Students vow to continue protests as police prepare to break up occupations at several Dutch universities
The Chameleons: Strange Times – Triple Vinyl 40th Anniversary
The Chameleons: Strange Times
Blue Apple Records
Triple Vinyl available here
The Chameleons finally release the definitive version of their classic album Strange Times on their own terms via Blue Apple. It’s how it should be in all it’s beauty and our man Stephen Canavan gets to review one of mine and his favourite groups who still sound relevant after 40 years…
It can be painful to revisit the loves of our past…
Be them the aged letter of devotion, a faded photograph of the one who got away, or the album that always meant more to you than all the others…
For memory can be deceptive and manipulative, a realm of bitter ghosts…
And what artform can conjure forth more memories than music?
But Blue Apple’s epic Abbey Road remaster of the Chameleons sublime third album Strange Times shows us that not all memory need ache to be recalled, and that some musical ghosts return to heal not haunt, being a stunning document of a band at the peak of their creative powers, aiming for heart of the sun, whilst being not afraid of the darkness that seeks to shroud the stars.
Originally recorded during a five-week period by Cure Producer Dave Allen both at Jacobs Studios in Surrey and West Side studios in London, and eventually released on September 1st 1986 to great critical acclaim, Strange Times has proved since its release to be a hugely influential and beloved record, with no less a luminary as Noel Gallagher citing the album and band as a huge influence on his own burgeoning songwriting career.
In recognition of such a luminous legacy, Blue Apple’s latest release is the definitive edition of the album, which has been lovingly remastered by Guy Massey (who also completed the acclaimed Script of a Bridge restoration) and expertly cut at the legendary Abbey Road Studios by Frank Arkwright. It features stunning new artwork by guitarist Reg Smithies, which adorns not only the deluxe, 2-disc version of Strange Times, but the 3x heavyweight vinyl triple gatefold, complete with all the lyrics on each sleeve, and is fully authorised by the band.
While previous vinyl versions of Strange Times were compromised by the running time of the LP, which is ten minutes longer than any pressing plant recommends, the band and production team took the decision to split the main album across 4 sides playing at 45 rpm, with the bonus tracks being placed on a separate record.
The album opens with the kinetic clarion call that is the frenetic Mad Jack, a compelling, rollicking opener, that is fuelled by some typically caustic, but amusingly enigmatic lyrics by Mark Burgess, lambasting the type of fellow who ‘Walks on water and is always right, and talks about the madness in Africa.’ as the propulsive drumming of the inexhaustible John Lever, and the spiralling guitars of Fielding and Smithies soar and roar through the song like dogfighting spitfires at sunset.
The evocative chiming guitars and sea-shanty rhythmic sway and glorious atmospherics of the eight minute Caution beguile to begin with, but the lyrics ache with the pain and isolating terror of addiction, leading to the angry, slightly discordant chorus, with Levers drums lurching like a drunk at midnight mass, as Burgess at his most poetic rails that ‘We have no future, we have no past, we’re just drifting ghosts of glass’ For here, even amidst the brightest, most lilting of melodies, darkness dwells…
The brittle but tender Tears follows, a ballad so haunted it needs its own exorcist, a showcase for not only Fielding and Smithies stunning acoustic guitar work, but which sees Mark Burgess deliver one of his most tender vocals and poignant lyrics, recalling wistfully at its beginning, of a better time when ‘Well…we were younger then and days were longer and slow’ a time perhaps before the loneliness and the isolation took hold, a time before the narrator feels so haunted he has to ask ‘Will the ghosts just stop following me?’ A question you feel he already knows the painful answer to.
The coruscating guitar tour-de-force that is Soul in Isolation also features some amazing
disembodied, stuttering, dislocated drumming from John Lever, that you feel must have influenced the embryonic Happy Mondays somewhere out in Salford, Burgess howling ‘I’m alive in here…I’m alive in here’ like a prisoner railing at the stone walls of his cell, trying to convince himself he is free, while those epic, impassioned guitars, writhe and wail through the outro like blinded ghosts haunting an unfamiliar house.
The anthemic Swamp Thing builds patiently through its brittle, repetitive guitar riff, and swirling bank of evocative synths, and Lever’s pounding, militaristic drums into a song of soaring, life affirming power. When Burgess sings ‘The storm comes…or is it just another shower?’ and the guitar and synths collide and change keys, it is a genuinely moving, euphoric moment.
The confident Time/The End of Time shows a band utterly in sync with its own powers, a delicious, swirling marriage of crunchy, chiming guitars and pulsing synths, while the gorgeous, softly strummed outro features a synth line that could make a mannequin swoon.
The deceptively jaunty Seriocity channels its inner Bowie to compelling affect, while the evocative, In Answer is another atmospheric slice of crystalline pop beauty, while the beguiling joyful Childhood skips like a stone over a glacial lake, and features more lovely, chiming guitar, and a committed, earnest Burgess vocal.
But it is fitting that such an epic album ends with the ethereal, gloriously atmospheric, and deeply moving David Fielding written instrumental, I’ll Remember. Here, the synths pulse and yearn, creating an intoxicatingly beautiful cloudbank of melody, which set against a backdrop of reverb heavy chiming guitars, makes the listeners heart swell and their soul soar. A truly beautiful ending…
Like the tumultuous decade that spawned it, Strange Times is a beguiling mix of contradictions, being both beautiful and brutal, despairing yet inspiring, enigmatic yet euphoric, and proving that although ghosts may yet still haunt this music, they ultimately exist to heal….
This edition also features on the bonus disc/vinyl a full arrangement of Tears, the songs Paradiso, Ever After and Inside Out, and two cover versions: Bowie’s John I’m only Dancing and The Beatles Tomorrow Never Knows.
Forewords by Wayne Carey, Reviews Editor for Louder Than War. His author profile is here.
Words by Stephen Canavan. Find his author archive here.
We have a small favour to ask. Subscribe to Louder Than War and help keep the flame of independent music burning. Click the button below to see the extras you get!
Gov. Fubara Can't Decide Rivers Assembly's Sitting Venue – Falana
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Renowned human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has asserted that Rivers State Governor Similanayi Fubara does not possess constitutional authority to determine the meeting place of the state’s legislative assembly members. This declaration comes in response to Governor Fubara’s executive order last year, which relocated the Rivers State House of Assembly (RSHA) sittings to the government house due to a fire incident that rendered the assembly complex uninhabitable. The order only became public following a recent state high court decision prohibiting a faction of the RSHA from posing as lawmakers.
Speaking on Channels TV, Falana criticized the executive order, emphasizing the independence of the legislature from the executive branch. “The house is independent of the executive. So the governor cannot tell the house where to sit,” he stated.
Falana reinforced his argument by referring to a historical legal precedent in Nigeria: “This was very clear in the Oyo State case which led to the impeachment of Governor Ladoja whereby under the influence of the late Chief Lamidi Adedibu, the House was alleged to have sat in a hotel and the Supreme Court made that point abundantly clear that an impeachment carried out in a hotel deviates clearly from the Constitution,” he explained. Consequently, he argued that any legislative sitting outside the designated assembly complex would not be legally recognized.
According to Falana, the decision on an alternative meeting location lies solely with the duly constituted assembly members, not the governor. He highlighted the importance of adhering to the separation of powers as outlined in the constitution, noting that each government organ must recognize its powers and limitations.
Additionally, Falana pointed out that the lawmakers who shifted allegiance from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) have forfeited their seats in the legislature due to their defection, further complicating the political landscape in Rivers State.
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Hot 100: Kendrick Lamar’s Drake Diss ‘Not Like Us’ Debuts At #1
Kendrick Lamar has a bonafide hit on his hands with Drake-diss ‘Not Like Us.’
More details below…
Taking to press, Billboard announced their top 10 songs for this week.
In the top spot is Lamar’s ‘Not Like Us,’ which debuted at #1. The song earned a massive amount of streams and even some decent sales with a smidgen of airplay to bolster it to the top.
Check out the official numbers below:
70.90 Million Streams
5 Million Radio Impressions
15,000 Digital Downloads
Interestingly, the song becomes Lamar’s second #1 song (and second #1) this year after his collaboration with Metro Boomin called ‘Like That’ hit the top spot last month.
The track becomes K.Dot’s 4th Hot 100 chart-topper.
‘Not Like Us’ is one of the many songs that Lamar released in the wake of his feud with fellow rapper Drake as they have exchanged verbal shots through song.
Indeed, elsewhere on the tally ‘Euphoria’ soars from #11 to #3.
Wins all around!
Depeche Mode 101: By Mary Valle – Book Review
Depeche Mode 101: By Mary Valle
Published by: Bloomsbury Academic
Release date: 30/05/24
33⅓ revisits the Pasadena Rose Bowl in 88 and a live album whose influence would change the trajectory of alternative music.
Like all true music fans I’m a love fool for a delirious crowd roar, and to this day there’s something about the primal scream that ushers in the opening notes of “Just Can’t Get Enough” on Depeche Mode’s “101” live album, that gives me what Lester Bangs once summed up as ‘an erection of the heart’. For writer Mary Valle the connection is probably a lot more powerful, given that she was actually in the audience that night in Pasadena.
Her tale is a mixture of the historical and the personal. The backstory to DM’s “101” concert is fascinating. How an English DJ called Richard Blade on radio station KROQ championed the band, six albums into their career and yet to command real stadium status in the US. Valle traces both the rise of electronic music and KROQ in Los Angeles and the minutiae of Depeche Mode with a painters eye, yet she is also keen to analyse just why she adored the band in the first place, taking us back to her teenage world of existential crises looming in the background and volume busting Walkmans. From the threat of imminent nuclear war ( Valle references “The Day After” where we in the UK had “Threads” ) to listing bands she hated in a notebook (The Eagles, Supertramp and REO Speedwagon all get it ), it’s a typical teenage manifesto with a twist. It’s a tale of kinship and alienation on both sides. Depeche Mode after all in the eighties were still a band on the margins. Sniffed at by UK critics and yet to really break America. Although things as Valle points out were about to shift dramatically.
It just so happened that the stars would align perfectly in 88. The Concert For The Masses tour had sharpened Depeche Mode’s armoury significantly and they were a band who were note perfect by the time they landed in Pasadena, possessing a lead singer in Gahan not afraid to channel his inner Shiva. Valle builds up to that triumph, describing a shifting landscape in pop culture whilst concluding that her love of DM was based on a sense of danger. “They gave me permission to feel bad,” she says, which is the ink in the tattooed heart of rock and roll rebellion. It’s difficult to think of another stadium act that was quite as subversive as Depeche Mode. Valle succinctly points out that most successful British acts in the US ( from Billy Idol to Bono ) were steeped in American lore and still stuck on a kind of spiritual route 66. Whilst DM flirted with that themselves, their sheer strangeness easily outweighed such cultural jingoism. They were singing about S and M, marauding around Berlin and rocking up in leather skirts. They should have failed. Traditionally when the British got weird ( minus Bowie ) American audiences just shrugged and moved on to something less, well, subterranean.
And yet despite all this, Depeche Mode conquered. Valle describes their crowning moment in Pasadena with obvious affection. The “Silicone teens had become silicone men,” she gushes and writing of that night in the Rose Bowl she is suddenly a teenager again. From the picturesque stadium half buried and surrounded by the Sierra Madre mountains to the zooming acceleration of the future accentuated by Gore, Gahan and Co. Reading this book you begin to realise that perhaps DM’s greatest gift was dismissing that old rock clique of authenticity, the idea that electronic music was somehow not really part of the rock and roll canon. As Valle points out, Gahan would burst into tears directly after the show, safe in the knowledge that the eighties were breaking apart culturally but also tinged with regret that things would never be the same again. He was kind of right too. They were part of the corporate stadium roadshow from then on in. It would be left ( with KROQ’s help ) to a certain band from Seattle to take up the alternative mantle.
~
Words by Craig Campbell, you can read more book reviews at his author profile. He also tweets here
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Michael Block: Club professional returns to PGA Championship spotlight at Valhalla after last year's major fairytale
There’s an aged-old saying that everyone gets to be famous for 15 minutes, but Michael Block’s run in the sporting spotlight rolls into a second year thanks to his fairytale PGA Championship experience.
Block – who works at Arroyo Trabuco in Southern California – was an unfamiliar name to most when he qualified for the 2023 contest at Oak Hill as one of 20 club professionals, only to announce himself to the golfing world with a tournament to remember.
As Brooks Koepka held off Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland to win the Wanamaker Trophy for a third time and his fifth major title, Block was building his own celebrity status thanks to a performance so script-worthy that a documentary is being made about his achievements.
Block quickly became a fans’ favourite with a hole-in-one, viral interviews and incredible moments on his way to a tied-15th finish, the best by a club professional since 1986, with the performance good enough to ensure an automatic spot in this year’s event.
After a year of PGA Tour sponsor’s invites, commercial deals, mixing with stars of sport and showbiz, Block is back in action at Valhalla for the second men’s major of the year – live on Sky Sports Golf from Thursday – although has played down his hopes of repeating his success.
“There’s really no way in God’s green earth I do what I did last year!” Block exclusively told Sky Sports ahead of this year’s contest. “I feel like I have more pressure, because there are a lot more eyes on me, but at the same time I feel like I have a little less than ever before because I have already done it.”
The creation of the Block party
The then 46-year-old, who had missed the cut in each of his previous six major appearances, quickly exceeded his own low pre-tournament expectations with back-to-back 70s over the first two days, leaving him heading into the weekend inside the top-10 and within five shots of the lead.
Live PGA Championship Golf
Thursday 16th May 1:00pm
“I really only had two goals going into that week,” Block explained ahead of this year’s contest at Valhalla, live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf. “Making the cut was a huge target and so was being the low club professional, so I could stand on the 18th green on Sunday afternoon.
“Both of those were accomplished on Friday, because no other club pro made the cut, so it allowed me to really relax on the weekend – even though it was the most pressure I have ever had in my whole life playing golf!”
The additional attention began to build on the Saturday, when he was involved in a “surreal” live walk and talk with legendary broadcaster Jim Nantz and experienced huge chants of ‘Blockie!’ from the crowds as he battled to a third-round 70 alongside former world No 1 Justin Rose.
“That day was when it all of a suddenly hit me what was going on,” Block admitted. “Every player in the locker room was encouraging me to keep having fun and keep doing what I’m doing, but it just started to escalate more and more as that Saturday went on.”
A video that went viral on social media saw Block left almost speechless when a reporter revealed post-round that he had secured a Sunday pairing alongside four-time major champion Rory McIlroy, an opportunity he openly admits was “the coolest thing in the world”.
Michael Block was in disbelief after learning he would be paired with Rory McIlroy in the final round of the PGA Championship
“That was that was something I had never in my expected in my life,” Block said. “I really enjoyed the time that I had with him [McIlroy]. He was fantastic. The crowd was fantastic. And I had one of the best days of my life!”
The Hollywood finish at Oak Hill
Block – starting the final day six back – knew that a top-four finish would secure him a trip to The Masters the following April but conceded he was unaware a top-15 would automatically earn him a return to the 2024 edition.
Hopes of making that top-15 spot appeared unlikely when he stepped onto the par-three 15th at two over for his round, only to generate the biggest cheer of the week from the packed galleries when he fired a sensational slam-dunk hole-in-one.
PGA club pro Michael Block added another chapter to his incredible story at the 2023 PGA Championship by making an ace in his final round
“I’m getting chills even thinking about it!” Block explained. “I’d never been in that circumstance, I don’t know if I’ve ever hit too many shots in front of that many people and I’d never had a hole in one in a tournament, so for everything to come together in that one moment in time is just insane!”
Block bogeyed the next hole and left himself requiring a par on the 72nd hole, where he sent his second shot towards the spectators before producing a sensational up and down to secure his pace in the field for 2024.
An emotional Michael Block revealed that despite claiming the biggest purse of his career, the experience of playing in the final round of the PGA Championship was the best part
“I couldn’t believe that my game held up under that pressure and I still can’t believe I did that,” Block added. “I knew the crowd would go crazy if I could get up and down, but I got very lucky on the chip. When I saw the replay, I was like ‘you got to be kidding me!’
“I had only cried one other time in my life before that week but must have cried 50 times between the Friday night and Sunday night! It’s like Oak Hill really messed with my emotions and it’s like I have these emotions now that come out.
PGA club pro Michael Block broke down in tears as he reflected on his week at the PGA Championship and claims that he has been living a dream at Oak Hill
“On the plane flying here [ahead of Valhalla] I was watching the dumbest movie in the world, I can’t remember what it was, but it was something I should not have a tear for. Then there I was, sitting there on the plane with tears!”
What happened next for “Blockie”?
Block said his performance made him “seem cooler” to his children because of a surge in Instagram followers, while a media frenzy over the following weeks continued as he took advantage of sponsor exemptions into the Charles Schwab Challenge and the RBC Canadian Open.
Michael Block admitted he had offers for his seven-iron after using the club to make a hole-in-one at Oak Hill’s 15th during the PGA Championship
He lists being trash talked by Tiger Woods, texted by Michael Jordan, involved in video shoot with F1 drivers and winning a tournament with DJ Khaled as among the “20 to 30 pinch-me” moments from the past year, although accepts his rapid rise in fame has given him a new appreciation of the world’s best.
“What a Scheffler does on a on a weekly basis and still plays how he does. Then what Rory does too and what Tiger Woods has been through his whole life. I can see why they act in certain ways, where they may not do an interview or say no to something, because of how many requests they will get.
PGA club pro Michael Block ended his dream week at the PGA Championship at Oak Hill by getting a picture with his playing partner Rory McIlroy
“I only had it for a couple of weeks or whatever, whereas they’ve lived their whole lives doing this and they played amazing golf the same time. I have so much respect for those guys and I couldn’t do it all the time – what they do is pretty remarkable.”
Another Block party at Valhalla?
Block intends to head to the UK later this year to compete in Final Qualifying for The Open and fulfil ‘one of his biggest check marks’, having failed to qualify in 2023, but first is focused on enjoying every moment of his latest PGA Championship appearance.
Live PGA Championship Golf
Thursday 16th May 10:45pm
“My wife’s like ‘just be careful what you’re doing and take some time and get back to that Blockie mode’. We call it Blockie mode, where it’s just having fun. Me having fun plays good golf, whereas me stressed out is where I can get tight and I get quick and that doesn’t work in a golf swing.
“I actually asked my wife the other day at dinner why my goal should be for this year and she goes ‘Michael, just try and make the cut and go from there’, so that’s exactly what I’m going to do.
“I’ll try post a good first round, keep going for the second and try to make the cut again. If I’m stood there on the green again with the champion on Sunday then that would be fantastic.”
Who will win the PGA Championship? Watch live from May 16-19 on Sky Sports! Live coverage begins on Thursday May 16 from 1pm on Sky Sports Golf. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, majors and more with NOW.
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It’s one of the biggest sporting events in a generation. Tyson Fury and Oleksandr Usyk collide for the undisputed world heavyweight championship on Saturday May 18, live on Sky Sports Box Office. Book the fight now.
Illegal Migration Act: Parts should not apply in NI, judge rules
Large parts of the UK government’s Illegal Migration Act should not apply in Northern Ireland because they breach human rights laws, a judge has ruled in a major defeat for ministers.
The judge at NI’s High Court said the law breaches the Windsor Framework.
It is the revised post-Brexit deal agreed between the UK and EU last year.
The ruling raises significant questions about the long-term viability of the plan to refuse some asylum seekers a hearing and send them to Rwanda.
In his ruling, Mr Justice Humphreys also declared parts of the act to be incompatible with the European Convention on Human Rights – an ultimate sanction from a UK court which sends unworkable legislation back to UK Parliament to be rethought.
The 2023 Illegal Migration Act (IMA) is a key part of the UK government’s plan to stop English Channel crossings by people seeking asylum without prior permission to arrive.
It created laws that mean the Home Secretary must detain and remove anyone who arrives by that route and the plan had been to send them to Rwanda. That was until the Supreme Court ruled last year that the country was unsafe.
Parliament has since passed a law designating Rwanda as a safe country.
This key part of the IMA has been in limbo since then but is widely expected to come into action because it would make it easier to transfer people to the African nation.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the NI court decision would not change the government’s plan to send illegal migrants to Rwanda.
I'm a married woman but I'm desperate to kiss my boss
DEAR DEIDRE: I want to kiss my boss so much it hurts – but I’m a respectable married woman and he’s a man with a high moral compass.
He’s 42 and he joined my workplace as my manager. He’s a lovely family man with two boys and a wife who seems like Superwoman.
I’m happily married and have a daughter who is 13. I’m 39 and my husband is 40. My husband is great and we get along well.
But this guy, well he’s something else. He smoulders with sexiness but he doesn’t realise it. He has never been inappropriate to even the slightest degree.
I can’t stop thinking about him lately. We have a few nights away together soon for work and I keep fantasising that he feels the same way.
In my imagination we have this one night where we flirt and then share a single kiss.
What’s the matter with me?
Get in touch with the Dear Deidre team
Every problem gets a personal reply from one of our trained counsellors.
Fill out and submit our easy-to-use and confidential form and the Dear Deidre team will get back to you.
You can also send a private message on the DearDeidreOfficial Facebook page or email us at:
deardeidre@the-sun.co.uk
DEIDRE SAYS: Nothing at all. Just because you’re married, it doesn’t stop you fancying people.
You can’t turn these feelings off like a light switch. It is whether you act on them that counts.
This guy is happy with his lot and so are you. I’ve no doubt your feelings are real but they should stay in your head.
Keep your relationship professional so that you don’t compromise yourself in the workplace.
Read my support pack Looking After Your Relationship, which will give you some spark back and help you remember how much you love your husband.
Dear Deidre on relationships, jealousy and envy
AEG installs president, NA regional offices | IQ Magazine
AEG Presents has promoted Brent Fedrizzi to the position of president, North American regional offices.
Fedrizzi, who currently serves as co-president and COO of AEG’s Rocky Mountains and Pacific Northwest regions, is a board member and four-time president of the North American Concert Promoters Association.
He will continue to be based out of Denver, and will be tasked with guiding the firm’s 100 US venues in all aspects of talent buying and promotion, as well as overseeing its 12 regional offices. Fedrizzi will report to AEG chair and CEO Jay Marciano and will also be joining the company’s executive committee.
“I’ve known Brent for close to 30 years and have worked with him almost as long, so it’s especially gratifying to make this announcement,” says Marciano. “He has a vision, a drive, and an insight into our business that’s been forged over his many years promoting events in every type of venue across the western United States. As co-president of our Rocky Mountain region, his feel for the business is a key reason AEG Presents is the dominant promoter in the market and the Denver office is one of our top performers. Simply put, he’s the right person for the job.”
Fedrizzi began his career in 1991 at the Fey Concert Company in Denver, booking artists at venues across the Rockies and the Southwest. In 1998, he teamed up with Chuck Morris and Don Strasburg to launch Bill Graham Presents/Chuck Morris Presents. Through a series of acquisitions including SFX and Clear Channel Entertainment, that company eventually became Live Nation in 2005.
AEG Presents president Rick Mueller announced his departure from the company last week after 13 years
A decade ago, Fedrizzi departed with Morris and Strasburg to join AEG Live as COO of the Rocky Mountain region.
“When Jay and I first spoke about this opportunity, I jumped at the chance to work more closely with him, the regional team, and the company as a whole,” says Fedrizzi. “I’m excited for the challenge ahead, and I can’t wait to dive in; there’s never been a more exhilarating time in live events. I’m grateful for the trust Jay has put in me to guide the business into the future; the ability to do so with the people and the company I love is icing on the cake.”
Fedrizzi’s promotion was announced days after the resignation of company veteran Rick Mueller as AEG Presents president after 13 years with the firm.
“I have loved my time at this amazing company and the relationships I have built with all of you, but I’ve made the decision to step away in order to pursue other interests in my life,” said Mueller in a memo seen by Pollstar. “It’s been an honour to be a part of the team that has grown AEG into such a strong company during my 13 years here, and I’ll be rooting with pride as AEG continues to roll out incredible shows, tours, venues, and festivals.
“I’m grateful to Jay for giving me the opportunity to guide the North American business, and while I am sad to be leaving AEG, now is the time for me to move on. I want to wish all of you the best, and hope to see you all at a show somewhere down the road.”
“It’s our vision to be a best-in-class live sport and entertainment business and it’s our people who enable this”
Meanwhile, AEG Europe as been recognised as one of the best places to work in the United Kingdom by The Sunday Times. The prestigious accolade is awarded to organisations who have consistently high levels of employee experience and inclusivity.
Following an internal survey of AEG Europe’s full-time UK employees – from across its six UK offices and venues, including The O2, Eventim Apollo, indigo at The O2, University of Wolverhampton at The Halls, and award-winning ticketing provider AXS – the business scored an engagement score of 86%, surpassing the industry average by 14%.
“It’s our vision to be a best-in-class live sport and entertainment business and it’s our people who enable this,” says Alex Hill, president and CEO of AEG Europe. “We couldn’t create and host the world’s biggest events without our team and we’re incredibly proud of the work we have done to foster a culture of excellence, inclusion and belonging.”
Kirstie Loveridge, the company’s EVP of people and culture, adds: “We’re passionate about creating an inclusive and rewarding environment where our employees can grow both personally and professionally, allowing them to be the best they can be. I’m incredibly proud of these results.”
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