Music

Bob Rafelson, co-creator of ‘The Monkees’, dies aged 89

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July 24, 2022

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Writer, director and producer Bob Rafelson has died at the age of 89.

Rafelson passed away of natural causes last night (July 23) at his home in Aspen, Colorado, per The Hollywood Reporter.

Along with his late partner Bert Schneider, Rafelson co-created the classic NBC sitcom The Monkees, which premiered in 1966. The pair had been inspired by The Beatles‘ 1964 film A Hard Day’s Night, and they decided to develop a TV series about a fictional band.

Rafelson served as a producer and later executive producer on the show, and also directed several episodes. The Monkees ran for two seasons (58 episodes in total) until 1968. In 1967, the show won the Emmy for Oustanding Comedy Series.

After the series wrapped, Rafelson brought The Monkees to the big screen with 1968’s Head, which he wrote and produced alongside Jack Nicholson. Rafelson also directed the movie.

Born in New York City in 1933, Rafelson worked with Jack Nicholson on seven titles overall, including Easy Rider (1969), Five Easy Pieces (1970) and The King Of Marvin Gardens (1972).

He earned Oscar nominations for co-writing and producing Five Easy Pieces, which established Nicholson as a star.

Rafelson continued making films until 2002. In 1976, he directed the Arnold Schwarzenegger-starring Stay Hungry. His final feature-length project was the 2002 thriller No Good Deed, which stars Samuel L. Jackson and Milla Jovovich.

In 1986, Rafelson directed the official video for Lionel Richie‘s single ‘All Night Long’.

The original Monkees line-up consisted of Micky Dolenz, Michael Nesmith, Peter Tork and Davy Jones. Dolenz, 77, is the only surviving member of the group.

Nesmith died last December aged 78, with Tork passing away in 2019 at the age of 77. Jones died back in 2012 aged 66.

Music

New Order announce one-off Los Angeles show with Blossoms

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51 mins ago

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September 26, 2023

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New Order have announced a one-off show in Los Angeles, with Blossoms to support.

The band will be performing at the 6,000-capacity YouTube Theater in the city on November 15, which is a warm-up show ahead of the band’s appearance at Darker Waves Festival in Huntington Beach on November 18. New Order are co-headlining the festival alongside Tears For Fears.

The gig has been billed as part of the Darker Waves Sideshow series, with X, Drab Majesty and Provoker, OMD and Echo and the Bunnymen all playing headline gigs in California in the week leading up to the festival.

Tickets for New Order’s show with Blossoms go on sale on Friday (September 29) – you can buy yours here.

Earlier this month, the band announced reissued editions of their classic compilation album ‘Substance 1987’.

Originally released via the legendary Factory Records, the record featured all of the Manchester band’s singles up to that point in their 12″ forms, as well as many of their respective B-sides.

‘Substance 1987’ also contained newly-recorded versions of the songs ‘Temptation’ and Confusion’. Other tracks that appeared as part of the collection included ‘Blue Monday’, ‘Bizarre Love Triangle’ and ‘Ceremony’.

Back in 2020, ‘Substance 1987′ returned to online streaming services after being removed five years prior.

Meanwhile, New Order are currently in the middle of their 2023 European and UK arena tour. See the full schedule below, and find any remaining tickets here.

SEPTEMBER
26 – Zénith, Paris
29 – The O2, London

OCTOBER
1 – 3Arena, Dublin
5 – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
7 – First Direct Arena, Leeds

Back in May, Peter Hook ran the AJ Bell Great Manchester Run in honour of The Smiths’ Andy Rourke, who died aged 59 after “a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer”.

Music

Stevie Nicks announces 2024 North American headlining tour

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2 hours ago

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September 25, 2023

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Stevie Nicks has announced a handful of dates for her upcoming 2024 North American headlining tour.

The former Fleetwood Mac singer will be headed back on tour in February of next year for an eight-date headlining tour run. It follows the string of solo shows she did earlier this year as well as her current run of gigs that are set to end in December.

Kicking off on February 10 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, at Mark G Etess Arena, Nicks will make stops in New York, South Carolina, Florida, Louisiana and Nebraska. Her tour will wrap up on March 9 in Little Rock, Arkansas at the AT&T Stadium.

General sale for the 2024 North American tour will begin on Friday, September 29 at 10am local time. Visit here to purchase tickets.

Stevie Nicks 2024 North American tour dates are:

FEBRUARY
10 – Atlantic City, NJ, Mark G Etess Arena
14 – Belmont Park, NY, UBS Arena
21 – Greenville, SC, Bon Secours Wellness Arena
24 – Hollywood, FL, Hard Rock Live
28 – New Orleans, LA, Smoothie King Center

MARCH
3 – Omaha, NE, CHI Health Center
6 – North Little Rock, AR, Simmons Bank Arena
9 – Arlington, TX, AT&T Stadium

Nicks is currently on the road. Her next show will be on September 27 at the PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh. From there, she will be making stops in New York, Tennessee, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and different cities in California.

Last month, Nicks shared her thoughts on Amazon Prime Video‘s Daisy Jones & The Six after watching it for the second time.

The singer took to social media to talk about the Prime Video series, sharing her thoughts on her recent rewatch. “Just finished watching [Daisy Jones & The Six] for the 2nd time. In the beginning, it wasn’t really my story, but Riley seamlessly, soon became my story.”

She continued: “It brought back memories that made me feel like a ghost watching my own story. It was very emotional for me. I just wish Christine [McVie] could have seen it. She would have loved it. Hopefully it will continue…”

Nicks also shared a statement about the wildfires that swept through Maui in August. The singer-songwriter posted a lengthy statement on her Instagram page expressing her sadness about the fires which have devastated the island and fears for her family

Music

Eight people arrested after thousands-strong rave in Bristol

Published

3 hours ago

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September 25, 2023

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Press Room

Eight people have been arrested in connection with an illegal rave in Bristol.

Avon and Somerset police were called to the event, which took place at a disused warehouse in the Avonmouth area of the city, at around 9:05pm on Saturday (September 23).

A “significant number” of people, possibly exceeding 2,000 at its peak, were found to be attending the unlicensed event. Police shut the event down, engaging with those they believed had organised the rave to “bring it to a safe conclusion” whilst also trying to prevent more people from entering the site.

Five people are suspected to be involved in organising the rave, and were arrested on suspicion of burglary offences. All of them were between the ages of 18 and 30 and all of them live outside of the area. They have now been released on bail.

Fans at a rave (Picture: Ollie Millington/Getty Images)

Three other arrests were made during the police operation, but the individuals concerned are not believed to have been involved in organising the event.

Senior Investigating Officer Detective Inspector Darren Lipscomb said in a statement: “We have made a number of arrests of people who we believe have travelled vast distances and are suspected of being involved in the organising of this event. Enquiries are ongoing.

“Approximately 20-30 people remained at the site until the music was switched off shortly after noon and the site was cleared.

“We are in contact with the building owner and the property has been secured to prevent further incidents.”

The statement also said that the operation “prioritised public safety” and officers were “conscious of the dangers that having a very large number of people in a confined space can cause”.