gig

MAROON 5’s Adam Levine has shown off a fresh faced new look on the red carpet ahead of the band’s gig at BST Hyde Park this Summer.

The singer, 47, attended the 12th Breakthrough Prize Ceremony in Santa Monica, California, over the weekend with his wife Behati Prinsloo.

But the musician looked completely unrecognisable as he showed off a clean shaven look, which is a stark difference compared to his signature stubble he’s been rocking for years.

Adam wore a black suit twinned with a blue shirt and smart shoes, while Behati, 37, looked stunning in a ruffled grey gown.

The pair looked like the ultimate couple goals as Adam planted a kiss on his wife’s cheek in one picture.

Fans of the She Will Be Loved singer couldn’t get over his new look as they flocked to social media to share their thoughts, with many thinking him shaving off his beard isn’t the only change he’s made.

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One person commented on Reddit: “If I saw him walking I would have never guessed it was him.”

Another social media user commented: “Whatever he did makes him look awful and waaay older than he did before.”

Somebody else said: “Oh my gosh what happened to him? He looks so naked without his beard.”

Yet another fan expressed: “Something looks off but I can’t tell what exactly.”

While a fifth added: “Did he get something done? His face looks different.”

Adam began dating the Namibian beauty in May 2012 and they went on to marry on July 19, 2014.

Together, they share daughters Dusty Rose, 9, and Gio Grace, 8 and a three-year-old son.

He’s gearing up to return to the UK with Maroon 5 for BST Hyde Park this July.

They won’t be the only ones appearing at the festival, as One Republic, Jess Glynne and Ella Eyre will also be taking to the stage for their own performances.

It was also recently announced that he’s set to return for the new season of The Voice USA.

He joined the singing competition show in season 1 alongside fellow judges Blake Shelton, CeeLo Green, and Christina Aguilera.

After departing The Voice in 2019 with 16 seasons as a coach under is belt, the Maroon 5 frontman has returned sporadically to the show.

He just clinched a win with Alexia Jayy on season 29, his fourth victory on the show.

“I’m having so much fun doing it. Since I came back a few seasons ago it’s just been a blast and I’m super happy to keep it going as long as they’ll have me,” Adam told People.

NBC execs are eyeing four iconic coaches to make a return for season 30: Adam, Kelly, Blake and Gwen Stefani, a production source told The U.S. Sun.

“For season 30, they want to go big since it will be a milestone year. Though the lineup isn’t finalized yet since filming for 30 won’t start until late Spring/early Summer 2026,” the source said.

“There’s still time for changes and still all of season 29 to get through.

“But the producers are trying to lock in a deal to get Blake and Adam back together, they’ve wanted that for years and think 30 is an opportune time to make it happen,” the insider explained.

A BRIT rock back have been forced to cancel an impending gig after an “unexpected medical situation”.

Enter Shikari were due to play a gig at Dublin Academy in Ireland this evening but have been forced to withdraw.

The band kept details sparse but confirmed a “medical reason” was behind their decision to pull the plug on the gig in the Irish capital city.

Issuing a statement, the band revealed they were gutted to be unable to complete the concert as planned.

The band said: “Due to a medical situation both unexpected and beyond our control, we’re sad to have to say we’re having to postpone tonight’s Dublin Academy show.

“If you know anything about us, you know that cancelling/postponing shows is always the absolute last resort once all other options have been exhausted, especially at this short notice.

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“We’re very sorry for any inconvenience this causes anyone.

“We’re in conversation with our Irish promoter and will immediately start looking at potential date to reschedule to.

“Thank you in advance for your understanding, and we hope we can see you as soon as possible. ES x.”

Their fans were quick to issue their well-wished amid the uncertain situation.

One penned: “Sending you guys so much love hope you’re all ok.”

Another went on to write: “Hope all is ok – let us know when you’re planning to be back in Ireland!”

A third then said: “Absolutely gutted as flew here solo from Brighton especially *but* sending everyone so much love and hope, and thank you for still being the reason I finally visited Ireland!”

Before a fourth commented: “Sending love as this can’t have been an easy decision, get well soon.”

Whilst a fifth comment read: “Health first always. Hope all is ok. We go again even harder on the rescheduled show to make up for this. Grá mór.”

The band were first formed in 1999 and adopted their current identity in 2003.

Their debut album, Take to the Skies, was eventually released in 2007 and reached number four on the UK Albums Chart.

Their seventh record, released in 2023, became their first chart-topper.

The group’s latest record, surprise released earlier this month, managed to chart at number 16.

A POPULAR DJ has expressed regret after his Coachella set was cancelled due to high winds.

The Italian-American DJ Anyma — whose given name is Matteo Milliera — apologised to fans after Coachella bosses put a pin in his live show.

The festival issued a statement about the cancellation on its official social media.

“Due to strong winds affecting Anyma’s stage build, he is unable to perform tonight,” it began.

“Coachella and Anyma have made this decision together your safety as the priority.”

In the comments section Anyma added: “I’m sorry everyone. We’ve done everything in our control to build the show I’ve worked an entire year on. Safety always comes first and we’re working on a solution now.”

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There was no mention of whether his set will be rescheduled at the music festival but he is also planned to hit the stage on Saturday night.

Anyma was set to perform on the main stage at midnight about 90 minutes after Sabrina Carpenter headlined on Friday night.

His DJ set is described as an immersive 360 digital art and music experience whose performances invite the audience to interact with the art and music.

He has recorded music with some of the world’s biggest artists including BlackPink’s Lisa, Lana Del Rey and Ellie Goulding.

Anyma alos forms one half of electronic music duo Tale of Us and he has 3.5million followers on Instagram.

Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter and Karol G are among the pop stars taking over the stage at the 2026 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

The anticipated desert party kicked off on April 10, and runs until April 19 at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

Friday performances at Coachella this year were headlined by Sabrina Carpenter and also featured The XX, Teddy Swims, KATSEYE, Devo and Turnstile.

Justin Bieber will headline both Saturdays, April 11 and 18, featuring The Strokes, Addison Rae, Interpol, SWAE Lee and SOMBR.

And finally, Karol G, Young Thug, BIGBANG and FKA Twigs will take over the stage on Sundays, April 12 and 19.

Music lovers can skip the flight and watch the livestream from their sofa via the festival’s official YouTube channel.

Coachella 2026 will stream in its entirety on the streaming platform, with separate channels for each stage.

As the time approached 10:30 Tuesday night — nearly three hours after Bruce Springsteen had marched onstage at Inglewood’s Kia Forum alongside 18 of his musical comrades — the 76-year-old rock legend told the crowd he hadn’t intended to be there.

“This is a tour that we never planned,” he said. “The E Street Band is here with you tonight because we need to feel your hope and your strength. And we want to bring some hope and bring some strength for you.”

It wasn’t impossible to believe him.

After a two-year trek that finally wrapped last summer amid the release of a massive box set and a splashy Hollywood biopic, Springsteen might’ve been expected to spend 2026 counting his money and his accolades. Yet the way he tells it, the actions of a “corrupt, incompetent, racist, reckless and treasonous” president and his administration spurred him back into action.

“If you’re feeling helpless, if you’re feeling hopeless, if you’re feeling betrayed, if you’re feeling frustrated, if you’re feeling angry — I mean, I know I’ve been,” he said.

Tuesday’s show was the first of two this week at the Forum.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Thus the hastily arranged Land of Hope & Dreams tour: two months of U.S. concert dates that began last week in Minneapolis, where federal immigration agents killed two American citizens in January, and will wrap May 27 with a stadium show in Washington, D.C.

“The White House — this White House — is destroying the American idea,” Springsteen proclaimed during Tuesday’s gig, the first of two this week at the Forum.

Before we get to the performance itself, let’s acknowledge that the Boss is sticking his neck out here. Sure, he’s protected by his wealth and his celebrity; sure, he’s preaching to the choir in every city he and the E Street Band visit.

But what other musician on Springsteen’s level is speaking out the way he is right now?

On Tuesday, he introduced “Streets of Minneapolis” — a brand-new protest song in which he mentions both Alex Pretti and Renée Good by name — with a vividly detailed monologue about the circumstances of their deaths. Then he led his players through a fervent rendition of the driving folk-rock tune.

“It’s our blood and bones / And these whistles and phones / Against Miller and Noem’s f— lies,” Springsteen sang — one lyric that might’ve inspired President Trump this month to urge his followers to boycott the singer, whom he compared in a social media post to a “dried up prune who has suffered greatly from the work of a really bad plastic surgeon.” (In truth, Springsteen probably enjoyed that.)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Whatever the risks of his speechifying, you had to admire — here in our age of political infotainment — the natural finesse with which Springsteen threaded his prepared rhetoric into Tuesday’s set. He knew just when to have the E Streeters vamp so he could talk about NATO and USAID; he knew when it was wiser to lead the audience in a chant of “ICE out.”

Indeed, as much as he was speaking his mind, Springsteen was providing his fans with an opportunity to work out their own anxieties in rowdy singalong versions of classics like “Born in the U.S.A.,” “No Surrender,” “The Promised Land” and “Out in the Street.”

If the concert’s animating impulse was outrage, the prevailing emotion was joy, even — or especially — when the music was at its most pointed, as in covers of Edwin Starr’s “War” and “Clampdown” by the Clash.

With an extra E Street member in Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello, Springsteen made “Badlands” and “Death to My Hometown” shimmer and stomp; “Murder Incorporated” was a gritty soul-rock rave-up, while “Youngstown” got a scabrous guitar solo by Nils Lofgren that reminded you of his other gig in Neil Young’s Crazy Horse. (Springsteen’s wife, Patti Scialfa, who said in 2024 that she has cancer, wasn’t part of the band Tuesday.)

About halfway through the show, Springsteen sang “American Skin (41 Shots),” the early-2000s song about racialized police violence he wrote after Amadou Diallo’s killing by four NYPD officers; he followed that with “Long Walk Home,” which he described as “a prayer for our country.”

Bruce Springsteen

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Played back to back, the songs made you think of how little agreement we’ve come to over the last quarter-century about who gets to be called an American. The identity is always under attack, and it’s always being defended.

Anyone but a Bruce stan would admit that Springsteen leaned a little hard on recent stuff here: “House of a Thousand Guitars,” “My City of Ruins,” “Wrecking Ball” and the like.

Yet as with his speechmaking, he can still read a room. “It’s gotta be done,” he said with a grin as the band revved up “Hungry Heart,” one of a handful of old pop hits he did that broke from the evening’s topical throughline.

Near the end — in an encore that went bang-bang-bang with “Born to Run” into “Bobby Jean” into “Dancing in the Dark” — Springsteen, his shirt drenched with sweat, took a seat onstage and thanked members of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center for attending the show. (Also in the house Tuesday: Henry Winkler.)

Then he offered one final homily before closing with Bob Dylan’s “Chimes of Freedom.”

“These are hard times, but we’ll make it through,” he said. “We’re the Americans. What do they say? Americans do the right thing after they’ve tried everything else.” He shook his head as though he were running through a mental inventory.

“F—!”

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam – After a long day of ferrying passengers to and fro recently, e-hailing driver Nguyen was dejected to find he had spent half of his earnings on fuel.

“I drove for around seven or eight hours, making around 240,000 Vietnamese dong [$9.11] and then I paid 120,000 Vietnamese dong [$4.56] on petrol,” Nguyen, a motorcyclist who connects with passengers via the locally developed super-app Be, told Al Jazeera, asking not to be identified by his real name.

“I can’t survive with this amount of money in the city.”

In Vietnam, the ripples of the US-Israel war on Iran are hitting many gig workers hard.

The Southeast Asian country normally sources about 80 percent of its crude oil from Kuwait, but shipments have dried up amid Iran’s effective blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, driving up fuel prices.

Diesel prices have more than doubled, while petrol prices have risen almost 30 percent, making getting from point A to point B an increasingly expensive proposition in cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, home to more than 7 million motorcycles.

“Because the petrol price is so high, so many drivers are turning off the app, going home and just not working,” Nguyen said.

“After today, I will turn off the app and stop working for a few days to see if the price goes down or if the government is helping in any way.”

Vietnam’s government has rolled out a series of emergency measures to cushion the blow for citizens.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh last month announced that an environmental tax on diesel, petrol, and aviation fuel would be suspended until April 15 to help stabilise prices.

Nguyen Khac Giang, a Vietnamese-born visiting fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, said authorities had been forced to act to stave off rising disgruntlement among citizens.

“There are a lot of complaints and frustrations about rising living costs, because gas prices are everything in Vietnam,” Giang told Al Jazeera.

“It’s not only necessary in terms of making the population feel relief about the rise of gas prices, but at the same time, it will keep the macroeconomic stability intact, given the turbulence outside Vietnam.”

Despite the government sacrificing an estimated $273m in revenue via the tax cut, signs of strain are mounting across the economy.

Public transportation is stretched to capacity in major cities, while domestic carriers such as Vietnam Airlines and Vietjet Air have slashed flights.

“As a very, very open economy, Vietnam is super vulnerable to international shocks,” Giang said.

Gig workers have been particularly exposed due to the double whammy of heavy fuel consumption and minimal labour protections.

“Their income is changeable due to factors beyond their control,” Do Hai Ha, a research fellow at the University of Melbourne who has studied Vietnam’s gig platforms, told Al Jazeera.

“They have no chance to negotiate with the platforms.”

Many drivers have had no choice but to work longer hours as they are “excluded from labour protection, so there’s no guarantee in terms of minimum wages or overtime pay”, Do said.

Companies, too, are feeling the crunch.

Anh Dao, who collects fares on Ho Chi Minh City’s bus route 13, said the bus operator has been losing money due to the surge in diesel prices, despite raising ticket prices by 3,000 Vietnamese dong ($0.11).

“As we already signed the contract, we cannot just stop running the buses,” Ahn told Al Jazeera.

For one fisherman in the coastal region of Binh Thuan, about 200km (124 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City, rising fuel costs have prompted a frantic search for cheaper options to power his basket boat.

“Now that fuel prices are rising, it’s having a big impact,” the fisherman told Al Jazeera, asking not to be identified by name. The middlemen he does business with have been citing weak demand to justify offering lower prices for his catch, he said.

“What I was usually able to sell for 800,000 Vietnamese dong [$30] is now only selling for 650,000 Vietnamese dong [$24],” he said.

Families kept apart

For some low-income families, the rising costs are reshaping daily life in other ways.

After a weeklong trip to the Mekong Delta region, Uyen Pham, a communications manager for the Saigon Children’s Charity, said she has seen the strain firsthand.

“Several parents noted that the cost of bottled cooking gas has nearly doubled,” Pham told Al Jazeera.

“Most of our beneficiary families have always relied on wood-fired stoves or a hybrid of wood and gas to save money. With the recent price hike, they are now strictly limiting their gas usage even further, relying almost entirely on wood to cut every possible expense.”

For many parents, the rising fuel costs have also meant less time with family.

“Many parents in remote areas must leave their children with grandparents to work in cities,” Pham said.

“Rising fuel prices directly increase their commuting costs, while manual labour wages remain stagnant. This pinches their take-home pay and, in some cases, reduces how often they can afford to travel home to see their children.”

For the government in Hanoi, the price volatility has intensified the focus on greater energy independence, Giang, the visiting fellow, said.

“The longer-term question this crisis has enacted is a very important question about the strategic autonomy of Vietnam in terms of energy dependencies, especially when we are a net importer of oil,” he said.

Policymakers will need to “more aggressively accelerate Vietnam’s energy independence by building more refineries,” Giang said, “because now we only have two refineries, which is not enough for the Vietnamese market.”

With long-term solutions likely to take years to come to fruition, authorities are scrambling for short-term fixes.

Late last month, Vietnam’s prime minister and a delegation from the Ministry of Industry and Trade visited on the Nghi Son Refinery and Petrochemical Complex, the country’s largest refinery, in Thanh Hoa, a coastal city about 1,500km (932 miles) north of Ho Chi Minh City.

During their visit, officials said the refinery, which supplies about 40 percent of Vietnam’s petrol needs, would urgently need to find alternative sources of crude, as current supplies were expected to run out by the end of May.

The war on Iran also appears to be reshaping at least some domestic investment.

Vingroup, Vietnam’s largest conglomerate, last month informed authorities that it wanted to halt plans to build the country’s largest liquefied gas-fired power plant and put the funds towards a renewable energy project instead, according to a letter reported by the Bloomberg and Reuters news agencies.

In the letter, the company cited “the significant risk of high fuel prices for LNG power projects” due to the war.

In the meantime, Duy, who works at a cafe tucked behind a Ho Chi Minh City petrol station, is feeling some relief after the government’s fuel tax cut, which authorities projected would reduce petrol prices by about one-quarter and diesel prices by about 5 percent.

“I usually pay 100,000 Vietnamese dong [$3.80] a week on gas, but at the peak of the high prices a few days ago, it was almost double that,” she told Al Jazeera.

“It affected my income.”

Additional reporting by Nguyen Hao Thanh Thao

DELTA Goodrem’s first album in half a decade is just around the corner.

The Australian singer, 41, has opened up to The Sun about the project – admitting fans won’t have long to wait.

Chatting ahead of a surprise pop set in Camden, London with Australian chocolatey biscuit Tim Tam, Delta said: “I have finished the new album.

“When Eurovision came up I was in the studio already as it was naturally time to create the new album.

“I am doing a new video next week when I am back in Aus again for the next song.

“That will be straight out the gate and the new album will be there straight away.”

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The record, her eighth, will be Delta’s first since 2021’s Bridge over Troubled Dreams.

During her north London set, Delta performed her Eurovision track Eclipse for the first time in the UK.

The Born To Try singer will represent Australia next month at this year’s contest in Vienna, Austria.

Previously speaking to The Sun, Delta admitted while she’s toyed with the idea of doing Eurovision for a few years, it wasn’t until she opened up about her dreams to Bizarre last May that things really started taking shape.

Delta said: “This is, literally verbatim, all your fault. It is all on you — Bizarre started this.

“Your article went back to the Aussies who were like, ‘Do you want to do this?’ So thank you. I have a big job to do.”

Delta will head to Vienna this May to compete with her song Eclipse and it ticks every box, with an infectiously camp chorus and a complex piano bridge.

A beaming Delta explained: “From your article, people started reaching out.

“Then one of the songwriters, Jonas Myrin, who I wrote the song with, took a screengrab of the article and sent it to me saying, ‘Delta, if you ever go to Eurovision, I want to write the song with you’.

“He’s in Sweden. Sure enough he flew to Australia when I said I was doing it.

“Even the first question I got asked when doing my first Australian interview was, ‘We heard it all started from an article from the UK,’ and yes, it did.”

It’s been three years since Australia last qualified for the live final, which adds to the pressure on Delta, who has sold eight million records worldwide.

Delta added: “Of course I am nervous, but it’s so joyous and I am so excited to be a part of it.”

On the first night of Passover, Ye — the superstar rapper, the artist formerly known as Kanye West, the man who once threatened in a tweet to go “death con 3 On JEWISH PEOPLE” — performed for what looked like a full house at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.

The first of a pair of Ye concerts this week at the gigantic NFL palace, Wednesday’s show came two months after the 48-year-old musician apologized for his past antisemitic comments, attributing his behavior to injuries he sustained in a 2002 car crash.

More to the point, perhaps, the gig came on the heels of last week’s release of “Bully,” Ye’s first solo LP since 2022’s “Donda 2,” which the trade journal Hits predicts will enter the album chart at No. 2, right behind the latest from BTS.

In other words, Ye’s trying to get a comeback going — and, to judge by the very warm reception he got at SoFi, he might prove successful.

Wednesday’s concert — Ye’s first full live performance in Los Angeles since a 2021 gig at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum — lasted about two hours and featured guest appearances by Don Toliver and Ye’s 12-year-old daughter, North.

The rapper performed atop an enormous dome set up on the stadium’s floor; for much of the night, a spinning globe was projected onto the dome so that Ye looked to be — well, on top of the world is how he might’ve put it.

Early in the set, Ye asked his technical crew to “make the earth move slower,” which somebody made happen.

Accompanied by what sounded like prerecorded backing tracks, Ye opened with a handful of songs from “Bully,” which seeks a middle ground between the soulful, sample-heavy sound of his early work and the gloomier, synthed-up vibe of more recent records like “Donda” and his and Ty Dolla Sign’s “Vultures 1” and “Vultures 2.”

After an extended version of the new album’s “All the Love,” he reached back for an assortment of oldies, including all-timers like “Father, Stretch My Hands, Pt. 1,” “Mercy,” “Black Skinhead” and “Can’t Tell Me Nothing,” which he stopped and restarted after telling the crew to mute the music during the song’s line about getting his money right so that he could hear the crowd join in.

He also did his and Jay-Z’s collaborative 2011 hit — the one whose title contains the N-word — which made you think about how he and his old frenemy are both mounting comebacks at the same time, Jay-Z as a kind of retiree’s victory lap and Ye in hopes of moving past a mess of his own making.

Other classics Ye performed included “Bound 2” and “Heartless,” to name two of his most emotionally potent songs, though thick smoke in the stadium made it hard to feel a sense of connection with him as he moved back and forth atop the dome.

Ye brought out Don Toliver to perform “Moon” and Toliver’s “E85,” then cycled again through the “Bully” tracks he’d done earlier. North West came out to perform “Talking” and “Piercing on My Hand,” after which Ye did his and Ty Dolla Sign’s “Everybody,” which prominently samples the Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody (Backstreet’s Back).”

Then he finished with a sprint through some of his most beloved hits: “All Falls Down” into “Jesus Walks” into “Through the Wire” into “Good Life,” which he restarted several times because he said the lights were “corny.”

“Is this like an ‘SNL’ skit or something?” he asked when nobody made the changes he was looking for.

Ye ended the show with “All of the Lights,” which got a huge pryo display, and “Runaway,” his epic 2010 warning to anyone foolish enough to consider falling in love with him.

“Run away fast as you can,” he sang, and the crowd roared right along.

IT’S being billed as a huge tribute concert to Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, who died in November.

But I’m told the “Manichester” event in honour of the Stone Roses bassist, organised by his brother Greg, has caused a rift in the family.

The concert will see musicians including Zak Starkey, Baz Fratelli from The Fratellis, John Mcclure from Reverend And The Makers and Simone Butler from Primal Scream come together at Manchester’s Diecast in May.

Cast are also lined up to perform, along with Mick Rossi from Slaughter & The Dogs and Stone Roses guitarist Aziz Ibrahim.

But while the concert was believed to have the full support of Mani’s family, which includes his twin sons Gene and George, insiders say not everyone is in agreement.

A source said: “Mani’s legacy and celebrating that is so important to so many people.

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“But not everyone related to him is happy about this concert.

“Even his young son Gene has voiced his concerns on social media.

“It is all very messy and is spilling over into the public domain.

“This is not what Mani would have wanted. His twin boys were everything to him.”

Greg confirmed earlier this month that he was organising the tribute concert, and said there were hopes of snaring Noel and Liam Gallagher to perform, as well as Johnny Marr.

He said: “I think it will be brilliant.

“With the names already in the hat, and the names we’re yet to announce, it’s a worthy thing, a tribute to our kid, a Mancunian legend, and I know he’d love it.

“He would be absolutely buzzing about it.”

Mani, who was best known for his work with Stone Roses and Primal Scream, died at home in Manchester aged 63.

Noel and Liam made an on-stage dedication to him during their Oasis ’25 Live reunion tour, while rock icons including Stone Roses singer Ian Brown turned out to pay their respects at his funeral.

As a fan of Mani, I hope this can be resolved quickly and without further upset.

LITTLE BRIT OF FAMILY TIME

BRITNEY SPEARS is being supported by her sons following her arrest for driving under the influence – and it’s about time too.

For years, the Circus singer was deserted by her boys – who she has with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

But it seems they are back in her life and bringing a smile to her face.

She shared a video on Instagram on a boat with Sean and Jayden, during a getaway, including a shot of them smiling together.

Britney wrote: “Thank you guys for all your support… Spending time with family and friends is such a blessing!”

AITCH FIZZES MUSIC

HE was flying high after his stint in I’m A Celebrity last year.

But now Aitch is facing another trial, and it could be just as gruesome.

I’m told the Strike Me A Pose rapper is embroiled in a legal row over his Syps drinks brand with two former directors of the company.

Aitch, real name Harrison Armstrong, created Syps back in 2023 with businessmen David Olusegun and Alexander El-Nemer – with the trio proudly showing off their fizzy, flavoured water at events across the UK.

But I’m told that partnership is now well and truly over, with David and Alexander resigning as directors.

A source said: “Harrison has fallen out with David and Alexander and it seems there is no going back.

“They’re in a full-blown legal dispute and it’s all in the hands of their lawyers.

“The three created the brand together so it could get messy.

“Harrison is still working on the brand and is running things with his manager.

“How quickly this is going to get resolved is the question. One thing is for sure though, Harrison wants it dealt with so he can move on.”

TAMER ROLE FOR HARDMAN ACTOR

TAMER HASSAN is swapping punch-ups for pull-ons after landing a major new deal with sportswear giant Reebok.

The hardman actor has filmed an advert for a bold campaign inspired by Robin Hood, of all people.

It sees Tamer playing a cheeky “friendly villain” who nicks sports kits before handing them out to kids.

He is joined by UK rapper K-Trap, and starry cameos from
Gary Oldman, Laila Morse and Lisa Maffia.

An insider said: “Tamer is genuinely thrilled to be part of something revitalised and forward-thinking.

“Reebok is part of the culture, and seeing it evolve with fresh energy in 2026 makes this really exciting.”

The retro-style campaign is also a nod to 2005 British crime flick The Business, which starred Tamer alongside Danny Dyer.

Filmed at a secret North London location, the advert is set to drop later this month and marks the start of a huge year for the actor.

He’s gearing up for the premiere of Rise Of The Footsoldier: Retribution at Cannes in May, ahead of its UK cinema release this summer.

From the big screen to the high street, it sounds like Tamer has a lot going for him right now.

TEARY NIGHT FOR ELLIE’S WOLF PACK

WOLF ALICE had an emotional night headlining the final evening of the Teenage Cancer Trust’s concert series – with frontwoman Ellie Rowsell breaking down in tears.

The group debuted two new songs, Hit The Sky and Gospel Oak, and towards the end of the latter, her voice broke and she became teary.

She asked the band to restart the track from the beginning of the final verse and was then hugged by guitarist Joff Oddie and bassist Theo Ellis.

Later, Theo admitted that performing in London’s Royal Albert Hall for the charity concert was making him emotional, too.

He said: “These are my best friends. It’s unbearable how much I want to cry all the time in this gaff.”

They deservedly picked up the British Group gong at the Brit Awards last month following the success of their fourth studio album, The Clearing – one of the best British albums of 2025.

If you’re yet to see them, make sure you make it to one of the festivals they’re playing across the UK this summer.

BENSON SWOON

BENSON BOONE got his fans hot under the collar while cooking up this tour announcement.

He whipped off his top, cracked eggs with his biceps and showed off his rippling muscles as he added ingredients to a bowl while baking a cake.

It was eventually topped with the poster for his new Wanted Man tour.

I have to applaud him for the sexy and hilarious snippet posted on Instagram, but it’s a sea change from 12 months ago when he told Rolling Stone magazine that he didn’t want to rely on his body to sell shows.

He told the mag: “I definitely remember there was a time where I would take my shirt off because I didn’t know what else to do.

“I don’t want to rely on my physical form to be the primary driver of my shows.”

It’s a good job he’s had a fair few hits.

YOU BOOTY, KATYA

STRICTLY’S Katya Jones looked the part – and had the footwear to match – when she strutted in to watch the opening night of musical Kinky Boots.

And she was in for a real treat.

With glitter, tinsel, red leather and high heels, this latest production of the hit show is a dazzling spectacle, the likes of which the West End has rarely seen.

Fellow Strictly star Johannes Radebe is mind-blowing as drag queen Lola, above, proving his singing voice and stage charisma are almost as brilliant as his dancing.

But playing the perfect straight man is X Factor winner Matt Cardle as Charlie Price, who inherits his father’s ailing shoe factory in Northampton and comes up with a plan to save it by making footwear for Lola and her fellow artistes.

Fun, feel-good and unforgettable, everyone should try these Kinky Boots for size.

SACRAMENTO — During the Los Angeles writers’ strike in 2023, Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell wanted to reach out to his donors in Hollywood and ask what he could do to help them. But he didn’t have an easy way to find the screenwriters who backed his many campaigns.

So Swalwell and his congressional chief of staff launched an AI technology company that sifts and analyzes campaign fundraising data.

The company has since been used by dozens of political campaigns, including by Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles). Even Swalwell’s current campaign for California governor hired the artificial intelligence company, called Findraiser.

But some details of Swalwell’s private venture remain unclear, including the company’s investors.

Craig Holman, a governmental ethics expert with the nonprofit consumer advocacy organization Public Citizen, said it’s common and legal for candidates to use their own businesses to promote their campaigns or the campaigns of others, as long as all business interactions are charged at market value.

He said Swalwell can talk about his business privately but cannot do so in relation to his role in Congress, to avoid running afoul of ethics rules barring using one’s position for personal monetary gain.

Holman called it “odd and politically unwise” that Swalwell’s business will not publicly disclose all of its investors.

Swalwell, who has represented Northern California in Congress since 2013, is among the top Democrats in the governor’s race, according to a recent poll, but thus far none of the candidates has a breakaway lead.

Findraiser is close to profitability, his onetime chief of staff, current campaign manager and Findraiser CEO Yardena Wolf said in a podcast interview that aired in October.

The company received more than $67,400 from congressional campaigns in the 2025-26 cycle, according to filings with the federal government.

Members of Congress are not barred from owning outside companies or accepting a small outside salary, with exceptions. Swalwell makes no income from the company, according to filings he has made with the state of California, though he could benefit if the company was ever sold.

“Findraiser is a platform like hundreds of other tools in the market that helps Democratic campaigns communicate more efficiently,” a Swalwell spokesperson said. “Congressman Swalwell and the Findraiser team consulted the House Committee on Ethics on the conception and implementation of the tool every step of the way.”

Still, it highlights how mixing public service and private business can raise ethics questions.

Wolf told The Times that none of Findraiser’s investors have business before Congress, but she declined to reveal the names of the backers.

The fair market value of Findraiser is between $100,001 and $1 million, according to campaign finance documents filed with the state this month.

Swalwell stated on the documents that he is a part owner. Besides the Congress member and Wolf, the other member of the company listed with the state is Paul Mandell, who runs an event business.

The company’s website boasts that it provides a “straightforward AI-powered chatbot that supercharges your fundraising database searches. This first-of-its-kind tool sits on top of your political fundraising database, allowing you to ask simple, intuitive questions and receive the results you need instantly.”

The website also contains testimonials, including from former Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison, who says Findraiser provides the AI technology that makes it “easier than ever for campaigns to connect with the right donors and raise what they need to win.”

The amount of money campaigns are paying to use Findraiser is nominal, federal campaign finance records show. During the 2025-26 cycle, Swalwell’s campaign for Congress reported paying Findraiser $6,630. His campaign for governor paid the company $975.

Wolf, in an interview with The Times, declined to provide details about the company’s staff or how much it charges customers.

In her interview with the political podcast “The Great Battlefield,” she recounted that the writers’ strike was the impetus for Findraiser and said Swalwell came up with the name.

She conceded that it is “pretty unusual” for a member of Congress to start a company with his chief of staff. She also said there was “a lot of ethics back and forth — of lawyers and all of that, to make sure that we were aboveboard and that everything is kosher.”

Among other things, Findraiser has helped Swalwell’s campaigns pull in more money, she said. For example, the campaign could identify donors who gave small amounts to Swalwell but larger checks to other politicians, Wolf said.

“We’ve been able to set up meetings with people like that, and they’ve increased their contributions.”

Aside from Wolf, one other staff member who works for both Swalwell’s campaign and his government office is also being paid via a contract to do digital work for Findraiser, Wolf confirmed.

Michael Beckel, director of money in politics reform at Issue One, a bipartisan advocacy group, said that although there is no prohibition on a member of Congress hiring his own company, voters may perceive an issue.

“Voters may see self-dealing as evidence that a candidate is prioritizing personal enrichment over public service, which damages confidence in elections and governmental institutions,” he said.

“If donors give money knowing it will personally benefit the candidate, that undermines the integrity of the political system.”

Swalwell’s campaign declined to respond to Beckel’s statements.

Wolf in her podcast interview last year said the business was “going really well.”

“We have PACs that use it. We have first-time candidates, as well as 20-year incumbents who are using it. We have congressional races and Senate races,” Wolf said.

Around 2024, the company began offering beta testing, she said.

“Obviously, both Eric’s and my network are people who are in the political space and just in our day to day, as we were talking to people, we had people say, ‘Well, I want to use it,’” Wolf said. “And so we had a group of people who ended up beta testing.”

A spokesperson for Swalwell’s campaign said that “Findraiser spread through word of mouth among campaigns across the country. Any decision by a campaign or candidate to utilize the tool is based on their choice and their organization’s strategic prioritization.”

The Times contacted 16 congressional campaigns that reported using Findraiser in recent federal filings. None would tell The Times how they came to hire the company.

Both Schiff and Gomez have endorsed Swalwell in his campaign for governor.

Schiff’s paid about $2,000 for two months of Findraiser services last year. However, Wolf, in her podcast interview, said Findraiser works with Schiff “a lot.”

Ian Mariani, a spokesperson for Schiff’s campaign, said the company “is one of many campaign vendors used by our team, and it helped us engage with several people.”