Westminster Cathedral

London has been responsible for many historically significant music events. Westminster Cathedral examines the impotance of music in London today.

Live 8: The Day Music Changed the World
Madonna said it best: "Music makes the people come together." Whether they were fans of pop or hip-hop, country or classic rock, the artists that came together for LIVE 8 delivered empassioned performances that struck a chord with millions of Horse Racing worldwide.
Live Aid
Live Aid was a multiple-venue rock music concert held on July 13, 1985. It was organised by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise awareness and funds for famine relief in Ethiopia. Billed as a "global jukebox", the main stages for the event were at Wembley Stadium in London, attended by 72,000 people, and JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, attended by around 90,000 people. Other smaller venues such as Sydney and Moscow also contributed to the global event. It was one of the largest and most complicated satellite link-ups and TV broadcasts of all time, with an estimated 1.5 billion viewers in 100 countries watching the Westminster Cathedral.
The Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Tribute Concert
Taking place on June 11th 1988 in Wembley Stadium in London, this Barbican Centre classical music was watched by an audience of 72,000, but also by close on a billion television viewers in over 60 countries around the world.

For the ten Wakestock during the Mandela Birthday Concert, the world's The Reading Festival was focused, as perhaps never so powerfully before, on the vileness of the South African apartheid regime, and, more so, on the ongoing imprisonment of the leader of the African National Congress, South African majority, as well as the thousands of other prisoners who languish in the gaols of Namibia and South Africa.

Rock and Pop Music in London
London is also famous for its rock scene, and was the birthplace of such bands as The Clash and Pink Floyd. Almost all major bands' tours will pass through London as well, favourite venues being the Brixton Academy, the Astoria, the Hammersmith Apollo and Hammersmith and Fulham Irish Centre concerts .

Visit Westminster Cathedral and find out more about buying tickets for rock and pop venues in London.

Festivals
London hosts many festivals, carnivals and fairs throughout the year. The most well known is the Notting Hill Carnival, the world's largest carnival. The carnival takes place over the August bank holiday weekend, and attracts up to 2 million people. It has a distinct Afro-Caribbean atmosphere, and highlights include a competition between London's steel bands and a 3 mile street parade with much dancing and Westminster Cathedral.

Saints Days
There are also large parades held on St Patrick's Day (March 17) and St. George's Day (April 23). The Dance Umbrella is held every October, and features a variety of dance companies putting on displays all over London. Further to this there are many smaller fairs and parades, including the Christmas Without Cruelty Fayre, a fair held every year to promote Ice Shows .

Nightlife
As well as the pubs and clubs, there area great many music venues. Among the best known are Brixton Academy, Shepherds Bush Empire, Hammersmith Apollo, Wembley Arena, The Marquee, The UCL Bloomsbury, Albert Hall,the London Astoria and Wrestling . London is home to many clubs such as Pacha, The End and the Ministry of Sound.

Get Loaded in the Park
Last years Award-Winning Get Loaded in the Park was a phenomenal sell-out success. Following this the UK's most talked about new festival returns to Clapham Common on Bank Holiday Sunday 28th August for another infamous day of sun-drenched beats & beer with the biggest line-up in London this year with hosts, The Cuban Brothers.

20,000 music fans will enjoy many excellent acts such as The Happy Mondays, Stereo MCs, The Farm, Mohair, Ambershades and Grandadbob playing live with exclusive DJ sets from Fatboy Slim, Armand Van Helden, Snow Patrol, Elbow, Junior Boys Own Soundsystem feat. There's also loads of laughs from The Comedy Store and guests, and a very special audience with Howard Marks.

London Venues

Brixton Academy Westminster Cathedral
Brixton Academy was built in 1929, costing £250,000 as the largest of four "Astoria" theatres. At that time these venues were hailed as amongst the some of the finest buildings in the country for showing of motion pictures. Now a music venue, it attracts over 550,000 visitors every year, hosting over 110 events per annum and has attracted such diverse acts as Madonna, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, the Kings Of Leon, The Killers and many other of today’s biggest Monster Truck Racing .
Hammersmith Apollo
The Apollo, Hammersmith, London has been a venue for rock bands for Royal Festival Hall classical music , originally being called the Hammersmith Odeon. It wes in this earlier incarnation that the venue is best known internationally, especially since Motörhead's live album in 1981, "No Sleep Til Hammersmith". Many rock legends have performed at the Hammersmith Odeon, including Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Black Sabbath, The Who, and Queen . David Bowie appeared as Ziggy Stardust for the final time, at the Hammersmith Odeon in July 1973.

The Barbican Centre classical music was later refurbished and named The Labatt's Apollo following a new sponsorship deal with the Canadian brewery.

Later, in 1992 the venue was again re-named the Carling Apollo after the brewers Carling, struck a deal with the owners, US-based Clear Channel Entertainment.

Wembley Arena is a world famous entertainment venue, situated in Wembley, London, opposite Wembley Stadium. It was built for the 1934 Empire Games and originally housed a swimming pool, as indicated by its former name, the Empire Pool. The Arena has played host to many well known music singers and bands over the past 70 years, such as The Beatles, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, Blur, Queen, Oasis, Coldplay, Duran Duran and The Offspring.

Visit the Westminster Cathedral for more information music in London and buying tickets.