Lockdown should be the worst environment for a rising live band to emerge from, but Junodream have been flourishing in recent months. They were recently named Radio 1 Future Artists Tune of the Week and Jack Saunders has consistently championed the band, highlighting them in both the Next Wave and Future Artists segments, while other key airplay has included John Kennedy at Radio X plus BBC Introducing. Meanwhile, they’ve just sold-out their headline show at London Omeara and streaming support has constantly grown, culminating in two big cover moments: Hot New Bands at Spotify and Indie Britain at TIDAL. 
 
Junodream now crown their recent achievements with the release of their brand new mixtape ‘Travel Guide’. The band’s most ambitious body of work to date, the mixtape is released alongside the new single ‘White Sunday’. 
 
The ‘Travel Guide’ mixtape is informed by new ideas and sounds. Set to a wider hybrid of influences from synth-pop to punk and even prog, Junodream take us back to 2000 and the potential for a bright new future that was promised by the new millennium. The benefits of an increasingly digital world are countered by the claustrophobia of 24/7 rolling news and the constant demands of progressively more polarising social media. On a more personal level, it also looks at how perceptions change during the transition from childhood to adulthood, and the realisation that seemingly innocent events often had a darker undercurrent.
 
Junodream commented, “Everything now feels charged with a doomsday atmosphere, like Y2K twenty years on. We wanted to capture that anxiety: climate change, advertising, destructive tourism and paranoia. it’s a soundtrack to the end of the world. We’re also at that point where childhood innocence has almost completely evaporated, so being a bit cynical with nostalgia is really revealing. There’s a darker layer you can never be aware of as a kid.”
 
These themes are prevalent throughout the previous singles ‘Let Me Breathe Again’, ‘Eden Burns’ and ‘Travel Guide’. In contrast to the wilder sounds that preceded it, the new single ‘White Sunday’ is a beautiful cinematic ballad that feels akin to an unlikely merger between Radiohead and George Harrison.
 
The band added, “‘White Sunday’ tells the story of a guest who is struggling to deal with a hangover at a family wedding. His inner turmoil is ramped by the purity of the wedding as he realises his own life is lacking any emotional fulfillment. Riddled with shame and anxiety, he just falls apart.”
 
The ‘Travel Guide’ mixtape is completed by two new pieces of music. The expansive instrumental ‘NY2000’ establishes the mood of a world on the cusp of change, while the interlude ‘Niugnep’ captures the anxiety and confusion as those hopes spin off into very different realities. 
 
After recently playing the virtual Great Escape, Junodream are set to make up for lost time with a mixture of festivals and headline shows throughout the remainder of the year.

Euro 2020 has starts and social media sensations Woody & Kleiny have teamed up with The Hoosiers to get the party started with the new England anthem ‘Route 66’, a holler-along, pints-in-the-air chant that’s sure to soundtrack the jubilation as Harry Kane, Marcus Rashford and pals attempt to fire England to glory. Capturing the feelgood factor that sweeps the land at each tournament, the song is a cheeky celebration of all things unmistakably English: “Beans on toast, Sunday roast and a cuppa tea / Got me shirt, got me flag and I’ve had me Weetabix.”
 
The song’s video captures the fun. Woody & Kleiny lead the charge, while The Hoosiers blast through the song while on the top of an old school double-decker bus. And when they take to the pitch of the London Stadium, they’re joined by famous friends including Naughty Boy (making his first ever cameo in a music video) and The Wealdstone Raider.
 
Despite the bantz, there’s a serious purpose to ‘Route 66’. Proceeds from the track will aid the charity CALM, (the Campaign Against Living Miserably) which is leading a movement against suicide. Every week 125 people in the UK take their own lives, and 75% of all UK suicides are male. CALM exists to change this. The charity provides a confidential helpline and webchat service for anyone who needs to talk about life’s problems; spreads their message throughout communities to enable people to get the help they need before they reach the point of crisis; and encourage positive behavioural change, using cultural touch points like art, music, sport and comedy.
 
Woody & Kleiny commented: “We just want to take this opportunity to say how excited we are to be teaming up with The Hoosiers on this project. They’ve sat on the song for over 20 years waiting for the right time to move it forward and we feel honoured to be asked to get involved.
 
“To top it off, we have all chosen to align ourselves with the charity CALM, which is close to ALL our hearts. We want to help support them in every way possible, the amazing work they’ve done for so many and continue to do so. We hope you all enjoy the positive vibes we’ve created and get behind the movement for a great cause.”
 
The Hoosiers’ Irwin Sparkes added: “Both Al and I have been through highs and lows in the music industry together. Because of this we’ve come to value our mental health and can’t shut up about it. Which is the point, ‘cos talking is key. That’s why we’re chuffed to bits and tickled pink to align ourselves with CALM who are there to offer support if you don’t know who to talk to. You’re not alone.
 
“Despite us being younger and better looking than Woody & Kleiny, they were still happy to be seen on camera with us to support such a vital cause as promoting positive mental health. Our heroes.”
 
Woody & Kleiny are best mates on a mission to entertain the world. Between their engaging content, viral mindset and force of personality, the duo have become one of the biggest creator teams in the world with a combined social media following of 23.5 million. Their adventures have also included the launch of their own LUC clothing range and the release of their book ‘The Social Struggle: How We Took Over The Internet’.
 
Consisting of Irwin Sparkes (vocals / guitar) and Al Sharland (drums), The Hoosiers are famous for hits including ‘Goodbye Mr. A’, ‘Worried About Ray’, ‘Choices’ and ‘Cops And Robbers’. They’re firm festival favourites, having played everywhere from Glastonbury to the Isle of Wight, and even launched their own stage-show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The multi-Platinum-selling duo released their ‘Greatest Hit(s)’ collection in 2019, while their live shows in support of the album included a headline date at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Empower London Foundation has formally announced plans for a vibrant new festival of arts, music and culture which will take place in the capital to raise money for a host of the city’s charities: The London Festival. The showcase promises to be an extravaganza of live music performances, city-wide cultural events, engaging new technology and feel-good entertainment.

A fully immersive and technologically advanced event the likes of which the capital has never seen before, visitors will be invited to step back into the past in six spectacular fully-sized ‘festival lands’ which trace the city’s evolution its Roman beginnings, through the often gruesome medieval period and on to the later Georgian and Victorian periods. Thrill-seekers and modern history buffs can also revisit the wartime spirit of the capital with remarkable reconstructions and interactive, immersive sets which enable visitors to see and experience the capital like never before thanks to augmented reality.

With plenty to see and do, visitors can sneak a glimpse of the technology of the future at the innovation hub, shop ’til they drop at the London Market which will showcase the creative wares of over 200 of London’s vibrant independent retailers and designers or even get involved in a plethora of community-led classes and creative workshops at the outreach zone. There are also a variety of cultural treats on offer including an interactive art gallery where viewers can ‘step inside’ art to enjoy a fresh perspective on the piece and a new world pavilion where the culture of Hawaii will be the focus of the 2023 launch event.

For music and performance lovers, a selection of bands, performance artists and VIP special guests will be on hand to perform each day, with the twist being that visitors will have the deciding vote on the final line-up thanks to an online, real-time voting system. To underline the ethos of support for creativity, all amateur performers and bands will receive grants to help them further their careers and continue to support the creativity of Londoners.

With a firm emphasis on education and accessibility for all, The London Festival‘s organisers have also created a dedicated safe zone for children with animations, a play area and baby zone staffed with childcare professionals. The London Festival will take place in the capital across a two-week period in summer 2023 with 100% of all funds raised dedicated to providing vital financial support to organisations running educational programmes, offering support for entrepreneurs and rolling out public awareness campaigns to underprivileged communities, under-realised individuals and disadvantaged children across the capital.

The initiative has already received strong support from most London MPs and Assembly members with organizers now approaching the Government to involve them in the overall project.

David Knights, an Empower London Trustee said “Bold, brave and completely different to anything that’s ever been done in the capital before, we’ve got big plans to make The London Festival one of the not-to-be-missed events in the capital and attract visitors from all over the world. With an ambitious goal of raising £150M for charitable causes over 10 years from ticket sales alone, the London Festival is set to be inclusive, exciting, immersive and aims to celebrate the best that the capital has to offer thanks to our unique partnership with event experts the Nascent Vek Group and support from government officials and local community groups.”

The stories of Birmingham’s Windrush generation are to be celebrated in Birmingham Museum’s new programme of events and activities commemorating this year’s national Windrush Day.

Birmingham Museum’s Windrush commemorations will feature:

• A vibrant live digital event celebrating the city’s Caribbean community through music, storytelling and poetry;
• An online lecture exploring the legacy of Caribbean migrants through the photography of Andrew Jackson;
• And a new learning resource for schools featuring interviews with individuals from Birmingham’s Windrush generation.

Taking place on Saturday 19 June, Windrush Culture will explore the musical and artistic legacy of the Windrush generation in Birmingham. Featuring singer Call Me Unique, Reggae band Ire-Ish, performance poet Sue Brown and multi-disciplinary artist Joyce Treasure the evening of performances and conversations will honour the resilience and creativity of Black artists who emigrated to England from the Caribbean between 1948 and 1968.  The online event is hosted by Birmingham arts organisation The Red Earth Collective and Birmingham Cultural and Community Researcher Gary Stewart in partnership with Birmingham Museums.

Sandra Griffiths, Director at The Red Earth Collective, said:

“Birmingham is one of the most vibrant and creative cities in Britain and one of the key reasons for that is the huge number of people who settled here in the forties, fifties and sixties from the Caribbean, Asia and Ireland. Our live online event, Windrush Culture, will celebrate the creative legacy of the many artists, musicians and performers who have made Birmingham their home. A legacy that all our communities can be proud of.”

An online lecture – Windrush Day: How do you tell a story that’s never been told? – by photographer, Andrew Jackson will also be hosted on Tuesday 22 June. Discussing his work, From A Small Island, Andrew will also talk about his plans to complete a trilogy of works that explore the legacy of migration from the Caribbean to the UK. Andrews’s photography, which features in the UK’s government art collection, interrogates notions of place, belonging and selfhood.

Birmingham Museums will also start work on creating a dedicated Windrush learning resource for schools and communities through the digitisation of the hugely significant Birmingham Black Oral History Project which was deposited with the museum in the 1990s.

Birmingham Museums’ Windrush events have been made possible with a grant from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

"Higher Power" becomes the soundtrack for TV commercials for the debut of the new all-electric BMW models. Kick-off for a long-term cooperation between BMW and the Warner Music mega-band with sustainability as the unifying element.

Note: This press release is a 1:1 copy of the original issued by BMW headquarters in Germany. No adaptations have been made to cater for the UK market.

Munich. Local emission-free driving pleasure has never been greater than with the first-ever BMW iX and the first-ever BMW i4. The fitting soundtrack for the debut of the latest all-electric models is called "Higher Power" and comes from the British band Coldplay. You can hear the quartet's latest single in the TV commercials filmed for launching the joint worldwide communication campaign for the two new models. It delivers the perfect message with the lyric line "This joy is electric". The song for a new era of individual mobility marks the beginning of a long-term collaboration between BMW and Coldplay.

Back in 2014, Coldplay, made up of Chris Martin, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion and Guy Berryman, performed before 1,500 fans at the end of their "Ghost Stories Tour" at BMW Welt in Munich. On the basis of the contact established at that time, a creative connection has now been established between the premium car manufacturer and the band, which has achieved worldwide success in the charts. This is based in particular on a common interest in sustainability in various areas of life.

"In the initial discussions we quickly realised: Coldplay and BMW share many common goals that go far beyond marketing," says Jens Thiemer, Senior Vice President Customer and Brand BMW. "Based on this we developed a real co-creation in which the band actively contributed their thoughts and attitude to the design of our campaign for the BMW iX and the BMW i4." The shared awareness of sustainability gave rise to an intensive creative process between BMW and the British musicians and which will produce further co-created elements later in the year.

For the BMW Group, the premiere of the BMW iX and the BMW i4 is an important milestone in the current phase of its transformation towards electric mobility. The company expects all-electric models to account for at least 50 percent of its global vehicle sales as early as 2030. The Coldplay musicians are looking for innovative ways to combine their popularity and performances in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans with a positive impact with regard to sustainability. The band said "We are proud to partner with BMW as part of our efforts to make everything we do as sustainable as possible. The technology that BMW use for their electric cars can power our live performances almost entirely from renewable energy."

For the premiere of their new song "Higher Power", Coldplay already managed to overcome the usual boundaries of the music business. Last month, Coldplay premiered "Higher Power” in space. The song was played for the first time by French astronaut Thomas Pesquet on the International Space Station. Shortly after, the band played its first live set of 2021 for earthly audiences in a special livestream from the site of Glastonbury Festival.

With the launch for the campaign film for the BMW iX and the BMW i4, fans all over the world can now enjoy the sound of "Higher Power". "And that's just the beginning," announces Stefan Ponikva, Vice President BMW Brand Communication and Brand Experience. "We are already looking forward to being able to realise exciting projects with regard to sustainability in an intensive and substantial collaboration with Coldplay."

With its four brands BMW, MINI, Rolls-Royce and BMW Motorrad, the BMW Group is the world’s leading premium manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles and also provides premium financial and mobility services. The BMW Group production network comprises 31 production and assembly facilities in 15 countries; the company has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2020, the BMW Group sold over 2.3 million passenger vehicles and more than 169,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax in the financial year 2020 was € 5.222 billion on revenues amounting to € 98.990 billion. As of 31 December 2020, the BMW Group had a workforce of 120,726 employees.

The success of the BMW Group has always been based on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company set the course for the future at an early stage and consistently makes sustainability and efficient resource management central to its strategic direction, from the supply chain through production to the end of the use phase of all products.

Calling all explorers: get ready for the expedition of a lifetime as you don your VR goggles and embark on a truly magical adventure to an incredible jungle world.

Playable now at Birmingham Resorts World, bookings are now open for teams of up to 4 people aged 12+. Traverse floating islands as you try your best to journey home - keeping an eye on the clock as you go. This world may look like a paradise, but it’s not all it seems...

During a walk in the park, you found a portal that leads to the mysterious world. An amazing sanctuary populated by animals appears in front of you. But how do you get back? With only 50 minutes to get home, expect puzzles galore as you unlock portals and journey your way back to freedom. The question remains… will you be able to make it out? You’ll need to use all of your wits and work together with your teammates in order to escape. 

This unmissable interactive VR experience is available at Basingstoke, Birmingham Resorts World, Cheltenham, Norwich and the brand-new sites of Kingston-Upon-Thames and Watford.