Entertainment News

This year marks 80 years of British Black Music 1943-2023, with this event set to be online, plus there could be the chance to have a physical component to engage an audience and special guests.

On Wednesday June 21, 2-8pm (UK) BBM/BMC (BritishBlackMusic.com/Black Music Congress) will mark Make Music Day and British Black Music Month (BBMM) with 80 Years Of British Black Music 1943-2023 – a widely varied 6-hour DJ set by Kwaku BBM, which will display the depth and breadth of British Black music, spanning over 80 years, from the World War 2 era to present day. The programme is as follows (the *BMC: 21 Years Of British Black Music will accommodate the time slot offered to go live on the Make Music Day UK’s Youtube channel):

Come From Away, the multi award-winning ‘Best Musical’ across the globe, announces dates and venues for its first ever tour of the UK and Ireland. This critically acclaimed show comes direct from the West End where it celebrated over 1000 performances and played to more than 850,000 people at the Phoenix Theatre. Come From Away comes to Birmingham Hippodrome from Tuesday 21 May – Saturday 1 June 2024.

If you thought opera wasn’t for the whole family, think again. The Enchanted Pig is a delightful story of animal capers and fairy tale romance, and singers from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (part of Birmingham City University) are reaching out to schools and families with the magical, fun family show at The Bradshaw Hall (8-10 June).

The Halls Wolverhampton burst back into life as Britpop legends Blur marked the official reopening of the iconic venue with a sell-out show. Thousands of music fans revelled in the sunshine in the new-look space outside The Halls - where major investment by City of Wolverhampton Council has improved the public realm.

They then poured through the doors to take in the multi-million-pound refurbishment completed by the Council and new venue operators, AEG Presents, that will ensure the Grade II-listed halls remain part of the city’s fabric for generations to come. It kick-starts an Opening Season of shows that will grace the new 3,404-capacity ‘The Civic at The Halls Wolverhampton’ and 1,289-capacity ‘The Wulfrun at The Halls Wolverhampton’.

Thousands of people descended on Birmingham city centre this Bank Holiday weekend to attend one of the country’s biggest LGBTQ+ festivals, with a special focus on providing sanctuary to individuals from marginalised communities. Officially launched in Centenary Square, the Birmingham Pride parade saw thousands of people march through the city showcasing Pride flags, brightly coloured rainbow floats, shimmering costumes and powerful banners celebrating equal love.

Iconic retail destination, Bullring & Grand Central, hosted its first after hours live music event over the weekend (Friday 26th May) – Late Night Out.

Over 400 people attended the intimate gig, which was hosted in partnership with Gaydio and fronted by RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star, Ginny Lemon. Guests at the three-hour event (9pm – midnight) were treated to performances by music producer and promoter, Jodie Harsh, Girls Aloud member, Nadine Coyle, and Ginny’s fellow Drag Race UK star, Black Peppa.

lobally celebrated icon Eric Cantona announces intimate UK and European live dates for October 2023. Marking his live debut, Eric will play shows at Manchester’s Stoller Hall, London’s Bloomsbury Theatre and Dublin’s Liberty Hall.

Titled - ‘Cantona Sings Eric’– the tour will see Cantona bring his great passion for music to life through expression and live performance, which fans will not want to miss. Presales for Cantona’s highly anticipated live shows will start Wednesday, 31 May, at 10am local time. Additional presales will run throughout the week, with general on-sale following on Friday, 02 May, at 10am local time.

The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has released new artwork for its forthcoming production of As You Like It, directed by Omar Elerian, which runs in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon between 17 June – 5 August 2023.

Challenging the stereotypes and pre-conceptions associated with growing older, this playful and provocative new take on As You Like It features a company of actors most of whom are aged over 70.

Hookie Weekend, the premier Caribbean music and cultural festival in the DMV, will proudly feature an extraordinary line up of Soca music royalty for its highly anticipated 2023 edition. The 5 day, 6 event extravaganza, known for its vibrant atmosphere and electrifying performances, will take place from June 15th to 19th at venues across the Washington DC metropolitan area.

With three consecutive double-Platinum singles and another pair of Platinum-certified tracks, Ananya Birla is India’s leading English-language popstar. Her reputation is going global too, leading to 500 million+ streams to date, an MTV EMA nomination, and collaborations with artists such as Sean Kingston and Afrojack. Her international profile is now set to receive another boost as she shares the new single ‘Caught Up’. Listen HERE.

Bigger, brighter and bolder than ever before, the Birmingham Pride festival lit up the city streets as revellers gathered at Centenary Square before parading along a sea of colour and glitter like never before. And, with in excess of 100,000 people filling a rainbow-coloured cavalcade that meandered its way to an expecting Gay Village, there was no better way for the city’s LGBTQ+ community to stand out, loud and proud, in delivering a weekend of celebration, reflection, and activism.

Where can you find a professor of education, a renowned doctor, an international business consultant and a leading shopfitter? In a jazz and swing band, of course!

And the members of the 17-piece Neil Coley Big Band will be putting all their talents together when they perform at Velvet Music Rooms on Birmingham's 'golden mile' of Broad Street next month. The band, formed by keyboard player Neil in 1998, will be entertaining Velvet’s music lovers with their exciting mix of swing, big band music and jazz from the 1920s up to the present day on Sunday 11 June.

Prime Video announced today that it has renewed the global hit series Citadel for a second season with Joe Russo set to direct every episode and executive producer David Weil returning as showrunner. The spy thriller—starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and featuring Lesley Manville and Stanley Tucci—continues to enjoy breakout success in countries around the world, including India, Italy, Brazil, South Africa, the U.K., and the U.S.

Recognisable characters from the smash-hit TV show Peaky Blinders have been spotted along Birmingham’s canals, as Rambert dancers return to perform Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby following an incredible UK tour. Following a sell-out world premiere in Birmingham last year, the company makes a cyclical return to the city to close the immersive and intoxicating production at co-producers Birmingham Hippodrome from 23 - 27 May 2023.

Loreen was announced as the Eurovision 2023 winner this weekend at the Grand Final in Liverpool and has already earned almost $250,000 (£191,137) from streaming.

Casino bonus comparison website Mr. Gamble has tracked Spotify plays of each 2023 contestant’s and past winner’s songs to establish how much money Eurovision contestants, and the 2023 winner, can expect to gain after performing at the event, based on the average per-stream rate across major streaming services. Eurovision winners typically earn an estimated £140,280 ($177,615) from streaming, based on the average number of streams across every previous winning song, 44.4 million.

Renowned actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who recently starred in Sudhir Mishra’s Afwaah, is preparing for his upcoming release titled Jogira Sa Ra Ra, alongside Neha Sharma.

During the film’s promotional activities, Siddiqui candidly discussed his views on depression, shedding light on the differing perspectives between urban and rural areas. In an interview with Mashable India, the actor revealed that his father would have slapped him if he had ever mentioned being depressed.