Easy Life frontman and songwriter Murray Matravers has issued an emotional update explaining more details surrounding the band’s ongoing lawsuit at the hands of easyJet and the easyGroup conglomerate over naming rights.
In case you somehow missed it, earlier this week the Leicester-based five-piece revealed they had been threatened with the prospect of being sued by the company owned by Greek-Cypriot billionaire, Stelios Haji-Ioannou, and best known for its budget airline, easyJet.
As ridiculous as it sounds (because it is), the multinational corporation intends to sue the band — whose name is stylised in lowercase as ‘easy life‘ — for using the word easy in their name, which they claim to have trademarked and have already been collecting royalties from other companies for some time.
Now, the latest according to Matravers is that the band and their legal representation have a clearer picture of how much fighting this in court will cost and when the wheels will really start moving.
Starting off by thanking fans and concerned parties in general for their “outpouring of love, anger, support and compassion” following the news, he labelled the reaction across the music industry and online as both “overwhelming” and “beautiful”.
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Despite multiple groups having “offered to crowdfund” to help the band take on the lawsuit, the singer, lyricist and co-founder reiterated that “this case is going to be extremely expensive to fight in the High Court” and wouldn’t actually begin until 2025.
“We would be undertaking an absolutely massive, potentially two-year-long fight against a billion-dollar corporation”, he continues. “We’re not a limited company: it’s our name on the lawsuit, they could take everything and we could be completely financially ruined — they know that and they are extremely aggressive”.
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With several dozens of ‘easy’-prefix businesses to their name, not mention countless more trademarks in existence (be they defunct, future-proofing or otherwise), the holding group has attempted to monopolise the word and already taken several other companies to court on the same grounds.
The full list of active easyGroup brands at present (Credit: Stelios Philanthropic Foundation)
The 27-year-old also commented on how both the company and other media outlets such as the Daily Mail are trying to discredit the group and “running [his] name through the dirt”.
Adding that he and his bandmates “feel intimidated” and “are going through it” during a very clearly emotional moment in the lengthy video statement, he went on to say that he believes they “have a very strong case” but warned they are going to need “upwards of half a million quid to get a fair trial”.
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Speaking passionately and defiantly, he ultimately declared that the ‘easy life vs easyGroup’ lawsuit is no longer just about the band but is instead “a case about corporate bullying” and merely one in a long line not just by this particular organisation but several others. Many of those commenting have been quick to draw comparisons between this situation and Joe Lycett‘s famous protest stunt against Hugo Boss.
As for the band, they have received a tidal wave of support from others in the music industry, with the likes of Arlo Parks, Mahalia, Professor Green and several others sending messages of solidarity and offering to help fundraise on their behalf. Murray was also praised for proving how the company doesn’t have a leg to stand on when it comes to who came first:
In their latest statement on the looming legal battle, the now deeply unpopular easyGroup labelled Matravers as a “brand thief” and argued that Stelios has owned the ‘easy’ family of brands since 1994, adding that he “needs to understand that he is not being sued by an airline” but its parent organisation.
Warning that the company “has a legal budget of £4 million per year with which to take action against brand thieves, big and small”, they even went so far as to highlight “negative PR about Matravers (for example having to be carried off stage for being too drunk to perform)”, suggesting that this could “reflect badly on easyGroup” and that “confusion is not necessary for such tarnishment to occur.”
They also drew attention to some of Easy Life’s previous merchandising such as tour posters with planes on and band t-shirts, both of which appear to mimic the company’s branding.
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The statement continues to progress in a rather personal manner, claiming that “Mr Matravers has also tried to develop the story that this is a ‘David vs Goliath’ and somehow the ‘little guy’ has the right to use any name he likes because he can’t afford lawyers.” Let’s just say we sincerely hope David wins this one.
Featured Image — easy life (via Instagram)/easyGroup
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Heaton Park cafe launches huge Oasis ticket giveaway with VERY silly stunt
Daisy Jackson
A much-loved local space which is on the very doorstep of the Oasis reunion shows is launching a huge ticket giveaway.
Heaton Park Cafes, which operates the beautiful Lakeside Cafe, The Stables Cafe, and the boating lake at the park, have got a pair of Oasis tickets to give away to fans for free.
The lovely spot has announced the news this week with a pretty eye-catching stunt – popping Liam and Noel Gallagher onto a couple of swan pedalos.
Alright fine, it’s not actually Liam and Noel, rather a pair of very warm staff members in parkas and face masks, but it’s had a pretty eye-catching effect anyway.
The faux Gallagher brothers kept pretty tight-lipped on how to actually win tickets, but fret not, we’ve got all the info you need.
Heaton Park Cafes has got a pair of tickets to one of the massive Oasis summer reunion gigs to give away to one lucky customer.
The two tickets are for the final night of their hometown run, Sunday 20 July.
‘Noel’ with sandwiches at Heaton Park CafesNoel and Liam on an iconic swan boatThe swan boats have been renamed after Oasis songsHeaton Park Cafes’ Lakeside CafeHeaton Park Cafes are hosting an Oasis tickets giveaway
And to be in with a chance of winning, all you need to do is spend a bit of your hard-earned cash at this fabulous business.
Every time you spend £10 in the cafe, you’ll be given the chance to enter yourself into the prize draw.
And you’ll also be given an opportunity to enter the ticket draw if you rent out one of the boating lake’s iconic swan-shaped boats, row boats or electric boats (if you book online HERE you’ll be sent a link to enter, or if you rent a walk-in boat you’ll be able to enter on the spot).
To give you a taste of the treats you could get at the cafe – stacked sandwiches like a classic BLT; hearty breakfasts including Full Englishes and loaded breakfast sandwiches; and a full menu of ‘ultimate’ toasties.
They also have a few Oasis-inspired summer specials, like a refreshing strawberry lemonade.
The Lakeside Cafe is popular for a post-Parkrun coffee and cake, a delicious milkshake in the sunshine, or a full lunch after a dog walk (there’s even a dog menu), with stunning views across the boating lake.
You have until 16 July to be entered into the prize draw for Oasis tickets – head to The Lakeside Cafe, The Stables Cafe, or the boating lake in Heaton Park to win.
DJ at centre of Parklife cancellations speaks out over ‘unsafe’ crowds
Daisy Jackson
A rising DJ whose set was cancelled due to ‘safety concerns’ at Parklife festival has now spoken out on his side of events.
Josh Baker is a popular Manchester-born DJ who was set to perform on the brand-new Matinee stage on the Sunday night of the local music festival.
He had the second-highest billing of the day, followed by Chris Stussy as headliner of that particular stage.
But despite being booked onto one of the festival’s smaller stages, Josh Baker’s popularity quickly saw the space becoming overcrowded.
Videos shared on TikTok show fans clambering over the safety barriers that Parklife security had installed as a queue system, desperate to get inside for Josh’s set.
The young talent has now spoken out again about the incident, saying he could see from his vantage point it ‘quickly became unsafe’.
Josh Baker said that ‘the organisers made the right call’ despite the show ‘meaning a lot’ to him.
He detailed that he has been going to Parklife since the age of 16, and playing such a big slot in the festival ‘felt like a proper full-circle moment’.
He added that he’s been looking into doing free follow-up shows, but has been unable to find a venue that would hold ‘anywhere near the amount of people who were trying to get in to see me play’.
Josh wrote on Instagram: “I’m honestly so sorry to everyone who didn’t get to see the set. It was completely out of my hands, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Just know I’ve felt every bit of frustration with you.”
He then said he’s planning ‘something ridiculous’ for his Creamfields appearance to make it up to fans.
Josh Baker said in his full statement on Parklife: “I’ve taken a few days to process what happened at Parklife last weekend, and I wanted to share a few words.
“This one was always going to mean a lot. Growing up in Manchester, I’ve been going to Parklife since I was 16, so to be booked for such a big slot felt like a proper full-circle moment. But just as I stepped on stage, the music had to be cut. When I came on there were too many people trying to get into the arena and it quickly became unsafe, and therefore the stage had to be closed for the rest of the day.
“It’s gutting, but I want to be clear – the organisers made the right call. Safety has to come before everything. After seeing a few of the videos from the crowd, I’m just relieved the situation did not escalate and everyone remained safe.
“Still, it’s hard to explain how much it hurt not being able to play. I know so many of you were excited for that set and it honestly blew me away seeing that many people turning up.
“Over the last few days, I’ve been trying to figure out how to make it right. I looked into doing a free follow-up show in Manchester, but the reality is, there are no suitable or possible venues which would hold anywhere near the amount of people who were trying to get in to see me play.
“The last thing I’d want is to announce something and end up disappointing even more people who couldn’t get tickets. After a lot of conversations and digging behind the scenes, we’ve had to accept that there’s no realistic way to do something that feels fair right now.
“I’m honestly so sorry to everyone who didn’t get to see the set. It was completely out of my hands, but that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Just know I’ve felt every bit of frustration with you.
“I really hope to see loads of you at Creamfields because I’m already planning something ridiculous to try and make this up to you in some way.”
Danny Jones -
6th October 2023 
