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The Last Dinner Party have cancelled several UK tour dates “due to an unforeseen illness in the band” after some fans were subjected to “strange” behaviour when arriving at a gig at the weekend.

It comes after the Brit-winning and Mercury-nominated band said they were “appalled and disappointed” that some fans were left feeling “uncomfortable and disrespected” at The Engine Shed in Lincoln.

Audience members online suggested male fans faced prejudice and an investigation into security policy at the gig has since been launched by the venue. Several male fans said they were quizzed on their knowledge of the band before they were given entry.

The Last Dinner Party At Reading Festival.
Pic: Cover Images/AP
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The band performed at Reading Festival in the summer. Pic: Cover Images/AP

The show in Lincoln was cancelled at short notice, with the band citing a “sudden illness”. Now, they have called off further headline shows in Birmingham, Nottingham, Bristol and Southampton, “following medical advice”.

“We have to prioritise our health at this time,” the band said in a statement on social media, saying they took the decision “with heavy hearts”.

They also cancelled a show in Cardiff on Sunday.

The Last Dinner Party are an all-female indie outfit featuring lead singer Abigail Morris, guitarist Emily Roberts, Lizzie Mayland on rhythm, bassist Georgia Davies, and keyboard player Aurora Nishevci.

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Feb ’24: The Last Dinner Party at the Brits

“We are devastated not to be sharing these nights with you, and to have missed the shows in Lincoln and Cardiff,” a statement on the band’s social media said.

“You should all know you’ve made this the most wonderful year of our lives and we can’t thank you enough for your love and support, truly.

“TLDP is here today because of you and we want to keep touring and sharing our music with you for a long long time – but in order to do that we have to make serious decisions like these now so that our long-term health doesn’t suffer.”

A statement posted on the band’s social media following the controversy at the Lincoln gig said they were not aware of the security policies at the show and “they would not have been implemented had we been made aware of them in advance”.

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The Engine Shed, which bills itself as Lincolnshire‘s largest live music venue, posted a statement on its official Instagram page to say their entry procedure had fallen “far short of our venue entry policy, which requires all attendees to be treated equally and be subject to the same entry requirements”.

It said security policy was changed in response to “incidents” at one of the band’s previous gigs, but that it resulted in the “unacceptable treatment of some guests” during entry.

The Last Dinner Party’s debut album, Prelude To Ecstasy, topped the charts following its release in February. It was subsequently nominated for this year’s Mercury Prize, and the band also picked up the rising star gong at the Brit Awards.

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Scottish artist Nnena Kalu wins Turner Prize 2025 for hanging Barcelona sculptures and Liverpool exhibition

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Scottish artist Nnena Kalu wins Turner Prize 2025 for hanging Barcelona sculptures and Liverpool exhibition

Scottish artist Nnena Kalu has won the 2025 Turner Prize with two exhibitions, including a series of brightly coloured sculptures.

The Glaswegian, 59, took home the visual arts prize along with £25,000 at an award ceremony on Tuesday in Bradford, this year’s UK City of Culture.

As reported by The Guardian, she is the first artist with a learning disability to win the award.

Nnena Kalu, from Glasgow, is the winner of this year's Turner Prize. Pic: Nnena Kalu/ActionSpace/PA
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Nnena Kalu, from Glasgow, is the winner of this year’s Turner Prize. Pic: Nnena Kalu/ActionSpace/PA

Along with Hanging Sculpture 1-10, which European art exhibitors Manifesta commissioned her to create at a disused power station in Barcelona, Ms Kalu won for her presentation in Conversations, a group exhibition at Walker Art Gallery in Liverpool.

For the sculpture series, the artist created the vividly-coloured works from repeated lines and wrappings of different materials, making nest or cocoon-like forms.

Hanging Sculpture 1 - 10 by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA
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Hanging Sculpture 1 – 10 by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA

The installation consisted of 10 large brightly-coloured sculptures that hung from grey concrete pillars of the industrial site.

Meanwhile, for Conversations, Kalu presented work in pen, graphite and chalk pen on two pieces of paper.

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Conversations by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA
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Conversations by Nnena Kalu. Pic: PA

The jury, which was chaired by Alex Farquharson, the director of Tate Britain, commended Kalu’s “bold and compelling work” and praised the “lively translation of expressive gesture” in the abstract sculpture and drawing.

The panel also acknowledged her scale, composition and colour, highlighting “the powerful presence” her works have.

Nnena Kalu's nominated Turner Prize works. Pic: PA
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Nnena Kalu’s nominated Turner Prize works. Pic: PA

Kalu is also a resident artist at ActionSpace’s studio, which supports learning disabled artists across London at Studio Voltaire, and beat out fellow shortlisted artists Rene Matic, Mohammed Sami and Zadie Xa.

The works by the four artists are currently available to see at a free exhibition at Bradford’s Cartwright Hall Art Gallery until 22 February.

Jonathan Orrell views work by Nnena Kalu for the Turner Prize. Pic: PA
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Jonathan Orrell views work by Nnena Kalu for the Turner Prize. Pic: PA

Named after British painter JMW Turner, this year’s prize marked the 250th anniversary of his birth.

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Previous winners include artist Damien Hirst in 1995 and filmmaker Sir Steve McQueen in 1999, while last year’s winner, Jasleen Kaur, picked up the prize for Alter Altar – which covered a red sports car with a giant ornamental doily mat.

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Rappers Bob Vylan sue Irish broadcaster RTE over claim lead singer led ‘antisemitic chants’ at Glastonbury gig

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Rappers Bob Vylan sue Irish broadcaster RTE over claim lead singer led 'antisemitic chants' at Glastonbury gig

Punk-rap duo Bob Vylan are suing Irish national broadcaster RTE for defamation, claiming it misrepresented chants led by the band when they played this year’s Glastonbury festival.

The group, which performed at Dublin’s Vicar Street last month, claim they were defamed in a report by RTE News that said the lead singer led antisemitic chants when they played the Somerset festival in June.

During their performance, singer Pascal Robinson-Foster, whose stage name is Bobby Vylan, led a chant of “death, death, to the IDF [Israel Defence Forces]”.

File pic: PA
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File pic: PA

Pic: PA
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Pic: PA

It provoked widespread criticism of the artist, including from Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis, and the BBC, which live streamed their show.

Phoenix Law launched legal action on behalf of Robinson-Foster and drummer Wade Laurence George at Ireland’s High Court on Monday, according to court records.

The firm said: “The proceedings arise from a broadcast aired by RTE News following Bob Vylan’s performance at Glastonbury Festival on 28 June 2025.

“During this broadcast, comments were made alleging that the lead singer of Bob Vylan led antisemitic chants. These allegations are categorically denied by our clients and are entirely untrue.”

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Phoenix Law said Bob Vylan had made statements expressing support for Palestinian self-determination and criticising military actions by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces).

His comments did not target Jewish people or express hatred towards any group, the firm said, suggesting they were “politically charged but not antisemitic in nature”.

Solicitor Darragh Mackin said the pair “are no stranger to utilising their freedom of expression to speak out against the genocide in Gaza“.

Mr Mackin said there was “a fundamental distinction between speaking critically about the role of the Israeli state forces, and being antisemitic”.

“The former is speech within the confines of political expression, whereas the latter is a form of hatred directed towards Jewish people,” he added.

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Who are Bob Vylan?

The BBC apologised, including to the Jewish community, and said it regretted not pulling the live stream of the set and promised not to live stream “high-risk” acts in future.

It partially upheld complaints made over the broadcast, accepting the live stream broke the corporation’s editorial guidelines.

Ofcom’s chief executive, Dame Melanie Dawes, said the BBC needed to “get a grip quicker” on handling such controversies and complete its internal reports and investigations sooner.

Last month, the Metropolitan Police said detectives would take no further action over similar alleged chants made at a Bob Vylan gig in London in May.

The individual was not arrested but an investigation was ongoing, the Met said.

Avon and Somerset Police said a man, in his 30s, understood to be Mr Robinson-Foster, had voluntarily attended an interview in relation to the band’s Glastonbury performance. Enquiries are ongoing, the force said on Tuesday.

The US condemned the act’s “hateful tirade”, revoking their visas, while several festivals cancelled their upcoming appearances.

Speaking to Louis Theroux in October, Bobby Vylan said he had no regrets about the chants and would do it again “tomorrow”.

Sky News has contacted RTE for comment.

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Rapper Ghetts pleads guilty to causing death by dangerous driving

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Rapper Ghetts pleads guilty to causing death by dangerous driving

Rapper Ghetts has pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.

The 41-year-old also pleaded guilty to driving dangerously before the fatal collision shortly after 11.30pm on 18 October.

The musician, whose real name is Justin Clarke-Samuel, appeared for a hearing at the Old Bailey via videolink from Pentonville prison, wearing a green polo shirt.

Yubin Tamang, 20, a student from Nepal, died two days after being hit by Clarke-Samuel’s BMW M5 in Redbridge Lane, Ilford, northeast London.

Ghetts, a two-time Mercury Prize nominee and MOBO winner, has been in custody since a preliminary appearance at Barkingside Magistrates’ Court on 27 October.

He will now be sentenced in February.

The rapper was first nominated for the prestigious Mercury Prize in 2021, for his third album Conflict Of Interest. His second nomination for his fourth album, On Purpose, With Purpose, in 2024.

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