Ariana Grande is returning to Manchester to headline a special One Love Manchester benefit concert on Sunday 4 June to honour and raise vital funds for the victims and families who were tragically affected by the Manchester attack after her show last week. The concert will take place at the Emirates Old Trafford Cricket Ground. General admission and hospitality tickets will be on sale through Ticketmaster (ticketmaster.co.uk/arianagrandemanchester) from Thursday 1 June 2017 at 10:00AM BST.
Ariana Grande has called on the biggest international names in music to join her for this unforgettable evening, including Justin Bieber, Coldplay, Katy Perry, Miley Cyrus, Pharrell Williams, Usher, Take That, Niall Horan, and others. The concert will be broadcast on BBC Television, and on BBC Radio and Capital Radio Networks. The BBC will be the host broadcaster for international television networks. The show will also be streamed with a digital partner worldwide, to be announced soon.
All net ticket proceeds of the show will go directly to the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund which was set up by the Manchester City Council in partnership with the British Red Cross, in aid of grieving families and victims of the horrific attack.
Ariana is offering fans who were at the Manchester show on Monday free tickets to this benefit concert. Customers who would like to attend will need to follow this link (http://www.ticketmaster.co.uk/arianagrandemanchester) and register before Wednesday 31 May 2017 at 4:00PM BST. Ticketmaster will be in touch via email within 36 hours of registrations with instructions on how to process your free ticket.
Ariana Grande said, in an open letter posted on her social media accounts:
“My heart, prayers and condolences are with the victims of the Manchester Attack and their loved ones. There is nothing I or anyone can do to take away the pain you are feeling or to make this better. However, I extend my hand and heart and everything I possibly can give to you and yours, should you want or need my help in any way.”
She continued: “We will not quit or operate in fear. We won’t let this divide us. We won’t let hate win… Our response to this violence must be to come closer together, to help each other, to love more, to sing louder and to live more kindly and generously than we did before.”
“Music is meant to heal us, to bring us together, to make us happy. So that is what it will continue to do for us. We will continue to honour the ones we lost, their loved ones, my fans and all affected by this tragedy. They will be on my mind and in my heart everyday and I will think of them with everything I do for the rest of my life.”
The attack – which took place after Ariana’s Dangerous Woman concert at Manchester Arena on Monday 22 May – killed 22 people, seven of whom were children, and injured hundreds of others.
ONE LOVE MANCHESTER
LOCATION: Emirates Old Trafford, Talbot Road, Stretford, Old Trafford M16 0PX
For speed of entry, we are requesting that concert-goers do not attend with bags.
So here’s the thing. Festivals are continually criticised for their headline act choices, it’s always going to be the case. They’re damned for getting big name legends on repeat every few years, but also for giving newer bands the slot when they aren’t established or dramatic enough to be considered headline material. So what to do?
Well, most other festivals stick to the tried and tested, big act = big sales. But where does it end? The top drawer artist pool is rapidly drying due to either retirement or worse, death (2016 really has been a cursed year) and it just can’t go on. New blood has to flow.
This year, Rob Da Bank and co. have taken the far riskier, and frankly braver option of booking Major Lazer as their Friday night headliner. After a stellar daytime performance in 2014 they’ve been bumped into the top spot with good cause. The two year gap has seen Major Lazer release some huge anthems such as Lean On, Light It Up and Powerful (featuring Ellie Goulding), not forgetting the brand new Cold Water with Justin Bieber and All My Love with Ariana Grande. Tonight the rapidly filling arena is more than enough proof that newer bands can and will fill a top spot.
With bursts of streamers, flurries of confetti and smoke cannon blasts it’s unsurprising to see Diplo and pals take to the stage with a bang, Major Lazer are exactly the kind of high energy act that the Bestival crowd deserves. Wearing all-white outfits, flanked by dancers in sparkly black leotards, Jillionaire and Walshy Fire run around throwing tour tshirts out into the crowd to a frenzied crowd, whilst Diplo reminds us that Bestival is home turf for him – Rob booked him for the first time as a DJ back in 2004.
Despite a bit of dodgy sound (we do miss the much bigger speaker stacks of last year’s colossally huge main stage, sorry guys) it’s a great atmosphere and the Skrillex/Damien Marley collab Make It Bun Dem has the whole crowd attempting to wind. We British aren’t renowned for our sexy dancing skills but there are some serious shapes being thrown tonight, good job it’s dark.
Joined by Danish firecracker vocalist MØ, they tear it up with last year’s summer smash Lean On, and there’s something in Light It Up that just feels so… Bestival. Whenever I hear it I think of sundrenched fields of glitter-clad, neon-painted, carefree souls. Accompanied by a toasty array of on stage pyrotechnics and a considerable amount of jumping up and down, this is exactly what we came here for – wild abandon, and freedom from everything else in life.
We join in with the shirt-twirling, the dancehall steps, and duck as Diplo runs above the crowd in his giant hamster ball (okay okay, zorb…). It’s over far too soon. The only slight disappointments were the tiny acapella snippet of Cold Water, knowing that the drop is so good, and come on – for a band named Major Lazer, there were a distinct lack of actual lasers. Hopefully we’ll see Major Lazer back again soon, and kudos to Bestival for a great headline pick.
This summer has been something of a festival adventure for me. From the Valencian coast to the Garden of England, I’ve experienced a whole mixture of music, workshops, performers, and events, but V Festival is by far the biggest festival yet, and definitely the most commercial. The style of the festival has definitely changed since it’s conception 21 years ago. Although Kaiser Chiefs took the MTV stage, and Jake Bugg played a beautifully executed set of Country Rock and Roll on Sunday, the presence of typical rock, indie bands or simple singer-songwriters seemed almost banished from the premises, different from the days when Kasabian, Paul Weller and the Courteeners would take the stage. The festival this year boasted iconic pop headliners instead, with Justin Bieber taking the Saturday slot in Hylands park and Rihanna closing the Chelmsford site on Sunday, their 90,000 people capacity can definitely be seen packed across the various stages.
V Festival is one of the main chapters of the British festival season. It’s increasingly popular, features a lot of various stalls from sponsors, and a tonne of fairground rides. For a festival this size there are only two campsites, which though both incredibly large, are meticulously separated at ticket purchasing. When buying a V festival ticket You can choose to camp in either red or yellow, and if you have friends in another campsite or make some there who happen to have chosen differently, too bad, the security will probably bite your head off for suggesting you pay them a visit. This being said, the campsites themselves are pretty well organised, lit and have their own food vendors to satisfy their chosen ones, not to mention your fellow neighbours are friendly enough. Contrary to many rumours of tent burning, I saw absolutely no mindless violence or foul behaviour, but maybe that's because they were all in yellow camp, so I guess I’ll never know.
V is technically only a two-day festival, but with the vast majority of punters arriving on the Friday, the Arena is open, which at this point fairly clean, and the Radio 1/MTV stage showcased the likes of the incredible DJ EZ and Eric Prydz, who although had an incredible light show, played a set perhaps a bit too house inspired, and the silent disco is open until 1am to subdue the crowds and simultaneously adhere to the residential sound level of the Chelmsford area.
Smirnoff House
Saturday rolled around, and boasted a whole load of dance acts, such as the Smirnoff house stage, where Tinie Tempah’s DJ (if you could call him that) somehow wowed the crowds with his repetitive mix of hits. On the live music front, however, Rick Astley made a comeback with an incredible live performance. A big turnout and lots of fun, he threw in a cover of Mark Ronson’s Uptown Funk before ending his set with his beloved classic Never Gonna Give You Up, he certainly didn’t let us down. Also on the MTV stage, John Newman blew away expectations with new track Olé, as well as some classics and his Rudimental beginnings, also throwing in a surprising lone acoustic song written only a week previous, and performed for the first time on that stage. Emotional messages for loved ones graced the lyrics of the song, and although widely unexpected, it was a touching moment in an otherwise jam-packed show. Saturday also saw the likes of pop princesses Jess Glynne and Zara Larsson play, as well as the actual Tinie Tempah, and the elusive Sia’s strangely captivating stage show, which although fifteen minutes late was incredibly entertaining.
Performers at Sia
But really we need to talk about Justin. Rumours about a cancelled set were floating around on the Friday, and when he took the stage Saturday evening it was clear to see why. Looking desperately hungover, and clinging onto signs of life in his various backup dancers, any energy was almost non-existent and he’s half-hearted miming to about half the set was not fully appreciated by the crowd. This, paired with the fact he kept treating the whole show as another stop on the Purpose world tour; and calling the crowd ‘London’ over and over again, made for a pretty disappointing set, but I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt, advise him to take an Alka-Seltzer next time and put it down to illness.
Justin Bieber
One thing that V festival has upped it’s game on is the food vendors around and inside the arena. After some freshly ground coffee, a chicken Caesar Salad with soft poached eggs and (my favourite) a four-cheese Mac N Cheese topped with Jerk Chicken, I can safely conclude you will be able to find something amazing to eat, which you’re going to need to keep you going as you power walking through the absolutely massive festival site.
Sunday came around even quicker than expected and brought with it a lot of more guilty pleasures. All Saints made their reunion on the main stage, and my childhood was made in the few minutes it took them to perform Never Ever and Pure Shores. Following on the Girl Band theme of the day, Little Mix also took the main stage, though opening with Salute and rocking khaki leotards, took a very Destiny’s Child turn, which, alongside a bubbly, high energy stage presence, worked for them massively, as well as bringing Lethal Bizzle on stage with them, driving their fans wild. The main stage also saw the likes of Travis, which though nostalgically fun, didn’t really fit with the other artists, and Example, who seemed to be experiencing some technological issues around his sound, but was fun to watch all the same.
All Saints
Little Mix
Over on the MTV stage, Big Sean brought the fire and got the crowd going, ending with his signature ‘I don’t F**k with you’ – a big favourite among the Adidas, flower garland-wearing crowd. Katy B also hit the MTV stage, performing a few of her old tracks, as well as some new ones. Jake Bugg played the MTV stage shortly after, which although backed up by only a band, some simple lights and a colourful backdrop, blew the smaller crowd away with his faultless voice and mesmerising lyrics. David Guetta was the second to last act on the mainstage, just before Bad Gal RiRi herself closed the festival, taking inspiration from the art deco style of the 80’s with her stage show, and seemingly channelling Michael Jackson from beyond the grave, she gave a show-stopping performance. A set which combined the Dirty Diana/ Billie Jean styled tunes of ANTI – Desperado and Love on the Brain amongst my favourites, alongside a lot of fan favourites, including a medley of Run This Town, Live Your Life, and Love The Way You Lie. Although the mass amount of crowd around us were rather uninteresting and seemed content at watching the show through a smartphone, her voice, performance and crowd-pleasing setlist was enough to make us move and put the biggest, guiltiest smile on my face.
Big Sean
The crowd and general atmosphere of the whole festival was pretty boring, a lot of the festival goers seemed a lot more interested in their image than the acts, which was a bit of a first for me. Because the Lineup at V is so commercial, you don’t really get to stumble across many new bands or acts, as I’ve been lucky enough to do at other, smaller festivals. The smaller stages boost either DJs, already established artists or other acts such as comedy – which although enjoyable – doesn’t scream the festival atmosphere I enjoy. Where I appreciate that V is one of the most expensive of the British festivals and therefore needs to pack in a crowd-pleasing list, it's lineup is actually pretty small, and doesn’t hold nearly as many artists as one of its main rivals, say Reading + Leeds, who still manage to support and showcase new bands.
I knew from the get-go that V wasn’t exactly my cup of tea, and with this in mind, I did still have a great time. It’s sheer size and sponsorship means that they get some big names, and they know how to accommodate them, the stage show for each performance fairly mesmerising and well planned. There’s also a fair amount of things to see and do (provided you’re willing to pay) but if as long as you like the music, walking, camping, and are adamant that you want to be surrounded by like-minded Instagram happy crowds, then V is the one for you, and you will definitely have fun.
As the countdown continues to V Festival 2016, sponsored by Virgin Media, excitement is set to reach fever pitch amongst fans today, as details about the scale of Justin Bieber’s exclusive headline performance are revealed. The set is alleged to be the most challenging production the festival has ever seen in its 21-year history – one requirement will see 800 gallons of perfectly purified, 40-degree water soak the superstar, front of stage.
With just over three weeks to go until the festival, Justin Bieber is this week celebrating the news that he reached No.1 in the Spotify Global Streaming Charts for his track with Major Lazer and singer MØ, knocking Drake off the top spot.
Also announced today are the hotly anticipated stage splits for the festivals UK sites at Hylands Park in Chelmsford and at Weston Park in Staffordshire across the 19thto 21st August.
As the festival marks its 21st anniversary next month, organisers have gone the extra mile this year, exclusively securing some of the biggest recording artists on the planet. Tickets for both V Festival sites have been furiously snapped up leaving only a very limited few tickets remaining for those lucky enough to bag one.
Virgin Media Stage
Performing exclusively at his only European festival this summer, Justin Bieber will headline the Virgin Media Stage on Saturday 20th August in Chelmsford and Sunday 21st August in Staffordshire. Bieber’s most recent album Purpose smashed UK chart records earlier this year by simultaneously charting three singles in the top five spots.
Also exclusively headlining the Virgin Media Stage will be international, Bajan megastar Rihanna, who returns to V Festival this summer after a break of five years, with what promises to be a supercharged performance on Saturday 20th August in Staffordshire and Sunday 21st August closing the Chelmsford site.
Adding to V Festival 2016’s international superstar line-up will be Australian superstar songstress, Sia, and superstar DJ, David Guetta – who are both UK festival exclusives for V Festival 2016.
Sia, who is world famous for her own critically acclaimed material and was one of the standout performances at this year’s Coachella Festival, will take to the Virgin Media Stage in Chelmsford on Saturday 20th and Staffordshire on Sunday 21st. Joining her on the same day of performances will be British indie rock favourites Bastille, Grammy winner Jess Glynne, singer-songwriter James Morrison, Joe Jonas’ pop rock band DNCE, American singer-songwriter Halsey and recent chart-topper Mike Posner.
Global DJ phenomenon David Guetta, one of the most successful artist DJ’s in UK chart history, will be getting the crowds at Weston Park in Staffordshire jumping on Saturday 20th and again in Chelmsford on Sunday 21st. Sharing the Virgin Media Stage on the same day will be the world’s biggest girl group Little Mix, BBC Sound of 2015 winners Years & Years, BRIT Award winners Travis, recently reformed legendary girl group All Saints, festival favourite Example and fast rising American singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha.
MTV Stage
Taking the top spot at this year’s MTV Stage, on Saturday 20th in Chelmsford and Sunday 21st in Staffordshire,will be legendary group Faithless who return to V Festival for their seventh time. Joining them will be two-time BRIT winner Tinie Tempah, party starter JohnNewman, chart topper Troye Sivan andcelebrated hit maker Rick Astley, (whose recent new album debuted in the UK at No.1), Grammy winner Foxes, Grammy nominated Londoner MNEK, Swedish singer-songwriter Zara Larsson, Irish rock group Walking on Cars and Canadian singer-songwriter Alx Veliz.
BRIT award winners Kaiser Chiefs will also be bringing their many hits to the MTV Stage on Saturday 20th in Staffordshire and Sunday 21st in Chelmsford. The MTV stage continues with singer-songwriter Jake Bugg, BRIT award winner Tom Odell, Mercury Prize nominee Katy B, X Factor StarFleur East, Danish chart-topping soul pop band Lukas Graham, , British DJ and ‘Tropical House’ record producer Sigala, US hip hop artist Big Sean,English rapper Lethal Bizzle and soulful singer, young Londoner Zak Abel.
Dance Arena
The Dance Arena will be jumping with performances from UK garage favourite Craig David TS5 on Saturday 20th in Chelmsford and Sunday 21st in Staffordshire. V Festival goers will be able to dance non-stop to DJ sets from Wilkinson and Sigma, Kurupt FM, MistaJam, My Nu Leng, Monki and Tom Zanetti & KO Kane.
On Saturday 20th in Staffordshire and Sunday 21st in Chelmsford, the Dance Arena audiences will be able to witness pulsating performances from the garage music extraordinaire DJ EZ and deep house favourite MK. Joining them in the arena will be Tchami, Flight Facilities, Blonde, Philip George, Low Steppa, Jonas Blue and Icarus.
V Street Stage
Headlining V Festival’s V Street Stage on Saturday 20th in Chelmsford and Sunday 21st in Staffordshire will be legendary hip-hop act The Sugarhill Gang. Joining them will be Rudimental vocalist turnedsolo star Anne-Marie, Jojo, WSTRN, Angel, Ady Suleiman, Raye, Moxie Raia, The Main Level, Raye andJodie Abacus.
The V Street Stage on Saturday 20th in Staffordshire and Sunday 21st in Chelmsford will welcome British Grammy award winners Soul II Soul. They will be joined by outstanding British soul singers Laura Mvula and Corinne Bailey Rae, Liverpudlian rock group The Lightning Seeds (who played the very first V Festival in 1996), singer Gavin James, Def Jam artist Bibi Bourelly, Eliza and The Bear,K Stewart, Freak and Claudia Kane.
Glee Comedy Tent
The V Festival Glee Comedy Tent will be roaring with laughter as an all-star line up of comedians entertain the crowds. The incomparable comedic talents of Bobby Mair, Dane Baptiste, Tom Stade, Andy Robinson, Jen Brister, Nathan Caton, Adam Hills, Ivo Graham, Sara Pascoe, Matt Richardson(appearing in Hylands Park on Saturday 20th only), Andrew Bird, Joe Bor, Allyson June Smith (appearing in Weston Park Sunday 21st only)and MC Kevin McCarthy will be onstage on Saturday 20th in Chelmsford and Sunday 21st in Staffordshire.
And laughter keeps coming the with Bill Bailey,Josh Widdicombe, Katherine Ryan, Danny Slim Gray, Craig Murray, Jarred Christmas, Andrew Stanley, John Fothergill, Michael Fabri, Alex Edelman, Tom Deacon, Funmbi Omotayo and MC Mark Olver who will be performing on Saturday 20th at Staffordshire and Sunday 21st at Chelmsford.
BBC Radio 1 Summer of Dance
And to kick off the party weekend, V Festival 2016 will present BBCRadio 1 Summer of Dance Stage on Friday 19th August, featuring some of the hottest dance acts on the planet split across the Chelmsford and Staffordshire sites. Radio 1 DJs Annie Mac and Danny Howard will play both sites, travelling between them on the Friday via helicopter. Annie and Danny will be joined by Eric Prydz, MistaJam and MK in Chelmsford, with Gorgon City (Live), Wilkinson (Live), and Monki in Staffordshire.
V Festival 2016, sponsored by Virgin Media, will be graced by global chart royalty this summer as Justin Bieber and Rihanna dominate the headline slots across the legendary festival weekend. Our 21st birthday celebrations will take place at Hylands Park, Chelmsford and Weston Park, Staffordshire on 20 and 21 August 2016.
Performing exclusively at his only UK festival this summer, Bieber, who also shares his age with us, will treat you guys to his debut V Festival performance and a sneak peak of his upcoming tour, ‘Purpose’. After smashing UK chart records by simultaneously holding the number one, two and three spot in the UK single charts, the Grammy winner is expected to pull the V Festival crowds in their thousands.
To cement the line-up with true superstar status, Rihanna is will round off the headline bill with another electric performance as she returns to V Festival after five years. The Bajan singer will be bringing the hotly anticipated and unmissable ‘Anti World Tour’ to her only UK festival of the summer.
Adding to V Festival 2016’s international superstar line-up and will be Australian superstar songstress, Sia, and superstar DJ, David Guetta – who are both UK festival exclusives for V Festival 2016. Sia, who is word famous for her own critically acclaimed material, has also written for some of the world’s biggest artists including Beyoncé, Britney Spears and even penned headliner Rihanna’s hit ‘Diamonds’. Global DJ phenomenon David Guetta is one of the most successful artist DJ’s in UK chart history and is well-known for his energetic live shows, bringing the full-on party atmosphere and enthralling sold-out crowds across the world – this set will be unmissable.
Also performing on the Virgin Media stage are British indie rock favourites Bastille, the world’s biggest girl group Little Mix, Grammy winner Jess Glynne and party starter, John Newman.
In another V Festival debut, BBC Radio 1 will host a new stage on Friday night across both Chelmsford and Staffordshire sites. Adding to this incredible new set up, the BBC Radio 1 Summer of Dance stage will bring its all new Summer of Dance line-up, guaranteed to add chart-topping dance anthems, the hottest artists, and newest releases into the mix. Further details including the line up will be announced during Annie Mac’s BBC Radio 1 show on Friday 4th March.
As well as international chart-toppers, a host of homegrown British talent will also feature on the star-studded bill. Legendary V Festival favourites,Faithless return for their seventh time, while BRIT Award winners Kaiser Chiefs will bring the hits. Further British talent includes BBC Sound of 2015 winners Years and Years, singer-songwriter Jake Bugg, UK Garage legend Craig David with his TS5 set, The Voice UK and X Factor star Rita Ora, two-time Brit winner Tinie Tempah and festival favourites Example and Katy B.
Halsey will grace the festival as well as Troye Sivan, who with a unique acting, blogging and musical background under his belt, is sure to deliver an unmissable set. Bringing the rock ‘n’ roll will be BRIT Award winners Travis, singer-songwriter James Morrison and Joe Jonas’ pop rock band,DNCE. Grammy winner Foxes, X Factor star Fleur East and legendary British-Canadian girl band All Saints will each add a pop flavour to the weekend. Soul II Soul will bring the good vibes, while ‘Fester Skank’ smash artist, Lethal Bizzle, DJ EZ, Sigma (DJ set), Flight Facilities, and Big Sean will bring the pounding beats and furious flow to a phenomenal V Festival 2016 line up.
Tickets go on sale on Friday 26th February at 9.30am. Please only book through our official outlets LISTED HERE. Purchasing tickets from unofficial outlets could lead to disappointment.
The full line-up includes: Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Sia, David Guetta, Faithless, Kaiser Chiefs, Years & Years, Jake Bugg, Bastille, Rita Ora, Tinie Tempah, Jess Glynne, Little Mix, Craig David’s TS5, Katy B, Halsey, Example, Troye Sivan, DJ EZ, James Morrison, Travis, John Newman, Foxes, DNCE, Sigma (DJ set), All Saints, Fleur East, Soul II Soul, Big Sean, Flight Facilities, and Lethal Bizzle with more acts still to be announced.
