Music

One in five UK nightclubs have closed in the last three years

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1 year ago

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August 2, 2022

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Press Room

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One in five UK nightclubs have shut in the last three years, new figures show.

The data shared by the Night Time Industries Association (NTIA) through CGA shows that a “perfect storm” of issues has led to a dramatic drop in the number of clubs operating in the UK. There are now only 1,130 nightclubs remaining.

According to the findings, the midlands and the north have been hardest hit with some key independent businesses being lost. All these establishments play a significant role in supporting the wider The Night Time economy, which generates £112billion in revenue per annum (six per cent of the UK’s total).

NTIA said that “the culmination of pandemic debt, growing energy bills, workforce challenges, supply chain, increased insurance premiums, landlord pressures and product cost increases have created a perfect storm”.

Additionally, operating cost pressures coupled with consumers being less willing to spend their disposable income during the cost of living crisis are considered in light of the early stages of a recession, with slowing ticket sales and visitor frequency.

CEO of NTIA Michael Kill said in a statement: “Late night economy businesses were one of the quickest sectors to rebound during the financial crash many years ago, harbouring an abundance of resilience and entrepreneurial spirit.

“It’s without a doubt that these businesses, particularly nightclubs, have a huge part to play in the regeneration of high streets in towns and cities across the UK.”

“Beyond the generation of footfall through trade, domestic and international visitors to clubs support the local economy in secondary and tertiary purchases through accommodation, travel and retail.

He continued: “It is also key to recognise that these businesses play a key part in people’s decision making process from choosing a University or College to influencing investment choices for businesses relocating or expanding, to accommodate for a young workforce.”

“Not forgetting the important part they play in people’s, physical, mental and social well being.”

Stock photo of people in a nightclub. CREDIT: Wavebreak Media ltd / Alamy Stock Photo

He concluded: “The Government needs to recognise the economic, cultural, and community value of clubs and the wider night time economy. We must protect these businesses, using every means possible, and recognise their importance before it’s too late.”

Labour’s Shadow Levelling Up Secretary, Lisa Nandy, said that reopening formerly loved nightclub spaces in struggling towns and city centres could help to revive the high streets and boost the economy.

“Every single town has a lost nightclub they feel very strongly about – that was part of our history and our heritage,” she said.

The impact of the COVID pandemic on the country’s nightlife sector has caused many establishments to face financial issues. The government responded with some financial assistance packages, including a £1billion support package introduced in December 2021 after the emergence of the Omicron variant.

However, industry bodies and venues alike have called the support “woefully inadequate”.

In other news, Regina Baer, co-founder of Berlin nightclubs Tresor and Kraftwerk, has died.

The pioneering Baer was described in her friend and colleague Dimitri Hegemann’s tribute as having “decisive influence” on the creation of the cultural and performance space Kraftwerk, which is currently home to an exhibition series celebrating 31 years of Tresor.

Baer and Hegemann helped establish the club Tresor in 1991 after the fall of the Berlin wall. The venue was located between the two infamous walls in the heart of the reunited city. It soon became a launchpad for a youth culture movement inspired by techno.

Music

Snoop Dogg is now a “Dungeon Master” thanks to Meta’s new AI

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3 hours ago

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September 29, 2023

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Press Room

Meta revealed a set of themed AI chatbots in a conference held in California this week, and a standout was the Dungeon Master portrayed by Snoop Dogg.

Mark Zuckerberg directed this particular part of the Meta Connect showcase on September 27 and said that users will be able to “invoke Meta AI” anywhere in their conversations on their phone.

“This isn’t just gonna be about answering queries – this is about entertainment… we did something a little different for us, we partnered with a bunch of pretty awesome people to basically embody these and play them,” he continued, showing off the Victor, who is portrayed by former Miami Heat basketball player Dwyane Wade.

There is also Bru portrayed by former football quarterback Tom Brady, Max portrayed by chef Roy Choi, the Manger Master portrayed by tennis player Naomi Osaka, Amber portrayed by media personality Paris Hilton and the Funny Man portrayed by YouTuber Jimmy “Mr Beast” Donaldson.

Meta Connect

Apologies for the delayed start. We will be getting started shortly. Thanks for being here with us.Join Mark Zuckerberg and special guests as they unveil the new Meta Quest 3 and reveal how Meta is bringing mixed reality to life. You’ll hear how AI can help people connect and express themselves in new ways and get a first look at the latest products and updates that will help developers build the future of social technology. Interested in watching this in another language? Watch here https://bit.ly/3LEnpF3

Posted by Meta on Wednesday, September 27, 2023

All of these chatbots were created for a range of conversations – Max will assist with any culinary questions whereas Amber specialises in true crime.

As the Dungeon Master, Snoop Dogg wore a red leather collared cape, a set of armour and a gold chain with a sword. “Now you can just drop the Dungeon Master into one of your chats,” said Zuckerberg in the presentation and demoed a short adventure described by the rapper.

In an interview with The Verge, Zuckerberg argued that AI personas ensure that it’s a more attractive concept for potential consumers.

“I think that all this stuff makes it more compelling,” he said. “It was only over the course of developing [Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses] that we realised that, ‘Hey, we could actually put this whole generative AI assistant into it, and you could have these glasses that are kind of stylish Ray-Ban glasses, and you could be talking to AI all throughout the day about different questions you have.’”

In other gaming news, Cities: Skylines 2 has been delayed for PS5 and Xbox Series X|S because the development team requires more time to ensure the quality of the release.

Music

U2 share teaser of new single ‘Atomic City’

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4 hours ago

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September 29, 2023

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Press Room

U2 have today (September 28) shared a teaser of their upcoming new single ‘Atomic City’ – check it out below.

READ MORE: ‘Kiss The Future’ review: U2’s historic gig in war-torn Sarajevo

The song has previously been heard briefly when U2 played a surprise show in front of the Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas earlier this month (September 16). The band were filming the music video for the song.

The song is a nod to Las Vegas, where the band are due to take up their forthcoming residency at the new MSG Sphere in the city. The run of shows, which are the first to be played at the new venue, will kick off on September 29 and will see them play their 1991 album ‘Achtung Baby’ in full.

‘Atomic City’ was a nickname for Vegas in the 1950s due to its proximity to the Nevada Test Site at a time when nuclear fascination swept America.

Those who heard the song in September said it contained the lyrics “I’m free, so unexpectedly/I’m free from what’s in front of me!” and “I’ve got the key to the cages, waiting for my dice/I came here for the fight/I’m front row in Las Vegas. And there’s a big one on tonight”.

Produced by Jacknife Lee and Steve Lillywhite, the new song was recorded at Sound City in LA. A statement about the song describes it as a “homage to the magnetic spirit of ’70’s post punk with a nod to Blondie, whose pioneering work with Giorgio Moroder inspired and influenced the band.”

Bono said of the song: “It’s a love song to our audience …’where you are is where I’ll be’.”

You can see the video teaser of the song, along with the single artwork below:

‘Atomic City’ artwork – CREDIT: Press/U2

The video is directed by Ben Kutchins, with creative direction by Tarik Mikou with Moment Factory Music, and features U2’s late night surprise performance in Vegas last week. The video was filmed in the same Fremont Street location where the band filmed their video for ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For’ 36 years ago.

U2 will be playing the first few shows of their ‘Achtung Baby’ residency without drummer Larry Mullen Jr while he recovers from surgery. Despite this, he was present at the music video shoot.

“He doesn’t follow doctor’s orders,” Bono remarked during the video shoot, to which the audience cheered.

In an interview with the Daily Star newspaper’s Wired column (via Irish Mirror), bassist Adam Clayton said: “The whole band and I’m sure the audience are going to be very sad and miss Larry. He wants to come back, he wants to be able to have a long career and continue his drumming so he’s taking care of those injuries.”

He also explained that, while Mullen continues to recover, Krezip drummer Bram van den Berg will be taking his place and performing at the first run of Nevada shows. This, Clayton continued, was a choice which the band decided on after they were given their bandmate’s blessing.

In other U2 news, last week the band announced ‘Zoo Station’ – an immersive experience for fans, designed ahead of their upcoming shows.

Opening on September 28, the immersive fan portal, called ‘Zoo Station: A U2:UV Experience’ is designed to help fans gather a deeper understanding of the band’s acclaimed album ‘Achtung Baby’.

Music

Exorcist producer was scared “to death” of Taylor Swift ‘Eras Tour’ film box office face-off

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5 hours ago

on

September 28, 2023

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Press Room

Jason Blum, the producer behind The Exorcist: Believer, has revealed that he was scared “to death” of Taylor Swift’s ‘The Eras Tour’ film box office face-off.

Swift had decided to release her ‘Eras Tour’ concert film in mid-October, prompting Blum to change the release date of his upcoming film, the sequel to the 1973 hit horror film The Exorcist.

Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Blum joked: “The one thing that scares me to death is Taylor Swift!”

#Exorswift

— Jason Blum (@jason_blum) August 31, 2023

Look what you made me do.

The Exorcist: Believer moves to 10/6/23#TaylorWins

— Jason Blum (@jason_blum) August 31, 2023

He added: “Obviously, we moved off that [date] and we bowed our head to Taylor Swift. It was too risky to see if ‘Exorswift’ was going to take or not. People will still have the Exorswift opportunity, so maybe we got to have our cake and eat it too.”

The horror film was set to release on Friday, October 13. But Swift surprised everyone with the announcement of an ‘Eras Tour’ concert movie on the same date. Blum took to X/Twitter to share a tweet that read “#Exorswift”.

“We had this amazing Friday the 13th in October, which is the single best day to release a scary movie,” explained Blum, who is working on a trilogy of Exorcist films in partnership with the franchise’s rights-holders Morgan Creek.

The same day he tweeted “#Exorswift”, Blum went on to share a new tweet announcing that The Exorcist: Believer had been moved up a week. “Look what you made me do,” read the tweet. “The Exorcist: Believer moves to 10/6/23 #TaylorWins.”

Directed by David Gordon Green, who helmed the recent Halloween reboot trilogy, The Exorcist: Believer similarly serves as a direct sequel to William Friedkin’s 1973 original.

The film is the first entry in a planned trilogy, with a follow-up titled The Exorcist: Deceiver scheduled to be released on April 18, 2025.

In 2016, The Exorcist was adapted into a TV series which was designed as a continuation of the original film. The series was cancelled in 2018 after two seasons.

The Exorcist: Believer is released in cinemas on October 13, 2023.