The Ed Sheeran Backlash, Oasis Are Happy and Cryptic Emails from Harry Styles

Sidetracked with Annie and Nick

The episode navigates a turbulent week in music, centered heavily on the fallout from Ed Sheeran dropping Macklemore from his US tour follow

Key takeaways

• Macklemore was removed from Ed Sheeran's US tour after venues threatened to cancel shows if he remained on the lineup due to his Palestine comments.
• Oasis announced a massive 2027 tour including dates in Manchester, Dublin, and Ireland, featuring fixed ticket prices to avoid dynamic pricing controversy.
• Harry Styles sent an email to fans suggesting uncertainty about his future in music following his Madison Square Garden residency.
• Charli XCX defended her limited European tour dates as a necessary boundary for her mental health and artistic integrity.
• Glastonbury 2026 tickets are set to go on sale soon, with rumors circulating around headliners like Taylor Swift and Stevie Wonder.

Main topics

• Ed Sheeran and Macklemore controversy
• Oasis 2027 tour announcement
• Harry Styles' cryptic future

Notable quotes

I don't know what comes next for me.

Conclusion

The episode highlights the increasing tension between political activi

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) This BBC podcast is supported by ads outside the UK. Welcome to the Haunted Library. Have you come in search of a tale? This podcast invites you to browse the shelves and find stories that will linger long after you've left this place. From gothic masterpieces to pulpy penny dreadfuls, join me, Colin Morgan, with new episodes twice a week. Find The Haunted Library wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 3 (0:38) One, two, one, two. Speaker 2 (0:54) Hello, welcome to Sidetracked. I'm Nick Grimshaw. My name is Annie Speaker 3 (0:57) McManus. And this is Speaker 2 (0:58) Sidetracked, where we meander through our weeks in the world of music. Before we get into it, we should let you know there may be swearing in the podcast. Speaker 3 (1:08) There may be. Just Speaker 2 (1:09) to give you a heads up. There may be. It's Speaker 3 (1:11) a Speaker 2 (1:11) legal requirement. But Speaker 3 (1:12) it's great to be here. Thank you for listening. Loads to discuss this week. Yes. Big news stories. Speaker 2 (1:18) Big Speaker 3 (1:18) shows. All sorts of stuff going on. All Speaker 2 (1:21) sorts of stuff. How's your morning been? It's been good. I Speaker 3 (1:24) started off, I've been waking up early and I really like that time in the house when no one else is awake. Do Speaker 2 (1:29) you Speaker 3 (1:29) like that Speaker 2 (1:30) it's a bit dark in the mornings now? Speaker 3 (1:31) Yeah. Me Speaker 2 (1:32) too. Speaker 3 (1:33) Yeah. I always Speaker 2 (1:33) thought I'd dread it, but actually. It's Speaker 3 (1:35) quite nice, isn't it? It feels Speaker 2 (1:36) kind Speaker 3 (1:36) of cosy. Cosy. So I did my grocery online order whilst listening to you on the sofa with a blanket. Speaker 2 (1:44) Oh. Speaker 3 (1:44) And then I went to a little meeting at my kid's school. And then I, because I heard the War on Drugs track, the War on Drugs track that you played, I had to go and just listen to that like three times in a row. Speaker 2 (1:53) It's fantastic. It was fantastic. It's really great. I really love it. Really. I mean, I've always liked them. Yeah, Speaker 3 (2:00) me too. I've always liked them. Like, yeah. To me, they're kind of road trip music. Yes. They're like driving. Across America. Speaker 2 (2:07) Yeah, yeah, yeah. But the new one is really great. Yeah, it's big and dramatic. Yes, yes. How are you, Speaker 3 (2:12) babe? How was your show? Good. Speaker 2 (2:13) Show was great today. Lots of great music. I love that Silverwing Killer song as well. Yes. I don't know if you heard that. I did hear that. World star, world star. Love that. And we had Saoirse Ronan on. Wow. And I love her. Speaker 3 (2:25) Yeah. Speaker 2 (2:25) She is fantastic. Speaker 3 (2:26) She makes being a film star look easy. Speaker 2 (2:30) Oh, yeah. And just not annoying. Yeah. Do you know what I mean? And she's Speaker 3 (2:34) a good example of how like you realise when you see her and think about her that you really can opt in to the kind of being a super famous movie star. You know what I mean? Or you can just be an actor. Yeah. Speaker 2 (2:45) And Speaker 3 (2:46) she clearly just opts out of all the red carpet celeb stuff and just like be an actor. But hasn't she just directed her first film? Speaker 2 (2:52) She has. Right. Yeah. And she also as like you don't really do that much stuff when she came in. She said, I don't really do promo. I've not done this for ages. And she's really good at it. I Speaker 3 (3:02) bet. Speaker 2 (3:02) I was like, she needs a radio show. Chatty Cathy. And she said, I would love a radio show. Speaker 3 (3:07) And Speaker 2 (3:07) I said, do one, come on. Speaker 1 (3:09) Because Speaker 2 (3:09) she was great. So we loved her. She was great. But no, we've had some really good guests on. We've got Beba Doobie on on Friday. Speaker 1 (3:15) Nice. Speaker 2 (3:16) And we actually recorded that last week, but it goes out on Friday all around her album, Pylon. And Speaker 3 (3:21) how was the Ezra Collective Friday morning? Speaker 2 (3:23) Really fun. Yeah, we had Ezra in live. We had James and Femi. I saw Femi on the way into work this morning. He Speaker 3 (3:30) said he Speaker 2 (3:30) saw you. Speaker 3 (3:30) Yeah, no, I saw him like this morning. Yeah, no, I saw him today. Oh, did you just see him too? Yeah, yeah. So I was asking him about whether they're going to be number one this week. Speaker 1 (3:38) Yeah. Because Speaker 3 (3:38) when this goes out tomorrow, we find out whether they're number one. And he was like, well, Oasis announced their tour. So when you announce a tour, apparently everyone just wants to go and listen to your music again. Yeah, they do. So currently there are 4,000. Units? So dark calling Units. But like ahead of Oasis. So they could still get there. Yeah, that's good. Speaker 2 (3:57) Surely everyone's listened to Oasis by now. I Speaker 3 (3:59) really hope that everyone will get it. Because he's worked his ass off. Speaker 2 (4:03) Yeah, big time. But yeah, no, they were great fun. They came in and hung out and did Cloudbustin and we chatted all about the album. And they're really infectious, aren't they, to be around? They Speaker 1 (4:11) are. Speaker 2 (4:11) They're just like great fun and easy. Yeah. Yeah, it was good. It was a real reminder of why I like the radio. Speaker 3 (4:17) when they were on a Monday. Yeah, I bet. Speaker 2 (4:19) Just like all the texts were easy. Everyone was just like, oh, yeah, that's what it's about. Yeah. Picking songs. Yeah. And talking in between them. Simple Speaker 3 (4:27) things. Simple Speaker 2 (4:27) thing. Yeah. But Speaker 3 (4:28) yeah, Speaker 2 (4:28) it was really good. It was really good. We got T-shirt day on Thursday. Oh, the classic six music T-shirt day. Speaker 3 (4:34) You wear Speaker 2 (4:34) a T-shirt day. Yeah. And then you... Speaker 2 (4:37) Request what's on your chest. Is that the tagline? I Speaker 3 (4:40) don't know. Speaker 2 (4:40) It's something, there's a chest. Speaker 3 (4:42) Oh, so you have to send a picture of yourself and then whatever T-shirt you're wearing. You can pick the song. You can Speaker 2 (4:47) pick Speaker 3 (4:47) the song. That's good. Yeah. Speaker 2 (4:48) Let's Speaker 3 (4:48) go find my. T-shirt. Speaker 2 (4:50) Better Find Yours, yeah? Yeah. I'm trying to think what else I've done. Oh, I went to Shy Girl, had like a screening of her new music video. So she has a new album now coming called Swallow, which is on the way. And we heard Elise, which is like that big banger. And then we've also heard Lucky. So she had like a screening of those two videos. And she's written a short film with George, her partner. And the videos are sort of these extended scenes from the short film. So I went to that. that on Thursday which was great I really love her I think she's great I love her Speaker 3 (5:22) videos I've heard of film screenings but not video music video screenings but why not Speaker 2 (5:27) it's all going to sort of I think go together because the second one followed the first one so it'll all go together and create this short film and then on Friday I went to The ballet, the San Francisco Ballet were in London. They did, I think, six shows in Sadler's Wells. And I think they did five shows in Edinburgh as well prior to that. And it's Speaker 1 (5:48) a Speaker 2 (5:48) performance by the San Francisco Ballet called Mere Mortals. And they're like the oldest ballet company in America. Speaker 1 (5:55) And Speaker 2 (5:55) the score was done by Floating Points. Speaker 1 (5:57) And Speaker 2 (5:58) I'd been listening to it, but I went to go and see it live. And Sam, who is Floating Points, is there and, you know, makes... music himself with these like mad electronic instruments and this sort of thing yeah all live yeah and then the orchestra are in there as well so he sort of does a bit of like conducting with them and there's like a beautiful harpist on a lot of the tracks that was performing as well and it was so Speaker 3 (6:21) could you see him from where you were set uh Speaker 2 (6:23) no because they're in like the yeah Speaker 3 (6:25) what's Speaker 2 (6:25) it Speaker 3 (6:25) called The doldrums? The pit? Yeah, yeah. The Speaker 2 (6:28) mosh pit, I think they call it, don't they? The classical mosh pit. The Radio 3 mosh pit. But yeah, so you couldn't see him. But then at the end, obviously, everyone comes out and takes a bow and everything. But it's quite a, it's a quick one. It's like an hour, 10 minutes, no interval. And it's a retelling of Pandora's box. Oh, Speaker 3 (6:44) wow. Speaker 2 (6:44) Of the story of Zeus giving Pandora a box and being like, don't open it. And then he knew she'd open it. And then she opens it, a bloody nightmare. But it was a real... I like that succinct version of the story. If you don't have an hour and ten minutes... Bloody nightmare. Why give her the box if she knew she'd look in it? Because Speaker 3 (7:00) wasn't he trying to trick her or not? Speaker 2 (7:01) He was trying to trick her and tempt her and he put like all chaos and war and hell in it. Speaker 3 (7:06) And Speaker 2 (7:07) he knew she'd... Well, don't give it to her. Speaker 3 (7:08) Yeah. Speaker 2 (7:10) I don't know what the moral is. What is the moral of that? Speaker 3 (7:12) The moral is do not... lead yourself into temptation. Don't trust men. Don't take gifts from strange men. Speaker 2 (7:19) Don't trust powerful, controlling, world... God Speaker 3 (7:23) men. Men who think they're gods. Men who Speaker 2 (7:25) think they're gods. Yeah. Yeah. But no, it was incredible. And it was like really, it was incredible. And it was really sort of an onslaught for the senses, like the choreography, the lighting, the production design, the sound. It really was. quite special it was really great but yeah it was one of those things that you come out of where you're like bloody hell i Speaker 3 (7:45) love that you do anything i love that you did the ballet this really high-end high art music experience on friday and then you came to my show on saturday excuse me that's Speaker 2 (7:56) high art in a different way thank you i don't know if it was high art or i loved this weekend because i had yeah my shy girl thursday the ballet on Speaker 3 (8:05) friday friday Speaker 2 (8:07) Saturday, went and met our friends Jenny and Harrison, who we love. Hung out with them and their little baby. And the baby. I haven't met the baby yet. And had a little mooch. And then came to your club night, which is on early. Speaker 3 (8:22) And Speaker 2 (8:22) that was fantastic for me. Yeah. Because I was like... And you were Speaker 3 (8:27) there, like, the doors opened at Alexandra Palace. I think we opened them a little bit late, quarter to seven. Speaker 2 (8:33) You Speaker 3 (8:33) were there at like 20 past six. Speaker 2 (8:36) You Speaker 3 (8:37) were Speaker 2 (8:37) the only people in the whole hall. We were there before that. We were very eager. Yeah. I think we were there before six. You came as Speaker 3 (8:43) I was sound checking, rehearsing with the choir. Yeah. Because we had a choir. Speaker 2 (8:47) Yeah. And the show was like in the round. The stage was in the round. Because when we left here last week, you were like, oh, Speaker 3 (8:53) man. Speaker 2 (8:54) And I said, why? And you were like, it's a big crowd. And I was like, yeah, but you've played to big crowds before. And you were like, yeah, but it's like the biggest indoor crowd. And then you were like, you know, it costs this much and it's a couple of screens. And I was like, sounds expensive. It was a bit more than a couple of screens. And I got why you were nervous because it was in the round. So if I'd have known that, I would have said, yeah, scary. Speaker 3 (9:16) Yeah. Well, it turns out we had one day. we, I say we, lol, the team, the production team had one day to build. And it was this huge round, like circle of LED screens that was kind of raised above my head. So I was in the middle of this circle and the stage was a circle as well. And the point was to try and like this traditionally big, long rectangular room. How do you make it feel like a club? Speaker 2 (9:41) And so everyone's not just stood there facing the DJ. Yeah, like the stage, looking Speaker 3 (9:45) down at the DJ, blah, blah, blah. So how do you make it feel more intimate? That was like, that was my word. It's like, we need to make this feel intimate. And so they designed it as a circle with people surrounding me, which was cool. But it took so long. And I found out only yesterday, my manager told me that there was like big. problems with the video wars and they like failed halfway through the day and so everybody was like quietly freaking out but Speaker 2 (10:10) they didn't tell you to and like I Speaker 3 (10:12) wasn't allowed out of the dressing room my manager my tour manager kept being like no no no just wait here you wait Speaker 2 (10:17) here just come down in half Speaker 3 (10:18) an hour just give me half an hour and then they'd like go out and they'd be on the walkie-talkies and I'd be like I'm so go I need to walk around and see people and do things I'm going mad um because I'm my worst favorite thing at a show is waiting for it yeah That's why I always normally turn up five minutes before I go on. Yeah, because you Speaker 2 (10:34) don't want to overthink it. Speaker 3 (10:36) So there was a lot of waiting and then eventually went down and it still wasn't fully ready. And the thing is when the LED screen, only when that's up can then the lighting mapping and the video mapping happen. So there's like, it's like a hierarchy of things. One means that you can't finish, start one till the next one's finished and blah, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, we were soundchecking the choir like half an hour before I was supposed to go on. So that was a little nerve wracking. But I was so happy that you were there. I loved it. And I Speaker 2 (11:07) was Speaker 3 (11:07) able to come and give you a big hug and say like, I just loved having my friends there. I loved Speaker 2 (11:11) being there. I loved, me and Amy were saying, because Amy came and Mish came and our friend Harrison came. And I was saying, quite a good birthday party idea moving forward. Speaker 3 (11:22) Yeah. Speaker 2 (11:23) rent a large room Speaker 3 (11:24) and have Speaker 2 (11:25) you play like a prayer. Speaker 3 (11:26) Yeah. As a choir performer. Speaker 2 (11:29) I was like, I could go on now after the soundcheck. But you know what? It was, and I really thought it's hard to make a venue like a club. And I actually thought once it got like, because it's got the sort of big windows in it. Speaker 3 (11:43) Yeah. And I wanted the windows not covered. Yeah. Speaker 2 (11:45) Because Speaker 3 (11:45) the whole point of the concept is that it's kind of day into night. Yeah. Speaker 2 (11:49) And Speaker 3 (11:50) so I want to see. The sunset. Speaker 2 (11:52) And I want to Speaker 3 (11:53) see when it's getting dark. That's cool. Speaker 2 (11:54) Yeah. And when it got dark at like eight o'clock, it was, it could have been like three o'clock in the morning. And Speaker 3 (11:59) it was full. I fully expected that first hour for me to be playing. I literally said to you, I'm going to be playing to an empty room. I sent him a voice note in advance. I was like, just so you know, when you get here, it's just going to be me in an empty room. Speaker 2 (12:10) Yeah. And Speaker 3 (12:10) like the doors opened and there was just streams of people. I was like, wow, you're here. It's not even seven and you're here. Speaker 2 (12:17) Yeah. We knew that would happen. When we were in the car on the way, we were like... that will happen. Yeah. Because if you're going out early, you've got that babysitter booked. Speaker 3 (12:29) You're going Speaker 2 (12:30) out. Speaker 3 (12:30) I just thought people would go meet in the pub and then, you know, have one thing lead to another and then, oh shit, it's half eight, we better go. Speaker 2 (12:36) That's us. And then we'd be late. I'm like, oh. Yeah. No, but people were prepared. Yeah. It was really fun. It was really, really fun. Thanks for coming. And then, did you enjoy it? Oh, my only concern was when did you have a wee? Speaker 3 (12:49) Oh, I timed that in advance. I mean, that was a big part of the production. We were like, I need a toilet nearby. Speaker 2 (12:55) So Speaker 3 (12:55) we had to pre-plan how I would get to the toilet. Speaker 2 (12:59) But Speaker 3 (13:00) I basically did it around half eight, just before I played my jungle bit. I did it around then and I just ran out and ran back really quickly. And then I was all right for the rest of the night. Speaker 2 (13:11) Can I talk about a piece of music that you played as well, which was something that was sort of a reimagining of the Macarena? Speaker 3 (13:19) Oh, yeah. It's called La Serena. Speaker 2 (13:20) Yeah. Speaker 3 (13:21) Yeah, yeah. Did you like it? Speaker 2 (13:22) Loved Speaker 3 (13:22) it. It goes off. Speaker 2 (13:23) Loved it. It's Speaker 3 (13:24) quite classy. It Speaker 2 (13:25) is. Speaker 3 (13:25) It's a quite classy version. It goes bump, bump, bump, bump, bump. There's no lyrics. No. But it's just enough of it to know. It's just a few Speaker 2 (13:33) little notes from Speaker 3 (13:34) it. Speaker 2 (13:34) Is that the? Yeah. Yeah. I mean, we were having such a good time that Harrison and I were like, maybe Speaker 1 (13:40) the Macarena's