James Hanley

London

Music Business Journalist at Freelance

International music journalist. News editor @IQ_Mag. Bullseye obsessive. Cherry Coke lover. All views stolen from people wittier than me.

Articles

Kings of Leon pull shows after 'freak accident'

1 week ago | iqmagazine.com | James Hanley

Kings of Leon have cancelled all of their June/July European shows after frontman Caleb Followill was injured in a “freak accident”. The affected dates include headline slots at Germany’s Hessentag festival (16 June), Belgium’s Rock Werchter (5 July), Spain’s Mad Cool (10 July) and O Son do Camiño (13 July) and Portugal’s Nos Alive (12 July), while their 10 June concert in France at the Zénith Paris has been rescheduled for 3 September at the capital’s Adidas Arena.
Festival focus: Euro chiefs preview 2025 season

1 week ago | iqmagazine.com | James Hanley

Leading European festival promoters have spelled out their projections and priorities for the summer ahead as the 2025 season gets underway. This weekend will see the return of events such as Poland’s Orange Warsaw Festival, Vestrock in the Netherlands, Tomavistas in Spain and Mighty Hoopla in the UK, before the schedule cranks into overdrive.
Metallica, Foo Fighters announce tours

2 weeks ago | iqmagazine.com | James Hanley

Two of the biggest rock bands on the planet are heading back out on the road. Metallica are extending their M72 World Tour into a fourth year with the announcement of 16 shows in Europe from May-July 2026, while Foo Fighters – who announced last week they will be performing at the 2025 Singapore F1 Grand Prix in October – have revealed three additional tour stops in Asia. The M72 run has seen K2 Agency-repped Metallica play to around four million fans since opening in Amsterdam in April 2023.
Live Affair on Stade de France's biggest concert

2 weeks ago | iqmagazine.com | James Hanley

French digital music giant Believe has opened up on its future live plans after staging the biggest concert ever held at the Stade de France. The Paris-based company’s Live Affair division promoted Jul’s sold-out gig in Saint-Denis last month, which drew a record 97,816 crowd to the national stadium. The previous benchmark was set by pop-rock band Indochine, who played to 97,036 fans three years ago.
Chris Brown tour to go ahead after singer bailed

2 weeks ago | iqmagazine.com | James Hanley

Chris Brown’s European stadium tour is set to go ahead as planned after the American singer was freed on bail after being charged with causing grievous bodily harm. The R&B star’s Breezy Bowl XX Tour was thrown into doubt at the end of last week when he was remanded in custody in the UK until 13 June – five days after the tour is scheduled to start.
Iron Maiden sell 1m+ tickets, make phone plea

2 weeks ago | iqmagazine.com | James Hanley

Iron Maiden are appealing to fans to put down their phones after selling more than one million tickets for their 50th anniversary world tour. The band start their Run For Your Lives World Tour in Budapest, Hungary, on 27 May – the first of their 32 stadium, festival and arena shows around Europe this summer. The gigs will feature a special setlist spanning the metal legends’ nine studio albums from their self-titled 1980 debut album Iron Maiden to 1992’s Fear Of The Dark.
'Constantly evolving' Sziget unveils site revamp

2 weeks ago | iqmagazine.com | James Hanley

Organisers of Hungary’s Sziget have unveiled a shake-up of the festival site as part of a multi-year strategy focused on “innovation”. CEO Tamás Kádár says the Budapest festival’s focus is to keep amplifying “the special atmosphere, the wide variety of programmes, and creating lasting memories”, with the aim of strengthening its “position among the world’s leading festivals”. “We’ve decided to take a major step forward based on a multi-year strategy,” he says.
Brockwell Live 'will go ahead as planned'

2 weeks ago | iqmagazine.com | James Hanley

Brockwell Live organisers insist the UK festival series will go ahead this year despite a legal challenge by campaigners. South London’s Brockwell Park is due to host 30,000-cap music gatherings including Mighty Hoopla, Wide Awake, Field Day, Cross the Tracks and City Splash, as well as Lambeth Country Show, between 23 May and 8 June.
Chris Brown tour at risk after singer charged

3 weeks ago | iq-mag.net | James Hanley

Chris Brown’s European stadium tour has been thrown into doubt after the singer was remanded in custody in the UK over an alleged nightclub attack. The R&B singer, who had reportedly flown into the UK ahead of the tour, was arrested at the Lowry Hotel in Salford, Greater Manchester, in the early hours of 15 May. Brown, 36, is accused of attacking a music producer with a bottle at Tape in Hanover Square, London, in February 2023.
Andrew Zweck on 30 years of Top of the Mountain

3 weeks ago | iq-mag.net | James Hanley

Sensible Events founder Andrew Zweck has taken IQ behind the scenes of “the world’s longest running free festival on a mountaintop” following its 30th anniversary celebrations. Live Aid production veteran Zweck, who has served as agent and producer of worldwide tours for the likes of Roger Waters, Depeche Mode and Mark Knopfler, has booked the Top of the Mountain Concert in the Austrian resort of Ischgl since its inception.