75 m. ago Heading to Download 2025? Our pick of the acts throughout the days before the headliners hit the Apex stage

Will we see you for a little dance at these sets taking place at Download 2025?

Events

86 m. ago East 17 star Terry Coldwell baptised by former Kray twins associate

Nineties pop star said he was ‘really glad he did it’

Politics

88 m. ago Juliet & Romeo review – Rebel Wilson and Jason Isaacs cameo in syrupy Shakespeare musical

With bare-faced cheek, this bardless take replaces all the original language with olden-days-effect prose – adding singing, dancing and a pointlessly starry castDirector and former stage actor Timothy Scott Bogart is best known for having made Spinning Gold, a biopic of his father Neil Bogart, the New York music producer and founder of the 70s disco-era label Casablanca Records. Now he has confected a syrupy new musical take on Romeo and Juliet, with music by his brother Evan Kidd Bogart (who won a Grammy for his work on Beyoncé’s single Halo).Bogart retells the basic story but with Shakespeare’s language all removed and replaced with olden-days-effect prose: a kind of bardless Baz Luhrmann. Ultimately – with what I do have to admit is some amiable cheek – Bogart contrives to do for this play what Nahum Tate did for King Lear. It’s really pretty bland, and with each turn in the plot you have to ask what the point of it actually is. Continue reading...

Politics

91 m. ago Outlander star Sam Heughan to give cocktail masterclass at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Sam Heughan - the star of Outlander - is among celebrities from the world of film and TV who will feature at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Culture

1 hour ago Decathlon extends No Tent Left Behind refund pledge ahead of summer festivals

Customers who buy a Decathlon tent this summer can return it once used, for a full refund on a gift card

Politics

2 h. ago Life begins at 50 as midlife daters reject quiet nights for festivals, travel and raves

Top tips for dating including sharing hobbies such as travel, yoga, hiking, running , cycling and tennis - whatever the age

Politics

2 h. ago Nicola Sturgeon and Irvine Welsh join Edinburgh Book Festival line

The former first minister is preparing to launch a mammoth promotional tour ahead of the publication of her long-awaited political memoir.

Culture

2 h. ago Actor Sam Heughan to give cocktail masterclass at Edinburgh International Book Festival

Sam Heughan - the star of Outlander - is among celebrities from the world of film and TV who will feature at this year’s Edinburgh International Book Festival.

Culture

2 h. ago 10 highlights from 2025 Edinburgh International Book Festival

The Edinburgh International Book Festival has launched its programme today

Culture

2 h. ago Nicola Sturgeon and Irvine Welsh feature in Edinburgh book festival line

Maggie O’Farrell, Alexander McCall Smith, Julian Clary, Viggo Mortensen, Sam Heughan and Dame Vanessa Redgrave are also included.

Culture

2 h. ago Edinburgh book festival to make case for hope with Hanif Kureishi and Palestinian poet

Brazilian tribal leader among other guests at event with theme of repair, along with Ruth Jones and Nicola SturgeonThe Edinburgh book festival is to champion the positive power of hope later this summer with events involving Hanif Kureishi, the Palestinian poet Najwan Darwish and an exiled Brazilian tribal leader.The core theme for this year’s festival will be the “expansive” concept of repair, and offering solutions and optimism at a time of crisis and conflict, said Jenny Niven, the event’s director.The Edinburgh international book festival runs from 9 to 24 August. Tickets go on sale on 21 June. Continue reading...

Culture

3 h. ago Rising country star Conner Smith involved in fatal car accident

Singer’s representative said his ‘heart goes out’ to the family of a woman who died

Events

4 h. ago Dead elephants and feral sea lions: how poisonous algal blooms harm the planet

As the Earth heats up, the amount of algae in our waterways is rapidly increasing, transforming the colour of lakes and killing entire ecosystemsBefore the elephants collapsed, they walked in aimless circles. Some fell head first, dying where they stood moments earlier; their carcasses scattered near watering holes across the Okavango delta. The unexplained deaths in May 2020 alarmed conservationists. By July, at least 350 elephants had died and nobody knew why.“The animals all had their tusks, so poaching was unlikely. A lot of them had obviously died relatively suddenly: they had dropped on to their sternums, which was indicating a sudden loss of muscle function or neural capacity,” says Niall McCann, director of the conservation group National Park Rescue. Continue reading...

Events

5 h. ago Elizabeth Hurley's 'subtle but significant' transformation as she 'ages in reverse'

Elizabeth Hurley today celebrates her 60th birthday, but the actress often leaves fans blown away with her youthful appearance and glowing skin but has had a 'subtle' change

Politics

7 h. ago Scientists warn against attempts to change definition of ‘forever chemicals’

Move to narrow classification of Pfas and weaken regulation is ‘politically and/or economically motivated’A group of 20 internationally renowned scientists have issued a strong warning against attempts to narrow the definition of “forever chemicals” in what they describe as a politically or economically motivated effort to weaken regulation of the potentially harmful chemicals.Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (Pfas) are a large group of synthetic chemicals used for their oil-, water- and stain-resistant properties in a range of consumer and industrial products from waterproof clothing and non-stick cookware to firefighting foams and electronics. Continue reading...

Events

7 h. ago ‘I’m closer to the end than the beginning’: British soul legend Omar on EastEnders, Stevie Wonder and his industry battles

He’s worked with the cream of US neo-soul and is seen as a national treasure by his peers – so why is Omar underrated? From hits to label struggles, he revisits the highs and lowsOmar’s fans are united in believing that he’s a genius that should have been a superstar. “The undisputed architect of what we now know as neo-soul”, goes one YouTube comment, acknowledging that the British musician’s albums predate the genre’s US benchmarks such as D’Angelo’s Brown Sugar and Erykah Badu’s Baduizm. Another: “Really don’t know why Omar didn’t go on to be big worldwide.” And then: “D’Angelo was the closest they [America] had to someone of Omar’s calibre and even he pales in comparison from a wholly musical standpoint.”“That’s dangerous talk!”, the musician laughs when I relay the last quote back to him. But 40 years into his career, he’s proud of his musical legacy. “When I started out at 14, I said I wanted to make music that, as soon as you hear the first four bars, you know it’s me,” he sa...

Events

9 h. ago Sly Stone was a trailblazer who changed the course of music – and an icon of both hope and pain

With the Family Stone, Sly was so audacious it was hard to believe his brilliance could ever be exhausted – making his unravelling all the more painful to watchSly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82Sly Stone’s greatest songs – ranked!Sly Stone – a life in picturesEven though he recorded three of funk’s most foundational albums – four if you include 1970’s Greatest Hits, as flawless a good time as pop ever delivered – Sly Stone’s subsequent fall from grace was perceived as a grave betrayal of his talent. That Stone’s unravelling was so conspicuous – his drug abuse apparent in every wasted chat show appearance, his infallible hit-machine waning after his Family Stone became estranged – only exacerbated the sting of this loss. But Stone’s imperial era lasted almost a decade and delivered a discography that remains the acme of funk. He changed the course of pop and reconfigured the structure and essence of dance music, multiple times. He was an icon of hope, of pain,...

Politics

9 h. ago Sly Stone was a trailblazer who changed the course of music – and an icon of both hope and pain | Stevie Chick

With the Family Stone, Sly was so audacious it was hard to believe his brilliance could ever be exhausted – making his unravelling all the more painful to watchSly Stone, pioneering funk and soul musician, dies aged 82Sly Stone’s greatest songs – ranked!Sly Stone – a life in picturesEven though he recorded three of funk’s most foundational albums – four if you include 1970’s Greatest Hits, as flawless a good time as pop ever delivered – Sly Stone’s subsequent fall from grace was perceived as a grave betrayal of his talent. That Stone’s unravelling was so conspicuous – his drug abuse apparent in every wasted chat show appearance, his infallible hit-machine waning after his Family Stone became estranged – only exacerbated the sting of this loss. But Stone’s imperial era lasted almost a decade and delivered a discography that remains the acme of funk. He changed the course of pop and reconfigured the structure and essence of dance music, multiple times. He was an icon of hope, of pain,...

Politics

12 h. ago Outdoor retailer promises ‘full refund’ on every tent sold to discourage abandoners

Tents bought throughout festival season can be returned after use

Politics

12 h. ago Scooter Braun reflects on Taylor Swift feud as he reveals 'shock' over situation

Scooter Braun has reflected on his dispute with Taylor Swift over master recordings, with his comments coming after the singer announced recently that she now owns all of her music

Events