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Usher’s London residency reaches double figures

Usher’s residency at The O2 in London as part of his 2025 European tour has stretched to a tenth and final show.

The 45-year-old R&B superstar has already sold out nine nights at the venue for 1-2, 5-6, 8-9 & 11 April and 6-7 May, and will now also perform on 29 March due to “incredible demand”.

London’s flagship venue hosted four concert and residencies in 2023 by Elton John (10), Micky Flanagan (9), Madonna (6) and Chris Brown (6), with 2024 highlights set to include Take That (6), The Killers (6), Girls Aloud (5), Olivia Rodrigo (4) and Liam Gallagher (4).

“Residencies are something that are becoming more and more important in the way we programme the venue,” says Emma Bownes, VP of venue programming at The O2, told IQ last year.

“There is a huge demand for live music at the moment at arena, stadium and outdoor level, so artists are realising they can serve the amount of fan demand by sitting down at The O2. We’re lucky that we’re in London and there’s a huge catchment area of really active music fans. I can see that an artist will opt to play potentially 10 shows at The O2 rather than looking at a stadium or a festival headline slot.”

The USHER: Past Present Future run has sold out 16 concerts across Europe so far

Next year’s USHER: Past Present Future run has sold out 16 concerts across Europe so far, also including stops at Accor Arena in Paris (15-16 April), Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome (22-23, 25-26 & 28 April) and Berlin’s Uber Arena (1-2 & 4 May).

Aside from his eight-night residency at Paris’ La Seine Musicale in 2023, the Live Nation-produced dates will be his first European shows since 2015’s UR Tour.

The eight-time Grammy Award-winner headlined the Apple Music Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show last month, joined by special guests Alicia Keys, Ludacris, Lil Jon, H.E.R., Will.i.am and Jermaine Dupri. The performance followed his two-year My Way: The Las Vegas Residency run, which grossed more than $100 million from 100 sellout shows.

He has also extended his upcoming North American tour, which runs from August-November 2024, to almost 60 dates.

 


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Oak View Group: ‘We’re coming to London’

Oak View Group’s chief executive revealed plans to build “the greatest arena in the world” in London, during yesterday’s ILMC.

Tim Leiweke told delegates that the venue giant will plant its flag in England’s capital city, which he called “the greatest market in the world for music”.

“London has the O2 and Wembley – it needs another great arena,” he said during the Hotseat interview, accompanied by his daughter and the company’s COO, Francesca Bodie.

“The west side of London needs a new arena and the city can handle two or three arenas,” he continued. “If you look at LA, they have the Intuit Dome, The Forum, Crypto, Hollywood Bowl, the Greek Theatre and Honda Center down in Anaheim. So technically, you have six buildings in the marketplace. And by the way, we have the new Acrisure Arena down in Palm Springs. So, look at the competition in that marketplace.

“London needs an arena as good or better than OVG’s Co-op Live or Intuit Dome or the Sphere or Madison Square Garden. London’s the greatest market in the world for music, period, end of story. Why don’t we build the greatest arena in the world for London?”

The CEO shared his admiration for Jim Dolan, CEO of Madison Square Garden Entertainment, which opened the 20,000-capacity Sphere in Las Vegas in September 2023 with U2’s residency.

“London has the O2 and Wembley – it needs another great arena”

“I’m inspired by what he did,” said Leiweke. “I have so much respect for Jim taking that kind of risk and so much respect for U2 stepping onto that stage – it took guts to carry that belief.”

Leiweke revealed that OVG, which owns and operates more than 300 venues worldwide, has also set its sights on Singapore.

The firm’s portfolio includes Climate Pledge Arena at Seattle Center, UBS Arena in Belmont Park, New York, and Moody Center in Austin, Texas and the Co-op Live development in Manchester, UK.

Discussing Co-op Live, Leiweke said: “It’s the largest single investment in the history of our industry internationally. It’s the most expensive arena ever built outside of North America.”

The venue, which is due to open in April, will be the world’s second carbon-neutral arena after the firm’s Climate Pledge Arena, with UBS Arena slated to follow.

Leiweke added: “Climate Pledge can’t be the only carbon-neutral arena in the world or else [the industry] has failed. We as an industry should lead this charge… sustainability should be the cause of our lifetime in our industry.”

Lieweke said that Co-op Live will be the firm’s “prototype” going forward

“We as a company are going to continue to build these arenas and make sustainability a priority and a way of life in our culture and then hopefully, it will inspire our industry to come along with us.”

Bodie agreed, adding: “Sustainability is part of our core DNA and we want to make sure that we’re not only championing but challenging our industry to get better”.

Lieweke said that Co-op Live will be the firm’s “prototype” going forward when they’re building venues in Vienna, São Paulo and Singapore.

“It’s my favourite building,” he said. “I’ve had the great privilege of being a part of building 20 arenas and this is the best arena I’ve ever seen.

“The way we’ve designed our nine private clubs is economically what will drive our ability to privatise this building. We didn’t take one pound from anybody, not the city, not the UK authorities, we didn’t accept any subsidies of any kind. We’ve committed close to 50 million pounds back to the community, to you, to music, to ultimately impacting our community through the Co-op foundation over the course of our lease. It’s going to revolutionise our businesses.”

The two executives also discussed the importance of the recently announced arena in Lagos, Nigeria, and the challenges of operating in an underdeveloped market.

“I predict 12 more arenas are gonna get built by us or somebody else in Africa because we’ll show people that it works”

“We’ve identified Africa, from a content perspective, as an important strategic investment because they have so many great artists but nowhere to play,” said Bodie.

“The key was local partners, who made us aware of this healthy dose of scepticism because there’s been a lot of promises that haven’t been fulfilled.”

Leiweke added: “We could sit here for a half hour and tell you the obstacles that we had to go through. We’re fortunate that the chairman is so well respected there that he’s been trying to get our money into Nigeria, which is really hard. Trying to get our money out of Nigeria, nearly impossible. Dealing with inflation is unbelievable right now, as is the cost of goods. It is a risky move, by the way. Live Nation jumped in with us as well because what we do understand is that it’s a huge opportunity to grow music and Africa and Nigeria.

“I predict 12 more arenas are gonna get built by us or somebody else in Africa because we’ll show people that it works and when it does work, it can be a pride point of that entire community. Wait to see what it does for emerging artists that are coming out of Nigeria. It’s going to change and give them a platform and a voice.”

 


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Team Kilimanjaro Live for Futures Forum keynote

Futures Forum has announced a keynote interview with the team behind Kilimanjaro Live, one of the most successful live music promoters in the UK.

The conference for young and emerging live music executives will return to the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Friday 1 March 2024 as part of the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).

For the final session of the day, three of Kilimanjaro Live’s principals  – Stuart Galbraith, San Phillips and Alan Day – will take to the stage to discuss building a modern music company, what they’ve learned on the journey, and how they see both their company and the broader business developing.

Formed in 2008, the London-based firm currently works with artists including Simply Red, Ed Sheeran, Andrea Bocelli, Hans Zimmer, Stereophonics and Don Broco.

Three of Kilimanjaro Live’s principals will take to the stage to discuss building a modern music company

With the Kili team now setting the bar in comedy, spoken word, theatre and exhibitions, the company’s growth and development have been seismic.

Just yesterday (22 February), the firm launched a new parent company to support its “major expansion”. The company’s 16 live entertainment brands will now operate under the new umbrella company KMJ Entertainment, owned by parent group DEAG.

News of the keynote comes days after Futures Forum unveiled the full speaker lineup for panels, which will span the agency business, artist development, sustainability, the evolution of festivals and more.

Speakers include Connie Shao (AEG Presents), Beckie Sugden (CAA), Maddie Arnold (Live Nation), Louisa Robinson (FORM), Caroline Simionescu-Marin (WME), Lottie Bradshaw (TEG Live Europe), Sally Dunstone (Primary Talent) and Jess Kinn (One Fiinix Live).

Limited passes are available for Futures Forum for just £125+VAT, which includes all of the above, a five-star lunch, refreshments, drinks, and networking opportunities. For more information or to purchase passes, click here.

 


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ABBA Voyage to hold first ‘calmer concert’

ABBA Voyage in London will hold its first calmer concert, catering to those with sensory processing needs.

The smash-hit virtual concert residency has teamed up with A Relaxed Company, which advises productions and venues on accessibility for neurodiverse and autistic audiences, for the concert on 25 April.

Provisions will be made across ABBA Arena to ensure that those with sensory processing needs can enjoy the concert, including extra trained staff on hand, reduced arena capacity and chill-out zones around the venue.

A sensory setlist outlining what to expect from every song during the concert and a visual story explaining what to expect from the venue are available for any customers who would benefit from them. Sound and lighting at the concert will remain the same.

“ABBA Voyage is a magical experience, and we are so glad that the team is holding the calmer concert so that everyone can experience it,” says Katherine Usher and Chris Pike, co-founders of A Relaxed Company.

“We’ve been working with the whole team to ensure that the concert is ready to welcome everyone, whether you’re neurodivergent, sensory sensitive, or just looking for a calmer alternative.”

“ABBA Voyage is a magical experience, and we are so glad that the team is holding the calmer concert so that everyone can experience it”

ABBA Voyage debuted at London’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in May 2022 to universal acclaim.

Held at the purpose-built 3,000-cap ‘ABBA Arena’ under the direction of producers Svana Gisla and Ludvig Andersson and director Baillie Walsh, the show grossed more than $2 million (€1.87m) a week, it was reported last year.

One of the most expensive productions in music history, the £140m (€164m) show has brought the Swedish group – Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus (co-founder of lead investor Pophouse Entertainment), Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad – back to the stage in avatar form, supported by a 10-piece live band.

The four members of ABBA spent five weeks being filmed by 160 cameras for motion capture as they performed the 22 songs that make up the show’s 95-minute runtime. Other key team members include co-executive producer Johan Renck, choreographer Wayne McGregor and AV tech specialist Solotech UK, led by director of special projects Ian “Woody” Woodall.

ABBA Arena is designed to fit 1,650 seats and space for a standing audience of 1,350. According to Bloomberg, the residency has already generated upwards of €140m in sales after selling over 1.5 million tickets, achieving a 99% occupancy rate with an average ticket price of around £85 (€100).

Discussions are reportedly taking place to expand ABBA Voyage to cities including Las Vegas, New York, Singapore and Sydney.

 


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Kylie Minogue to headline BST Hyde Park

BST Hyde Park has revealed Kylie Minogue as its latest headline act, marking her return to the iconic London venue for the first time in nine years.

Minogue will take to the BST Hyde Park stage on 13 July, with a number of yet-to-be-announced support acts. BST’s 2024 schedule also includes headline shows by K-pop stars Stray Kids, operatic tenor Andrea Bocelli, Robbie Williams, and Shania Twain, making it one of the most eclectic line-ups in the event’s 12-year history.

Her appearance at the 65,000-capacity outdoor venue follows a highly successful year for Minogue. Earlier this month she won the second Grammy of her career when she collected the pop dance recording trophy for her single Padam Padam at the annual ceremony in Los Angeles – 20 years after winning her first award at the event.

“I can’t wait to return… my last appearance at this iconic event was in 2015 and it was a truly unforgettable experience”

She has also been named as the recipient of the BRIT Awards’ global icon award, which she will receive at the ceremony on 2 March. Minogue will also perform at the televised show, and may leave with more than one gong, as she is additionally nominated for international artist of the year.

Minogue’s latest album, Tension, was released last year, and topped the charts in multiple countries, including the UK, where she holds the unique distinction of being the only female artist to score a number-one album in five consecutive decades. Globally, she has sold more than 80 million records across her storied career.

“I can’t wait to return to BST Hyde Park this summer,” says Kylie. “My last appearance at this iconic event was in 2015 and it was a truly unforgettable experience. So excited to see you all again!”

Tickets for her BST Hyde Park show go on sale at 10am on Wednesday 21 February.

 


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Futures Forum 2024 agenda ramps up

Futures Forum, the leading conference for the next generation of live music industry leaders, has unveiled the full speaker lineup for panels.

The fourth annual instalment of the gathering will again take place at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on 1 March 2024 – the final day of its renowned parent event, the International Live Music Conference (ILMC).

The Agents vs Bookers panel is completed by CAA’s Beckie Sugden and Aimée Kearsley who will go head-to-head alongside Wasserman Music’s Alex Hardee and Holly Rowland, with Marc Saunders (The O2) set to lead the charge.

Joining the A&R in 2024: Unchartered Territory session are Maddie Arnold (Live Nation), Louisa Robinson (FORM), Caroline Simionescu-Marin (WME) and Lottie Bradshaw (TEG Live Europe). Sally Dunstone (Primary Talent) will spearhead the session.

A Greener Future: The Case Studies will see Nikoline Skaarup (DTD Concerts) discuss NorthSide Festival’s journey to going meat-free and Mark Stevenson (CUR8) explain The 1975’s carbon-removal shows at The O2. In addition, Mickey Curbishley will discuss how Solotech’s sustainability approach was redefined through their work on a Jonas Brothers concert. AEG Presents and Live Nation will also appear in this session.

CAA’s Beckie Sugden and Aimée Kearsley will go head-to-head alongside Wasserman Music’s Alex Hardee and Holly Rowland

Elsewhere, the Evolution of the Music Festival panel has gained Jamie Tagg (Mighty Hoopla), Daniel Lawson (GALA Festival/TOGETHERZERO), Jess Shields (Live Nation) and Bee Grzegorzek (Attitude Is Everything). The join moderator Ross Patel (Whole Entertainment/MMF Board).

Meet The New Bosses: Class of 2024 is now a full house, with Connie Shao (AEG Presents) in the moderator’s seat. Speakers are: Chloé Abrahams-Duperry (Ticketmaster), Vlad Yaremchuk (Atlas Festival), Jamie Shaughnessy (CAA) and Katja Thalerová (LALA Slovak Music Export).

Forming the speaker lineup for Now That’s What I Call 2024 is Melanie Eselevsky (Move Concerts), Niklas Magedanz (Goodlive Artists), Kerem Turgut (All Things Live) and Gurj Sumann (Live Nation), with Louise McGovern (Midnight Mango) at the helm.

Soapbox Sessions and the hotly anticipated Futures Forum Keynote will be announced soon.

Passes for the 1 March 2024 event are available for just £125+VAT, which includes all of the above, a five-star lunch, refreshments, drinks, and networking opportunities. For more information on Futures Forum 2024 or to purchase passes, click here.

 


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BRIT Awards announces more live performances

The BRIT Awards have announced two more performers for the upcoming ceremony: British electronic music project Jungle and Nigerian rapper, singer and songwriter Rema.

The 2024 edition of the awards is due to take place at The O2 in London on Saturday 2 March, presented by Maya Jama, Clara Amfo and Roman Kemp.

Jungle are nominated for Group Of The Year while Rema is up for International Song Of The Year category for his UK top-five single Calm Down.

Previously announced support acts for The BRIT Awards 2024 are Dua Lipa, Raye and Kylie Minogue (this year’s BRITs Global Icon).

Raye is nominated for seven awards at next month’s ceremony, setting a new record for the most by a single artist in the show’s history.

Previously announced support acts for The BRIT Awards 2024 are Dua Lipa, Raye and Kylie Minogue

Lipa, meanwhile, is up for three gongs: Artist of the Year, Song of the Year and Pop Act (the full list of nominees can be found here). Further performances are to be revealed over the coming weeks.

Elsewhere, the lineup has been confirmed for next week’s BRITs Week in aid of War Child.

The Last Dinner Party, Sleaford Mods, Keane, Baby Queen, You Me At Six, Aitch, Pendulum, CMAT and Cian Ducrot are all set to perform one-off gigs in intimate settings.

Since its inception in 2009, the event has raised £7 million for War Child, to help children whose lives have been devastated by war.

The full lineup:

FEBRUARY
19 – Cian Ducrot – Union Chapel, London
19 – You Me At Six – Concorde 2, Brighton
20 – Keane – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
21 – Ash – The 100 Club, London
21 – Baby Queen – Lafayette, London
21 – Aitch – O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London
23 – Pendulum – HERE at Outernet, London
28 – Sleaford Mods – Scala, London

MARCH
1 – CMAT – Bush Hall, London
1 – Venbee – Omeara, London
4 – The Last Dinner Party – The Trades Club, Hebden Bridge

 


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Plans submitted for Printworks reopening

Plans for the reopening of Printworks have been submitted to the local council, which could see the London superclub return by 2026.

The acclaimed 6,000-capacity nightclub and events venue shut down on 1 May 2023 and looked set to close for good after Southwark Council gave the go-ahead for it to be converted into offices.

But in May 2023, an agreement was reached for the venue to continue to operate in some form.

Today, property developer British Land and its partner AustralianSuper, one of the country’s largest pension funds, have submitted a detailed proposal to the council to redevelop the site in Rotherhithe into a permanent cultural venue.

The pair are in exclusive talks with Broadwick, the company that ran Printworks through a six-year temporary consent, to operate the new venue.

“What appeals to us about it is that it’s creating a new piece of city and a new district for London”

The reimagined space would occupy half of the existing building and would include a new rooftop terrace space for performances, rehearsals, product launches or curated talks, as well as a smaller performance space called The Inkwells. The other half will be turned into offices for 1,500 workers, and shops.

Printworks forms part of British Land and AustralianSuper’s £6 billion Canada Water project in London’s Docklands. Forty buildings are planned with up to 3,000 new homes – of which 35% will be affordable – and offices with space for 20,000 workers.

British Land and AustralianSuper hope to receive planning permission for ‘Printworks 2.0’ within the next few months.

“What appeals to us about it is that it’s creating a new piece of city and a new district for London,” Emma Cariaga, co-leader of the project for British Land, told The Guardian. “We intend to create a permanent cultural venue and put it on the map globally. Over the last six years, Printworks has become an iconic venue for electronic music and one of the top five clubs in the world. But our plans seek to push that to deliver a much broader programme.”

Printworks reportedly attracted more than 2.5 million visitors in its six years of being open and hosted over 300 concerts, including with Skepta, Gorillaz and Seth Troxler.

 


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Full lineup unveiled for ILMC’s London Calling 2024

The full lineup has been revealed for the second edition of ILMC’s London Calling, set for Wednesday 28 February.

The central London showcase will bring 17 emerging artists to five stages across Soho: The 100 Club, 21Soho, The Lower Third, Phoenix Arts Club and The Spice of Life.

Nxdia, The New Eves, freekind. and Forgetting The Future will perform at 21Soho, in collaboration with Ticketmaster.

Babymorocco, Luna Morgenstern and Lala Hayden will grace the stage of Phoenix Arts Club, while MAVICA, b1n0 and Emilia Tarrant are due at The Spice of Life.

Meanwhile, Backroad Gee, LYVIA and Yiigaa + 7OEL (DJ) are slated to perform at The Lower Third, presented by UTA.

And elsewhere, The 100 Club (presented by Music Venue Trust) will host Noah and the Loners, Hyphen, August Charles and Gia Ford.

Babymorocco, Luna Morgenstern and Lala Hayden will grace the stage of Phoenix Arts Club

Lala Hayden and b1n0 are presented by The Spanish Wave and Mad Cool Festival, and Emilia Tarrant is presented by Amplead.

A core element of the 2024 International Live Music Conference programme, ILMC Delegate Pass holders will be able to access the shows for free by showing their pass. Entry will be permitted on a first come, first served basis.

A limited number of all-venue wristbands are also available for non-delegates, priced £30, granting access to all five venues throughout the evening. Tickets for The 100 Club and The Lower Third go on sale today (Wednesday 7 February).

The showcase debuted last year across four Soho venues, with 16 artists representing multiple international markets.

London Calling is supported by a wealth of great partners including United Talent Agency, Music Venue Trust, Amplead, The Spanish Wave, Mad Cool Festival, FORM, Kili Presents, NME & Ticketmaster.

Tickets for London Calling are available now via Universe: universe.com/londoncalling.

For more information about ILMC 2024, The Arthur Awards, Futures Forum, TEL and London Calling, visit 36.ilmc.com.

 


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The O2 unveils multi-million-pound VIP members club

The O2 has officially opened its multi-million-pound VIP members club, marking the arena’s biggest investment in premium to date.

The new 300-capacity premium space has been named The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways after the number of residencies held so far at the iconic London venue.

For upwards of £15,000, members of The NinetyThird can enjoy more than 200 events a year at The O2, with “uninterrupted views from every seat”.

VIPs will also have access to the Walkway, a first-of-its-kind retractable viewing platform, 70ft above the arena floor.

The space, set over 1,150 square meters, is home to the arena’s first high-end, 50-seater, on-site restaurant and several premium bar areas which are all exclusive to members.

The design of the club also draws inspiration from the venue’s rich music heritage, with over 50 references to artists, performances, and iconic moments at The O2 arena.

“It really does reimagine what premium hospitality in a UK arena can offer”

“The O2 has become synonymous with hosting some of the most iconic artist residencies over the last 16 years – from Prince and Elton John, to most recently six nights of Madonna,” says Matt Botten, senior director, premium seating at The O2.

“Up to this point, we’ve had an impressive 92 residencies at The O2, and it felt fitting to honour this new premium space as our 93rd, given that the design of the space has been so heavily influenced by our musical heritage.”

The NinetyThird has been launched with naming rights partner Qatar Airways, the national carrier of the State of Qatar, as part of a multi-year deal.

Qatar Airways will have ‘unique branding opportunities’ within the space and across the venue’s OOH and digital networks. Qatar Airways Privilege Club members will also have exclusive access to tickets for events at The O2 within The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways through Privilege Club Collection – a newly launched platform, offering members the opportunity to bid from a selection of curated experiences.

Botten adds: “We’re so excited to be opening the doors to The NinetyThird by Qatar Airways, and to be doing this with a naming rights partner who so perfectly complements the level of premium hospitality that members can expect when visiting the space. The attention to detail within the space is second to none – it really does reimagine what premium hospitality in a UK arena can offer.”

Off the back of a record-breaking year for ticket sales at the world-famous venue – with over 2.5 million tickets sold last year – 2024 is set the be one of The O2’s biggest years yet.

Olivia Rodrigo, The 1975, Michael McIntyre, Liam Gallagher, The Killers, Girls Aloud, and Take That are among this year’s residencies, each playing four nights or more at the venue.

 


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