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BBC News
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Guns N' Roses at Villa Park: What fans need to know
The legendary Guns N' Roses kick off Birmingham's summer of rock and metal on Monday night with an open-air gig at Villa Park. The Los Angeles band are stopping in the city on their latest tour Because What You Want and What You Get Are Two Completely Different Things. Axl Rose and bandmates Slash, Duff McKagan, Dizzy Reed, Melissa Reese, Richard Fortus and Isaac Carpenter last played in the UK in 2023 when they headlined show comes less than two weeks before the highly-anticipated last ever gig by Black Sabbath at Villa Park on 5 July. For guitarist Slash - real name Saul Hudson - the night will mark a return to the what is surely one of Stoke-on-Trent's best facts, the musician was raised in Blurton until the age of band began their latest tour last month in South Korea and will perform at venues across Europe and Latin America. From the set list to travel, here are some of things fans coming to Birmingham need to know. Will there be extra transport? Aston is used to thousands of people descending on its small railway station most weeks, so transport chiefs are usually ahead of the game in terms of planning. Transport for West Midlands has confirmed additional rail services will run to and from Witton railway station - nearest the stadium - with the final train departing to Rugeley Trent Valley at 23:32 services will also run to and from Aston, with the last train leaving at 23:52 towards Birmingham city centre. Trams between Birmingham and Wolverhampton will operate as normal, however, Witton Lane and Trinity Road will be closed from 13:00. Aston Villa are also offering a shuttle bus from Dudley Street, Birmingham, to Villa Park between15:30 and 19:30, with return journeys running from 22:00 until guidance is available on the Transport for West Midlands website. How early should fans arrive? The most avid fans who have purchased a VIP or Gold Circle ticket will be able to enter the stadium from 16:00 BST before the main gates open 30 minutes later. No doubt hardcore supporters will have started congregating around the stadium long before then. The support act will get under way at 17:30 BST with the headliners expected to take to the stage any time from 18:45 BST, according to Aston Villa's website. They are expected to rock out with the crowd until 22:15 BST. What is the setlist? An official setlist for the tour has not been released, however, according to Ticketmaster, the Czech Republic gig on Sunday saw the show open with Welcome to the fans with an Appetite for Destruction can expect to hear some of their most well-known tracks including Mr Brownstone, Sweet Child O' Mine and Paradise City. Who is the support act? Fellow American rockers, Rival Sons, will open the group from California are playing a total of 10 nights during the European part of the Roses' tour, including their second and final date at Wembley Stadium on Thursday. Public Enemy will join the band across Europe from 29 June until 21 July, before Sex Pistols make two appearances on 24 July in Vienna and 28 July in Luxembourg. Is it a sell-out? There is still a chance to join in with the action depending on what fans are willing to die-hard supporters have paid more than £1,300 to secure a spot in the stadium's Gold Circle, while the majority of rockers will enjoy the action for a less eye-watering fee of about £70 with some tickets still available. Follow BBC Birmingham on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Tom's Guide
03-06-2025
- Business
- Tom's Guide
Marshall Heston 120 Soundbar review: Rock n' roll styling meets movie magic
Price: $999/£899Colors: BlackSize: H x 2.9" D x 5.7" W x 43.3" Weight: 15.5 poundsConnectivity: WiFi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, Ethernet, HDMI, AirPlay 2, RCA,USB-CBluetooth range: up to 30 feet (9 m)Custom EQ: YesVoice assistant: NoSurround: 5.1.2Multi-speaker connectivity: Yes The Marshall Heston 120 has a tough job on its hands. It not only has to prove that Marshall has the chops to live under your TV in the form of a multi-channel soundbar, but that it can do it better than any of the other options you can buy for a similar price. It seems that Marshall pulled its suspenders on, slapped its ripped jeans, and grabbed some pretty impressive sound gear from its gig bag to make its new soundbar a success. The Heston 120 is a very impressive soundbar to rival the likes of the Sonos Arc Ultra with a pair of built-in subwoofer drivers, excellent repairability, and that unique style that just screams 'crank it to 11.' To find out if it's going to land a place on our list of the best soundbars, I've lived with the soundbar for the last few weeks — and now I've come to my verdict: The Heston 120 is an excellent alternative to the competition, albeit with a couple of caveats for some users. Here's the whole Heston 120 story. What is it? Rock 'n roll soundbar from the kings of the genreWhat does it cost? $999/£899Who is it for? People looking for a new soundbar that looks the part, with top-notch inputs and great musical soundWhat do we like? Its sense of style, sound quality for movies and music, and its significant bassy rumble from its pair of sub driversWhat don't we like? It's expensive, and some might not appreciate its 'in your face' style At $999 / £899, the Heston 120 has been positioned against the likes of the Sonos Arc Ultra ($999 / £999), Samsung's latest flagship soundbars, and other premium surround options from JBL like the JBL BAR 1300X. In order to justify that price the Heston is built like a tank, features a unique, rock 'n roll-inspired design, and packs in some audio goodies for music lovers just as much as movie buffs. But that doesn't stop it from being in a precarious position, given that it doesn't quite offer the same surround options as the Sonos or the included subwoofer of Samsung's bars. In order to compete, the Marshall relies on its looks and musical tuning. Make no mistake, it is worth every one of the one thousand dollars it costs, but it joins a very crowded space. Marshall's home audio division has become known for a certain style: amp-like speakers and headphones, covered with premium fabric and brass accents. Expect control knobs galore, and a punk-rock attitude. The Heston 120 stretches that design out to fit a large TV stand, retaining all the key elements of the marque's house style — rugged endplates that look ready to hit the road on tour, a fabric mesh that would look at home on stage with Slash, and the all-important brass logo to top things off. The bronze colored control knobs on top wrap up the design, and I think it looks great. It's not going to fit into every single living room style because of its unique style, but it nails its audio credentials to the mast like little else. Going back to the size of the soundbar. You're going to need a big TV, and a large TV stand to boot. It's shorter than the Samsung soundbar options or the Sonos Arc Ultra by a fraction of an inch, but it makes up for it in depth. Make sure you do some measurements before buying to make sure that it fits — things were tight on my unit between my Samsung S90D, and even with an older TV on a larger stand. You can wall mount the soundbar with brackets sold separately if you have your TV hanging, although make sure you use beefy enough screws if you do. The soundbar is one of the heaviest I've tested, coming in at 15.5 lbs — 2 pounds more than the Arc Ultra. Build quality is excellent, with premium fabric making up the grille and excellent material choices all around. Even better is the potential for repair. Break something, and I'm told you'll be able to find parts like the end plates, grilles, and even internal components like drivers available to buy on the Marshall website, should you want to replace them yourself. You can even send the broken parts to Marshall to be recycled as well, which is a nice bonus. First off, while the Heston 120 is a WiFi-connected soundbar, it's not really a smart soundbar. There's no voice control support, so you'll be left changing the volume with your TV remote, on-device volume knob, or the new Marshall app. Beyond a lack of voice support, the only other connectivity option you're missing is an optical port — and given that it's 2025 and optical ports are ancient history to all but the most dedicated fans of data transmitted over laser, it's no great loss. Because, other than that? The Heston's inputs and outputs are better than just about everything else you can buy today. There are so many ports on the back of the Heston 120. There's a pair of HDMI ports, one for eARC and the other for passthrough, an Ethernet port for a more stable internet connection, a USB-C port that can be used to charge devices, and then an analog RCA connector so that you can connect legacy hardware like a turntable. There's no built-in phono pre-amp so you'll need one of the best turntables with one built in, but it's a lovely addition to really round out the inputs. Unlike the aforementioned Samsung or Sonos soundbars, there's also a generic mono-RCA output. While Marshall is working on a wireless subwoofer for the soundbar that will work like Sonos' Sub 4, there's a physical output for a separate subwoofer. That means you can choose your own sub to go with the soundbar. Wireless connectivity comes in the form of WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, with all the lovely extras you'd expect. The Bluetooth connection enables Auracast, as well as the potential for more devices to connect to the soundbar. Marshall has been tight-lipped about what kind of devices to expect and how they're going to work when I asked about the potential for separate surround speakers, but I suspect we might see something in the future. Control-wise, you've got the aforementioned knobs across the top. There are three — volume, EQ, and source. They're all smooth and satisfying, and the latter two click down to switch between bass and treble, play and pause music, and select the source. Finally, there's the Marshall app. It's a completely new experience this time around, retaining the visual flair of the old Marshall Bluetooth app, but sprinkling in new WiFi features for internet connectivity. Once logged in, you can play music from various streaming services so that you don't have to dip into the Spotify or Tidal Connect menus separately, although both are supported. Every aspect of the soundbar can be controlled from the app, including EQ, sound mode, volume, source, and more. It's well laid out and simple to use — good app. Technically, you don't even need to connect the Heston 120 to the internet or the app if you just want to play sound from your TV. Plug it in, connect the HDMI eARC port to the correct slot on your TV, and… watch your stuff. Easy! You can, of course, go more in-depth if you want to use every setting and feature that the soundbar has to offer. Once you're all plugged in, you'll need to open up the app. From there, you'll connect to the soundbar and get the internet connection all set up. There are then sound options to dial in, and you'll want to start with the Room calibration. From there, you'll hear a series of different guitar plucking noises, and the app will load a sound profile. I had absolutely no connection issues during the setup process — it all just kind of worked. To further dial in the sound, you can use the bass/treble knob on the top of the soundbar, or within the app. You can also choose the different sound modes, including Movie, Music, Night and Voice. Music is automatically selected when you play music through the bar, and Movie when it's connected to your TV. Movie mode seems to boost bass, while Music seems to put more emphasis on mid-range frequencies. The latter two sound modes are necessary for Dolby certification, and I don't like them on anything you find them on. Night mode reduces the bass so that you don't wake anyone up when watching late at night, and voice mode raises dialog volume. They work, and for some users, they might be more useful than they were for me. If the Sonos Arc Ultra is the ultimate soundbar for watching movies, the Marshall Heston 120 is one of the best for listening to music. While most soundbars are a TV speaker first and music speaker second, the Heston 120 wants to be excellent at both. As a result, there really isn't a similarly priced soundbar that comes close musically. There's some great sonic control on display from the Heston 120. The audio is very well spaced out on account of the size of the bar, and instrument separation is very good. I gave Vola's I Don't Know How We Got Here a spin, and discovered an impactful, dynamic, and engaging listen waiting for me. Vocals were a particular strength, and there was surprising bass reproduction thanks to the pair of sub drivers inside the bar. Bass was more impressive in the Heston 120 than the Sonos Arc Ultra on its own, so there's less need to add in a sub should you want the floors to rumble during playback. There's support for Dolby Atmos music as well through Apple Music and Amazon Music Unlimited, and it sounds really good. There's all the extra space that you'd want from a spatial mix, with the likes of The Weeknd's Blinding Lights easily filling my living room. Elements showed good separation, and the spatial effect was up there with the likes of the Sonos Arc Ultra and a pair of Sonos Era 300s. There's still some of the thinning out I tend to find with any spatial audio arrangement, but that's a quirk of the format rather than the soundbar. It's movies you'll want Dolby Atmos for, and the Heston 120 is more than happy to provide. There is one caveat to movie sound though — the surround channels. The Heston 120 features a 5.1.2 setup, or 5 surround drivers, a subwoofer, and then two upfirers for Atmos. That's not as strong as the Sonos Arc Ultra's 9.1.4 surround, and it does show when you're watching your movies. The surround bubble is ever so slightly looser on the Heston, and the atmospheric effects from above are slightly more subdued. With that out of the way, the Heston 120 is still excellent for movies. The Atmos effect meant that the opening scene of Star Wars: Episode III sounded and felt massive, as Obi-Wan and Anakin darted through space, droids hot on their heels. Starships cruise from every direction, loud and lumbering. The sub driver gives greater low end than you'll find in the Sonos Arc Ultra as well, despite the slight downgrade in spatial effects. Standard surround mixes are excellent. The Nostromo cruises to your side in the opening to Alien, loud and intimidating. The Star Destroyer at the opening of A New Hope dominates the space, filling the room with the sound of its engines. This is a soundbar that's supposed to be good at both movies and music, and to excel at the latter, it seems some compromises have had to be made in the former — but this is still a great, cinematic experience. A word, finally, about the bass. The pair of sub drivers make for a bassier time than the solus Sonos Arc Ultra, although for larger rooms, you'll still want a separate subwoofer. Marshall will be offering its own wireless sub later this year, but thanks to the standard sub-out on the back of the soundbar, you can use your own. I hooked it up to the KEF KC62 and a Q Acoustics Sub80, and found setup easy, and an increase in the bass beyond that of even the Arc Ultra and Sub 4 combo. Why is this great? Because not only does it add more audio flexibility, it could save you money, with many budget-friendly bass makers to add more rumble to your movies. If you want the absolute best surround sound movie experience in a soundbar, then you're still best off with the 9.1.4-channel Sonos Arc Ultra. But the Heston 120 does throw a wrench into Sonos' well-oiled machine. The movie performance and surround sound of the Heston 120 are still excellent, and the bar provides plenty of Dolby Atmos fun when you want to watch the latest blockbusters. It also manages something that so many other soundbars don't seem to nail down; it remembers that a soundbar is the perfect audio center for a living room. Thanks to its excellent music playback and connectivity, the Heston 120 is actually, in my eyes at least, a better all-round product than the Sonos Arc Ultra. It's not for everyone with its styling, but its feature set means it stands out in a very busy space. For Marshall's first soundbar, it's an absolute triumph, and potentially a better buy for more users than the Sonos option and its continuously disappointing app. After all, it's nice when something just works.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Valerie Bertinelli 'Couldn't Be Prouder' of Son and His New Star-Studded Music Video
Valerie Bertinelli continues to support her son Wolfgang Van Halen and his work with his band, Mammoth VH. Last week, she shared a photo on her @wolfiesmomInstagram account from the set of the band's new video for the song 'The End,' in which she makes a cameo along with a few other celebs, including Danny Trejo, who is pictured with the pair. 🎬 SIGN UP for Parade's Daily newsletter to get the latest pop culture news & celebrity interviews delivered right to your inbox 🎬 'What an amazing experience. The video for The End @mammothwvh is out now. The song is streaming everywhere I couldn't be prouder,' she wrote in the caption. Along with Bertinelli and Trejo, the video also includes cameos by rockers Myles Kennedy and Slash, Wolfgang's wife Andraia Van Halen and others, and was directed by Robert Rodriquez (known for From Dusk to Dawn, El Mariachi, Machete and more) and makeup artist Greg Nicotero. The clip has subtle throwbacks to Michael Jackson's iconic 'Thriller' video, Wolfgang's late father Eddie Van Halen, as well as some of Rodriguez's films. It begins with a quote from Jackson before Trejo's character warns Mammoth VH not to play too loud because his customers at the club are 'sensitive to loud noises.' The band fails to heed that advice and the audience soon turns into a variety of werewolves, vampires and zombies as Wolfgang and company rip through the tune. Fans left praise for the clip in the comments on YouTube. 'walking towards the camera on the table, just like dad. Epic,' wrote one, while another added, 'Danny Trejo and Slash in a Mammoth video?!?! HELL YEAH!' 'Valerie throwing punches while Slash just chills was perfect,' another added, while yet another wrote, 'The Force runs strong in the Van Halen family.'
The National
28-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The National
Review: Guns N' Roses play Human Being live for first time in tribute to Axl Rose's late idol
There are only two acts I can remember who came on stage precisely at the advertised 8pm start time – Selena Gomez and Guns N' Roses. That the latter was once one of the most notoriously tardy bands in the history of rock n' roll is not lost on me. But that's a testament to what Guns N' Roses have become in 2025. Their misbehaviour may be the stuff of legend, and feuds may have kept the core members – Axl Rose, Slash, Duff McKagan – apart for more than two decades, but it's been about 10 years since they made amends. This is not a victory lap or a quick cash grab – this is a band built to last for decades to come. And it makes sense that they would follow in the footsteps of the Rolling Stones, Rod Stewart, AC/DC, Elton John and Paul McCartney and potentially play into their eighties. This has always been a band built on those influences – which made them an anachronism even when they debuted in 1985. At that time, their power as a unit was so mighty that they nearly single-handedly pushed mainstream hard rock back to the 70s – the decade when classic rock came to its own – for better and for worse. And now, with each core member either in or approaching their sixties, they're one of the few bands keeping classic rock alive in 2025. Not all the band's 70s heroes are still on stage, of course. In February, the music world lost David Johansen, the front man of the proto-punk pioneers New York Dolls. Johansen's famed on-stage swagger was one of the key influences on Rose, which he has been vocal about since GNR's early days. Most famously, the band paid tribute to the Dolls on their 1993 album The Spaghetti Incident?, covering their 1974 deep cut, Human Being. But for decades, the band never played their New York Dolls cover live. That made it particularly moving when Guns N' Roses played Human Being live on stage in Abu Dhabi for the first time in their history. Rose noted the debut with a smile, along with a tribute to his late hero. It's rare the band has looked this happy and healthy. Rose no longer sports the long hair and bandana, and looks and sounds noticeably better than he did when the band reformed in 2016, which allows him and his cohorts to breeze through a more than three-hour show at Etihad Arena – hitting all the right notes. Slash, on the other hand, remains ageless – his style has never changed, nor has his immaculate and virtuoso playing style. And most importantly, their camaraderie is palpable, with no signs of discord between them. The band, accompanied by their capable new drummer Isaac Carpenter, who joined the band in March, toured through all their beloved hits, starting with Welcome to the Jungle and ending with Paradise City, as they often do. Sweet Child o' Mine, and their covers of Bob Dylan's Knockin' on Heaven's Door and Wings' Live and Let Die were joyously performed. They even reached for some deep cuts, performing Attitude and Reckless Life for the first time on their current tour, and Used To Love Her for the first time since 2018. While the energy of the crowd may not have matched their 2017 show at Dubai's Autism Rocks Arena, which had 30,000 thrilled fans comes to see the reunited line-up for the first time – that is to be expected. This is the band's fifth time in the UAE, after all – and second time in Etihad Arena so far this decade. But their return is welcome, nonetheless, and marks perhaps their best performance yet. If this is the Guns N' Roses we're going to get for the next few decades, the UAE will welcome them back gladly each time.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Two College Dropouts Secured $41 Million To Revolutionize Industry-Specific Banking With Slash, Backed By Top VCs
Slash, the neo-bank launched by college dropouts Victor Cardenas and Kevin Bai, announced Tuesday it has closed a fresh $41 million funding round at a $370 million valuation, which was led by Goodwater Capital and supported by Menlo Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. The raise marks a definitive comeback after the company's core market, sneaker resellers, collapsed overnight, following Adidas' decision to end its collaboration with Kanye West, Fortune reports. Don't Miss: Hasbro, MGM, and Skechers trust this AI marketing firm — Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — The idea for Slash emerged while Cardenas was studying at Stanford University and Bai at the University of Waterloo in Canada, Fortune says. As they explored different startup concepts, they discovered an ecosystem of sneaker resellers: young entrepreneurs generating substantial revenue but struggling to access essential banking tools. Many lacked incorporation or were too young to qualify for products like virtual credit cards, exposing a clear gap in the market. According to Fortune, that niche allowed the startup to quickly gain traction, especially as it offered virtual cards and other tools tailored to their needs. But when Adidas cut ties with Kanye West, the Yeezy resale economy collapsed. Slash saw its revenue fall by 80% almost instantly. The founders had announced on May 4 that they raised $19 million in earlier rounds, with dozens of employees onboard. According to Fortune, they faced a decision: double down on a dying niche or rebuild from scratch. Trending: 'Scrolling To UBI' — Deloitte's #1 fastest-growing software company allows users to earn money on their phones. Over the next 18 months, they chose to rebuild from scratch, transforming Slash into a vertical banking engine for underserved industries like crypto firms, HVAC companies, and performance marketing agencies, to name a few. Today, Slash processes roughly $300 million each month through its cards, Fortune reports. While competitors like Brex, Mercury, and Ramp spread their services across industries, Slash doubled down on vertical integration. Fortune says that the founders' approach is to design bespoke banking infrastructure for the unique workflows of specific sectors. In performance marketing, that means creating sub-accounts for each client so agencies can track ad spending and prepayment balances. In crypto, Slash enables companies to move between fiat and digital currencies while maintaining transparent internal finance systems. More than 1% of all Facebook ads are now purchased through Slash-issued cards, Fortune reports. "If we continue solving these niche, vertical, specific financial workflows for businesses across different industries, then we can sneakily become one of the largest commercial credit card issuers in the country," Cardenas told to a LinkedIn post, Goodwater Capital leads the new round, with NEA returning as a consistent backer since Slash's early stages. Other notable investors include figures like Joshua Browder of DoNotPay and Zach Abrams. According to Fortune, the startup also has support from Column, a tech-friendly chartered bank co-founded by a Plaid executive. Their partnership helped Slash navigate the recent turmoil around fintech infrastructure provider Synapse, which disrupted operations for many competitors. The current 35-person team plans to use the new capital to scale into more verticals, including online travel, property management, and e-commerce, Fortune says. As Slash continues to solve critical pain points in niche industries, it quietly positions itself as one of the fastest-growing commercial credit card issuers in the U.S. Read Next: Invest where it hurts — and help millions heal:. Deloitte's fastest-growing software company partners with Amazon, Walmart & Target – Image: Shutterstock UNLOCKED: 5 NEW TRADES EVERY WEEK. Click now to get top trade ideas daily, plus unlimited access to cutting-edge tools and strategies to gain an edge in the markets. Get the latest stock analysis from Benzinga? APPLE (AAPL): Free Stock Analysis Report TESLA (TSLA): Free Stock Analysis Report This article Two College Dropouts Secured $41 Million To Revolutionize Industry-Specific Banking With Slash, Backed By Top VCs originally appeared on © 2025 Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
