The Week in Light & Sound
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Combined Campaign - Two arts advocacy organisations have merged to form one nationwide initiative called Campaign for the Arts.The National Campaign for the Arts and the Public Campaign for the Arts have joined forces to continue their mission of championing and defending the arts across the UK. They have a combined supporter base of more than a quarter of a million people. Famous supporters include Stephen Fry, Meera Syal, Gary Lineker, Grayson Perry, Lauren Laverne and Philip Pullman.
Campaign for the Arts aims to use "digital tools and its UK-wide network to inform the public, express support and engage more and new people". It will also continue to run the Hearts for the Arts awards and will further develop the Arts Map, which was launched in 2020 to help people check the reopening status of cultural organisations post-lockdowns.
Former NCA chair Samuel West is to become a trustee of Campaign for the Arts, while Jack Gamble, former director of the PCA, is to become chief executive. West said: "The impact of the pandemic, the cost-of-living crisis and the prospect of further austerity are just some of the pressing challenges facing the arts. But this merger puts us in the strongest possible place. Together, we will campaign to ensure that the arts are available from childhood, accessible to all and thriving everywhere."
Pub Rock - A Birmingham pub where Black Sabbath played their first gig is to be restored as a live music venue after years of closure. In its heyday, The Crown in the city centre also hosted other local acts that would go on to become household names, including Led Zeppelin and UB40. The project is led by arts organisation Birmingham Open Media (BOM). Under plans, the revived venue would also become a digital hub for the community, BOM said.
The Crown, built in 1881, shut down in 2014 after it was bought by a Japanese development company, remaining derelict ever since. The Local Democracy Reporting Service said the project for the site opposite New Street Station won the blessing of Birmingham City Council - which would work in partnership with not-for-profit BOM - in September, although no timeline was given for the venue's opening.
No Shows - Bulgaria has become the latest country to say it will not participate in next year's Eurovision Song Contest. Broadcasters from North Macedonia and Montenegro had already confirmed they would not be taking part in 2023 because of the increased entry fee. Countries have been asked to pay more to make up for the money lost following Russia's ban.
How much each participating broadcaster pays to enter is not made public, but the total cost between all entrants normally adds up to around £5m - with the host paying a further sum. Bulgaria, North Macedonia and Montenegro all failed to make it past the semi-final stage of this year's song contest.
Hollywood Vampires - Johnny Depp will kick off a UK tour with his band the Hollywood Vampires in Scarborough next summer. The rock supergroup, which also features Alice Cooper and Aerosmith's Joe Perry, will play their first UK date in North Yorkshire on 5 July. The band was forced to cancel its 2020 tour due to the pandemic. Depp shocked music fans in May when he appeared on stage in Yorkshire with guitarist Jeff Beck during a defamation trial in the US involving the actor.
(Jim Evans)
25 October 2022
