Tag: music

The Home Of Live Music

Mention Mallorca and the majority of people will agree it is an island of contrast. From the beautiful beaches in the North, to the mountains of the West, the caves and coves of the East and the bustling busy nightlife of the South. There is something for absolutely everyone. 

One thing you might not think about when coming to the island is live music. But over the years Mallorca has hosted some of the biggest artists in the World. Including Elton John, Ed Sheeran, Simply Red and David Guetta to name just a few. This year is looking like a bumper year if you love your live music and it’s happening in all genres.

At Pirates last year we trialled a series of DJs at our Reloaded show, including the legend that is Judge Jules and Fat Boy Slim and Zoe Ball’s son Woody Cook. They were all amazing but the one that definitely grabbed the audience was Charlie Sloth. He played three shows in May, June and September and each one sold out. So this year we decided to sign him for a residency every Friday at Reloaded from May 10th to September 13th. 

Charlie Sloth is a British DJ, hype man, producer, and TV presenter. He worked as a presenter and presented the daily drivetime show on BBC Radio 1Xtra from September 2012 to November 2017. He hosts the Rap Show and curates playlists for Apple Music. In addition, it was announced that Sloth had signed a deal with Jay Z’s Roc Nation in August 2020. In addition to his work on radio, Sloth is also a successful live DJ. He has toured extensively around the world, and he has played at some of the biggest festivals in the world, including Glastonbury, Coachella, and Wireless. He is a popular figure in the UK music scene, helping to launch the careers of a number of successful artists, including Stormzy, Skepta, and Dave.

He is also an investor and brand ambassador for AU Vodka. Set up in 2015 by two teenage boys from Wales who thought they could do things just a little better. One of those boys Charlie Morgan, became famous earlier in his life, as he was the ball boy who was kicked by Chelsea player Eden Hazard in a league cup semi-final. The brand reportedly sold 3.5 million bottles in 2023, they are sold in more than 40 countries and 32 American states. You’ll find it stocked in most UK airports and supermarkets and Easyjet have added it to their drinks and duty free trollies. As celebrities go Charlie Sloth is one of the most genuine I have had the pleasure to meet. Remember that when buying your ticket, not only will you see Charlie Sloth but included in your ticket price is a Club, Show, Experience matched by no one on the island. For tickets please go to http://www.piratesreloaded.com 

Mallorca Live at the old Aquapark just down the road from Pirates will take place this year on June 13th, 14th and 15th. This year they have really pulled out all the stops with three top headliners. Underworld aka Karl Hyde and Rick Smith were part of the the ’90s underground techno scene, the group’s definitive breakthrough came in 1996 when their timeless anthem ‘Born Slippy (Nuxx)’ became the soundtrack of a generation after it was featured in the film Trainspotting. The success of that single catapulted the British duo from the underground into the heart of the mainstream.

Blondie are an American rock band founded in 1974 in New York City by singer Debbie Harry and guitarist Chris Stein. The band were a pioneer in the American new wave scene of the mid-1970s in New York City. “Heart of Glass” was their best selling single among many others. As a teenager I had a crush on Debbie Harry and had her posters on my bedroom wall, along with football ones of course!

The Pet Shop Boys are listed in The Guinness Book of Records as the most successful duo in UK music history. Since signing to Parlophone Records in 1985, they have achieved 42 Top 30 singles in the UK including 22 Top 10 hits and four number ones. They have released 14 studio albums all of which have made the UK Top 10 as well as album charts around the world. Their best selling single is “West End Girls” and last year saw the release of SMASH – The Singles 1985-2020, the complete collection of their singles from across 35 years of iconic releases. For tickets please go to http://www.mallorcalivefestival.com 

In Palma at Son Fusteret you will be able to see Tom Jones and James Blunt as part of the Palma Concert Series. James Blunt has a connection to the island as he got married here in 2014 and Tom Jones returns to the island after his hugely successful concert in Port Adriano in 2017. Organisers say that more artists will be revealed soon. For tickets please go to http://www.palmaconcertseries.com 

As yet Port Adriano haven’t released their line up for the summer, I’m told it should be ready by the end of April. 

For the younger people out there my understanding is that the Origen festival will return to Son Fusteret with Elrow yet to be confirmed. BCM haven’t yet released their DJ line up but I’m sure it will be as good as last years that featured Meduza, Bob Sinclair, Steve Aoki, Fisher and Joel Corry to name just a few. 

I’m sure that more artists will be released in the coming weeks, making it an exciting year for live music here on the island.

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the islands number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos.

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com 

Quality Street

If you’re visiting London you’ll be inundated with recommendations of where to visit. One place that might not be high on some peoples lists is St Pancras International Station. It opened in 1868 and is a masterpiece of Victorian Gothic architecture and one of the most elegant stations in the World.  It is the terminus for Eurostar services from Belgium, Netherlands and France with an exciting collection of shops, restaurants and bars, including Europe’s longest Champagne bar. It is normally the station I go to if I’m going to watch Arsenal, the theatre or go shopping. 

One of the things I love about St Pancras is the piano that is in the middle of the concourse. Now this isn’t any old piano, on the 4th of February 2016, Elton John performed a medley at the station, to promote the album “Wonderful Crazy Night.” Following his performance, he donated the piano to the station, marking it with the inscription, “Enjoy this piano. It’s a gift.

Last week that famous piano hit the news, if you could call it news. It was one of the most ridiculous things I’ve seen in a long time. A guy was playing and live streaming on his you tube channel, when a group of Chinese tourists who happened to be in his shot asked him to stop filming them. They apparently were waiting to use the piano and as the guy who was playing said, “well why don’t you go away and come back when I’m finished?” They refused. You couldn’t make it up. The next day the piano was sealed off and the station said it was due to maintenance work. Can someone get a grip please!

I noticed when travelling to the UK that there was a piano situated between gates C and D in the airport at Palma. One of the things I’ve always wanted to do is play the piano. I can play Match of the Day and the Wombles of Wimbledon, so you can tell I’m no Elton John. It’s on my list of things to do in retirement. 

All this though reminded of how much I love watching street entertainers. Talented musicians have taken to perform on London’s transport network since 2003 with the London Underground Licensed Busking Scheme, brightening people’s journeys with genres from rock, to classical and pop for 364 days-a-year. 20 years on, the network now has more than 200 registered buskers, the busking scheme has up to 39 pitches across 25 central London stations which are clearly defined by a semi-circular floor graphic. 

Staying in London, I would thoroughly recommend you go to Covent Garden as the street entertainers there are second to none. Since the 1660s Covent Garden has never missed a chance to put on a performance. The first record of Covent Garden street entertainment came in 1662, when Samuel Pepys’ diary notes that a marionette show featuring a character named Punch took place on the Piazza. The best place in my opinion to watch the entertainers is the roof terrace at the  Punch and Judy pub. The pub was built in 1787 and was named after the Punch and Judy shows performed there for the children of the flower sellers.

We have street entertainers in Palma, particularly in and around the Cathedral area. I love to watch the statues, who are amazing. All street entertainers should have a licence that can be applied for at Palma Town Hall. 

Our holiday in Jamaica was enhanced by the guys that wandered the beach during the day. In particular the guy in the picture with my son Jude. He did his version of Bob Marley’s ‘One Love’ whilst basically strumming his guitar up and down with no actual tune. No offence but he would have been better off singing ‘One Tooth’ as he was dentally challenged. But he was very grateful for the beer we invited him to, to persuade him to move on. He would in fact treat us to the same rendition pretty much every day and in a strange way we used to look forward to his performance. 

The Bob Marley film ‘One Love’ should arrive in our cinemas here in Mallorca around February 14th. He is still revered in Jamaica and it’s a film I’m very much looking forward to seeing after our holiday there.

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the islands number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos.

Follow him on Twitter @DadTaxi1 & Instagram @dad.taxi or feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com