Ian Brown steps down from festival over vaccine

Singer Ian Brown has pulled out of headlining a festival over his refusal to play events that "accept vaccination proof as condition of entry".

Neighbourhood Weekender confirmed on Wednesday its event had been moved from May to September due to the pandemic.

Festival organisers said they would "comply with conditions" set out by the government through the local authority.

The ex-Stone Roses frontman has been vocal in his criticism of Covid vaccines during the pandemic.

"My Saturday night headline show at NHBD Weekender Festival will now not happen!" Brown tweeted.

The organisers of the Warrington festival, who have replaced Brown on the bill with fellow indie icons James, added: "No decisions will be taken by government until 21 June at the earliest.

"We are working hard with other festival organisers and look forward to a safe return to open-air events this summer."

The three-day event, which takes place in the town where Brown was born, will also feature Gerry Cinnamon and Catfish And The Bottlemen.

Many large festivals due to take place earlier this summer, such as Glastonbury and Download, have been forced to cancel again due to the pandemic.

Others like the Isle of Wight Festival have been pushed back to give them a better chance of going ahead, after the government announced its plan to slowly ease coronavirus restrictions.

This week, Reading and Leeds organiser Melvin Benn told The Telegraph that ticket holders for the late August bank holiday event who have not received a Covid-19 vaccine are likely to be required to take a coronavirus test at home prior to leaving for the events, and will need to show a health passport to gain entry once they arrive.

MPs were told last month that festivals have the potential to be "as safe as Sainsbury's", despite the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic - at a House of Commons Culture Select Committee examining the live music sector.

More than 20 million people in the UK have had their first dose of a vaccine - over a third of the adult population.

Earlier this week, Public Health England data showed that a single shot of either the Oxford-AstraZeneca or the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid jab reduces the chance of needing hospital treatment by more than 80%.

It was based on people aged over 80 who were the first to receive the jab. Government scientists praised the result, but stressed that two doses were needed for the best protection.

Last September, Brown, 58, released a new track questioning the motives behind the national lockdown, and indeed a vaccine.

Little Seed Big Tree included lyrics about a "false vaccine" and a "plan to chip us all, to have complete control" - a conspiracy theory that has repeatedly been debunked.

The track arrived just weeks after he caused a stir on social media, by tweeting: "No lockdown, no tests, no tracks, no masks, no vax."

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