On The Campaign Trail - ABBA have complained after their hits like The Winner Takes it All were played at one of Donald Trump's presidential campaign rallies. The group's songs and videos, also including Money, Money, Money and Dancing Queen, were also played at the event in Minnesota in July, according to Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet.
In a statement to the Reuters news agency, the band's record label Universal Music said: "Together with the members of ABBA, we have discovered that videos have been released where Abba's music has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately removed and taken down." The label said no permission or licence had been granted to Mr Trump's campaign.
ABBA are the latest in a long list of artists or their estates who have objected to Mr Trump using their music to promote his presidential campaign. Last week, Foo Fighters took to social media to say they hadn't granted permission for My Hero to be used at a Trump rally. A spokesperson for the band said that any royalties received from the Trump campaign using the song would be donated to Kamala Harris's campaign.
Last month, Celine Dion's team condemned the "unauthorised" use of a clip of My Heart Will Go On, and the family of late soul singer Isaac Hayes ordered Mr Trump to stop playing Hold On, I'm Coming and demanded $3m in licensing fees. In March, the estate of Sinéad O'Connor demanded he stop playing Nothing Compares 2 U, saying she would have been "disgusted, hurt, and insulted". Previously, Adele, REM and the Rolling Stones are among the big names who have demanded he doesn't use their songs.
Dead End - Alan Ayckbourn has declared the death of the pared-back domestic drama, claiming high ticket prices have made theatregoers demand more bang for their buck. The prolific playwright, who has seen more than 40 of his works transfer to the West End, suggested musicals were faring better, saying: "I think that’s it for the play, really. Once the cost of tickets went up, the audience began to count the number of people working for them; who’s on the stage, who’s in the orchestra pit?"
He continued: "What [is the] value of the six-handed drama with excellent sets and costumes, let alone something as simple as [Ayckbourn’s 90th play] Show and Tell, which is basically two planks and a passion?" Despite expressing pessimism about the play as a form, Ayckbourn said he remained committed to theatre, claiming: "They’ve never invented anything yet that surpasses the live dramatic experience".
Monster Musical - A musical about the Loch Ness Monster will run in Edinburgh and Pitlochry next year. Nessie, which is written and composed by Shonagh Murray, will run at the Studio in Edinburgh from 28 March until 5 April, then at Pitlochry Festival Theatre from 9 July until 16 August. The show uses puppetry and song to tell the story of a young biologist named Mara and her friendship with the legendary creature. Murray said: "I hope this new musical retelling of our famous myth will bring the same joy to audiences that it has brought me when writing it." Nessie forms part of Pitlochry Festival Theatre’s 2025 summer season, which will open with a revival of Grease, co-produced with Blackpool Grand Theatre, in June.
Last Century - In 1996, two and a half million people applied to watch Oasis play across two nights at Knebworth Park, near Stevenage, in Hertfordshire. In less than 24 hours, 250,000 tickets, costing £22.50 each, had sold out. The gigs became the biggest the UK had ever seen and went on to be considered Britpop's crowning moment.
This Century - Oasis fans spent many frustrating hours of the weekend locked in a desperate race to secure tickets for the Mancunian band’s long-awaited reunion tour. Shows were initially advertised at £148.50. But when fans finally reached the front of the queue, after many hours of waiting, many found that basic standing tickets had been rebranded as “in demand” and had jumped in price to £355.20. The culprit is an increasingly common strategy known as dynamic pricing. Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy said she wants to end "rip-off resales" and ensure tickets are sold "at fair prices".
Bonus Track - An Oasis tribute band has said its bookings for gigs had "gone crazy" since the announcement of the real band's reunion tour. Joe Birchley, lead singer of the act Supernova, said his Shropshire-based copycats were booked for shows up until 2025, playing at pubs and clubs.
Nowhere Fast - Morrissey has claimed his former bandmate Johnny Marr "ignored" a "lucrative offer" to reform The Smiths for a global tour in 2025. A statement on Morrissey's website, titled "war is old, art is young", said the singer "said yes" to an offer by AEG Entertainment Group to tour as The Smiths throughout 2025, but "Marr ignored the offer". The guitarist dismissed a suggestion The Smiths should reform in the wake of the Oasis reunion by posting an image of Reform UK leader and Clacton MP Nigel Farage, a reference to his perception of Morrissey's political views.
(Jim Evans)
3 September 2024
