HER last tour in 2020 was cut short thanks to the Covid pandemic but now Louise is gearing up to go back on the road.
The Borderline singer will play five live shows as part of her Naked/Confessions tour next April, taking in cities including London, Birmingham and Manchester, with tickets on sale today.
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Eternal’s Louise is gearing up to go back on the roadBritish pop group Eternal consisted of Vernie, Kelly, Easther & LouiseCredit: Andrew Styczynski – The Sun
And in an exclusive interview to celebrate the announcement, ex-Eternal star Louise says she’s never felt so inspired after her last album Confessions became her fourth top ten record.
“I’m so proud of that album,” Louise tells me.
“That’s really what spurred me on to carry on writing.
“It taught me that it’s OK not to please everybody.
“I’m enjoying the creative process of not worrying about if people might hate on it.
“Knowing that you just can’t please everyone.
“It’s all about the mindset and the confidence.
“I do think that comes with age as well.”
After saying yes to going back on the road, Louise reveals she’s learned the power of saying no — and was inspired by pop royalty Madonna.
“I am a big fan, I loved the show she did with Sabrina Carpenter. As a woman, for me, it’s about celebrating people and their achievements,” Louise says.
“I hated reading anything negative about that because for me, she is a genius. I’m at that stage where I’m trying to embrace everything and go with it, but I am also saying no.
“I just wrote a song about saying no and I love it.
Louise reveals she’s learned the power of saying no — and was inspired by pop royalty MadonnaCredit: Rafael PavarottiLouise is a big fan of MadgeCredit: Instagram
“The basis of the song is when you finally learn to say, ‘That’s not for me.’
“We all live in a world where we don’t want to say no to anything for a multitude of reasons.”
The tour, which kids off in Sunderland on April 8 next year, will see Louise picking her favourite tracks from her debut album Naked — which turns 30 in 2027 — and from Confessions for the set list.
And Louise — who will play The Mighty Hoopla festival in London next weekend — has promised to throw in some brand new tunes too.
Louise, who has scored nine Top Ten solo singles including 2 Faced and Pandora’s Kiss, adds: “I get that people will want the hits. It’s about celebrating Naked and Confessions — but I definitely will do new stuff on the tour.
“I don’t want to play it particularly safe.
“The one thing I have learned in this industry is that you have to keep changing.
“You have to keep finding new ways to motivate yourself. Whether that be music, what you’re wearing, the lyrics you’re writing.
“Now I know the lane that I’m in and I know what I want to do.”
Girls single minded
Remember Monday have today dropped the first single, DelusionalCredit: Adam BrazierRemember Monday with The Sun’s Howell DaviesCredit: supplied
THEY have been together for over a decade, represented the UK at Eurovision and performed at Wembley Stadium.
Now, British girl group Remember Monday have given Bizarre’s Howell the exclusive that they’ve just completed work on their debut album in Prague – and have today dropped the first single, Delusional.
The trio, made up of Lauren Byrne, Charlotte Steele and Holly-Anne Hull first started work on the track two years ago, but only finished it last summer with the help of McFly’s Danny Jones and Dougie Poynter, after being introduced to them at the Capital Summertime Ball.
Lauren, who posed with her bandmates for the single artwork, said: “It feels like it was the first song that started the whole new era.
“After that session, it was like, this is the kind of music that we want to be working on now.”
Holly continued: “We just wanted to kind of hone in on our sound, really solidify what we want to say moving forward.
“I don’t know if we can say, but . . . well, we’re releasing an album.
“The sound that we’re going down is quite nostalgic. Like, we really love the Nineties rom-com energy of music.”
The group will support McFly on tour this summer.
They admit their path is not always easy given that they are independent artists without the financial backing of a major record label.
Referencing the title of their single, Charlotte said: “Our whole band is run and fuelled by delusion.”
Lauren added: “It’s weird to be around. But we do just talk about things as if they are happening regardless of whether we have the funds or contacts. We just speak it into existence.
“And it actually has worked. I don’t even know how we’ve got to this stage.”
It’s working so far ladies.
Good for you.
Too pretty for this ditty
Linda Perry wrote song Beautiful for Christina AguileraCredit: Splash
SONGWRITER Linda Perry has revealed she almost turned down Christina Aguilera’s request for her song Beautiful after admitting she thought she was too pretty to sing it.
Linda wrote the track which ended up being one of Christina’s most enduring songs from her 2002 album Stripped.
Appearing on the Zach Sang Show, Linda said she played American star Christina, pictured at the Abbey’s 35th anniversary party in Hollywood, the track and explained: “She was like, ‘ I want that.’
“And I’m thinking, ‘No, you’re like, a hot chick. I’m not giving you this song. No way. Are you kidding me?”
It was only after Christina sang the track for Linda that she changed her mind, adding: “It broke the ice between the both of us when I saw that.
“That’s when I discovered beautiful people are actually insecure and just as damaged as I am.”
Sphere come all the Girls?
The Spice Girls aren’t interested in a quick nostalgia cash-inCredit: Refer to Caption
THE SPICE GIRLS might fancy zig-a-zig-ah-ing their way into a Las Vegas residency, but I’m told bosses at the Sphere aren’t interested in a quick nostalgia cash-in.
My Sphere insider said: “The Spice Girls would be a massive draw, but this couldn’t be done as a one-off or a short residency.
“The costs involved in creating a Sphere show are enormous. There’s special cameras, bespoke visuals and millions of dollars in production costs before a ticket is sold.
“They’d need all five on board and would want 40 to 60 shows.”
Last month Posh Spice teased that she was keen for the shows to go ahead, saying: “How good would the Spice Girls be at the Sphere? I love the idea of it.”
The venue, which has mind-blowing wraparound screens, has already hosted U2, The Eagles and No Doubt.
TREVOR NELSON was handed a top gong at last night’s Audio Academy Arias.
Rylan Clark hosted the bash at The Roundhouse in North London, which saw Radio 2 legend Trevor honoured with a Special Recognition Award.
He was handed the gong by my pal Craig David, who spoke about Trevor’s impact on the British music scene.
It was a great night for Radio 1 DJ Greg James too, with his Breakfast show landing the top prize in its category, while BBC Radio 6 Music’s Beth Ditto was handed Best New Presenter.
LOUIS TOMLINSON reckons there’s one man who could tempt him into a collaboration – fellow Doncaster star Yungblud.
Ex-One Direction singer Louis admitted he’s not keen on teaming up with artists for the sake of it, but working with the rock wild man would feel different.
Louis explained: “I really like his music and he’s from Doncaster, my hometown, I think that would make it even more interesting.”
But he joked that their might be a slight age gap issue.
Louis laughed: “I’d be the senior one in that conversation.”
Doncaster might be running the UK music scene soon . . .
MY fellow Spurs fan AJ Tracey has joined talkSPORT as a World Cup pundit.
The Thiago Silva rapper will join footballer-turned-Strictly star Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink and Burnley ace Kyle Walker on the station’s line-up for the big event this summer.
CRUZ BECKHAM And The Breakers lead the new music releases today with their catchy new single, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah.
DJ Sonny Fodera also drops his new tune, Let Me Be In Your Arms, ahead of his performance at Radio 1’s Big Weekend tonight.
LEGENDARY recording studio Abbey Road has announced its fifth annual Music Photography Awards.
This year’s judging panel is packed with music industry royalty, including Raye and Nile Rodgers.
Photographer to the stars, Rankin, is also on the panel ahead of the VIP ceremony on September 24.
Rankin said: “With another stellar judging panel joining us, I can’t wait to get stuck in and review the 2026 submissions. What are you waiting for?” Submissions are open now.
Professional visual artists hate generative AI. This should come as no surprise, but a new survey released last month by a trio of researchers at Carnegie Mellon University breaks down just how much: 99% of respondents out of a pool of 378 verified professional visual artists noted their dislike for the technology, with 92% categorizing it as “strong dislike.”
Even more jarring, the survey found that 80% of respondents believe that they’re in competition with the technology. The artists expressed deep concerns about the impact AI is having on their careers, with 54% saying it has diminished their income, 75% their job and clientele security, and 90% their income opportunities. Another 77% said it had negatively impacted their career growth, 61% the future of their career, and 74% their career sustainability.
The jobs most heavily affected include commercial artists, graphic designers and concept artists in entertainment whose work is sometimes entirely replaced — or largely commandeered — by images generated using tools like Midjourney, Adobe Fireplay or DALL-E; but fine artists working in traditional media are also experiencing a devaluation of their work and a shrinking pool of employers.
“I’m working on getting out of the field and planning to get my PhD in something non-art related because I can’t see my current work as being sustainable when I see them actively replacing me [with] chatGPT,” a costume designer and illustrator said in the survey, which notes, “Demoralization, disempowerment, disrespect, stress, and fear are also commonly expressed, not only regarding individual careers but also extending towards the field at large.”
“It’s been pretty demoralizing at times seeing a lot of younger artists giving up because they don’t see a future in art. That they’re abandoning their creative passions because of AI,” another illustrator said. A comic artist, writer and painter noted that AI underscores that art is not important to the general public. “It has been demoralizing largely because generated AI images look like crap but there is a segment of the population who seem to not care,” the artist said.
Then there is the unnervingly meta task of artists trying to prove they are human, or that they did not generate their work using AI.
“I find users online to be more critical, looking at art less to enjoy it and more so to figure out if it’s AI generated or not. There’s a lot of pressure and anxiety in proving you are a real person now,” one illustrator and designer said. Another artist and sculptor said, “I have seen false accusations for use of AI in work from other artists who do not use AI and I am fearful of being accused of this as well, I now record the creation process of most things so that I have proof AI was not utilized.”
In that column, Merchant discusses the “good enough” principle of AI-generated art, noting, “Creative workers aren’t typically worried that AI systems are so good they’ll be rendered obsolete as artists, or that AI-generated work will be better than theirs. Their fear is that clients, managers, and even consumers will deem AI art ‘good enough’ as the companies that produce it push down their wages and corrode their ability to earn a living.”
An idea highlighted in the following letter published by Merchant from an anonymous source:
“I’ve been out of work for a while now. I made children’s book illustrations, stock art, and took various art commissions.
Now I have several maxed out credit cards and use a donation bin for food. I haven’t had a steady contract in over a year. two weeks ago, when a client who has switched to AI found out about this he gave me $50 out of ‘a sense of guilt.’ Basically pity for the fact that Illustrator, as a job, does not exist anymore.”
One thing Merchant is exceedingly good at is reminding readers that there is a surge of dissent swelling from the proletariat — and that after you’re done feeling the necessary despair, you can join the anti-AI resistance. For visual artists that can be as simple as utilizing a growing number of defensive tools when it comes to protecting art, most notably Glaze and Nightshade. The former adds the smallest pixel-sized changes to your artwork, which serves to confuse AI so it can’t train on your style; the latter — as the name implies — acts more like a poison that corrupts AI training data so it can’t scrape from a protected image.
I’m Arts editor — and proud Luddite — Jessica Gelt. This is your arts and culture news for the week.
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The week ahead: A curated calendar
FRIDAY
Celeste Butler-Clayton as Coretta Scott King in “Experiencing the Dream: The MLK Musical.”
(Triple T Photography)
Experiencing the Dream: MLK the Musical The show’s 26 songs will be recorded live with an orchestra of 27 musicians under the direction of Leon Lacy, with orchestrations by Felipe Paccagnella, vocal arrangements by Tony Jones and musical direction by arranger/producer William Taylor. The cast includes Eric Dawkins, Bishop Jonathan Mason, Yolanda Gibbons, Patricia Jackson, James Singleton, Melvin Crispell, Pam Blackmon Kendle and Celeste Butler-Clayton. Written by Kesha L. Ealy and Marcus S. Mason. Mason also composed the music. 7 p.m. Greater Emmanuel Temple, 3740 E. Imperial Hwy., Lynwood. MLKthemusical.com
Riverdance 30 — The New Generation The Irish music and dance phenomenon marks its three decades with a special anniversary tour. 7:30 p.m. Friday; 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday; 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Segerstrom Center for the Arts, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. scfta.org
SATURDAY
Ryuichi Sakamoto, left; Bang on a Can All-Stars.
(The Wallis)
Ryuichi Sakamoto Contemporary music sextet Bang on a Can All-Stars pay tribute to the Japanese composer with works from his album “1996,” which included pieces from his film scores, including “Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence” (1983), “The Last Emperor” (1987), for which he won an Academy Award, “The Sheltering Sky” (1990) and “Little Buddha” (1993). 7:30 p.m. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. thewallis.org
Vijay Iyer and Wadada Leo Smith The longtime collaborators perform music from their 2025 album “Defiant Life” which Iyer noted “was shaped by our ongoing sorrow and outrage over the past year’s cruelties, but also by our faith in human possibility.” 8 p.m. UCLA Nimoy Theater, 1262 Westwood Blvd. cap.ucla.edu
Radiance + Reverie Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra music director Jaime Martín leads the group in Mozart’s “Haffner” Symphony, “Selah,” a world premiere of a new Double Concerto by Christopher Cerrone performed by violinist Anthony Marwood and cellist Coleman Itzkoff, and Tchaikovsky’s “Mozartiana.” 7:30 p.m. Saturday. Zipper Hall, 200 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A.; 4 p.m. Sunday. The Wallis, 9390 N. Santa Monica Blvd., Beverly Hills. laco.org
Mads Mikkelsen and Zlatko Burić in ‘Pusher II: With Blood on My Hands.”
(Jens Juncker-Jensen / NWR / Magnolia Pictures )
Pusher trilogy Danish filmmaker Nicolas Winding Refn’s gritty triptych takes us through the violent criminal underworld of Copenhagen in three interconnected films, each with a different protagonist: “Pusher” (1996), starring Kim Bodnia; “Pusher II: With Blood On My Hands” (2004), starring Mads Mikkelsen; “Pusher III: I’m The Angel Of Death,” starring Zlatko Burić. 5 p.m. Egyptian Theatre, 6712 Hollywood Blvd. americancinematheque.com
Jodi Siegel The singer-songwriter and guitarist is joined by guitarist Greg Porée and percussionist Justin Porée for an evening of blues, R&B, soul and jazz. 8 p.m. Sierra Madre Playhouse, Sierra Madre Playhouse, 87 W. Sierra Madre Blvd. sierramadreplayhouse.org
SUNDAY Celebrating Photography The Getty has a series of events inspired by the exhibition “Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985” (which continues through June 14). It begins Sunday with a free, daylong Family Festival featuring live music, dance, storytelling and interactive workshops. On Wednesday evening, moderator Karen Grigsby Bates and authors Dr. Karin L. Stanford and Mark Speltz discuss the new book “Marching West: The Los Angeles Civil Rights Movement in Photographs.” Thursday morning, the panel “Backstage: An Unfurling of the JPC: Black Photography & Visual Culture” examines how the Johnson Publishing Company and its photographers impacted Black visual culture and the larger field of photography. Finally, on June 7, authors Jeanne Moutoussamy-Ashe (“Viewfinders: Black Women Photographers”) and Deborah Willis (“Black Photographers, 1840 to 1940: An Illustrated Bio-Bibliography”) discuss their work as artists and historians. Family Festival, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday; “Backstage: An Unfurling of the JPC,” 10 a.m. Thursday (also online); “Marching West,” 7 p.m. Wednesday (also online); “Viewfinders,” 4 p.m. June 7 (also online). Getty Center, 1200 Getty Center Drive, L.A. getty.edu
F For Fake A 35 mm screening of Orson Welles’ 1973 enigmatic docudrama profiles professional art forger Elmyr de Hory as a starting point for examining authenticity and authorship. 6 p.m. Brain-Dead Studios, 611 N. Fairfax Ave. studios.wearebraindead.com
Philip Glass and the Poets The first major Philip Glass 90th birthday celebration (he was born Jan. 31, 1927) features Timo Andres on piano and spoken word performance by Taylor Mac, with special guest appearances by Lucinda Childs and the San Francisco Girls Chorus and their artistic director Valérie Sainte-Agathe. 7 p.m. UC Santa Barbara, Campbell Hall. artsandlectures.ucsb.edu
TUESDAY
Gustavo Dudamel will lead the L.A. Phil in Wagner’s “Die Walküre” in three parts, Tuessday-Sunday at Disney Concert Hall.
(Etienne Laurent / For The Times)
Die Walküre Conductor Gustavo Dudamel and the L.A. Phil, along with director Alberto Arvelo, tackle the second installment in Wagner’s epic Ring Cycle in three stand-alone parts with opera stars Jamez McCorkle, Jessica Faselt, Christine Goerke and Ryan Speedo Green, and scenic designs by Frank Gehry. Act I, 8 p.m. Tuesday and Friday; Act II, 8 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday; Act II, 8 p.m. Thursday and 2 p.m. Sunday. Walt Disney Concert Hall, 111 S. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. laphil.com
WEDNESDAY Being There Peter Sellers received an Oscar nomination for his portrayal of a simple gardener catapulted into the media spotlight and presidential politics in Hal Ashby’s prescient 1979 satire. Shirley MacLaine, Jack Warden and Melvyn Douglas co-star. Screening in 35 mm with an appearance by cinematographer Caleb Deschanel. 7:30 p.m. Academy Museum, 6067 Wilshire Blvd. academymuseum.org
Life of Mozart The Pasadena Choral Society presents the composer’s unfinished “Requiem” within a dramatic framework using Mozart’s own words. Milo Brody plays Mozart, accompanied by pianist Tali Tadmor, with solos by soprano Erika Boychenko, alto Ali Frazzini, tenor Eric Wernerand bass Chris Tickner. 7:30 p.m. San Marino Community Church, 1750 Virginia Rd #0412. givebutter.com/lifeofmozart
Primary Trust Times theater critic Charles McNulty described Eboni Booth’s 2024 Pulitzer Prize-winning play as “a quirky, small-scale, quietly reflective work that’s as tenderhearted as it is spryly comic and as poignant as it is ultimately uplifting,” when it had its West Coast premiere at La Jolla Playhouse. Once again directed by Knud Adams, it arrives in Los Angeles with a cast that includes Ugo Chukwu, Rebecca S’manga Frank, Petey McGee and James Urbaniak, with music by Luke Wygodny. Through June 28 Mark Taper Forum, 135 N. Grand Ave., downtown L.A. centertheatregroup.org
Studio installation view from “A Palace in Time” at the Skirball beginning May 20.
(Courtesy of Robert Russell and Lisa Edelstein.)
Skirball Spring Exhibitions The Skirball Cultural Center launches three new exhibitions next week: “Inventing America: The Comic Book Revolution”; “Outsiders, Outcasts, Rebels + Weirdos: Punk Culture 1976–1986”; and “Robert Russell and Lisa Edelstein: A Palace in Time.” All three open May 20, Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. skirball.org
THURSDAY
Ain’t Misbehavin’ Grammy Award-winning artist Ledisi headlines this Ebony Repertory Theatre production, in association with Fig Street Films, of the Tony Award-winning revue, a tribute to the music of Fats Waller. Directed by Wren T. Brown, with choreography by Dominique Kelley and music direction by William Foster McDaniel. Chester Gregory, Connie Jackson, Marty Austin Lamar and Natalie Wachen co-star. May 21 through June 8. Nate Holden Performing Arts Center, 4718 W. Washington Blvd. L.A. ebony rep.org.
Arts anywhere
New and recent releases of arts-related media.
Shaina Taub, Jenna Bainbridge and the cast of “Suffs” during the 77th Annual Tony Awards in 2024.
(Theo Wargo / Getty Images for Tony Awards Productions)
Suffs When the national tour of Shaina Taub’s musical about the suffragette movement marched through the Hollywood Pantages last fall, Times theater critic Charles McNulty wrote that it “is as informative as it is uplifting. It is above all a moving testament to the power of sisterhood. The struggle for equality continues to face crushing setbacks today, but Taub wants us to remember what can happen when people stand united for a just cause.” Captured on Broadway in December 2024, “Suffs,” starring Taub, who also wrote the book, music and lyrics for the show, debuted on PBS’ “Great Performances” earlier this month and is streaming online until the end of July. pbs.org
— Kevin Crust
Culture news and the SoCal scene
Johnie’s Coffee Shop in Los Angeles May 8.
(Ariana Drehsler / For The Times)
Artist Gary Baseman staged his first hometown show in more than a decade at the long-shuttered, but still iconic Johnie’s Coffee Shop along Miracle Mile on Wilshire Blvd. The Googie-style structure opened its doors for the exhibit, which featured a variety of Baseman’s drawings on menus from L.A.-area restaurants.
McNulty also weighed in with a review of a revival of Eugène Ionesco’s “Exit the King,” directed by Michael Michetti at A Noise Within. Ionesco, a Romanian-born French playwright, is one of the pillars of the Theatre of the Absurd, McNulty writes, adding, “The existential philosophy of Camus and Sartre, self-evident truths for these absurdist writers, is conveyed less through the content than through the style of their plays. Language is no longer a means of communication but a mark of the unbridgeable distance between human beings.”
People play a satirical video game installation titled “Operation Epic Furious Strait to Hell,” created by guerrilla art group Secret Handshake.
(Heather Diehl / Getty Images)
You can order a Diet Coke, or bomb Iran in a new video game about the Iran war called “Operation Epic Furious: Strait to Hell,” which was installed near the National Mall in Washington, D.C. by the anonymous arts activist group Secret Handshake. For the past year and a half the group has secured permits to erect an ongoing series of satirical public sculptures — mostly about President Trump’s alleged ties to convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein — on and around the National Mall. This is the group’s first foray into video games.
Times classical music critic Mark Swed devoted a recent column to the genius of the American theater director, playwright and performer Robert Wilson, who died last year at the age of 83. “So far this year, there have been, or will be through the end of June, major Wilson opera and theater productions in Moscow; Paris; Ljubljana, Slovenia; Düsseldorf, Germany; Adelaide, Australia; Kaunas, Lithuania; Vienna; Rome; Tokyo; Luxembourg City, Luxembourg; Berlin; Riga, Latvia; and Sophia, Bulgaria. That is to say, pretty much Wilson business as usual,” Swed writes, before examining two new performances of Wilson’s work in Brooklyn and Houston.
Artist Todd Gray stands in front of his work inside the Wilshire/La Cienega Metro Station on May 1 in Los Angeles.
(Carlin Stiehl / For The Times)
Iris Kwok marked the opening of L.A. Metro’s new D Line extension by profiling four of the artists behind the public artwork in three new stations. Nine artists in total worked on site-specific installations: Mariana Castillo Deball, Eamon Ore-Giron, Ken Gonzales-Day, Todd Gray, Karl Haendel, Soo Kim, Fran Siegel, Susan Silton and Mark Dean Veca.
Culver City’s Wende Museum of the Cold War announced it will build a $16-million expansion in Hawthorne. It plans to transform a newly purchased Midcentury Modern building into a research institute and interactive storage facility for its collections — “a ‘living archive,’ as it’s calling the facility,” writes Deborah Vankin. The opening is currently set for 2028.
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Alvin Ailey’s American Dance Theatre’s Chalvar Montei leaps for the stars. The troupe will perform as part of the Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center.
(Dario Calmese / Courtesy La Jolla Music Society )
The Music Center announced its lineup this week for the 2026–27 season of Glorya Kaufman Presents Dance at the Music Center. Highlights include the Joffrey Ballet’s West Coast premiere of “The Sleeping Beauty,” Compañía Nacional de Danza’s North American premiere of “Don Quixote,” and the Los Angeles premiere of a Jerome Robbins ballet festival curated by Tiler Peck. Alvin Ailey Dance Theater is also part of the lineup, and choreographer Sonya Tayeh will unveil an L.A. premiere set to the music of Sinéad O’Connor.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic has announced the 2026 summer season at the Ford. The open-air venue across from the Hollywood Bowl is now in its seventh season under LA Phil leadership, and shows are set to run through Oct. 31. Grab your picnic basket and select a date from a wide variety of shows including dance, music and film. Stand-out acts include Bilal and DJ Rashida, Matteo Bocelli, Jacob Collier, Judy Collins and Bruce Cockburn, Ani DiFranco and Valerie June, Helado Negro and Reyna Tropical, Joe Hisaishi, Iron & Wine, the L.A. Phil, and Punch Brothers.
The Institute of Latino Art has opened in Pomona, with a grand opening reception scheduled for June 13. Occupying the former Latino Art Museum space, the new gallery was founded by artist Oscar Magallanes. A news release notes, “ILA represents a new artist-led institution in the Inland Empire, working to connect regional communities with contemporary Latin American and Chicano art. The inaugural exhibition, ‘Reclamation: Art in Contested Spaces,’ features NSRGNTS, Lapiztola, and Rubén Ortiz-Torres.”
THE GREAT British break might not be so great very soon after it was announced that the overnight ‘holiday tax’ is set to be pushed forward.
Included in the King’s Speech was the dreaded new levy on staycations and one Butlin’s boss has hit back saying it will have big ‘consequences’ for families.
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The overnight levy will add additional costs for families holidaying in EnglandCredit: ButlinsPlaces like Butlin’s offer bargain breaks for Brits – but could be affected by the tax tooCredit: Butlins
Follow The Sun’s award-winning travel team on Instagram and Tiktok for top holiday tips and inspiration @thesuntravel.
Essentially, the government’s plan is introduce levy overnight accommodation like hotels, B&Bs, campsites or holiday homes.
It would allow local authorities in England to charge visitors an additional fee on overnight stays which is similar to systems already used in parts of Europe.
Unsurprisingly, the plans have not been met with positivity.
Matt Rake who is a resort director at Butlin’s in Bognor Regis – said the tax would have “consequences”, especially for working families.
The new tax could add £100 to a two-week family stayCredit: Alamy
He said: “It’s disappointing that the government is pressing ahead with the holiday tax despite how clear businesses, consumers and the hospitality sector have been about the potential consequences.
“In the Spring, the government said families being able to pay for a holiday should never be too much to ask, yet today they’ve confirmed the introduction of a measure that will hurt working families hard.
“We know how important domestic tourism is for Bognor Regis and the local businesses here. Holidays and short breaks support jobs and investment across our community throughout the year.”
He added that in a recent poll, 73 per cent of people would reduce or cut back on holidays in England if extra costs were introduced.
The ‘holiday tax’ was formally announced in the Autumn Budget in November 2025.
JUNIOR Andre has revealed he’s working on new music after talks to sign a huge new six-figure deal to team up with sister Princess for an exciting new project.
Junior has revealed he’s working on new music after spending the day in the studioCredit: InstagramHe released his debut single Slide in 2022 and enjoyed huge success with the trackCredit: Instagram
Now Junior, who released debut single Slide in 2022, has told fans he’s working on new tracks.
He took to Instagram to share a clip of him in the car and said: “Just finished the gym, on my way to the studio now.
It comes after The Sun revealed he and sister Junior are have sparked a bidding war to host their own podcastCredit: ShutterstockJunior and Princess with their dad Peter AndreCredit: ABACA/Shutterstock
“I’m excited to make another banger, you lot just wait. I feel good.”
Junior enjoyed huge success with his debut after Slide hit number one on the UK iTunes pop chart in 2022.
We told how Junior and Princess, the children of Katie Price and Peter Andre, are still deciding to who sign with after the huge interest in them.
A source exclusively told The Sun: “Princess and Junior are set to host their own podcast together.
“There was a huge bidding war and they’re still deciding who to sign with.
“It’s worth six figures and everyone is really excited about it.
“They really impressed a lot of podcast bosses on Princess’s TV show and during TV appearances, it’ll actually be their first time hosting together.”
Fans were obsessed with Princess and Junior’s dynamic on her reality show The Princess Diaries and it appears bosses are keen to replicate this on the podcast.
ITV2‘s The Princess Diaries follows Princess as she navigates social media influence, her personal branding and the challenges of being raised in the public eye while trying to trying to maintain a normal teenage life.
But bandmates John, Terry Coldwell and Brian Harvey aren’t included in the royalties.
John continued with the next iteration of the group, E-17, and was part of various line-ups over the years.
In 2018 though, enough was enough, and he decided to leave after falling out with Terry Coldwell and new arrival Robbie Craig.
It wasn’t long afterwards that he fell on hard times when the coronavirus pandemic shook the world. He was forced to move into a hostel with his family for 18 months, which he found particularly tough.
But in recent years things have taken a positive turn and John is successfully plying his trade as a roofer, the job he held before his pop career began.
He shares his trade on TikTok and his latest job saw him working on a tall property in Lewisham.
East 17 in 1995. From left to right, Terry Coldwell, Brian Harvey, John Hendy and Tony MortimerCredit: Getty
Though he was praised for his work ethic, fans feel he should have made enough from music to retire.
One person commented: “No hate, but how is this guy still working when he sold the records he did. He should be retired and living it up somewhere hot. Great resurrection album E17.”
Another said: “Nothing but respect for this man – royalties and fair distribution should see him retired and taking life easy – very unfair but what a lovely guy – humble.”
John previously reflected on how shortchanged his group was in an interview with the Mail Online.
He said: “I haven’t even got a house and people think you’re millionaires and that, and I’m thinking, I don’t even got an house out of it.
“We should have all come out with a house, at least.”
However, John admitted that, despite hanging out with “rich friends”, he is content with his work van and regularly discusses the highs and lows of having money with his pals.
He recalled: “When I turn up to a party and my rich friends are coming in their Porsche’s and Range Rovers and I’m pulling up in my roofing van and I’m like ‘oh mate, it makes me feel sick coming to your parties’.
“And then they put it in perspective to me. They are like ‘John, mate, it’s money, it doesn’t mean nothing, mate’.
“One friend said to me ‘I’d rather give this all up and then just go out for one week and experience what you’ve done’, you know what I mean? Because what an experience that is.”
John said he didn’t even get a house out of his 90s fameCredit: Instagram/johnhendyeast17_official
