The band formerly known as Easy Life have now officially changed their name following a legal battle with easyJet’s owners.
In case you aren’t quite up-to-speed with the ongoing controversy, the alternative indie pop group – which formed in Leicester in 2017 – announced back in October of last year that they were being sued by easyJet airline’s owners, easyGroup, due to their name being too similar and therefore supposedly infringing on copyright.
After fans initially thought the band may have been joking about the legal battle, presuming the budget airline group couldn’t possibly be that bothered about the use of the word ‘easy’, it soon transpired that this wasn’t the case, and that it was, unfortunately, all very genuine.
As well as the band’s name, easyGroup – which is owned by Cypriot billionaire Stelios Haji-Ioannou, and has many companies within its conglomerate using the prefix ‘easy’ – also pointed out that the band had used an image of an orange and white plane, similar to the branding for easyJet, on a poster promoting their ‘Life’s A Beach’ tour.
Mr Haji-Ioannou labelled the band “brand thieves” in a statement at the the time.
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Frontman Murray Matravers then issued an emotional statement in a video posted to the band’s Instagram a few days later, admitting that the case was going to be “extremely expensive to fight in the High Court”.
“We would be undertaking an absolutely massive, potentially two-year-long fight against a billion-dollar corporation,” he continued. “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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Easy Life have officially changed their band name following a legal row with easyJet / Credit: Hard Life (via Facebook)
While the group had initially hoped to fight the case, they were later forced to concede defeat due to finances and realising it was essentially a case of, what they called, “David vs Goliath – and our British legal system favours Goliath”.
And now, coming up to nine months since the initial announcement, the group has officially relaunched and released their first single under their new name, Hard Life.
The new single is called ‘tears’, and it’s essentially one big diss track to easyJet.
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Announcing the new single, alongside an accompanying music, with a short statement shared to their official social media platforms yesterday, Hard Life briefly explained what had been happening during their absence.
“Hey it’s been a while. Safe to say the last 9 months haven’t been easy. New song tears out now,” the statement reads.
The band’s new single, ‘tears’, is instead how they’ve chosen to delve further into the legal battle situation, and, as fans have been thoroughly dissecting in the less than 24-hours since its release, contains a handful of lyrics referencing both their new name, as well as some which are obviously directed and poking fun at easyJet.
“It’s a hard life, I can’t lie, it’s been a rush. In the hard times, luck I got friends that I trust. It was easy in my twenties, now I got to lawyer up, give me air-miles or a fair trial,” one of the most prominent lyrics reads.
Another lyric reads: “There’s no use crying over oat milk, seen artists come and go, now I’ve got survivor’s guilt, but I’ll (keep those teardrops from falling).”
It’s uncertain, at this moment in time, what the band – who released their first single, ‘pockets’ under their former name in 2017, and has two UK top 10 albums – intends to do next, but it’s expected that more music under the name Hard Life is to be shared with the world in due course.
Credit – Island Records / Hard Life (via Facebook)
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Free pints and live craft experiences coming to a Manchester pub for one night only
Daisy Jackson
A pop-up pub takeover is opening its doors in Manchester, where you can get your hands on a free pint as well as some amazing craft experiences.
The Uncommon Inn is being operated by premium Italian lager brand Poretti, who want to help us Brits break out of our daily routines.
Matt & Phreds on Tib Street will welcome The Uncommon Inn on Thursday 22 October, from 4pm to 8pm, giving visitors the chance to discover unusual creative skills and watch artisans at work, with a free pint in hand.
It comes after research commissioned by Poretti found that 61% of UK adults feel they are living on autopilot, while a quarter have not tried a new creative pursuit in five years or more.
Free pints and live craft experiences are coming to a Manchester pub for one night only / Credit: Supplied
The study also found that adults have an average of just 90 minutes of genuine personal time each day, with 58% spending that time watching television and 35% scrolling through social media.
Exhaustion and financial constraints came out as the main barriers preventing people from trying new things.
The Uncommon Inn has been designed to offer an alternative, bringing together a collective of specialist makers to showcase their skills in a familiar pub setting.
Visitors to the Manchester event can watch Giulio Miglietta embroidering personalised beer mats, using a vintage Singer sewing machine dating back to the early 1900s, alongside live hand-engraving and bespoke jewellery-style crafting using recycled silver.
The Uncommon Inn is being operated by premium Italian lager brand Poretti / Credit: Supplied
Other demonstrations include 3D body-casting by sculptor Ami of Angelcasts and personalised, hand-engraved glassware from Leigh Calligraphy. Sabira of Sken Studios will also demonstrate how recycled silver can be turned into bespoke bottle openers.
Guests will be able to enjoy complimentary pints of Poretti while watching the makers at work.
Caitlin Maley, Senior Brand Manager at Poretti, said: “Modern life moves at an overwhelming pace, and it’s all too easy to fall into autopilot mode where routine replaces curiosity.
“We believe in celebrating intentional craft, rare skills, and authentic human connection – values that are at the core of our brewing heritage.
“We created The Uncommon Inn to turn an ordinary pub visit into an inspiring journey. By bringing together our Masters of Crafts, from chainstitch embroiderers to live engravers and musicians, we’re inviting pubgoers to slow down, pick up a new skill, and enjoy a pint crafted with genuine passion.”
The Uncommon Inn is at Matt & Phreds in Manchester on Thursday 22 October, from 4pm until 8pm.
Featured Image – Supplied
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Home Bargains has announced a special two-day closure of all UK stores
Emily Sergeant
Home Bargains has, once again, announced it’ll be closing all its UK stores on both Boxing Day and New Year’s Day this year.
And it’s to make sure staff get a ‘well deserved break’.
After what has been yet another busy year for the retail industry, many workers have been left feeling like they could do with a little extra time off, which is why Home Bargains is following on with what has become a now-annual tradition by shutting up shop on two bank holidays.
All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day & New Years Day.
Announcing the move in a post on social media, the discount retailer confirmed: “All of our stores will be closing for Boxing Day and New Years Day. We would like to thank all our colleagues for how hard you have worked this past year, and want you to relax and enjoy the Christmas break with your loved ones.”
Of course, this isn’t the first time the retailer has kept its doors shut on bank holidays.
Many shoppers will recall it has made the same decision to give hardworking staff a break every year since 2019.
Explaining a little more about the decision taken to close all its stores, Home Bargains said: “As a family-run business, we know the importance of being together at Christmas with those we care about most, now more than ever.
Emily Sergeant -
12th June 2024 
