Music

More than 100 performers have cancelled appearances at the Great Escape music festival in Brighton in protest over claims that event sponsor Barclays Bank has increased its investment in arms companies that trade with Israel.

According to a report in The Guardian, 120 acts, around a quarter of those booked, have now backed out of performing as part of a campaign led by activist group Bands Boycott Barclays.

In April, the group sent an open letter signed by hundreds of musicians, including Massive Attack, Idles, and Eno, calling for Barclays to drop as the festival's partner.

A spokesperson for Bands Boycott Barclays said: “Barclays is bankrolling the genocide against Palestinians in Gaza and then laundering its reputation by partnering with music festivals like the Great Escape. As musicians, we think that’s despicable.”

Barclays noted a previous statement from its annual general meeting: “Barclays is not a ‘shareholder’ or ‘investor’ … in relation to these companies. We trade in shares of listed companies in response to client instruction or demand, and that may result in us holding shares.”

An overdue report into ‘lessons learned’ during the costly refurbishment of Bristol Beacon concert hall will be published later this year, according to a council spokesperson. 

External auditors Grant Thornton had called on the council to issue a report "as soon as possible" before the completion of the Bristol Beacon project in November. But last summer, Bristol City Council admitted the full report would not be published until February 2024 - a deadline that has since passed.

Grant Thornton previously criticised the council for “underestimating the complexity and difficulty” of the build, which resulted in spiralling costs and a disagreement between the local authority and the trust that runs the building.

The initial budget for the building, which originally opened in 1867 and was previously known as Colston Hall, was £49m, of which £10m was due to come from Bristol City Council.

However, the final cost was £132m, including £83.9m from the council, £44m raised by music education charity Bristol Music Trust, and £22m from Arts Council England.

The venue is owned by the local authority but is run by Bristol Music Trust on a 30-year lease arrangement with no break clause.

Marvin Reese, former Mayor of Bristol who left office last week after his post was abolished, previously alluded to difficulties in the project run by Bristol City Council, saying it was a “journey that’s taken many twists and turns along the way".

“Challenges in the shape of a building filled with unknown complexities and hidden secrets, a global pandemic, national cost-of-living crisis and the pressure this is putting on the construction industry have all been navigated to get to this point,” said Reese.

In April 2023, the council announced it wished to "identify alternative operational models" for the venue to ensure it "receives value for money for its investment."

This prompted Arts Council England to seek "urgent" talks with the council, following which Bristol Music Trust remained at the helm of the building.

Council management had said that a review exercise into the project began at the end of June 2023 and was “designed to provide critical lessons learned and stimulate important insights".

In an update, a spokesperson for Bristol City Council said, " A lessons-learned report is being prepared and will be available later this year [2024].”

Last week, it was announced that Bristol Beacon would receive almost £2m from the Department for Education to become the lead music hub for the West of England.

The Beacon, which already delivers a citywide music education programme to over 30,000 children and young people in Bristol, plans to spend £1,455,692 on coordinating music education in the local area and £478,183 on new musical instruments, equipment and technology for young people.

A three-year programme of musical support activities to help people with dementia will launch later this year after funding of £1m was secured.

A combination of awards from the Power of Music Fund, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham and NHS Greater Manchester will fund three years of direct musical support activities across all of Greater Manchester’s 10 boroughs.

Manchester Camerata will partner with Alzheimer’s Society and the University of Manchester to run music cafes in a bid to help take pressure off frontline health and care staff.

The organisations intend to recruit and train a volunteer and community workforce of 300 ‘Music Champions’ to deliver the music cafes, helping to support over 1,000 people living with dementia in the area.

Bob Riley, Chief Executive of Manchester Camerata, said: “This is a colossal moment built on over 10 years of work and research in partnership with The University of Manchester. 

"We know it will bring much-needed support for people living with dementia and their carers. It will create new opportunities for our amazing musicians in the UK and bring about changes in the way we invest in music to bring the widest possible benefits to society."

Cleveland Orchestra has reportedly withdrawn from performances in the UK over cost concerns, according to a report in Slipped Disc.

The orchestra had reportedly accepted invitations to play at both the BBC Proms and the Edinburgh Festival as part of a ten-stop European tour this summer.

Slipped Disc claims the orchestra would have incurred a sizeable financial loss from the UK stops, which neither m usic festival could compensate for.

Several commentators have noted the absence of an American orchestra from this year's Proms season.  

Attendees at the Northern Music Awards in Manchester have criticised a lack of support for young musicians.

Speaking to The Guardian at the event, singer and songwriter Lisa Stansfield said: “There aren’t enough platforms for young musicians. It’s made very, very difficult by this government for them to do anything.

"They don’t have any money, and they’re being charged to go everywhere to do gigs. It’s disgusting, really. And this government don’t care."

Lilly Fontaine from Leeds band English Teacher noted that the nationwide local radio programme BBC Introducing had been integral to their success, but said that type of showcase for regional talent was at risk after the broadcaster announced it was cutting its local programmes to save costs last year. 

Fontaine said: “I think that was a shame because I think that having a lot of industry people in the regional areas really helps – it really helped us. I think filling those gaps, those elements that have been taken away, with something else would be great.”

Meanwhile, The Charlatans singer, Tim Burgess, said it was also necessary to address nationwide issues, such as better pay for musicians. “We need to look at it and try to make sure there’s equality,” he said.