The Return of Live Music

The government’s roadmap to easing lockdown restrictions in England has offered a glimmer of hope to life returning to some kind of normality.

And for those working in the live entertainment industry the news could not come soon enough.

The UK music industry was the first to close down and will be the last to reopen. Restrictions may lift on indoor hospitality on Monday 17 May, offering the possibility of live events with appropriate social distancing measures, and on Monday 21 June offering a final date for the lifting of all Covid-19 legal restrictions.

A year without concerts and festivals has left both fans and artists eagerly anticipating the return of live music. Data analysed by Ticketmaster UK shows a positive picture, with over sixteen times as many tickets sold since the Prime Minister’s announcement, compared to the previous week. 77% of tickets sold in the last week of February are for events happening in August, and fans say they are planning to attend more events than they did in pre-lockdown times.

Here in Bristol, things are also looking positive. Love Saves the Day will be returning over the weekend of 4-5 September to a new location, not yet announced. Almost 15,000 tickets sold out in five minutes, with fans comparing the experience to purchasing tickets for Glastonbury. A second opportunity to snap up tickets was also a success, which gave people the chance to place a 25 per cent deposit fee on the full ticket price.

Tokyo World will be returning to Eastville Park on the weekend of? 18-19 September. It’s not yet been announced who will be headlining the festival, but organisers guarantee it will be worth the wait.

“We can hardly wait to reveal next year’s programme. Get excited and watch this space.

“We will be adding artists to an already amazing programme for 2021 and bringing the announcement date forward following our postponement.

“Details will be shared very soon and it’s absolutely huge," they said.

Bristol Beacon will be taking over the Lloyds Amphitheatre over the weekend of 15-17 July, with performances from the iconic Nile Rogers and CHIC, and indie Glasgow band Belle and Sebastian. They will also be hosting music legends Lionel Richie and Bryan Adams, who will be playing Bristol on Monday 21 and Saturday 26 June as part of their open-air toursof the UK, with the exact location to be announced later in the year.

Have you bought a ticket to a festival or gig for this year? Tag us @ytlarenabristol on social media and let us know! #LetTheMusicPlay

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