The Week in Light & Sound

Eurovision - Ukraine should be given the chance to host the Eurovision Song Contest in 2023, the UK prime minister has said. Speaking to journalists after returning from its capital, Kyiv, Boris Johnson said the streets there were lively and Ukrainians were "confident". As winners of the contest in May, Ukraine should normally host the show, but organisers said on they thought it would be too unsafe. Its planners are discussing holding it in the UK instead, which came second.
Cities across the UK, including Cardiff and Birmingham, have expressed interest in staging the 2023 contest if it ends up in the UK.
“We would relish the opportunity to host the Eurovision Song Contest 2023 here at Principality Stadium, Cardiff,” said a spokesman. “We have a 20-year history of successfully hosting the biggest music artists and sporting events in the world, and to add Eurovision, the world's biggest and much-loved music competition to the list, would be the cherry on top of the last two decades.”
Most-Played - Ed Sheeran was the most-played artist in the UK last year, according to new data from music licensing body PPL. The singer also had the most-played song of the year with Bad Habits. It's the fourth time in five years that Sheeran has been named the UK's most-played artist, calculated by plays on radio, TV, pubs, clubs and shops.
Tom Grennan had the second and third most-played songs of 2021. His Calvin Harris collaboration, By Your Side, took the runner-up spot, with his solo single Little Bit of Love in third place.
Travel News - More than half of the trains from London to Glastonbury Festival have been cancelled due to strike action. The Somerset festival is finally celebrating its 50th year this week after the coronavirus pandemic forced organisers to cancel twice. More than 200,000 people will travel to the site which opens on Wednesday.
Farewell - Sir Elton John kicked off the UK leg of his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour to an enthusiastic crowd in a packed football stadium. He treated fans at Carrow Road in Norwich to 23 of his hits, starting the show with Bennie and the Jets. Sir Elton, 75, announced the Farewell Yellow Brick Road world tour would be his last, back in 2018, but it was halted during the pandemic.
Virtual Fringe - Social media site TikTok is to bring a ‘virtual stage’ to this year’s Edinburgh Festival as part of a new partnership. The partnership with the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society will see TikTok live-stream performances from across the festival’s venues and from TikTok’s virtual stage in an app.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe will also have a hub that will host all the latest #EdFringe content in one place for the TikTok community to discover. James Stafford, head of partnerships and community at TikTok, said: “The Edinburgh Fringe is a unique moment that brings together emerging artists in a celebration of creativity. Our partnership places TikTok’s global community at the heart of the iconic festival and celebrates our joint belief that creativity is for everyone.”
(Jim Evans)
21 June 2022

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