Tag: news

Is This Just a Way To Get More Money Out Of Us?

I read with interest the comments made by Easyjet Holidays Chief Executive Garry Wilson and reported in the Majorca Daily Bulletin newspaper this week. He was talking at the ABTA convention in Greece the previous week. He commented that some destinations were introducing what he called “environmental fees.”

“While I understand the ethos, we need to understand what you’re doing with that money.” Wilson said it would be “understandable” if taxes were introduced with a ‘direct link’ to initiatives such as installing systems that automatically switch off air-conditioning and electric sockets when hotel rooms are empty. But he said if the revenue simply “goes into a big pot”, holidaymakers will think “this is just a way to get more money out of me”. Wilson said taxes were “going up and up and up when it comes to travel”.

Now on the one hand I totally agree with him on being as transparent as you can on where all the money is going. I wrote this in 2018, “Just a thought, why isn’t the Government promoting what they are spending the Tourist Tax money on? A video on that massive screen as you come through arrivals at the airport or pictures on the walls saying “last year we raised….and this is what we have spent the money on. Keeping Mallorca the way we all love it for now and for future generations.” Get Rafa Nadal to narrate the video, as he’s a Worldwide name that everybody knows and loves.”

It’s not rocket science, be upfront and proud of what you are doing. Which is basically what Mr Wilson is saying. Where I find his comments slightly disingenuous is when he says  “holidaymakers will think “this is just a way to get more money out of me”. Wilson said taxes were “going up and up and up when it comes to travel”.

Now I have to admit that EasyJet are my no-frills airline of choice but, this is a bit of the pot calling the kettle black, surely? All low-cost airlines and tour operators are always looking at ways to get more money from holidaymakers. It sometimes costs you more for a suitcase than it does a person these days! Not forgetting to add those other optional taxes such as choose my seat, car hire, insurance and a hotel room. They’ll be asking us to pay to enter the loo soon! 

A Mallorca Solution For The Winter Fuel Allowance

I have never voted in the UK elections as I’ve been away for so long. Whilst here in Mallorca, we can vote in the local elections, but not in the national elections. Which to me doesn’t make sense, as I’m a resident and taxpayer. Now I’m not one to talk politics but this week I’m going to attempt, well in a roundabout way. I know I need to have a good long word with myself, and believe me I will after this.

The good thing about a democracy is that everyone can have an opinion, you will either agree with it or disagree with it, but at least it leads to a healthy debate.

Every now and again, Governments will release a policy or a decision that really riles up the electorate. Remember the poll tax, the Iraqi war or here in Mallorca the Tourist Tax? The current Labour government has come up with a policy that has caused a lot of controversy. I am of course talking about the winter fuel allowance. Introduced in 1997 by the then-chancellor, Gordon Brown, the winter fuel payment was intended to help older people with their heating costs during the colder months. Paid annually in autumn, it is £200 or £300, depending on age, and had always been universal, paid to everyone, irrespective of income or wealth.

But in a speech in the House of Commons in July, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, announced that from now on the payment would be given only to older people who received pension credit, meaning only the very poorest pensioners. This is expected to reduce the number who get the money from more than 11 million to about 1.5 million.

I remember my Mum used to receive it and was grateful for the extra money during the winter and enabled her to heat her property for longer than she would normally do. 

I arrived in Mallorca in 1990 and back then the winters were just as busy as the summers. One of the main reasons for this was that pensioners would come away for months on end during the winter to get away from the cold weather in the UK. I worked winters here in Mallorca, The Algarve and Gran Canaria, and you’d get rooming lists of pensioner couples and singles, and it was very popular at the time. They had dedicated brochures in those days such as Golden Circle, Golden Days and Leisurely Days and whilst the tour operators still offer this, it doesn’t seem to be something that they push as much as they used to. 

Saga is the one of the main dedicated companies in this market and having done my research I’ve discovered I am actually eligible to go on one of their holidays! 

It got me thinking that why doesn’t the UK government approach the Tour Operators and ask if they would be willing to look at providing cheaper holidays for pensioners? Are you mad? I hear you ask. Well, maybe, but they do have a system like that here in Spain. 

The Imserso scheme is a social scheme that’s primary objective is to offer affordable holidays to the elderly residents of Spain. It is hoped that by subsidising trips for pensioners, their health and quality of life will improve whilst their dependence on others will decrease. As well as benefiting pensioners, the scheme will also benefit the wider community by incentivising economic activity and increasing employment within the tourism sector during the quieter winter months. Something Mallorca is crying out for. 

The Imserso scheme is only intended for Spanish residents, but here’s something I didn’t know. If you are an ex-pat who permanently resides in Spain, then you can take part in the programme provided you meet any of the following criteria:

  • A person who is retired and part of the Spanish public pension system.
  • A person who receives a widow’s or widower’s pension and is aged 55 or older.
  • A person who receives unemployment benefits or subsidies and is aged 60 or older.
  • A holder or beneficiary of Spain’s Social Security System, aged 65 or older 

Mallorca would in my opinion be a perfect destination as it’s only 2 hours from the UK and although the winter temperatures aren’t like the summer. They are certainly warmer than the UK. I’m sure it would be popular amongst pensioners and as I said above it would create employment here. Benidorm does it, so why can’t we? 

Maybe it’s something that could be discussed at the World Travel Market in London in November? Just a thought, now I’m off to have that word with myself and study that Saga brochure. 

The National Anthem Debate

I’m a little bit late to the party, talking about whether the England football manager should sing the national anthem. For me, it’s a matter of choice and if I’m honest I don’t care if you belt it out or remain silent, I just want to see us win a trophy! 

If you didn’t know the current interim England manager is Lee Carsley, who was born in Birmingham, but by default he’s actually Irish and qualified for the Republic of Ireland through his grandmother, who was from Dunmanway, County Cork. He played 40,games for them in total between 1997 and 2008. So all this pile on about he should be singing our anthem or be fired is totally over the top and let’s face it, he’s not actually English. Was it questioned when Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson or Italian Fabio Cabello didn’t sing it whilst in charge of England? Probably not.

In times of triumph and trouble, on royal or state occasions and on the sporting pitch, these anthems lay bare the beating hearts of a nation, united in song. But If you really want to hear an anthem sung the best, then I suggest you go to an international rugby match. 

It made me think of compiling a top 10 of the World’s best anthems. I’ve gone for the most passionate ones, and in true chart style I’ll do it in reverse order. 

Spain: I have to include the country I have lived in for the past 34 years. Although interestingly, “La Marcha Real” is one of only 4 national anthems that doesn’t have any words.

Australia: What I like about their anthem is that from the first two lines, “Australians all, let us rejoice, for we are young and free.” It sounds upbeat and modern and continues on that theme all the way through.

New Zealand: Like Australia this a modern sounding anthem and what I like about it is, it is sung in both Māori and in English. Showing the heritage of the country. If you are at a New Zealand All Blacks rugby game, you’ll also be treated to their traditional “Haka” after the anthem. 

Ireland: They have two anthems, ‘Ireland’s Call’ and “Amhrán na bhFiann” (Soldier’s Song). Their decision to sing two different anthems is a result of the historic divisions in the nation. It is good to see though a united Ireland playing sport together. 

Scotland: It’s an unofficial anthem, but a powerful tune that commemorates the victory of the Scots after Robert the Bruce defeated England’s Edward II at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314. Normally at the rugby, a lone piper will play the first verse and the crowd are left to sing the second verse on their own.

England: Surely being English, our anthem should be my number one? Whilst I do find it uplifting, it’s a little slow for my liking. I think, like all the other home nations, England should have its own anthem. “Jerusalem” for instance, a hymn that we had at our wedding, would be perfect. 

Italy: You’d be hard pushed to find a more passionate anthem. The lyrics were written by Goffredo Mameli in September 1847, but it was not until 2017 that the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill to confirm the “Canto degli Italiani” an official hymn of the Italian Republic.

USA: The Star-Spangled Banner is the national anthem of the United States.

To celebrate their victory over British forces during the War of 1812, U.S. soldiers raised a large American flag at Fort McHenry in Baltimore, Maryland, on September 14, 1814. When we took Pirates to Miami in 2006/7 one of the things we did was raise the American flag on the galleon at the end of the show, whilst playing the national anthem. It was always a great ending. I don’t think I’ve seen this anthem sung any better than when Whitney Houston did it in 1991 at the Super Bowl. 

France: “La Marseillaise” is bold, catchy and revolutionary in every sense of the word as it was created during the French Revolution. I think the French just shade the Italians in their passion for their anthem. 

Wales: “Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau” is my number one choice. Even as an Englishman, you can’t help but be moved by this anthem. Especially when it is sung at the national stadium and Wales are playing England at Rugby. The crowd along with the Welsh choir create an unbelievable sound that still makes my hairs stand on end. 

No matter which country they belong to, national anthems are all sung with fervent passion and patriotism. It’s your choice whether you sing them or not.

Please note, I have started a weekly podcast with my good friend Martin Makepeace. It is called “Talking Balearics”. I have been in Mallorca for 34 years and Martin in Ibiza for 33 years, so between us, we have a good knowledge of current affairs across the islands. You can listen on all the normal podcast platforms, and we welcome your input and feedback. 

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the island’s number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos. Subscribe to receive his blogs at http://www.dadtaximallorca.com

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

Mallorca Going For Gold

The Olympics opened in Paris last night and Mallorca has quite a few representatives in the games and has been the training ground for many individuals and teams leading up to it. Here are all of our athletes and the sports they are competing in. 

Adrián Abadía (Palma) Synchronised 3m springboard.

Álex Abrines (Palma) Basketball.

Nacho Baltasar (Palma) Sailing. iQFOiL.

Paula Barceló (Palma) Sailing. 49er FX.

Mariona Caldentey (Felanitx) Football.

Juana Camilión (Palma) Basketball 3×3.

Cata Coll (Marratxí) Football.

Marcus Cooper (Oxford) Canoeing. K4-500, K2-500.

Sergio de Celis (Palma) Swimming. 100m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m breaststroke.

Rudy Fernández (Palma) Basketball.

Mavi García (Marratxí). Road cycling. 

Hugo González (Palma). Swimming. 200m backstroke, 200m backstroke, 100m backstroke, 4×100 freestyle.

Patri Guijarro (Palma) Football.

Joan Toni Moreno (Pollença). Canoeing. C2-500.

Nicolau Mir (Palma). Artistic gymnastics. Teams and individual.

Jaume Munar (Santanyí) Tennis. Individual.

Rafael Nadal (Manacor) Tennis. Singles and doubles.

Alba Torrens (Binissalem) Basketball.

It is the first time ever that 3 athletes from Mallorca have competed in the same team. Mariona Caldentey from Felanitx, Cata Coll from Portol and Patri Guijarra from Palma will compete together in the women’s football.

Gymnast Nicolau Mir is from the Xelska Gymnastics Club in Palma, who we sponsor at Pirates. 

Basketball player Rudy Fernandez will be competing in his sixth Olympic Games and is considered to be the Spanish flag bearer at the closing ceremony of Paris’24.

Rafa Nadal will compete in his last Olympics and possibly his last competitive matches in Paris. He will play in both the Men’s singles event, and he will team up with Wimbledon Champion Carlos Alcaraz in the Men’s doubles.

Marcus Cooper was born in Oxford, England, to an American father and a British/German mother, the family moved to Mallorca when Cooper was 3 months old. The Spanish Olympic Committee selected Cooper, together with women’s sailor Tamara Echegoven as the flag bearers for the country.

With Mallorca having such a plethora of great sporting facilities, with great all year round weather and being easily accessible. There has been no shortage of teams and individuals training here pre-Olympics.

Matthew O’Connor who runs the Best Swim Centre in Ses Salines told me “We have had the New Zealand, Croatian, Norwegian and Bosnian national swim teams, who all just left for Paris in the last few days. The Canada open water swim team arrived this past week. Then the New Zealand, Croatian and Czech Paralympic teams arrive over the next few weeks.”

From The Best Swim Centre, Real Mallorca’s training ground, Rafa Nadal’s tennis centre, the Palma cycling Velodrome, the Son Hugo dive centre and the athletics stadium in Magaluf, there is no shortage of facilities. Add in the road cyclists, the sailors, the canoeists, the basketball players and many more, you can see why Mallorca not only produces great athletes but has all the facilities to help many others from around the World. 

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the island’s number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos. Subscribe to receive his blogs at http://www.dadtaximallorca.com

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

Brexit, Was It Worth It?

The 23rd of June 2016 was a day when the older generation in the UK totally changed the landscape for the younger generation. It was the day that Brexit became a reality and unfortunately, just over half of the population believed the spin of vote leave campaign more than vote remain. One of the driving forces for vote leave was immigration, and by taking away the freedom of movement they said the UK would get their borders back. Well that went well didn’t it!

On the one hand, all it has done is to drive the people to take much riskier ways of getting to the UK. And on the other hand, it has denied the younger generation in the UK, the freedom to travel and work abroad. 

I can take this back even further, when the Conservative/Liberal Democrat coalition took away the opportunity for parents to take their children out of school during term time for a holiday. A subject I’ve talked about before. Seeing new countries, experiencing new cultures, hearing new languages and tasting different cuisines should be part of their education in my opinion. And it should be in the hands of the parents and teachers to decide if a child could take some time away, not a Government Minister.

Why is the UK Government so obsessed with denying people the freedom to travel? It seems they and those who voted for Brexit forgot they were young once and decided it is best that they deny the same opportunities to younger people.

In the last few weeks I’ve highlighted the slowness at passport controls now and   that employing people from the UK is virtually impossible here in Mallorca. So imagine my surprise and anger when I heard this. Rishi Sunak has rejected an EU offer to strike a post-Brexit deal to allow young Britons to live, study or work in the bloc for up to four years.

The prime minister declined the European Commission’s surprise proposal of a youth mobility scheme for people aged between 18 and 30.

The current UK Government are on borrowed time, but even the Labour Party who are tipped to get into power have rejected this. Saying, “Labour has no plans for a youth mobility scheme. We have already suggested some tangible ways that we would look to improve the relationship and deliver for British businesses and consumers.”

In fact the only ones who support this are the Liberal Democrats, their leader Ed Davey says “Expanding our existing youth mobility visas to cover European countries on a reciprocal basis would be a win-win. 

“It would be a much-needed boost to our economy, especially hospitality and tourism; it would offer great new opportunities to young British people to work abroad; and it would be a crucial step towards fixing our broken relationship with Europe.” Unfortunately, the Lib/Dems have as much chance of winning the election as Tottenham Hotspur do of winning a trophy. 

Anand Menon, a professor of European politics and foreign affairs at King’s College London and director of UK in a Changing Europe, said: “Clearly there is a debate to be had about the costs and the benefits of a youth mobility scheme, but I find it utterly depressing that both of the major political parties, one of which will form a government after the next election, do not know the difference between free movement and a limited youth mobility scheme which involves visas.”

It is true that a youth mobility scheme would not be a return to freedom of movement and would, if agreed, require a YMS visa, evidence of sufficient funds to sustain a living and health insurance. There is speculation that the UK will try and do individual deals with certain countries rather than the whole Bloc. If that is the case, then I sincerely hope that Spain is top of that list. 

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the island’s number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos. Subscribe to receive his blogs at http://www.dadtaximallorca.com

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

Mallorca Shines in Another Industry

I’m always banging on about football in Mallorca and how important it is to the youth of our island but also the success of Real Mallorca and its importance to the island’s tourism industry cannot be underestimated. As it works mainly in the low season from late August to early May it should be shouted from the rooftops how well they are doing. Mallorca’s average home attendance last season was 14,798 and this season it currently stands at 17;193. The club has a record 20,000 season ticket holders compared to 16,000 last season and there is no doubt that the stadium improvements with more still to come are a big factor in this. The league form hasn’t been amazing and there’s still work to do to avoid relegation but the run to the Copa del Rey final has caught the fans attention. I talked last week about the difficulty in getting to the final in Seville but you could see as many as 20,000 make the trip. 

Tourism is our number one industry and I hear about more and more people coming to the island to take in a game. Mallorca have five home games left and two of those are against Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid which I’m sure will draw sellout crowds. 

The success of Real Mallorca’s first team has helped its U-19 Division Honor team to make history by winning the Copa del Rey Juvenil for the first time in their history. The team won 4-2 on penalties against RCD Espanyol in Oviedo after 120 minutes of high quality football but with no one managing to score a goal. This is a competition with the majority of teams from La liga represented including Real Madrid and Barcelona. A friend of mine went to watch the game and was very impressed by the team. Some of those players will be integrated into the first team or the B team next season and some will move onto other professional teams but it’s great to see them doing so well. 

Probably one of the best players Real Mallorca has produced is Marco Asensio. He started at a local club Platges de Calvia, followed by Real Mallorca. He then moved to Real Madrid and is now plying his trade at Paris Saint Germain. This week it was announced by Calvia Council that the Platges de Calvia stadium in Magalluf will be renamed the Marco Asensio Stadium in tribute to its finest player. 

Whilst this is all good news for Mallorca I’m still surprised that they still haven’t got a Women’s team, despite the island providing two of Spains World Cup winners in Cata Coll and Mariana Caldentey. It’s a subject I’m trying to get more information on. However our other professional team here in Mallorca, Atlético Baleares does have a very successful women’s team which to be honest is currently doing better than their Men’s team. Despite only being formed in 2018 they have made their way from local leagues to the Segunda RFEF which in women’s football is equivalent to the third division. They are currently in third place with an opportunity to get promoted to the Primera RFEF and then they will be one promotion from the highest women’s league in Spain. A great achievement.

Success on the pitch comes from good coaching and two of the biggest clubs in the English Premier League have coaches that were born here in Mallorca. 

Carlos Vicens of Manchester City was born in Colonia de San Jordi here on the island and started his career as the academy director and assistant manager at CD Llosetense. He joined City’s academy in 2017 and after a successful season in 20-21 as a Head Coach of the U18s, winning the FA Youth Cup and being crowned U18 Premier League National Champions, he was promoted to the first team as Assistant Coach under Pep Guardiola in the summer of 2021. As assistant coach he was credited on Match of the Day last Sunday as the architect for Jon Stones goal against Liverpool last weekend. 

Carlos Cuesta at just 28 years old has already got a very impressive coaching CV. He was born here in Palma and was an accomplished footballer playing at Santa Catalina Atlético and representing a Balearic representative side alongside fellow Mallorquín and Real Madrid player Marco Asensio. But playing wasn’t his thing, he enjoyed coaching so started with his clubs Benjamin(U-9 to U-10’s) team. After training the kids for four years, at 18 years old, Carlos moved to Madrid to study at INEF (Faculty of Sciences for Physical Activity and Sport) and also helped out at Atletico Madrid. Where, as he did here in Mallorca, he took control of a number of the youth teams and all the while he watched Diego Simeone coach the first team. Since then he has worked at Manchester City with Pep Guardiola and at Juventus with Max Allegri and Maurizio Sarri. He is now part of the new set up at Arsenal under Mikel Arteta, who was part of Pep’s coaching team where he first met Carlos. 

He speaks a remarkable six languages; English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, French and Catalan and works on a one-on-one basis with the players.

His focus is heavy on technical skills and tactical ideas, while physical loading is kept to the minimum. The training sessions are filmed and Cuesta does a lot of video analysis with Arsenal’s stars individually. For him it’s about holistically working out a player’s identity to find out what they need to thrive, leaning on their physical, mental, technical and tactical capabilities and requirements. That without doubt would have helped the players in the penalty shootout win against Porto last Tuesday. Even though he is only 28, he is already being talked about as a future manager. 

Once again Mallorca shines through in another industry and it’s remarkable when you think the population is just under one million people. 

Richie is the MD at Pirates, the islands number one night out featuring Adventure, Reloaded and Gringos. Subscribe to receive his blogs at http://www.dadtaximallorca.com

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

Steve Wright in the Afternoon A Tribute

I grew up in a time before the World Wide Web, mobile phones, Social Media, You Tube and Sky TV, I know unbelievable isn’t it? The only live football game we were able to watch was the FA Cup Final in May. Match of the Day was on a Saturday night and The Big Match was on a Sunday afternoon, with both showing highlights of the weekends games. My love of football was strong then and I kept in touch with it by listening to BBC Radio 2 or Sport on 2 as it was known. Renton Laidlaw was the presenter with Bryon Butler and Peter Jones the commentators and the full-time results were read by James Alexander Gordon. I think probably this was where my love of radio started. 

I wouldn’t say I was a huge music fan, I would listen to Radio 1 but it wasn’t something I religiously tuned into like I did with sport. That was until March 1981 when a new show started in the afternoons on Radio 1 from 2pm until 5pm. It was called Steve Wright in the Afternoon and it was about to change radio forever. Sadly I sit here today to pay tribute to the man that was the soundtrack to our afternoons. 

I was of course listening to the radio when I heard the tragic news of his passing. It came as quite a shock and it felt like I had lost a member of my family. Steve Wright in the Afternoon was totally different than anything heard before on radio. He brought Zoo radio to our ears. A live radio show which consists of two or more presenters, music, chat, guest interviews, characters, an audience phone-in and competitions delivered in a spontaneous, comic way. Steve’s “posse” as they were known were Janey Lee Grace, Tim Smith with the traffic news coming from firstly Sally Boazman(aka Sally Traffic) and from 2014, Bobbi Pryor. One of the most memorable parts of the shows for me were the characters and I’ve got very nostalgic this past week listening back to some of them. 

Probably my favourite was Sid the manager, “Hello Boy, Sid here” and the sign off would always be , “I’ll speak to you later, Hello?” I can still hear the voice now. A very good friend of mine Ian and I still answer the phone to each other by saying “hello boy!”

Mr Mad “he’s not mad he’s raving mad!”

Mick Jagger, voiced so  impressively by Phil Cornwall who said that he’d heard Jagger himself had said that he’d once heard himself on radio and that he couldn’t remember speaking to Steve Wright. 

Mr Angry from Purley, “I’m so angry I’m going to throw this phone down!”

Old Woman was played by Joyce Frost who was an actual old woman who sadly passed away in 2016. At one point Steve was asked to drop the character because of “stereotyping”, however Joyce stepped in and said she would be devastated if she lost her role on the show.

Others that featured were, Damian the social worker, Gervais the hairdresser, John Bole, Barry from Watford, Elvis with the feature Ask Elvis and so many more.

Steve had great features which held the show together. Things like “It’s another true story” which then became Factoids. In fact he could even make the weather sound fun and interesting. His preparation was second to none, it became his life. His fellow DJ Paul Gambaccini said Steve would finish his show on a Friday and fly to America and be back on Sunday just so he could listen to American radio shows for ideas and content. He would holiday there too and drive around in a car just listening to different radio stations. 

After his move from Radio 1 to Radio 2, Steve Wright in the Afternoon was to become The Big Show. Not in any pretentious way it just was the biggest and by far the best.  On July 1st 2022, Wright announced on air that the show would end in September 2022, as Radio 2 boss Helen Thomas “wanted to do something different in the afternoons”. The final show was broadcast on September 30th. He took it so well and continued his other show Sunday Love Songs which he used to pre-record. It was a show my Wife would listen to and even when you heard it you could hear it still had that Steve Wright fun element. 

My only regret is I didn’t listen enough in his latter years as I’d discovered Hawksbee & Jacobs on Talksport who were on at the same time. 

However on BBC sounds you can find a collection of programmes and podcasts where you can hear Steve doing what he loved best, interviewing some of the biggest stars in the World.

Steve Wright to me was the G.O.A.T. and the King of afternoon radio. Like Terry Wogan or to me Chris Evans was to Breakfast. It’s  made me think that my time in radio isn’t over just yet. A better work, health and family balance and I will be back in the future. 

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 

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 

New Year, New You?

New Year, new you. How’s that going for everybody? I’m not really one for New Years Resolutions. If you want to change something then for me do it in the moment, why wait? Last year after a health scare and doing a full MOT it became obvious to me that I needed to change. 

Remember that old saying, ‘Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will. We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game.’ So the game I was playing needed to change. You’re not getting any younger gets levelled at me, which is fair enough. But can I just check something, am I the only one who gets new knee or hip adverts come up on social media? The infinite amount of walking apps I receive too and also  the old fella doing his exercises sat on a chair, cheek! I’ve had a gym membership at Viva gym in Son Fusteret Palma for quite a while now. I use it when the boys are at football training in the evenings. I say ‘use it’ as that’s not entirely true. It’s a winter thing as in the summer we’re too busy at Pirates. I had been going regularly before Christmas and made a point of going as soon as I got back from holiday. Having Christmas and then a holiday isn’t a great combination if losing weight is on your agenda. I walked in last Monday evening to a gym that was packed with people of all shapes and sizes. Yes it was obviously the new year resolution brigade out in force. Some of them obviously had got new gym wear or new trainers as a present and were there to show them off. I wonder how long they will last? It’s all down to how much you want it. For me, I’m going to go as often as I can for as long as I can and hopefully see a difference. 

Splitting my work and family time for me now is more important than ever. I love watching my boys grow up and change. Regular readers will know I have two boys, Jacob and Jude. Jacob is 18 and in his last year of school and Junior football and Jude who is 14. They are like chalk and cheese. Jacob has been working with me at Pirates for a couple of years and is a grafter. Try telling his Mum that, because at home he’s completely the opposite. It will be interesting to see what career path he will take after this summer season. We still have to push him into the shower after football training or a match and he has no interest in fashion, as a football shirt will do. Whereas Jude will shower before and after a game and will dress immaculately even if we’re just going to Lidl. The difference in them though does make it interesting to watch them grow and change. Jude in particular should be my motivation as over the past year he has lost 25kgs. He did it with the help of a professional nutritionist and his own will power. Without doubt it’s helped him from a confidence point of view both in his football and his own personality. I’m very proud of my two boys and look forward to seeing then grow further. 

During the pandemic we decided to get ourselves a dog. It’s a big undertaking as to be honest it’s like having another child. Beau our Labrador has become part of the family now and for my Wife and I gives us an opportunity to get out walking. Thanks to Montaire Labradors where we got Beau from who’ve been a great help. 

Lastly and not on any purpose, is my long suffering Wife, Rachael. Who else would put up with us three or four now for all these years? She has done an amazing job with her theatre school over the last 15 years even managing to get through the pandemic. So well that the school that she does her classes in on a Saturday asked her to become their drama teacher a couple of years ago. She also gets a special mention this week because it’s her 50th birthday. Guess what? Work and football have got in the way of us celebrating this week but hopefully there’s a gap between games that we can celebrate this weekend. 

Happy Birthday Rachael, we all love you and thank you for all you do for us. 

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