is 'still alive' despite all he endured in 2024 with the rap beef versus Kendrick Lamar and other rappers. The tour was unfortunately cut short due to scheduling conflicts, but the 38-year-old artist promised Australia that he wouldn't let another decade pass by before coming back to perform. PARTYNEXTDOOR joined him down under right around when they released their joint album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U on Valentine's Day. $$$4U is a 21-song effort that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the Billboard Hot 100 No. 2 hit 'Nokia.' The LP featured Pimmie, Yebba, and Chino Pacas. Listen below. More from Pusha T Addresses Drake's UMG Lawsuit Over Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" Drake Breaks Record For Most Diamond-Certified Singles In RIAA History Drake's Hotline Blings After Phone Number Gets Leaked During Livestream
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How to get Drake UK tour tickets as rapper heads for Wireless residency
Drake has announced his UK and Europe tour dates, following on from his history-making three-night stop at London's Wireless Festival. The Canadian rapper, who has five Grammys to his name, last visited the UK in 2019 but is set to bring his Anita Max Win tour here in the summer. Here's all you need to know about where you can catch Drake in the UK and Europe, as well as why his Wireless appearance is so special. Drake is making a landmark appearance at London's Wireless Festival as part of his UK tour leg where he will, for the first time ever at the event, headline all three nights but with three different sets. He'll hit the Finsbury Park festival from 11-13 July to mark its 20th anniversary and will be joined by different support acts each night. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Wireless Festival (@wirelessfest) On Friday, Drake begins his Wireless residency with PARTYNEXTDOOR, who he released a recent collaborative album with and who is joining him on tour. They'll also bring special guest Summer Walker. Saturday sees Drake return to the Finsbury Park stage with The Mandem, while on Sunday he'll wrap things up with special guests Burna Boy and Vybz Kartel. The full Wireless line-up is yet to be announced. If you can't make it to any of Drake's three nights at Wireless, there are still other options to see him on his tour in the UK and Europe. He'll travel on to the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on 20 and 21 July, followed by another double set of dates at Manchester's Co-op Live on 25 and 26 July. The tour heads over to Europe for the rest of the summer, where the rapper will perform in Amsterdam in July. He'll be in Antwerp, Zurich, Cologne, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Milan in August, before moving on to Paris, Berlin, Munich, and finally Hamburg in September. Singer-songwriter and rapper PARTYNEXTDOOR is touring with Drake after releasing their collaborative album, $ome $exy $ongs 4 U. Unfortunately for Drake fans who haven't yet snapped up Wireless tickets, most of the festival is already sold out with just the VIP Experience left. Pre-sale tickets for the UK and Europe dates became available on Wednesday, 4 June, but if you weren't lucky enough to get into the pre-sale there are still chances available to see Drake. There's another pre-sale on Thursday, 5 June and his tour dates will go on general sale on Friday, 6 June, with all ticket sales starting at 12pm and the waiting room opening at 11:45am.
The Independent
16-02-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Drake's history-making Wireless announcement divides opinion as Kendrick feud rages on
Drake will headline all three nights of Wireless Festival this summer for his first set of UK performances in six years. The Canadian rapper, 38, who was the subject of Kendrick Lamar's 'Not Like Us' diss track Super Bowl performance last week, will take to the main stage in London's Finsbury Park from Friday 11 July to Sunday 13 July. In a deal thought to be worth millions, Drake will make history as the first artist to headline a festival for three nights with three different set lists, for the festival's 20th anniversary. He will be joined by special guests Burna Boy, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Summer Walker and Vybz Kartel, with more acts still to be announced. Fans were quick to react to Drake's headline slot on X/Twitter with many linking the announcement to the rapper's ongoing feud with Lamar. 'Anyone who was shouting 'They not like us' the loudest, I don't want to see you posting up Wireless videos of Drake on your insta story later this year,' one person wrote. 'If I was Drake – none of the Djs at Wireless would be able to play 'Not Like Us'. Causeeeeeeeee,' another social media user added. '3 days of Drake at Wireless feels like a punishment,' a third person joked. Meanwhile, another person claimed: ''Drake & The Mandem' is perhaps the most cringe thing I have ever seen on a Festival Lineup, and I have seen Lost Prophets on the main stage of Leeds.' Other fans were ecstatic that the rapper is finally returning to the UK after a six year-long hiatus. 'Might come outta retirement for this,' one person said. 'That's going down in history,' another added. The news follows days after the release of Drake's new album $ome $exy $ongs 4 U, on which he takes aim at past rap feuds. On the track 'Gimme a Hug', Drake calls out 'rap beef' and people hoping for his downfall. 'They be dropping s*** but we dropping harder s***/ F*** a rap beef, I'm tryna get the party lit/ Tryna get the party lit for the b****es,' Drake raps in the second verse, seemingly in reference to his feud with Lamar. 'Using you for promotion, truer words had never been spoken,' the 'God's Plan' artist adds in another line, arguably in reference to his lawsuit against his music label Universal Music Group – to which Lamar is also signed – over its release of Lamar's 'Not Like Us' on which one line referencing Drake's 2021 album, Lamar raps: 'Certified Lover Boy? Certified pedophile.' 'Funny how it's only b**** n****s that are waiting on the boy's obituary/ 'Cause if I die, it's these n****s that become the sole beneficiary,' he adds. In the lawsuit, Drake claims that UMG knew the allegations of pedophilia embedded into the song were false but 'chose corporate greed over the safety and well-being of its artists', which it denies. In a statement, UMG told The Independent: 'Not only are these claims untrue, but the notion that we would seek to harm the reputation of any artist – let alone Drake – is illogical. We have invested massively in his music and our employees around the world have worked tirelessly for many years to help him achieve historic commercial and personal financial success.' Drake, who's currently touring Australia on his Anita Max Win tour, last performed at Wireless Festival in 2021 when he made an appearance in Future's set. Last year's festival was headlined by Nicki Minaj, 21 Savage, J Hus and Doja Cat. In 2022, the festival faced allegations of overcrowding from fans, which saw the emergence of the trending 'Don't die for Wireless' caption on TikTok alongside videos of music fans breaking into the event. The festival declined to comment when approached by The Independent at the time.
