Another name has been removed from the Parklife 2024 line-up, with Digga D pulled from his Saturday slot on the main stage after pleading guilty to drug chargesearlier this week.
The British rapper and drill star was reprimanded for two charges on Tuesday, 28 May, confessing to the supply and importation of cannabis after being arrested during a livestream back in February.
The 23-year-old originally from Notting Hill was taken into custody after a police raid on a property in Lincoln whilst broadcasting on Instagram Live.
Following the verdict, the festival subsequently struck Digga D from the lineup, with news coming less than 24 hours before house DJ and producer Fisher also dropped out due to personal reasons.
Quietly confirming the news via an Instagram story, the popular Manchester festival has now suffered the loss of two big names from their expected running order.
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According to the BBC, while the prosecution didn’t accept the artist’s attempts at a plea, Judge Simon Hirst adjourned the case until 8 July to decide if there is any need for a trial of issue – a.k.a. a Newton hearing (a short hearing where no jury is required).
As well as pleading guilty to smuggling in the case related to 11 July 2023, he also admitted to supplying cannabis between 26 October 2022 and 21 February this year.
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You can watch the moment he was picked up by police below:
His Instagram account has since been suspended and neither the artist nor his representation have issued a statement on the situation at this time.
Parklife’s 13th year kicks off next weekend (8-9 June), boasting other massive acts including Aitch, Disclosure, Sugababes, Doja Cat, Kaytranada, Peggy Gou and many more.
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With Digga D being one of the biggest names on the drill scene at present, fans of the genre will no doubt be gutted.
Featured Images — Press Images/The Manc Audio/@pyr3xliving (via Instagram)
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Inspiring new 360° immersive David Bowie experience to open in Manchester
Emily Sergeant
Music lovers will get a glimpse inside the mind of a creative genius when a new immersive experience opens later this year.
Factory International has this week announced its programme of events for the upcoming autumn-winter season, and by far one of the stand-outs on the list has to be the return of Lightroom for a new 360° experience called David Bowie: You’re Not Alone – which is set to immerse audiences in the iconic performances and creative mind of one of the world’s most visionary and influential artists.
Bringing together a wealth of visual material from a wide range of sources, the experience combines rare performance footage, photography, drawings, lyrics, personal notes, and audio recordings from the late Bowie himself.
You’re Not Alone will showcase some of Bowie’s landmark performances that redefined popular culture, using a mix of iconic, rarely seen, and even never-before-exhibited material.
Selected from thousands of hours of film in the vaults of the David Bowie Archive in New York, you can expect to see everything from Space Oddity and Diamond Dogs, through to Heroes, Black Star, and more.
Each track has been newly reconfigured by multiple Olivier and Tony award-winning sound designer, Gareth Fry, to utilise Lightroom’s specialised spatial audio system.
The 360° experience is set to be both a multimedia spectacle and an intimate self-portrait in one, giving audiences a unique insight into Bowie’s perspective on the subjects that were most important to him, like theatricality, spirituality, songwriting, and the transformative power of creativity.
David Bowie: You’re Not Alone is being made in close collaboration with, and has been authorised by, the David Bowie Estate.
It’ll run at Aviva Studios from 8 December 2026 through to 10 January 2027.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Parklife has quietly added a major DJ set from Happy Mondays’ Bez
Daisy Jackson
Parklife has quietly added a DJ set from Bez this afternoon, joining an already stacked festival line-up.
Eagle-eyed users of the Parklife app (aka, us) have spotted that as the big weekend nears, a few new stages have popped up on the plans.
And that’s included a new Beatbox Stage, which on Saturday will host a mega set from the icon that is Bez, from Happy Mondays.
Bez isn’t the only nostalgic name who’s been added to the line-up for Saturday – the Beatbox Stage will also host a set from Artful Dodger.
The 2000s garage icons will be taking to the stage at 3pm for a set that will hopefully include their massive hits like Moving Too Fast, Re-Rewind (with Craig David), and Woman Trouble.
On Sunday, the newly-added Beatbox Stage will be hosting DJ Fat Tony, who you might know for getting stuck into the middle of the Beckham family feud – but he’s also one of the most in-demand A-list DJs, having spun for icons like Madonna, Prince, and Elton John.
Parklife has also quietly added a few secret sets to the bill, which we’ll be keeping a close eye on.
They join existing Parklife headliners including Calvin Harris, Zara Larsson, Chris Stussy, Sammy Virji, Skepta, and East End Dubs.
On Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 June, thousands of music-lovers will be flocking to the fields of Heaton Park ready for this year’s instalment of Parklife.
Danny Jones -
31st May 2024 
