State Champ Radio UK Live
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Johnny Marr has spoken on his decision to turn down an “eye-watering” amount of money to reunite The Smiths, saying that the “vibe” wasn’t right to get the band back together.
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Marr was appearing on the Stick to Football podcast alongside former players Roy Keane, Gary Neville and Ian Wright to discuss his affinity with soccer club Manchester City and his role as guitarist in one of indie music’s most legendary bands.
The Smiths were formed by Marr in 1982 when he and a friend recruited Morrissey to join the group as vocalist and lyricist; the band’s classic lineup was completed by Mike Joyce (drums) and Andy Rourke (bass).
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The group released four studio albums between 1984 and 1987 alongside a number of live albums and B-side and singles collections. Meat is Murder (1985) and The Queen is Dead (1986) both hit No. 1 on the U.K.’s Official Albums Chart; their debut The Smiths (1984) and final record Strangeways, Here We Come (1987) both hit No. 2. Creative and personal differences between Marr and Morrissey saw the former leave the group in July 1987 and the group folded the following year.
Both Marr and Morrissey have had wildly successful solo careers but a reunion has seemed unlikely ever since. In 2006, Moz told the BBC, “I would rather eat my own testicles than reform the Smiths, and that’s saying something for a vegetarian.”
In August 2024, however, Morrissey claimed that he and Marr had received a “lucrative offer” from AEG to reform with the band’s surviving members, and to tour as a live band in 2025; the group’s bassist Andy Rourke died in 2023. In the post on his website Morrissey Central, Moz revealed that he had said yes to the proposal but that Marr had not responded. A month later, Marr said on his Instagram that he did not “ignore the offer — I said no.”
Now speaking on the Stick to Football podcast Marr has gone into more detail about why he turned down the offer, despite seeing close friends (and City supporters) Liam and Noel Gallagher reform Oasis in August 2024 for a global tour.
“We got made an offer recently, but I said no,” he said. “It was a little bit about principles, but I’m not an idiot, I just think the vibe’s not right.”
Marr added, “It was an eye-watering amount of money, but also, I really like what I’m doing now which makes it a lot easier. I like where I’m at. I still want to write the best song I’ve ever written. I want to be a better performer.”
Morrissey and Marr have traded barbs through the press for decades, and in 2022 Morrissey called on his former bandmate to “stop mentioning my name” in interviews. Marr responded saying, “When you’re attacked out of the blue, particularly in public, you have to defend yourself.”
Speaking to Uncut he said the pair are too estranged to ever work together again. “It won’t come as any surprise when I say that I’m really close with everyone I’ve worked with — except for the obvious one. And that isn’t that much of a surprise because we’re so different, me and Morrissey.”
Following The Smiths’ dissolution, Marr played as a member of a number of groups including The Pretenders, Electronic (with New Order’s Bernard Sumner), The The, Modest Mouse and The Cribs. In 2013 he launched a solo career and has released four LPs under his name and performed on global tours.
Earlier this week Marr expressed support for Kneecap during their ongoing controversy, and backed them to perform at Glastonbury Festival next weekend (June 27-29) amid calls for them to be removed from the line-up.
Check out Marr’s appearance on the Stick to Football podcast below.
Liam Gallagher has criticised the City of Edinburgh Council after Oasis fans were described as “rowdy”, “intoxicated” and “middle-aged men” who “take up more room” in a safety briefing.
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The comments were made when a range of senior officials from the council and emergency services met last year to plan for the band’s sold-out reunion shows at Murrayfield Stadium (Aug. 8-9 and 12). The run will mark the first time they will play in the Scottish capital since 2009.
Details of the safety advisory group meeting from October 2024 were made available via a freedom of information request, and were published in The Scottish Sun earlier this week. The briefing involved the council, promoters DF Concerts, security firm G4S, Police Scotland, the Scottish Ambulance Service and local transport providers including Lothian Buses, Edinburgh Trams, and ScotRail.
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A number of concerns were raised by officials, including about fans of Oasis “on weekends as they are already rowdy”, as well as “the tone of the band.” The paper also said that the council, meanwhile, suggested that the 210,000 gig-goers posed a risk to the Edinburgh Fringe and its performers, which is expected to attract more than three million visitors between Aug. 1-25.
It also noted that the crowd at Murrayfield Stadium, which can hold 70,000 fans a night, may feature a number of “middle-aged men,” stating they “take up more room” and that promoters should “consider” these factors when “working out occupancy.” DF Concerts added that the audience would be “energetic and high-spirited” with a “medium to high intoxication.”
Gallagher has responded to these statements on social media, posting on X: “To the Edinburgh council I’ve heard what you said about OASIS fans and quite frankly your attitude f–-king stinks. I’d leave town that day if I was any of you lot.”
He added: “I’d love to see a picture of all the people on the Edinburgh council bet there’s some real STUNING [sic] individuals.”
Margaret Graham, Edinburgh Council’s culture and communities convener, told The Scottish Sun: “We’re very proud to host the biggest and best events in Edinburgh throughout the year, which bring in hundreds of millions of pounds to the local economy and provide unparalleled entertainment for our residents and visitors.
“As with any major event which takes place in the city, we prepare extensively alongside our partners to ensure the safety and best possible experience of everyone involved – and Oasis are no different.”
She added: “We’re all looking forward to seeing Oasis take to the stage this August and I’m sure that they’ll ‘live forever’ as some of the most memorable concerts ever performed at Murrayfield.”
The Oasis reunion tour kicks off in the U.K. at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, Wales, on July 4. The run of dates will continue through Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin before hitting North America, Latin America, Asia and Australia across 41 planned shows.
Thirty years on from Britpop’s commercial zenith, the U.K. still can’t get enough of the scene’s so-called big three. In 2023, Blur scored a hard-won victory lap with their plaintive eighth album, The Ballad of Darren, and followed that up with two shows at London’s Wembley Stadium, their biggest ever performances. Oasis, meanwhile, will swagger […]
Over the past week, Pitbull has embarked on a run of arena shows in the U.K. and Ireland, but he may be experiencing a sense of déjà vu. Fans have thrown themselves into a viral fancy dress trend for his shows, donning black suits, bald caps and sunglasses and meeting up for flash mobs outside of the venues.
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Pitbull, real name Armando Christian Pérez, has now responded to the long-running trend in an interview with the BBC, calling it “priceless” to see fans replicate his look at his shows.
“Every time I’m at a show, I let them know that when you put on a bald cap, I hope you’re ready to have the time of your lives – it feels deeper than just music,” he said. “It’s the ultimate trophy to be able to go on stage and see all the hard work that you put into the music. I’ve been in the game for 25 years and to see every demographic, everybody [dressing up] at the shows is priceless.”
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On recent tours, fans, male and female, have adopted the Pitbull attire for the evening and meeting up outside the venue. The rapper and singer toured the U.K. and Ireland earlier this year in February, and has returned for an extended European run with two shows at London’s O2 Arena (June 9, 10) and concluding in Stockholm, Sweden on June 29.
Speaking to the BBC, Pitbull expanded on his continued popularity on a global scale. “There’s an irony as I’m kind of an anomaly in the music business,” he said. “In the Latin world they said I was too English, and in the English world I was too Latin, so to bring it together now, when it all really started around 2010, feels really good.”
Pitbull, who performs in both English and Spanish, has had a number of hits both in the U.K. and U.S. throughout his career, including two No. 1s on the Billboard Hot 100 (2011’s “Give Me Everything” and 2013’s “Timber”). He released his most recent LP, Trackhouse, in 2023 and over his career has collected nine Billboard Latin Music Awards.
The “Powerpuff Girls of Pop” descended on Barcelona, Spain this past weekend (June 5-7).
The BRIT Awards will move to Manchester in 2026 and 2027, marking the first time the ceremony has taken place outside of London in its nearly-50 year history.
Co-op Live, the venue operated by Oak View Group, will host the event on Feb. 28, 2026 and be broadcast live on ITV 1 and ITV X; 2027’s date is yet to be confirmed.
The 2025 event was held in March at The O2 Arena in London, the ceremony’s home since 2012. The BRITs has been held at various venues in the capital including Earl’s Court (1996-2011), Alexandra Palace (1993-1995) and The Grosvenor Hotel (1982-1987).
The first event in 1977 was held at the Wembley Conference Centre, and the BRITs became a yearly occurrence from 1982 onwards; the 2021 event was the first major event to take place in the U.K. following the outbreak of the COVID pandemic a year prior.
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2026 marks the first event of the three-year stewardship under Sony Music U.K.; stewardship rotates between the three major labels, with the BRIT Committee overseeing the show’s creative direction. Damian Christian, the managing director and president of promotions at Atlantic Records, a Warner Music subsidiary, served as the chair of the BRIT Committee from 2022-2025.
“Moving to Manchester, the home of some of the most iconic and defining artists of our lifetime, will invigorate the show and build on the BRITs legacy of celebrating and reinvesting in world-class music,” says Jason Isley MBE, chairman and CEO, Sony Music U.K. & Ireland. “Hosting the show in Manchester, with its vibrant cultural history, perfectly captures the spirit and energy of the BRIT Awards. I can’t wait to see the show at the amazing state-of-the art Co-op Live venue.”
Despite a beleaguered opening which saw delays and cancellation of shows in April 2024, the Co-op Live has since established itself as a key player in the U.K. live music scene. In 2024, the venue hosted the MTV EMAs, and 2025’s live slate includes Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band, Olivia Rodrigo, Tyler, The Creator and more. The venue’s 23,500 capacity makes it the largest indoor arena in Europe.
Tim Leiweke, co-founder and CEO of Oak View Group said: “The BRITs are the most important music event in the UK and were always the highlight of the year, not only because of its immense cultural contribution, but because of their commitment to improving the lives of youth through music. It is our honour to partner with our friends at BPI and Sony Music, alongside the great city of Manchester, to host the BRITs at Co-op Live and join in their mission to create opportunities for youth through music.”
The BRIT Awards regularly pulls big name performers, with 2025’s ceremony boasting live performances by Sabrina Carpenter, Lola Young, Teddy Swims and Sam Fender. Charli XCX, meanwhile, collected five awards on the night, including album of the year.
The move follows the relocation of the MOBO Awards in recent years to Coventry (2021) and Sheffield (2024), and the Mercury Prize which is set to be hosted in Newcastle’s Utilita Arena in September 2025.
The U.K.’s summer of live music kicked off in earnest this week with a number of huge tour debuts throughout major cities, particularly in London. Over at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday (June 5), Beyoncé brought her Cowboy Carter tour to these shores for the first time, and a day later, Robbie Williams was […]
Billboard’s The Stage hit SXSW London on Thursday night (June 5), marking the first time the event took place in the U.K. The show at the capital’s Troxy was headlined by Lagos-born, London-based superstar Tems, a day after she collected the Diamond Award at the Global Power Players Event alongside Sir Elton John and EMPIRE […]
The countdown to Glastonbury 2025 is well and truly on. With just three weeks until music fans head to Worthy Farm, Somerset, England (June 25-29), the festival has unveiled its full lineup and stage times for 2025 – complete with gaps for secret sets.
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The event will host headliners The 1975, Neil Young, Rod Stewart, and Olivia Rodrigo on the Pyramid Stage, and Loyle Carner, Charli xcx and The Prodigy on the Other Stage. Other prominent names set to appear across the weekend include Doechii, Gracie Abrams, Noah Kahan, Wolf Alice and Busta Rhymes, among others.
Glastonbury will then take a fallow year in 2026, which sees landowner Michael Eavis and his family allow the festival grounds to recover every four years.
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The full lineup features over 3,000 performances, complete with new additions to the main stages. The Other Stage will now feature drum’n’bass stalwarts Fabio & Grooverider opening on Friday, playing tracks in symphonic arrangements with the Outlook Orchestra, plus pop acts Rizzle Kicks and Good Neighbours, and singer-songwriters Nadine Shah and Louis Dunford.
Glass Beams and Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso are among those added to West Holts, while Jalen Ngonda, Ichiko Aoba, Horsegirl, John Glacier and Geordie Greep join other new names on the Park stage. Head to the festival’s official website for set times across all stages.
There are also 56 ‘to be announced’ slots lined up, including a gap on the Pyramid Stage on the Friday ahead of Alanis Morrissette’s set. A mysterious band called ‘Patchwork’ will also be playing the following day. In 2023, Glastonbury platformed another surprise act at the Pyramid called the Churnups, who turned out to be the Foo Fighters.
It has been widely speculated online that ‘Patchwork’ could actually be pop trio Haim. The band are playing an isolated one-off date in Margate on June 27 following the release of fourth LP I Quit, while a Reddit user has suggested the ‘Patchwork’ name may reference a novel written by Sylvia Haim.
Lorde, meanwhile, will be releasing her new record Virgin on June 27. She last played Glastonbury in 2022, and could possibly return ahead of her highly-anticipated album and accompanying world tour, which kicks off in September.
More TBAs include Woodsies early on Friday, whilst the Park Stage also has a gap on Saturday evening. Glastonbury 2025 will kick off on the evening of June 25 with two opening ceremonies, including a theatre and circus show in the Pyramid field, followed by a fireworks display.
Kneecap has announced its biggest-ever English show with a huge headline date at London’s OVO Wembley Arena this coming September. The Belfast hip-hop trio will head to the 12,500-capacity show on Sep. 18 and follows their headline show at London’s Wide Awake festival in Brockwell Park in the capital in May. Tickets for the show […]
