On The Beach - The BBC Concert Orchestra will take up a three-year residency in a seaside town to "raise aspirations". Its arrival in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, is due to a collaboration with the charity Orchestras Live and arts organisations in the county. The aim was to "provide learning pathways and improve people's wellbeing", the charity said. It will run workshops in every primary school in the town and hold a free schools concert.
Part of the Create Yarmouth strategy, it hopes to encourage students to get creative with music. “The programme aims to raise aspiration, provide learning pathways and improve people's wellbeing through collaborations with world-class musicians, digital artists, producers and arts managers”, an Orchestras Live spokeswoman said. Pop-up performances in public spaces, as part of a Heritage Action Zone, will also be held.
Pride Restored - Paloma Faith is the first main stage headline act to be announced for this year's Brighton Pride. The Brit Award winner will appear this summer after the event was cancelled two years running due to Covid-19. The three-day festival will run from 5 to 7 August and it has previously attracted crowds of about 250,000.
Park Life - Parklife's return to a summer slot has led to a "huge demand" for tickets, its co-founder has said. The festival at Heaton Park will take place on 11 and 12 June after it was cancelled in 2020 and moved in 2021 to September due to the pandemic. Its line-up will include rappers 50 Cent, Megan Thee Stallion and Tyler, the Creator, singers Lewis Capaldi and Arlo Parks and dance duo Bicep.
A Parklife spokesman said the event will be the first Californian rapper Tyler, the Creator has headlined in the UK, while the appearance by 50 Cent will be his only festival appearance in the country in 2022.
Five Bar Gate - A new music festival has been given the go-ahead despite objections over noise and a lack of public consultation. The Five Bar Gate Festival will be held over four days in August near Coleford, in the Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Residents and Newland Parish Council said it objected on the basis the amplified music would be a nuisance. Applicant Joshua Baynham told the local licensing sub-committee that it would be an independently-run festival showcasing local talent and national artists. "It's been two years of pretty bad times. We are essentially just trying to bring something nice to the area and make a good go of it," he said.
Farewell - Renowned folk singer Norma Waterson has died. Norma, brother Mike, sister Lal formed The Watersons in the 1960s, achieving critical acclaim for their work. The 82-year-old, from Hull, had been unable to perform for years due to illness and had been in hospital with pneumonia. Her daughter, the musician Eliza Carthy, announced her mother's death with "monumental sadness" on Sunday.
(Jim Evans)
1 February 2022

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