Fans at Taylor Swift’s Scotland concerts last weekend danced so hard they set off earthquake monitors, according to the British Geological Survey (BGS).
Seismic activity was recorded up to six kilometres away during the three gigs last Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium, with some of her biggest songs causing spikes in activity every night.
“Honestly, it was the most magical and wonderful night,” said Lindsay Hempenstall who was at the Eras gig on Friday.
“A stadium full of complete love and joy, singing at the top of our lungs and sharing it all with more than 70,000 other people and my nine-year-old daughter.”
Friday night is thought to be the most highly attended show in Scottish history, which Swift described as the “wildest way to welcome a lass to your city”.
Fans dancing in time to the music was the main cause of the seismic activity, which reached its peak during the song …Ready For It? on all three nights.
At that point, Swifties were transmitting enough power through their dancing and stomping to charge 6,000 car batteries, that’s around 80 kilowatts, according to BGS.
“Clearly Scotland’s reputation for providing some of the most enthusiastic audiences remains intact!” said BGS seismologist Callum Harrison.
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‘Wildest way to welcome a lass’.
Smash hits Cruel Summer, Champagne Problems and Shake It Off also triggered significant activity across the three gigs. Bethan Bryan was there on Saturday night and chose Shake It Off as her favourite song of the night.
“It was fantastically loud!” she said. “It was amazing to hear everyone sing along. 73,000 people singing for three and a half hours – everyone was so happy.”
“[My daughter] and I enjoyed singing along from the window on Friday night,” she added. “We live about 1.5 miles away and Taylor was as clear as a bell!”
Image: Swifties at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on Friday 7 June, 2024. Pic: PA
Although only by a small margin, Friday night was the most energetic gig, when Swifties moved the ground by 23.4nm.
Even Beyonce, Harry Styles and Bruce Springsteen couldn’t compete with the movement generated by Swift’s fans.
Although the three superstars’ Edinburgh gigs in May 2023 registered on earthquake monitors, they were beaten by dancing Swifties by almost 10 nanometres (nm) of movement.
Image: Swift on stage at the Murrayfield Stadium. Pic: PA
“It’s amazing that we’ve been able to measure the reaction of thousands of concert goers remotely through our data,” said Mr Harrison.
“The opportunity to explore a seismic activity created by a different kind of phenomenon has been a thrill.”
Although the concerts were detected by BGS’s instruments, the vibrations were unlikely to have been felt by anyone other that those in the immediate vicinity, according to the organisation.
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Swift’s 15 UK shows are predicted to boost the UK economy by almost £1bn with fans shelling out not only on tickets, but accommodation, travel, and pre-show parties.
Although the Scotland section of her tour is finished, Swift is heading south, arriving in Liverpool on Thursday, then Cardiff and ending in London’s Wembley Stadium for eight nights in total later this month and in August.
The Salt Path author Raynor Winn’s fourth book has been delayed by her publisher.
It comes amid claims that the author lied about her story in her hit first book. Winn previously described the claims as “highly misleading” and called suggestions that her husband had Moth made up his illness “utterly vile”.
In a statement, Penguin Michael Joseph, said it had delayed the publication of Winn’s latest book On Winter Hill – which had been set for release 23 October.
The publisher said the decision had been made in light of “recent events, in particular intrusive conjecture around Moth’s health”, which it said had caused “considerable distress” to the author and her family.
“It is our priority to support the author at this time,” the publisher said.
“With this in mind, Penguin Michael Joseph, together with the author, has made the decision to delay the publication of On Winter Hill from this October.”
A new release date will be announced in due course, the publisher added.
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Winn’s first book, released in 2018, detailed the journey she and husband took along the South West Coast Path – familiarly known as The Salt Path – after they lost their family farm and Moth received a terminal health diagnosis of Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD).
But a report in The Observer disputed key aspects of the 2018 “true” story – which was recently turned into a film starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson.
Image: Raynor and husband Moth (centre) with actors Jason Isaacs (L) and Gillian Anderson (R). Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
Experts ‘sceptical of health claims’
As part of the article, published last weekend, The Observer claimed to have spoken to experts who were “sceptical” about elements of Moth’s terminal diagnosis, such as a “lack of acute symptoms and his apparent ability to reverse them”.
In the ensuing controversy, PSPA, a charity that supports people with CBD, cut ties with the couple.
The Observer article also claimed the portrayal of a failed investment in a friend’s business wasn’t true, but said the couple – whose names are Sally and Tim Walker – lost their home after Raynor Winn embezzled money from her employer and had to borrow to pay it back and avoid police action.
Image: Anderson played Winn in a movie about the couple’s journey. Pic: Steve Tanner/Black Bear
It also said that, rather than being homeless, the couple had owned a house in France since 2007.
Winn’s statement said the dispute with her employer wasn’t the reason the couple lost their home – but admitted she may have made “mistakes” while in the job.
“For me it was a pressured time,” she wrote. “It was also a time when mistakes were being made in the business. Any mistakes I made during the years in that office, I deeply regret, and I am truly sorry.”
She admitted being questioned by police but said she wasn’t charged.
The author also said accusations that Moth lied about having CBD/CBS were false and had “emotionally devastated” him.
“I have charted Moth’s condition with such a level of honesty, that this is the most unbearable of the allegations,” Winn wrote on her website.
Heaton Park, just north of Manchester City centre, is tonight hosting 80,000 fans who’ve come to see the Gallaghers’ homecoming.
“I would honestly say it’s a real cultural moment of the 21st century,” says Sam, who’s from Manchester and has come here with a group of friends – including one who has travelled from Australia for the gig.
Image: Oasis fans wear band T-shirts with the almost obligatory bucket hats. Pic: Reuters
This will be the fourth time Sam has seen Oasis play, although obviously not for many years, and he says he can’t wait for the moment the band comes on to the stage.
“The reaction from the fans, that’s going to be really special,” he says. “This band means so much to the North West.”
Like many people attending tonight’s concert, Sam is wearing a bucket hat.
Liam Gallagher’s iconic headgear has become a part of the band’s cultural legacy and they are certainly on display here, with street vendors popping up all around the park’s perimeter.
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Another fan, Dean, tells me he feels incredibly lucky to have got a ticket at all.
“I had seven devices out when the tickets were released and I didn’t get one,” he says. “And then about three days ago, a friend of mine messaged to say she couldn’t make it.
“So I made it. £120 with coach travel there and back – perfect.”
Image: Dom has flown from half a world away to be in Manchester tonight
Dom is another fan who has come from Australia for the gig.
“We’re frothing to be here, like so stoked,” he says, “The atmosphere is going to be electric.”
R&B singer Chris Brown has denied further charges following an alleged bottle attack in a London nightclub.
The 36-year-old pleaded not guilty to assault occasioning actual bodily harm (ABH) to music producer Abraham Diaw, during a hearing at Southwark Crown Court on Friday.
Brown also denied one count of having an offensive weapon – a bottle – in a public place.
Image: Chris Brown arriving at Southwark Crown Court on Friday. Pic: PA
The Grammy-winning US musician last month pleaded not guilty to a more serious charge of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm (GBH) with intent to Mr Diaw.
The attack allegedly happened at the Tape venue, a private members’ club in Hanover Square, Mayfair, on 19 February 2023.
The plea hearing is part of preparations for his five to seven-day trial, which is due to take place from 26 October 2026.
Brown’s co-defendant, US national Omololu Akinlolu, 39, on Friday pleaded not guilty to a charge of assaulting Mr Diaw occasioning him actual bodily harm.
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Akinlolu, a rapper who goes by the name Hoody Baby, has previously pleaded not guilty to attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.
Image: Brown’s co-defendant Omololu Akinlolu arrives at court. Pic: Reuters
The defendants sat side-by-side in the dock, looking straight ahead during the hearing in London.
Around 20 fans sat in the public gallery behind the dock for Friday’s hearing, with several gasping as Brown walked into the courtroom.
The Go Crazy singer was able to continue with his scheduled international tour after he was freed on conditional bail in May.
He had to pay a £5m security fee to the court as part of the bail agreement, which is a financial guarantee to ensure a defendant returns to court and may be forfeited if they breach bail conditions.
Mr Diaw was standing at the bar of the Tape nightclub when he was struck several times with a bottle, and then pursued to a separate area of the venue where he was punched and kicked repeatedly, Manchester Magistrates’ Court previously heard.
Brown was arrested at Manchester’s Lowry Hotel at 2am on 15 May by detectives from the Metropolitan Police.
He is said to have flown into Manchester Airport on a private jet in preparation for the UK tour dates.
Brown was released from HMP Forest Bank in Salford, Greater Manchester, on 21 May.
The singer, who rose to stardom as a teenager in 2005, won his first Grammy award for best R&B album in 2011 for F.A.M.E..
He earned his second in the same category for 11:11 (Deluxe) earlier this year.