Former Sex Pistols’ frontman John Lydon has failed in his bid to represent Ireland in the Eurovision Song Contest.
His band Public Image Ltd (PiL), the post-punk band formed by Lydon following the break-up of the Sex Pistols, finished fourth out of six acts in Ireland’s Eurosong competition to select its entry to this year’s contest.
They were beaten by rock band Wild Youth’s song We Are One who will compete at the contest in Liverpool in May.
The result was decided in three parts – a public vote, a national jury and an international jury.
PiL’s entry was an emotional ballad called Hawaii, which he described as a love letter to his wife Nora, who is living with Alzheimer’s disease.
In the song, Lydon, formerly known as Johnny Rotten, reflects on their happiest moments over their 40-year marriage including their time in Hawaii.
Before the contest, he said: “It means the world to me, this is our last few years of coherence together. And I miss her like mad.
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“I miss my missus, if you keep voting for me I’m going to miss her even more.”
He said he was still “terrified of mugging it up, getting it wrong, letting people down – mostly letting Nora down”.
He spoke fondly of watching Eurovision as a child, saying: “This is something that I watched when I was young with my parents. I remember Johnny Logan, I remember Cliff Richard, I remember Sandy Shaw.
“It’s as good as any other way of listening to music, I don’t have any prejudices about things like that.”
He added that he chose Ireland “because I’m as much Irish as anybody else by blood”.
Charlie Colin, a founding member of 90s pop rock band Train, has died after slipping over in a shower, according to reports.
The incident is understood to have happened in Belgium, where the 58-year-old had been house-sitting for a friend in Brussels.
According to TMZ, the star’s mother confirmed what had happened – but could not confirm exactly when he died. His sister also confirmed the musician’s death to US entertainment site, Variety.
The band, formed in San Francisco in 1993, released a statement on Instagram saying: “When I met Charlie Colin, front left, I fell in love with him.
“He was THE sweetest guy and what a handsome chap. Let’s make a band, that’s the only reasonable thing to do.
“His unique bass playing and beautiful guitar work helped get folks to notice us in SF (San Francisco) and beyond.
“I’ll always have a warm place for him in my heart. I always tried to pull him closer, but he had a vision of his own.
“You’re a legend, Charlie. Go charm the pants off those angels.”
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Colin was a founding member of the band, alongside Pat Monahan, Rob Hotchkiss, Scott Underwood, and Jimmy Stafford, and with them recorded hits including “Drops of Jupiter” and “Marry Me”.
He was reportedly forced to leave the group in 2003 due to substance abuse issues.
The band recorded their most famous hit, “Hey, Soul Sister”, in 2009 following Colin’s departure from the group.
Dide, the anonymous masked rapper who claims to be a Premier League footballer, has announced his first live gig.
The music star, who rose to prominence on social media last year and wears a studded black rose mask to conceal his identity, will perform in London in June.
Known only as Dide, the incognito rapper has sparked frenzied speculation about his identity, with Arsenal’s Eddie Nketiah, Bukayo Saka and Reiss Nelson, Chelsea’s Noni Madueke, Fulham’s Alex Iwobi and West Ham’s Michail Antonio among the names thrown into the mix.
“The main thing for me is the music rather than the football player,” he told Sky News exclusively Iast year, in his first on-camera interview. “I guess fans and the public ran with all these different opinions, which is cool.”
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October 2023: Dide speaks to Sky News
Announcing his first live show, he said: “Finally, my first live show! My first live public performance.
“I know you all have been getting on to me about doing one. You can’t miss this!”
The show will take place at The Lower Third on Denmark Street in Soho, central London, on 20 June.
Interestingly, England take on Denmark for their second group-stage match of Euro 2024 in Germany that afternoon. Could this be a reason behind his choice of venue, or coincidence?
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Either way, presumably he won’t be at the match – ruling out Saka, who is in the England squad – but hopefully he’ll get to watch before he goes on stage.
However, there’s no mention of the England game in his announcement.
“Thank you for your support,” Dide added. “See you at the show.”
But those set to see The Killers at the O2 Arena or Megan Thee Stallion at Glasgow’s OVO Hydro who also want to vote may face a challenge to their plans.
Other gigs clashing with the general election include Morgan Wallen’s biggest-ever UK show at Hyde Park, and Paloma Faith’s stadium show at the Utilita Arena in Cardiff.
Comedian James Acaster – who backed Labour’s Rosie Wrighting to be elected MP in Kettering – is also performing at the O2 Forum in Kentish Town on the same day as the election.
Usually, polling stations are open from 7am to 10pm on polling day and require attendance in-person with an acceptable form of ID.
The Electoral Commission says they can get busy, however, particularly before most people start work or towards the end of the day, which might make it harder for people to attend events and vote on the same day.
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But it is possible to vote by post, or by proxy, the commission says, if you have applied to do so within the deadline.
A number of other music festivals are either starting on Wednesday 3 July or Thursday 4th, and others are starting the day after, including BST at Hyde Park with Kings Of Leon, Kylie, Robbie Williams and Andrea Bocelli, among others.
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Glastonbury attendees will be relieved however as election day comes the week after the four-day festival, held from the 26 to 30 June.
Just after hours after announcing the election, Sunak rolled out the Conservative’s vision for another five years at the ExCel centre in east London.
But the prime minister might pause campaigning in four days’ time to watch Southampton play Leeds in the Championship playoff final. He was spotted at St Mary’s Stadium to watch the Saints see off West Bromwich Albion on Friday.
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Sticking with football, both England and Scotland will look to win Euro 2024 in Germany this summer, while Sunak and Keir Starmer campaign at home.
The Three Lions will play Serbia on 16 June, Denmark on 20 June and Slovenia on 25 June.
Meanwhile, Scotland will kick off the tournament against Germany on 14 June, before playing Switzerland on 19 June and Hungary on 23 June.
There’s also a chance either side could play the day after the general election: If England finish second in their group and win their round of 16 game, they will play on 5 July at the MHPArena in Stuttgart.
Scotland will play this day if they top their group and win the first knockout game.
If England finish first in their group, or if Scotland finish second, and either side win their round of 16 game, they will play on Saturday 6 July instead.
Any other clashes?
For some private schools, 4 July is the end of term, which could mean some intend to start their holidays on that day.
For those watching the tennis, Wimbledon will take place from 1 July to 14 July – often a full day trip for many who attend.
On the day of the election, the tournament will see the second round of the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Singles, as well as the first round of the Gentlemen’s and Ladies’ Doubles.
The Henley Royal Regatta will be in full swing on 4 July, having started two days before, while the British Grand Prix is due to get under way the day after on 5 July.
But those perhaps most likely to be annoyed by the election date will be in Scotland, with the six-week state school summer holiday starting from 28 June, with many jetting off as soon as the children break up.
Pete Wishart, SNP MP for Perth and North Perthshire, expressed his discontent on X just after Sunak spoke, saying: “A Scottish school summer holiday election is the final insult this Tory Government can impose on Scotland.”