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Drake unveils first UK/EU tour in six years

Grammy Award-winning rapper Drake has announced his first UK and European tour in six years, scheduled to kick off after his Wireless Festival residency.

The Live Nation-produced run, titled $ome $pecial $hows 4 UK EU, will comprise 24 arena shows across the continent between 20 July and 23 September.

Stops include Birmingham, Manchester, Munich, Paris, Berlin, Copenhagen, Manchester, Amsterdam, Stockholm, Milan, Antwerp, Zurich and Cologne.

Tour support comes from fellow Canadian artist PARTYNEXTDOOR, with whom Drake released an album titled $ome $exy $ongs 4 U in February.

Prior to the outing, Drake will headline all three nights of Wireless Festival’s 20th-anniversary event, set for 11–13 July at London’s Finsbury Park.

Having first headlined the event in 2012, the Wasserman Music-repped act has made several special guest appearances at Wireless over the years and holds the title of the audience’s most-requested artist since the festival’s inception.

Drake will headline all three nights of Wireless Festival’s 20th-anniversary event

Following the announcement, the annual rap and hip-hop music festival sold out within minutes, setting a new record.

$ome $pecial $hows 4 UK EU will be Drake’s first run of shows in the UK and Europe since his 2019 Assassination Vacation Tour. Earlier this year, he toured throughout Australia on his Anita Max Win jaunt, though several dates in Sydney and Auckland (NZ) were cancelled with short notice due “scheduling conflicts.”

In May, Drake also teased the return of his OVO Fest in his hometown of Toronto, Canada. Appearing at Central Cee’s show, he confirmed the star-studded event would “be back this year.”

$OME $PECIAL $HOWS 4 UK EU 2025 DATES:

Sun Jul 20 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena

Mon Jul 21 – Birmingham, UK – Utilita Arena

Fri Jul 25 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live

Sat Jul 26 – Manchester, UK – Co-op Live

Wed Jul 30 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

Thu Jul 31 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Ziggo Dome

Thu Aug 07 – Antwerp, Belgium – Sportpaleis

Mon Aug 11 – Zurich, Switzerland – Hallenstadion

Fri Aug 15 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena

Sat Aug 16 – Cologne, Germany – Lanxess Arena

News Aug 21 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Fri Aug 22 – Stockholm, Sweden – Avicii Arena

Sun Aug 24 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena

Mon Aug 25 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Royal Arena

Fri Aug 29 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum

Sat Aug 30 – Milan, Italy – Unipol Forum
Sun Sep 07 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Mon Sep 08 – Paris, France – Accor Arena

Thu Sep 11 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

Fri Sep 12 – Berlin, Germany – Uber Arena

Tue Sep 16 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle

Thu Sep 18 – Munich, Germany – Olympiahalle

Mon Sep 22 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena

Tue Sep 23 – Hamburg, Germany – Barclays Arena

 


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ICM’s Robert Gibbs promoted to head of department

Robert Gibbs has been promoted to head of contemporary music at ICM Partners, after 14 years at the company.

Gibbs moved from CAA to ICM in 2006 and was made a partner at the company in 2016.

His current roster includes artists such as J.Cole, PartyNextDoor and Ari Lennox and his work has earned him a spot on the Billboard Power 100 list for two years running.

“Robert is a fabulous agent, individual and an impactful leader. I am very proud of him and all that he has accomplished in his fourteen years at ICM,” said CEO, Chris Silbermann.

“We began discussing this well-deserved promotion last October and but for the pandemic, this would have happened sooner. He has earned this promotion with sustained levels of excellence in all aspects of the job and makes our organization stronger. I am thrilled for him and us.”

Robert Gibbs says: “ICM has built the best culture of any major agency and I am proud to take a leadership role within this organization.

“We have been fortifying the department even during the pandemic”

“We are the last and only major agency solely dedicated to the representation business and it shows in the manner in which we work for artists to achieve their dreams. We have been building and fortifying the department even during the pandemic and our contemporary music team is one I am proud to now lead.”

ICM’s international touring business includes artists such as Khalid, J. Cole, Migos, Good Charlotte, Charlie Wilson, Limp Bizkit, Sinead O’Connor, Suicideboys and Boyz II Men.

Other ICM clients include actors Samuel L. Jackson, Sir Patrick Stewart, John Travolta and Christoph Waltz, comedians Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock and Jerry Seinfeld, filmmaker Spike Lee and wrestler-actor John Cena. In addition to LA, the agency – formerly International Creative Management – also has offices in London, New York and Washington DC.

Earlier this year, ICM allied with Primary Talent International, one of London’s last major independent booking agencies.

Primary – home to the 1975, Stormzy and Dave – is retaining its name and team while benefitting from LA-based ICM’s “global scale”. While ICM’s international touring business will get a boost from the allyship.

ICM agent Yves Pierre, who represents artists including Lil Yachty, talked about navigating the world of livestreaming and why people must “put themselves on the line” to achieve a more diverse industry for IQ‘s Tales from Covid series.

 


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